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"Google's Drawing program is the perfect platform to practice orthography- the skill of writing characters and symbols to create words- in language classrooms with non-Roman alphabets, such as Arabic or Chinese. Students of these languages need lots of practice handwriting the new alphabet or pictographic symbols, which is difficult to do in a digital environment. In traditional word processing programs, typing pictographic languages, such as Chinese, requires the student to change the keyboard language and then phonetically type the syllables. Characters will pop out fully formed, which is efficient and useful, but bypasses the important orthographic practice! Google Drawing presents teachers with an opportunity to digital collect and monitor their students' orthography without having to scan in and email worksheets. The Scribble Tool in Google Drawing allows the user to create free form lines and by extension hand-drawn language characters. Couple Google Drawing with a pen mouse and Chinese language students are fully prepared to complete short answer or extended writing assignments online." You could also use Google Drawing for students from pictographic language to practice handwirting English.

"The goal of the Rich Internet Applications project is to create tools that are informed by language acquisition research, and engage language learners in active learning. "Using our Rich Internet Applications toolset, incorporating speaking and listening into your language class is easier and more flexible than ever! The tools can be used in many different ways: for in-class activities, student projects, homework, or assessment. Because they are tools, not completed materials, they will work with your textbook, language, and level. RIA is a way to help you easily integrate technology into your language class. "The programs are free to use. The project is funded by a US Department of Education grant, and managed by the Center for language Education And Research at Michigan State University." These applications run in your browser and require only Flash player. Well worth exploring and free.

"The participants were given an intelligence test in 1947 at the age of 11 and were retested in their early 70s, between 2008 and 2010. Of the participants, 262 said they were able to communicate in at least one language other than English. Of those, 195 learned the second language before the age of 18, while 65 learned the language after this age. Researchers found that those who spoke two or more languages had significantly better cognitive abilities in later life, compared to what would be predicted from their performance in the tests at age 11. " However, it might be that people who learn a second language also perform many other brain-activating functions throughout their lives.

"ANVILL (A National Virtual Language Lab) is a speech-based toolbox for Language teachers. Like the Language lab console of old, it's focused on the practice of oral/aural Language, but at its core are very modern web-based audio and video tools from duber dot com and the University of Oregon: Voiceboards, LiveChat, and Quizzes and Surveys. Our newest tool, TCast, allows teachers to record and place audio or video files anywhere in a lesson--in 3 easy steps. Each of these tools really opens up the scope and sequence of lessons centered around spoken Language tasks." Jeff Magoto has done a great presentation on how to use ANVILL, which is a wonderful, free, A/V tool available now internationally.

"This is an alphabetical list of websites where you can learn a language online. Some sites provide content; others community; and a number have both. Some sites focus on learning one specific language, others cover a number of languages. Thanks to all those who have contributed to this list. " A huge number of free sites for many different languages--many would make a good supplement to classroom activities

"The Teaching Foreign Languages workshop will help K-12 foreign Language teachers improve their practice by making connections between the National Standards for Foreign Language Learning and current research in foreign Language education. Workshop components include eight lively half-hour video programs with leading researchers and practicing teachers discussing how the standards play out in day-to-day classroom situations, a workshop guide available online and in print, and interactive activities on the Web. " Looks very well done--has video workshop and materials, all free.

Examples "of the way faculty members are using technology to revolutionize the teaching of foreign languages at Oberlin. "This is just one example of how technology can create bridges between schools, cultures, countries,and languages," Sawhill says. "It is extremely difficult for an American to travel Saudi Arabia, but technology can take us there - and once we are connected, we are able to experience an entirely different world." Sawhill has also started using Skype, a free, voice-over IP tool that makes computer-to-computer long-distance "telephone calls," as a way to bring additional native speakers to the students.

"Many people don't realize that The New York Times can be quite accessible for English Language Learners. Due to its focus on current events and news, using The Times to learn vocabulary and practice reading can be much more inviting and rewarding than a textbook. And NYTimes.com has some extra tools and features that are particularly useful for Language learning. Here are 10 ideas for using The Times to teach and learn the English Language."

"As various means of computer mediated communication (CMC) have been incorporated within language classrooms over the past two decades, it has become important to critically understand whether, to which extent, and under what contextual factors, a particular type of CMC is more effective than other modes of communication. This study examined the magnitude of the effect of text-based synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) on second language acquisition (SLA). By searching the studies published between 1990 and 2012, this meta-analysis explored 10 experimental and quasi-experimental journal articles and doctoral dissertations and reports their overall effect on SLA, and the contextual factors that influence the between-study variation. A small but positive overall effect (m = .33) indicates that text-based SCMC could make a larger difference on SLA than other means of communication. Findings further suggested that intermediate learners may benefit more from SCMC tasks if they are grouped into pairs or small groups and participate in SCMC interactions on a weekly basis. In terms of suggestions for future research, authors should provide more description about the SCMC task in order to confirm or disconfirm the factors that are associated with effectiveness of second language (L2) learning in technology-mediated language learning contexts."

Thousands of online exercises and activities for all the language skills, constantly revised, improved, and added to by the geniuses, Charles & Lawrence Kelly.

This web site is for people studying English as a Second Language (ESL) or English as a Foreign Language (EFL). There are quizzes, word games, word puzzles, proverbs, slang expressions, anagrams, a random-sentence generator and other computer assisted Language learning activities.

"Improve your English vocabulary with GCFLearnFree Reading program! Fun activities and videos will help you master 1,000 common English words. Reading and listening to texts will improve your ability to speak, read, and understand English." Has interfaces in a dozen or so languages so that learners in a mixed language classroom could learn through their native language. So far it's free (sponsored by Goodwill).

"Resource Repository www.CALL4ALL.us is here to help you communicate more effectively between any two languages or cultures in the world. CALL and computer-mediated communication curriculum exchange page CALL4ALL language Products Page - effective software for language Learning CALL-IS Software Summary Best Online Collaboration Tools: MindMap by Robin Good A-Z Directory of ~3,000 Online Learning Tools!" Quite an interesting compendium, but without much organization except the alpha-sort.

"Webinars for English language teachers - Whether you are a relatively experienced English language teacher or very new to the game, log in for these FREE monthly webinars on a range of subjects. You can access the archive of past recordings, too." Although many of the courses are for pay, there are a number free Webinars for English language teachers as well (see right-side link).

Review of Digital Dante Website. "Great works continue to draw new specialists into the field and serve to bring the history of a language, its people, and their culture to life. Literary works serve as examples of the power and beauty of language at its best. Helping to make such texts more accessible to learners, the Web can make use of hypertext and multimedia to provide context that is so often lacking for those without the general background knowledge that a good reader is assumed to possess. "

"We are a group of passionate language teachers interested in or already teaching in Second Life. You are welcome to join our cosmopolitan Community of Practice if you want to learn more about language Learning in 3D Virtual Environments." Nice sharing site for language teachers.

Site with language learning sites in dozens of different languages. Recommended by Richard Byrne and seen on Russell Stannard's videos for teachers.

News In Review sites that would specifically be accessible to English Language Learners would make a good companion to The Best news/current events websites for English Language Learners and to The Best Visually Engaging News Sites. Most of the sites on this list are similar to each other in format - they show slideshows of key images from the previous week and have short captions. I have noted, though, a couple of exceptions that provide audio or video.

"A fun method to learn and improve your foreign languages like English through music and typing in song lyrics" This is an activity that many of us like to use in the EFL/ESL classroom, and here it is online. There are at least six languages and a fairly wide set of choices in songs.

"The Council of the Great City Schools' parent roadmaps in English language arts/literacy provide guidance to parents about what their children will be learning and how they can support that learning in grades K-8. These parent roadmaps for each grade level also provide three-year snapshots showing how selected standards progress from year to year so that students will be college and career ready upon their graduation from high school." These roadmaps should be very useful for teachers as well as parents. Also available at the site in Spanish. Roadmaps are for math and language arts, K-12.

A blog, My Languages, describing apps for the iPod/iPhone specifically for Language teaching and learning.