In contrast to these programs, the OLA offers a gold mine of substance and utility. The conversations will prove challenging to intermediate and advanced students. Moreover, they will afford excellent practice in the types of everyday discourse a second language learner is likely to experience with native speakers. The OLA appeals to me on many levels. It is flexible enough to meet the needs of most learners and can accommodate a variety of institutional settings.
Much latitude is left to the instructor to use the material in creative ways.
There are excellent suggestions for usage on the Web site, but some ideas may not resonate with the average language instructor unless they are adequately demonstrated. To assist in bridging this gap, supplemental information in the form of detailed sample lesson plans, handouts, and screen shots of CALL exercises could be posted on the Web site. In the OLA, Director Chris Jones has provided an extraordinary resource for foreign language instructors and learners. The Project is the culmination of several years of recording, digitizing, transcribing, and translating, but it is still a work in progress. I look forward to volumes in additional languages, as well as to the development of new ways to use these materials.