This paper represents an earnest attempt to identify specific pedagogical rolesfor blogs in language learning. After briefly describing various types of blogsand defining their purposes (Herring et al.,2005) we attempt to accommodate their position and application within languageteaching (Thorne & Scott Payne, 2005), relating evidence fromteachers' blogs (Edublog.org) and also within Second Language Acquisition (SLA) theories.In particular, we shall be concentrating on the process and post-process writingapproaches (Matsuda, 2003), with particular emphasis on current cognitivist(Atkinson, 2003; Ferris & Hodgcock, 1998) and expressivist (Berlin,1988) theories. These approaches will be discussed in terms of theireffectiveness when establishing specific blog writing tasks. Whilst someresearchers have advocated for a ‘lead blog’ or templatefor other students to follow (Stone, 2004), we have been seeking an eclecticapproach based on the three approaches mentioned above. We shall describe ourown blended task methodology (Abermann, 2004; Thorne, 2003) wherein languagestudents at a Third Level Institution were set a blog writing task initiallyover a complete semester (12 weeks). The blog exercise employed both an earlyexpressivist approach and later a (socio-) cognitivist one. Our findings, withexamples from students' blogs (and also from students who continuedtheir blogs over a 6 month period), will be presented as well as ourrecommendations for the integration of blogs into L2 virtual writingenvironments.

We compare two sets of (infinite) binary sequences whose suffixes satisfy extremal conditions: one occurs when studying iterations of unimodal continuous maps from the unit interval into itself, but it also characterizesunivoque real numbers; the other is a disguised version of the set of characteristic Sturmian sequences. As a corollary to our study we obtain that a real number β in (1,2) is univoque and self-Sturmian if and only if the β-expansion of 1 is of the form 1v, where v is a characteristic Sturmian sequence beginning itself in 1.

Wikis represent a particular type of collaborative learning environment where collaboration can result in aggregated, collective products. This study makes the claim that such potential challenges language production practices in school where the individual learner's output is often the focus of attention. The argument is put forth by juxtaposing theory, literature review, and videotaped wiki activities. Wikis are examined in a sociocultural perspective, in particular the notions of collective zones of proximal development and sociogenesis – that we come to knowledge by taking part in activities where individuals relate to a greater collective that evolves over time and where language and material artifacts function as structural resources. A review of some recent research in CALL and Second Language Acquisition (SLA) seeks to form a backdrop for this study of collective language production. Empirically the argument is illustrated and supported by selected videotape transcripts of learner interactions involving the use of a wiki in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom. The study shows that learners work in and across activity types that create tensions between individual and collective, institutional and novel practices, but that the wiki also holds the potential for collective knowledge advancement and language development.

This paper investigates the linguistic worth of current ‘chatbot’ programs – software programs which attempt to hold a conversation, or interact, in English – as a precursor to their potential as an ESL (English as a second language) learning resource. After some initial background to the development of chatbots, and a discussion of the Loebner Prize Contest for the most ‘human’ chatbot (the ‘Turing Test’), the paper describes an in-depth study evaluating the linguistic accuracy of a number of chatbots available online. Since the ultimate purpose of the current study concerns chatbots' potential with ESL learners, the analysis of language embraces not only an examination of features of language from a native-speaker's perspective (the focus of the Turing Test), but also aspects of language from a second-language-user's perspective. Analyses indicate that while the winner of the 2005 Loebner Prize is the most able chatbot linguistically, it may not necessarily be the chatbot most suited to ESL learners. The paper concludes that while substantial progress has been made in terms of chatbots' language-handling, a robust ESL ‘conversation practice machine’ (Atwell, 1999) is still some way off being a reality.

Technological advances have revolutionised methods of both teaching and testing in languages, and practitioners have eagerly embraced the opportunity to provide more innovative ways of doing this. The unique features offered by technology make it increasingly possible to test for a wide range of language skills required for a specific purpose. With the increasing need to test for English language proficiency and the importance placed on this facility, technology is being utilised to address issues of practicality, speed and efficiency. However, such advantages should not be embraced without due consideration for the essential qualities of any test; validity and reliability. With the inevitable shift towards computer-based testing, certain areas need special consideration. While computer-based tests can provide constructive diagnostic information to complement the language learning process, they should be used more selectively in other contexts, for example in high-stakes tests, examples of which are International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). These tests provide an assessment of English language proficiency, a key component of university admissions criteria. This paper examines a number of issues related to the design and application of computer-based tests, with particular reference to construct validity, computer familiarity and practicality. It is recommended that in the short term at least, test-takers be offered the choice of test medium in the interests of fairness and equity.

In this paper, we characterize the substitutions over athree-letter alphabet which generate a ultimately periodicsequence.

The spacing effect is known to be one of the most robust phenomena in experimental psychology, and many attempts have been made to realize effective spaced learning for L2 vocabulary learning. This study compares vocabulary learning with word lists, word cards, and computers in order to identify which material leads to the most superior spaced learning. In the experiment, 226 Japanese high school students studied ten English words with one of the three learning materials: lists, cards, and computers. One-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) showed that although no significant difference existed between the Card group and the other two, the PC group significantly outperformed the List group on the delayed post-test. Item analysis using Chi-squares demonstrated that on the delayed post-test, the List group's successful recall rates for four of the ten items were significantly lower than those of the Card or PC group. Correlational analysis indicated that the time invested in learning and the subsequent post-test scores did not correlate significantly for the List and Card groups. Paradoxically, a negative correlation was observed between the PC group's study time and their post-test scores. The lack of meaningful relationships between the study time and subsequent retention may be partially due to the limited ability of certain learners to learn effectively while using certain materials. A questionnaire given to the participants found that, in general, computers were evaluated more favorably than lists or cards. At the same time, however, learners exhibited large variations in their evaluation of computers, implying the importance of considering individual differences when introducing CALL to learners. In summary, the study has demonstrated the superiority of computers over lists, the limited advantage of word cards over lists, and no statistically significant difference between computers and cards. The findings are significant because although the advantages of cards or computers have been advocated, no study has ever tested such claims empirically.

In this paper, we describe an initial exploratory study designed to compare the outcomes of online listening and online text-based tasks in the context of the study of Italian at The University of Melbourne. Our findings allow us to characterise online listening and online reading as a qualitative difference between deep and surface approaches to learning. Online listening seems to promote an integrative orientation and heighten students' desire to deconstruct and understand texts. There also appears to be higher vocabulary acquisition and knowledge retention with online listening tasks.

The use of computer programs that can be used to correct and assess students' written work in the EFL classroom has become more commonplace within the last decade. This paper discusses the role of CALL in the process of data collection, standardisation of assessment criteria and compilation of the number of errors in the areas of grammar learning and its application to L2 writing. Students benefited from the correction process and showed increased grammatical awareness through the corrected feedback. However, the analysis of the results after the first correction phase demonstrated that the students had improved less than expected. For this reason, in the second year, Genre Theory was adopted as a theoretical framework so that students would become aware of the relationship between the structure and shape of texts in order to be effective in a particular context, and to achieve the goals of a particular culture. As proponents of the genre approach, we argue that making the genres explicit and showing how to write them will help students to be aware of how knowledge is structured in different written genres. A careful selection of text types was made at the beginning of the year so that improvement in the students' writing not only depended on the CALL system being used, but also on the different genres or text types used as class material. In this study, we intend to demonstrate that the combination of new technologies in the classroom and Genre Theory helped students to increase their writing competency. Our research highlights the relationship between literacy, new technologies, and effective writing with an emphasis on the educational application.

The LS (Look and Say) derivative of a word is obtained by writing the number of consecutive equal letters when the word is spelled from left to right. For example, LS( 1 1 2 3 3) = 2 1 1 2 2 3 (two 1, one 2, two 3). We start the study of the behaviour of binary words generated by morphisms under the LS operator, focusing in particular on the Fibonacci word.

A novel method of Zero-Moment-Point (ZMP) compensation is proposed to improve the stability of locomotion of a biped, which is subjected to disturbances. A compensating torque is injected into the ankle-joint of the foot of the robot to improve stability. The value of the compensating torque is computed from the reading of the force sensors located at the four corners of each foot. The effectiveness of the method is verified on a humanoid robot, MANUS-I. With the compensation technique, the robot successfully rejected disturbances in different forms. It carried an additional weight of 390 gm (17% of body weight) while walking. Also, it walked up a 10° slope and walked down a 3° slope.

In this paper, we study the continuity of rational functions realized by Büchi finite state transducers. It has been shown by Prieur that it can be decided whether such a function is continuous. We prove here that surprisingly, it cannot be decided whether such a function f has at least one point of continuity and that its continuity set C(f) cannot be computed. In the case of a synchronous rational function, we show that its continuity set is rational and that it can be computed. Furthermore we prove that any rational ${\bf \Pi}^0_2$ -subset of Σω for some alphabet Σ is the continuity set C(f) of an ω-rational synchronous function f defined on Σω .

This paper is a contribution to the general tiling problem for the hyperbolic plane.It is an intermediary result between the result obtained by R. Robinson [Invent. Math.44 (1978) 259–264]and the conjecture that the problem is undecidable.

Deformable models have been studied in image analysis over the last decade and used for recognition of flexible or rigid templates under diverse viewing conditions. This article addresses the question of how to define a deformable model for a real-time color vision system for mobile robot navigation. Instead of receiving the detailed model definition from the user, the algorithm extracts and learns the information from each object automatically. How well a model represents the template that exists in the image is measured by an energy function. Its minimum corresponds to the model that best fits with the image and it is found by a genetic algorithm that handles the model deformation. At a later stage, if there is symbolic information inside the object, it is extracted and interpreted using a neural network. The resulting perception module has been integrated successfully in a complex navigation system. Various experimental results in real environments are presented in this article, showing the effectiveness and capacity of the system.