ERIC Identifier: ED414767 Publication Date: 1997-12-00 Author: Earp, Samantha Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics Washington DC. More Than Just the Internet: Technology for Language Teaching. ERIC Digest.At a time when technology-enhanced learning tends to be associated with Internet-based applications like the World Wide Web, it is important to remember that non-Internet technology tools remain very useful aids for the language student and teacher. Language software for the personal computer or lab network is becoming more flexible and powerful, both in the types of media it can include and in design features that give users more options. Authoring programs continue to allow teachers to create customized materials for their classrooms. Language lab systems are being upgraded to allow the incorporation of multiple media resources. Advances in computer networking have increased the power, flexibility, and interconnectedness of desktop computer systems and the equipment available for use in the lab or resource center setting, and has also made possible the use of networked software in the classroom. SOFTWARE FOR LANGUAGE LEARNING AND TEACHING A wide variety of non-Internet software is available for foreign language teachers and learners. Comprehensive reference works such as "Lexirom" provide access to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and atlases on a single CD-ROM. Commercial basic language programs such as "TriplePlay Plus!" use interactive games and conversations to teach words and basic phrases and use speech recognition technology to allow users to record their speech and compare it with a model. CD-ROM programs such as "Nouvelles Dimensions" and "Nuevas Dimensiones" use multimedia to provide visual context and textual reference materials to help the learner master listening comprehension techniques. Games also offer students an opportunity to use language and culture skills to solve a problem or reach a goal; in the adventure program, "A la Rencontre de Philippe," "students watch video segments of the adventure and make choices that determine the outcome, [using a Paris map, notebook, apartment guide, telephone, newspaper, and answering machine] in their quest" (Ledgerwood, 1996). Software programs are also available for more specialized instructional purposes. In "The Rhythm of French," audio, video, animation, and speech recognition technology are used to teach pronunciation and phonetics. Teachers and students of grammar, stylistics, and translation may find a concordancer program such as "MonoConc" helpful in searching texts for vocabulary and grammar usage. For example, a Spanish-language news article downloaded from the Internet could be analyzed with a concordancer to display every instance of the word "pudiera" (could) in order to give examples of usage in context. Examples of other useful software packages are "In the French Body" and "In The German Body," HyperCard-based videodisc programs that emphasize the oral comprehension, oral production, and nonverbal characteristics of face-to-face interaction (Fidelman, 1995). Finally, "Daedelus Integrated Writing Environment," software for networked computer classrooms, has six modules, each designed to address a specific task or stage of producing a piece of writing (Daedelus Group, 1997). AUTHORING AIDSAuthoring tools are software programs that
assist teachers in creating and managing computer-delivered instructional
modules and exercises; they are a useful resource for teachers without
programming skills who wish to create custom materials (Burston & Fischer,
1996). These authoring programs are becoming more sophisticated, incorporating
multiple media resources, flexible feedback mechanisms, and in many cases a
database system for tracking user performance. "Libra," developed at Southwest
Texas State, "WinCalis" from Duke University, and "Dasher" from the University
of Iowa are all examples of authoring tools used by language teachers to create
a wide variety of multimedia exercises. Interactive hypermedia technology can
also be applied to the teaching of reading, through the use of text annotations
created using an authoring tool such as "Guided Reading" by David Herren
(Martinez-Lage, 1997). More general purpose multimedia programs, including
"HyperStudio," have been used with great success for individual and group
projects and portfolios (Whaley, 1995). LANGUAGE LAB SYSTEMSThe language lab is sometimes seen as
a means of providing in-class and independent access to analog audio, usually in
the form of audiocassettes. Among the features that enhance this traditional
audio component in today's labs are the capacity to "bookmark" challenging
segments of a tape (so students can return to them later) and the capacity of
response analyzers to automatically generate student test scores following
completion of an exercise or test. Some systems are set up so that both tracks
of an audio tape can be accessed for the practice of simultaneous
interpretation. For some time now, the language lab has been expanding beyond its historical focus on audio, in order to take advantage of the new technologies and to respond to the needs of today's teachers and learners (Scinicariello, 1997). Thus, the lab systems being marketed today by companies such as ASC, Tandberg, and Sony allow incorporation of multiple media resources such as CD-audio, satellite, and video into the lab, with the potential for several groups of users to have access to these different resources simultaneously. These systems may also be adapted to include computer stations at some or all lab positions. NETWORKED MULTIMEDIAMore and more language departments are
exploring a computer-based alternative to the traditional means of multimedia
delivery. Audio and video can now be digitized and placed along with software on
video-capable file servers, such as the Cheetah Multimedia Network Server by
TNCi (The Network Connection). In this system, different segments of a video or
audio clip may be accessed by multiple users simultaneously from their
computers. Another advantage is that it is no longer necessary for single
computer stations to have a dedicated videodisc player or other peripherals;
students at any networked station in the lab may access multimedia resources
directly on the server. This server-based setup means that teachers and learners
in remote locations with network access can use instructional materials. Smart
classrooms, which are set up to display video, videodisc, and computer output to
a room full of students, allow faculty to incorporate networked lab resources
into their regular instruction.
DISTANCE LEARNING VIA SATELLITEIn many states, efforts are
underway to offer distance learning language courses via satellite. The most
common form involves the use of two-way video and audio. Special distance
learning classrooms have been set up in many institutions to accommodate this
type of technology, through which instruction delivered live (or in "real-time")
is beamed to one or more remote sites. Video cameras at these remote sites allow
the instructor and the participants at other locations to see, hear, and
interact with each other. Another less labor- and equipment-intensive variation
of satellite distance learning employs one-way video. In this setup, students at
a remote site watch a live broadcast of a class or lecture; opportunities are
normally given for the students to send questions by fax or electronic mail to
the broadcast site. Distance learning courses are often further supported by
Internet applications such as electronic mail (to allow question-and-answer
interaction and set up electronic office hours) and the World Wide Web (for the
distribution of course materials and information). CONCLUSIONAlthough much emphasis is placed on new
applications of the Internet for language teaching, other technologies continue
to advance as well. These innovations are today--and should remain--an important
part of the technological tool chest for language learners and teachers alike.
REFERENCESBurston, J., & Fischer, R. (1996). A panel
discussion on multimedia/hypermedia authoring systems: Design and use. In F. Borchardt et al.(Eds.), "CALICO '96: Proceedings of the Computer-Assisted Language Instruction Consortium 1996 Annual Symposium Distance Learning." Durham, NC: Duke University. Daedelus Group. (1997). Web site: http://www.daedalus.com/ Fidelman, C. (1995). Web site: http://agoralang.com/itb.html Ledgerwood, M. (1996). "Software review in the IALL foreign language software database." http://eleazar.dartmouth.edu/fldb/ Martinez-Lage, A. (1997). Hypermedia technology for teaching reading. In M. Bush & R. Terry (Eds.), "Technology-enhanced language learning" (pp. 185-213). Lincolnwood, IL: National Textbook Co. Scinicariello, S. (1997). Uniting teachers, learners, and machines: Language laboratories and other choices. In M. Bush & R. Terry (Eds.), "Technology-enhanced language learning" (pp.185-213). Lincolnwood, IL: National Textbook Co. Whaley, M.(1995). HyperStudio: Students producing their own multimedia projects. "Tongues Untied 2." RESOURCE LIST MICROSOFT LEXIROM World of Reading, Ltd. P.O. Box 13092 Atlanta, Georgia 30324-0092 Voice: 404-233-4042 or 800-729-3703; Fax: 404-237-5511 Web site: http://www.wor.com/ TRIPLEPLAY PLUS! Syracuse Language Systems 5790 Widewaters Parkway Syracuse, NY 13214 Phone: 800-SYR-LANG; Web site: http://www.syrlang.com NOUVELLES DIMENSION/NUEVAS DIMENSIONES Heinle & Heinle 20 Park Plaza Boston, MA 02114 Phone: 617-451-1940; Fax: 617-348-8177 Web site: http://www.heinle.com/ A LA RENCONTRE DE PHILIPPE Yale University Press, Special Projects P.O. Box 209040 New Haven, CT 06520-9040 Phone for orders: 800-YUP-READ (800-987-7323) Fax: 203-432-2394 ; Web site: http://agoralang.com/yup.html THE RHYTHM OF FRENCH Salix Corp 5723 N. 33rd Place Paradise Valley AZ 85253 Phone: 602-956-7411; Fax: 602-956-7411 Web site: http://www.amug.org/ a108/ MONOCONC Athelstan 2476 Bolsover, Suite 464 Houston, TX 77005 Tel: 800-598-3880 (U.S. only); 713-523-2837; Fax:713-523-6543 Web page: http://www.athel.com/; Email: info@athel.com IN THE FRENCH BODY / IN THE GERMAN BODY Agora Language Marketplace 91 Baldwin St. Charlestown, MA 02129-1423 Web site: http://agoralang.com/itb.html DAEDELUS INTEGRATED WRITING ENVIRONMENT Daedelus Group, Inc. 1106 Clayton Lane, Suite 250W Austin, TX 78723 Phone: 800-879-2144; Fax: 512-452-5206 Web site: http://www.daedalus.com/ LIBRA Southwest Texas State University Contact: Michael Farris, Director, Media Services San Marcos, Texas 78666 Phone: 512-245-2319 Web site: http://www.libra.swt.edu/default.html WINCALIS Humanities Computing Facility Duke University, Box 90269/015 Languages Ctr. Durham, NC 27708-0269 Phone: 919-660-3190; Fax: 919-660-3191 Web site: http://www.lang.duke.edu/ DASHER Publication Order Department, PICS/The University of Iowa 2222 Old Hwy., 218 South Iowa City, IA 52242-1602 Phone: 800-373-PICS; Fax: 319-384-3806; Web site: http://www.uiowa.edu/ pics/ GUIDED READING For information: http://www.middlebury.edu/ls/technology/herren/guidread.htm l HYPERSTUDIO Roger Wagner Publishing 50 Pioneer Way, Suite P El Cajon, CA 92020 Phone: 800-HYPERSTUDIO or 619-442-0522 Fax: 619-442-0525; Web site: http://www.hyperstudio.com/ ASC Corporate Headquarters, Suite A 855 Oakbrook Parkway Norcross, GA 30093 Phone: 800-445-7203 or 770-246-0957 SONY 3 Paragon Drive Montvale, NJ 07645 Phone: 201-930-7168; Fax: 201-358-4411 TANDBERG Orchard Ridge Corporate Park Building One, Fields Lane Brewster, NY 10509 USA Phone: 914-277-3320 or 800-367-1137; Fax: 914-277-3995 Web site: http://tandberg-us.com/ CHEETAH SERVER The Network Connection, Inc. 1324 Union Hill Rd. Alpharetta, GA, 30004 Phone: 800-327-4853 or 770-751-0889; Fax: 770-751-1884 Web site: http://tnc.www.com/ | ||
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