*OLBI Working Papers* and CCERBAL are celebrating their fifth anniversary! This issue hence shows the commitment towards research and its dissemination made by the members of CCERBAL, their partners, and those researchers and educators who have taken part in the CCERBAL conferences and published in *OLBI Working Papers* since 2008. It should be recalled that *The Canadian Centre for Studies and Research on Bilingualism and Language Planning* is the result of an initiative launched by professors from various faculties and departments at the University of Ottawa including Richard Clement, psychologist and Director of OLBI and Larry Vandergrift, educator and founding Director of CCERBAL. From the start, CCERBAL's mission was to establish itself as a national and international hub for the study and design of public policy on bilingualism and linguistic duality. It sought to bring together researchers in OLBI's areas of specialization, namely second language teaching and learning, the measurement of language proficiency and issues of language policy through its conferences, research forums, symposiums, special events, as well as its online presence.

For their part *OLBI Working Papers* have always represented an opportunity to revisit and extend conversations and discussions initiated between members and friends of CCERBAL, in particular, during CCERBAL conferences. Faithful to this tradition, this current issue focuses on *Innovative Practices in Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL)*, the theme of the 2012 CCERBAL conference.

CALL researchers play a unique role in the field of second language education, many of them being equally invested in both the practices of language teaching as well as the training processes that are linked to these practices (Colpaert, Aerts and Cornillie, 2008; Garret, 1998). Whether undertaken as action research (Nancy-Combes, 2005; Beatty, 2010) or with more traditional research approaches (Guichon, 2009; Kern, 2006), CALL researchers focus on innovation in language learning and teaching (LL&T) linked to the introduction of new technologies (e.g. new tools, techniques and/or platforms) with a view to analyze their impact on the evolution and transformation of teachers' and students' actions, attitudes and ways of thinking. In better understanding the degree to which technology can help foster meaningful and sustainable changes to LL&T practices, their research contributes to the improvement of the quality of teaching offered to learners today (Leitch and Day, 2000; Garrett, 2009). A significant challenge associated to this work is that Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are in a constant state of flux. As a result,
to keep up with these changes, CALL researchers must commit to the work of continually staying abreast of the latest innovations and accept to remain in a perpetual state of independent professional development with regards to ICTs. Not surprisingly, curiosity, tolerance, a *propensity* for risk-taking as well as equal doses of creativity, inter/multidisciplinarity and a spirit of collaboration are all qualities shared by these pioneering researchers.

The thirteen articles that make up this issue provide a variety of examples of innovative CALL practices through reflections rooted in theoretical perspectives, empirical research, field work, training and resource development initiatives. These articles have been grouped into three sections:

**1. Lead article, 2. Research, 3. Tutorials.**

The issue opens with a **lead article**, *Les échanges en ligne comme secteur de pratiques et de recherche en ALAO : quelles problématiques et quelles évolutions?* by Francois Mangenot (Université Stendhal, Grenoble 3). Mangenot, who delivered the plenary talk at the CCERBAL conference, provides a historical overview and interim analysis of the contributions of Computer-based Communication and Computer-supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) for the field of CALL research.

The **research section** brings together eight articles categorized under two key themes: empirical research and teacher training.

The **empirical research** section begins with the article, *From analysis to training: Recycling interaction data into learning processes*, by Catherine Caws (University of Victoria) and Marie-Josée Hamel (University of Ottawa). Their work focuses on language learners' computer-mediated interactions and analyzes language task processes providing an opportunity to reflect on the quality of interactions between learners, language tasks and CALL tools. The findings highlight the use and methodological potential of screen capture technology as a means of developing a video corpus of learners' actions with the possibility to reuse this empirical data (videos) for pedagogical purposes.

The article that follows, *Innovation in techniques for teacher commentary on ESL writers' drafts*, by Hedy McGarrell (Brock University) and Roberto Alvira (Universidad de la Sabana) revisits the technology addressed by Caws and Hamel by exploring the effects of using screen capture technology to provide learners with multimodal feedback on their writing assignments. The authors highlight the strengths and weaknesses of comments provided to learners in video form and the impact of these on successive student drafts submitted at the beginning, the middle and the end of the semester.

In her article, *Online pedagogy: Development of communicative skills in Russian online courses*, Irina Kozlova (University of Carleton) discusses language tasks designed for a synchronous multimodal platform via online Con-
versation Analysis (CA) and its effects on the development of communicative competence and autonomy in young Russian learners.

In their study, *Balados sur les stratégies d'écoute et de prise de notes pour les étudiants d'immersion en français au niveau universitaire: de la conception à l'évaluation des impacts*, Hélène Knoerr and Alysse Weinberg (University of Ottawa) examine the uses of podcasting in university-level immersion courses. Going beyond a traditional focus on podcasts as a source of authentic input, these authors investigate the value of podcasts as a means of raising students' awareness and understanding of specific listening and note-taking strategies that FSL learners might apply in university courses to enhance their comprehension abilities.

Denis Liakin and Walcir Cardoso (Concordia University) with Natallia Liakina (McGill University) in their article, *Mobile speech recognition software: A tool for teaching second language pronunciation*, also explore mobile technologies reporting on a study of the pedagogic potential of strengthening learners' perception and acquisition of French vowels through the use of automatic voice recognition mobile software.

These articles are followed by three articles that focus on **CALL teacher training**, the central theme of Mangenot's presentation.

The first article of this section, *Repenser la formation des maîtres aux TIC: défis et opportunités*, by Enrica Piccardo (OISE University of Toronto), discusses ICT integration by Ontario second language teachers. It underscores the challenges and opportunities identified by these teachers and stresses the need to reflect on the role of ICTs and their integration in teacher training in order to maximize their full potential as an 'indispensible leverage for change' in second language training.

For their part, Rodine Eid and her colleagues (Université Sherbrooke) examine *Les pratiques déclarées par les enseignants universitaires au regard de l'usage des TIC dans l'enseignement de l'écriture en français langue étrangère ou seconde*. Their article presents the results of ICT research in the teaching of second language writing skills in university settings. Drawing on interviews with FSL instructors, their article comments on the integration and impact of ICTs on the evolution of teaching and learning to write in L2 classrooms and its capacity to improve students' writing proficiency.

Ivan Lombardi (Catholic University of the Sacred Heart of Milan), in his article, '*Updating' language teachers: Educators, techno-educator, edurec-tors?* introduces the term "edurector" as a way of highlighting the multiple and increasingly complex roles played by CALL teachers as "educators" but also as "directors". The concept is offered as a useful metaphor to explore the profile of CALL teachers and the new skills and qualifications proposed as necessary by recent policy documents and recommendations produced in Europe.
Finally, in the **Tutorials** section, four articles describe CALL environments, tools and resources. These articles are by Martin Beaudoin (Campus Saint-Jean, University of Alberta), Natalia Dankova (Université du Québec à Hull), Cecilia Goria (University of Nottingham) and Morgan Le Thiec (Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks) respectively.

Beaudoin's article presents *Lab de langues*, a Moodle-platform tool that offers teachers the possibility to design and provide a wide range of audio or audio-visual exercises. This tool allows for interaction with the students and the assessment of their work during or after a lesson. The full potential of the *Lab de langue* application is illustrated with examples of materials and exercises designed for a phonetics correction lesson.

Dankova, for her part, introduces “FLS”, free software designed to enable French as a second language teachers to create tasks and activities that make use of YouTube videos. The tool allows teachers to tag and annotate the video clips presented to students in order to highlight relevant sections and linguistic features found in the videos.

Goria presents COLLIT, an open-access, curriculum-independent, asynchronous communication tool for Italian learners that targets level B1 university students. The tool's design reflects a socio-constructivist approach and takes advantage of “Pedagogy 2.0” principles to provide learners with the opportunity to collaborate and interact through communicative activities.

Finally, Le Thiec introduces *CLIC en ligne*, a free FSL course designed for adult immigrants. This project developed by the Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks and funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada illustrates the Canadian government's efforts to integrate digital literacies and tools to the range of programs offered to newcomers to Canada to help facilitate their integration in Canadian society.

## Acknowledgements

We end this editorial by expressing our profound gratitude to the granting agencies that have made the publication of this 5th volume of the *OLBI Working Papers* possible. We would like to acknowledge in particular the invaluable support of the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages (OCOL), Heritage Canada and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. We also sincerely thank Hélène Knoerr, Editor-in-chief of the *OLBI Working Papers*, for putting together all the pieces of this issue and the twenty eight colleagues who have reviewed the articles submitted for this issue.

Our best wishes for a happy reading!

The guest editors,

Marie-Josée Hamel, Director of CCERBAL, OLBI, and Jérémie Séror, OLBI.
References

Beatty, K. 2003. *Teaching and researching: Computer assisted language learning*. London: Longman.

Colpaert, J., A. Aerts and F. Cornille (dir.). 2008. *Practice-based and practice-oriented CALL research: Proceedings of the 13th international CALL Conference*. Antwerp: University of Antwerp.

Garrett, N. 1998. Where do research and practice meet? Developing a discipline. *Re-CALL*, 10, pp. 7–12.

Garrett, N. 2009. Computer-assisted language learning trends and issues revisited: Integrating innovation. *Modern Language Journal*, 93, pp. 719–740.

Guichon, N. 2009. Former par la recherche-développement: le cas des métiers de l'enseignement des langues. *Alsic*, 12, pp. 4–18.

Kern, R. 2006. Perspectives on technology in learning and teaching languages. *TESOL Quarterly*, 40, pp. 183–210.

Leitch, R. et C. Day. 2000. Action research and reflective practice: Towards a holistic view. *Educational Action Research*, 8, pp. 179–193.

Narcy-Combes, J.-P. 2005. *Didactique des langues et TIC: vers une recherche-action responsable*. Paris: Ophrys.