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Editorial:
The Knowledge Revolution
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Recent years have seen a knowledge revolution, which is heightened by the expanding
resources of the Internet and the modern media. In the U.S. there are now more than 10,000
newspapers and 11,000 magazines, many with new on-line versions. The Forum in both
its conventional and electronic format continues to try to both apprise the readers of
developments in the knowledge revolution and to suggest ways teachers can take advantage
of related innovations in their teaching.
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For example, Tillyer's article tells teachers
what resources they need to go on- line and, further, what they can do with the connection
once it has been achieved. Sela's article shows one way teachers can use e-mail in the EFL
class, while Mirescu's contribution provides suggestions for using the computer in the
classroom.
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While encouraging teachers to take advantage of
the digital possibilities, we continue to believe that the Forum in its traditional
print form is one of the better resources for keeping abreast of developments in the field
of EFL, our contribution to the knowledge revolution. We encourage more readers to submit
articles for publication so that they may become participants as well as consumers in the
production of global knowledge. We continue to receive an increasing number of articles
from countries in East Asia, and encourage teachers from other parts of the world to
submit articles so as to achieve a balance. Regardless of origin, however, potential
authors need to keep in mind that they are writing for a worldwide audience of more than
100,000 readers whose backgrounds and situations may diverge radically.
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Our lead article argues that form serves
function and that a focus on the discourse conventions of an academic article will help
the writer communicate more effectively with our global reader. To exemplify our ideas, we
have used portions of other Forum articles as models for academic writing. It is
our hope that by asking the right questions and by trying to structure articles
accordingly, we will not only become better writers and readers of academic articles, but
will also help our students become better producers and consumers of knowledge as well.
The theme of writing is continued by Lipp and Davis-Ockey, who demonstrate how teacher
comments can mold student writing. The theme of using the Forum is picked up by
Strzemeski, who shows how the Forum can be used in resource-poor environments.
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Our teacher resource, idiom , and lighter
side pages all deal with the theme of writing and editing. We have included tests and
activities for teachers to practice their spelling and editing skills and have provided a
list of the most commonly used proofreader marks.
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We have also tried to introduce some elements of
controversy into this issue. Obediat argues that literature receives short shrift in the
teaching of English in the Arab world. The question and answer page has tried to
show how unconventional, discourse-based strategies may help explain grammar problems
resistant to sentence-based solutions. We welcome suggestions from readers who have other
solutions to these language conundrums. In future issues we will increasingly encourage
discussions on controversial issues.
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