Editorial

Abstract

This issue of ReCALL was not intended to focus on a particular theme, but the fact that three of the articles focus on authoring tools reflects the level of interest currently shown by many language teachers. The benefits of CALL are becoming more widely acknowledged, the technical barriers are diminishing, yet teachers still prefer to retain 'ownership' of the materials they use with their students. In many cases, the use of a suitable authoring tool or shell can be the solution. The example of CALScribe from Bristol illustrates the advantages of inter-disciplinary collaboration, whereby a shell developed originally for preparing materials for veterinary and medical students is exploited for language learners. Colleagues from Dundee with considerable experience in the use of authoring tools provide a comparative study of the use of WinCalis and Speaker, very closely related to specific pedagogic needs. Jean-Jacques Hochart from Reims ChampagneArdenne University looks closely at how particular aspects of listening and speaking, surh as stress patterns, may be improved through the creation of dedicated software. The UMIST team behind 'CALL meets Software Engineering: towards a multimedia conceptual dictionary' again demonstrate the value of collaboration, this time between computer scientists and language engineers. And Elizabeth Matthews' account of the ReLaTe project shows how videoconferencing can enable small-group tuition at one university to be taught by a tutor at another; this article takes up some of the considerations relating to videoconferencing and language learning that have been aired in previous issues of ReCALL. Thanks are due to all those who have worked hard on conference reports and reviews, which are an important element of ReCALL. The preponderance of contributions from UK-based academics in this issue is not deliberate: all articles are refereed and a fair number are rejected, but only a small proportion are received from outside the UK. We would like more, and we do consider papers written in French or German.