Egbert and Petrie have edited a comprehensive and concise text which provides a review of the most pertinent research methods and their interpretation by experts in the field of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL). 'CALL Research Perspectives' is invaluable for researchers from all fields, for as many of the contributors assert, research is no longer the dominion of one theoretical framework. Rather it is the symbiosis of many in order to illuminate the complex aspect of language learning and skills development, as well as the effect of intrapersonal variables, and the sociocultural, economical, political, and historical forces which create the world as we perceive it both physically and virtually. 'CALL Research Perspectives' is organized into three sections: an introduction, the research perspectives, and a conclusion.

This chapter reports on an ongoing project conducted at Tohoku University in Sendai,Japan. A mixed group of seven advanced EFL learners produced weekly cell phone Video diaries that were then delivered online via blip.tv. Participants completed this task as an independent learning project. Using the video recording feature of their cell phones, participants produced videos between 15 and 30 seconds long. As a piece of preliminary research, the aim was not to gather evidence about the linguistic gains that such technology affords, but rather to assess whether or not such a learning approach was feasible and suitable for students. The findings revealed that while the majority of the students found merit in this project, some had reservations. The outcome of this project demonstrates how Web 2.0 is redefining the Internet as a platform for individual content delivery, especially in terms of audio and visual productions.

A review of the literature reveals that film editing as task-based language development activities has received little attention, and that consideration should be given to the language the software used for film editing is formatted in. This article reports on the use of filming and editing activities by intermediate and advanced university Japanese students of English as a Foreign Language learning to demonstrate the effect of the language software upon the learning development. Finally, this article documents how through this activity students were able to utilize their prior knowledge of English to develop new language awareness while performing their filming task.

The increasing quality and ever growing presence of technology in and outside the classroom allows teachers to experiment with new forms of lesson delivery, from video production (Gromik, 2007), to blogging (Pinkman, 2005) and teacher produced podcasts (Diem, 2005). Recently however a new form of lesson delivery is becoming available. During the JALT CALL 2006 conference, Allard and Gromik presented a workshop about creating video tutorials using Camtasia. Following up on this workshop, this article describes a current research project that presents Camtasia-based video tutorials about software operation to English as Foreign Language (EFL) Japanese learners.

Audiovisual resources have long been an integral part of the language teacher's repertoire. Since the advent of inexpensive and easy-to-use digital video equipment, film or video creation by students is becoming established as a legitimate approach to enhance language learning. Gromik documents how video production and editing tasks fit in with current second language acquisition (SLA) theory and provide students with important technology skills. The iSSueS discussed here include focus on form, negotiation of meaning, input and output, and the technological preparation needed for teachers. Gromik then describes the task-based activities that he uses in his film course in Japan. He sees video projects as a means to empower students to think critically and become active, autonomous learners and producers of the target language.

Audiovisual resources have been an important element in education to expose students to content, as well as to raise their cultural and linguistic awareness of the target language. However, such resources have constantly maintained students in the consumer seat. Whether students completed a worksheet or filled in a software comprehension activity, the task and the computer kept authentic communicative activities in the background. Such constraining learning environments are slowly changing, because as Warschauer (2005) notes, media literacy is empowering learners to become active agents in the construction of authentic artifacts which can become online resources. As Grossman states in the quote above, video production and Web 2.0 technology is giving a voice to individuals and these individuals are our students.

This report presents findings from a quantitative survey of Japanese second year undergraduate students about their access to and ownership of technology. The survey collects information from 745 participants over seven academic terms. The responses reveal that students have access to and are using various types of technology from an increasingly young age. This report presents the data for the benefits of educators and administrators.

This article investigates English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students' use of iPod technology to develop target language awareness. Structured as a pilot study, this research is the first part of an ongoing project to report on the effect of video MP3 technology on target language exposure. The data were collected over one academic semester at Tohoku University from two advanced learners of English. The data collection included a daily diary questionnaire, two in-class student demonstrations, and semi-structured interviews. The evidence indicates that students own prior viewing skills and are therefore able to use video MP3 playing technology to independently gain exposure to the target language outside of class time. This article aims to inform educators that allowing students' autonomy with the technology is possible and beneficial.

This software was designed by a native teacher of English working in Japan, for the benefit of EFL students in Japan and other Asian countries. Costello is a text-intensive activity suitable for Intermediate and Advanced learners of English. Student interaction with the world of Costello stimulates deductive reasoning, inferring meaning and problem-solving. It is an online role-playing game designed for university students. It was based upon other MUD (Multi-User Domain) games and adapted to fit a certain need of the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning community. The designer claims that Costello helps users apply their English reading comprehension skills, as well as develop their basic writing ability. Players are required to read and respond to instructions and guidance, use English commands to operate the game, and interact with other players. Teachers can incorporate the game in their lessons either as a continuous activity or as a challenging activity for proficient students of English. There are four environments to this courseware, (a) the teacher's area, (b) the students' gaming environment, (c) the homework report, and (d) the builder areas. These four distinct areas complement each other to stimulate either writing exercises or reading comprehension activities. Administrators (teachers) are provided with a full set of tools to keep track of students' performance and provide technical support.

In Monopoly (TM) there are set rules to play the game, but there are no set rules for the way a player ought to behave during the game. Modern psychotherapies aim to use this paradigm to help the players feel comfortable in understanding and utilizing the rules as well as accepting the inter and intra personal aspects involved with playing the game. Freud first encouraged psychologists to discover the reason why some players behave in an irrational manner. From the seminal work of Freud multiple therapists developed their own style of theories... Glasser was one such dissatisfied member of the new generation of therapist to have emerged. This paper begins by evaluating the philosophical underpinning of Glasser's theory, which he called Reality Theory and was operationalised by a process called Reality Therapy. Glasser's work is then compared with some of these other new theories developed by other pioneers. This paper analyses the similarities and differences that exist between their goals of therapy and their therapeutic processes. This argument will present the case that a model of therapy that facilitates the emergence of self is preferable to those models of therapy that aim to condition the individual to become society focused. ... Consequently this paper compares the above findings with a Buddhist perception of psychotherapy to suggest that a linkage between theories - whether it is fusion or eclectism - is not the solution. Further research is needed to offer a better understanding of the reality of what each therapy hopes to offer to its patients. From the amassed evidences, this paper concludes that each therapy needs to continue research not so much on the structure of the human mind, but more so on the social foundation upon which the concept of the mind and the theories of the mind have evolved. The understanding of this situation will allow the development of therapies that can best help the patient become an authentic self; the evolution of the psyche.