A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM:
ELECTRONIC DISCUSSION AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE
LEARNING1

In this article, the writers study the students who post messages to a forum on the Web site so that they search how electronic discussion affects or is affected by cultural and generic expectations.
According to writer, the Internet enables us a borderless world because we can access to any country when we wish. However, there is a concept that makes internet center of access to another different culture.
These cultural differences affect a nation’s participation to forums for debating. There are some cultural patterns such as use of irony and humor, explicitness of communication, strategies for engaging in cross-cultural communication. These cultural patterns are reflected in the debates and these conventions vary culturally.
Because of these diversity groups of people, there is an expectation for an appropriate behavior in a public discussion and this is done by moderators.
Another activity for language learning is using e-mail exchange and finding keypals for students.
Keypals are used for discussion of a film, literature, current affairs, etc. Although internet promises access to the native speakers of authentic culture, they are limited by the teacher’s topics of discussion
There is a case study in a French newspaper website. There are four participants who are learning French and want to develop their language in this forum. Two of them are English and two of them are American. Genre is not seen predetermined, negotiation of cultural and genetic rules take place on the forum through moderation. After many attempts of starting a debate, English can move under the topic of sport only. However, Americans succeed more things compared to English. They do not involved in debate, but they respond to other messages and choose provoking statements.
In the forum, culture and genre are used to explain and justify each other.
After the study, it is reached that Laura and David got distracted from French studies, but started receiving lessons in French culture, while Fleurie and Elenor failed in improving their French.

INTERNET AUDIO COMMUNICATION FOR SECOND LANGUAGE
LEARNING: A COMPARATIVE REVIEW OF SIX PROGRAMS

There are six free programs which provide second language learners a communication environment so that they can have interactions with native speakers.
Three communication environments: three different kinds of communicative environments are offered by SCMAC programs which are instant messaging, conferences and chat groups.
Instant messaging uses both text and audio between users. Conferences are the gathering of three or more individuals. A chat room is the gathering of up to 50 individuals. They can share audio and even video with each other.
AOL Instant Messenger: AOL Instant Messenger provides text chat in both instant message (one-to-one) and conference environments. File transfer is also provided. AOL Instant Messenger currently has no video capability and while it does offer audio communication, its audio capabilities are limited.
Yahoo Messenger for Windows: Yahoo Messenger) Version 5.4 for Windows (95, 98, 2000, NT, and XP) is a very
versatile program, which provides both one-to-one and multiparty text chat as well as one-to-one audio and video conferencing. Yahoo Messenger can be used in three different environments: Instant Message, Conference, and Chat Room.
MSN Messenger and Windows Messenger: MSN Messenger for Windows 95, 98, 2000, Me, and NT 4 (Version 4.6.0082reviewed) provides multiparty text chat, but its "audio conversation capability is limited to one-to-oneconnections. MSN Messenger provides file transfer, allowing partners to share files (including photofiles) without the size constraints encountered on most email systems. Windows Messenger is used with a Webcam and allows users to see each other in a small video window while talking.
Paltalk: PalTalk offers instant messaging, conferences, and
chat rooms and is capable of multiparty half-duplex audio and still-frame video with up to three other
users. PalTalk's audio chat room environment is of particular interest to L2 learners and teachers. PalTalk provides both pre-existing and user-created chat groups ("groups").
Ivisit: iVisit uses a multiparty peer-to-peer architecture instead of relying on a
central server. This means that when you enter a chat room on iVisit, your computer makes direct
connections with all of the other individuals in the room. This makes it possible for iVisit to offer
multiparty full-duplex audio, with half-duplex being the default option, and multiparty video, the only
program reviewed here with these capabilities. A firsttime
user simply enters a nickname he or she is connected with no registration or password required. One
disadvantage associated with this procedure is that one's list of contacts, called "bookmarks" in iVisit, is stored on the local computer and is therefore not available to the user when using a different computer unless the original bookmark file is transferred to the new computer.