Self-access centres are sometimes portrayed as being at the forefront of pedagogical innovation. They are also said to be technology-rich language learning environments. In practice, however, the application of technology in a self-access environment has proven to be a challenge. This article focuses on 10 self-access centres that were found to be the most intensive users of technology out of a total of 45 centres investigated worldwide. The article describes the range of technologies used by these centres and the types of administrative procedures and student learning supported. It also compares these centres with the other 35 in the study to identify how they differ in the way they make use of technology.
[Copyright of Computer Assisted Language Learning is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09588220701331428]

Despite frequent attempts to address educational changes and the roles of information and communication technology (ICT) in effecting changes in student learning, few have conceptually examined ICT implementation within a wider context of managing change in schools. Methodologically, it has been argued that ignoring the multilevel nature of the data collected might incur significant discrepancies in the results. These research gaps direct us to develop multilevel models to explore how the relevant contextual factors contribute to effective ICT implementation, in particular the school-level factors. Results indicated that from teacher perspectives, ICT was able to act as a lever to bring about changes in student learning in the context of establishing collegiality in schools. Sociocultural setting rather than structural characteristics of the school accounted for the variation of school mean for perceived changes in student learning. Specifically, perceived changes in pedagogy modulated perceived changes in student learning among schools.
[Copyright of School Effectiveness and School Improvement is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09243450801896809]

*The author reports that secondary school language teachers at Hong Kong International School have adopted electronic mail and an electronic bulletin board system to carry out several classes for multinational students of English. The application of electronic communication for student assignments, assessments, the development of communication and thinking skills, and unexpected difficulties are then reviewed.

This case study examines the changes that took place in a 5th-grade mathematics classroom in Hong Kong when an American-made technological artifact was introduced. Using classroom observation, videotaping, and daily interviews with the teacher and students, the study documents the changes that occurred in the classroom and the factors shaping those changes. Using the artifact prompted the teacher to make changes by altering the content, the sequence of instruction, and the social arrangements for class participation. In addition, the class engaged in extensive discussions about the social implications of solving complex mathematics problems. Most of these changes, however, were made after the attempts to maintain routine instruction broke down. The study suggests that new technologies that are not compatible with the existing practice may lead to intense and sometimes profound reflections about which aspects of the individuals, their environment, and the new artifact to adapt into a new classroom structure. A significant challenge is how to support participants' role shifting and their subsequent psychological changes when new technology is introduced.
[Copyright of Cognition & Instruction is the property of Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/S1532690XCI1904_1]

This paper describes a series of awareness-raising activities for English language secondary school teachers-in-training - with a view to evaluating future, that is, 'intelligent', CALL for English language teaching. The paper first puts the development of CALL applications into perspective (after Atwell, 1999; Warschauer and Healey, 1998) in terms of its impact on ESL teachers. The paper then describes a series of activities intended to raise English language teachers' awareness and to enable them to evaluate advances in IT technology - as these will affect ESL teaching and learning. In order to achieve this future perspective, the activities described centre around language engineering software that than current CALL software per se. The paper makes reference to the secondary education system in Hong Kong, where there has been a strong push by the government for IT to support the classroom teaching of all subjects by at least 25%. For such a policy to even begin to be achieved, and for the classroom use of IT to be appropriate and effective, two conditions need to be in place. Firstly, teachers need to be familiar with and comfortable in the use of IT - specifically, the widening range of language engineering software. Secondly, they need to be able to evaluate the possibilities that IT offers. It is only if these two conditions are met that there is a greater chance that future use of CALL will be integrated into teaching in a worthwhile manner.
[Copyright of Computer Assisted Language Learning is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0958822042000334226]