|
|||||||||||||||||||
Prepared by
Robert A. Quinn Dedicated to the multi-media needs of our profession
Prepared by
Robert A. Quinn Assisted by Richard A. Raschio The Scope of This Column As shown by the lists «Audio-Visual Instructional Media Index (1979-1988)» and «Software Reviews in Hispania 1984-1989» (which appeared on pages 450-55 and 470-73 in the May 1989 issue) our journal has provided coverage of audio-visual materials and computer-assisted language learning for several years. In a continuing effort to keep you well informed and professionally up-to-date, this new column has been added to the journal. The new section will not only combine information about computer-assisted instruction with news on the older audio-visual media; it will also allow us to provide expanded coverage on how various technological advances (such as television programs received via satellite, computer-controlled video, digitalized sound, etc.) can help teachers reach students more effectively. We are already receiving new material from numerous publishers, newsnotes from a variety of sources, and offers for reviews of recently-developed machines and equipment, but we need your help to keep our readers abreast of the latest information on methodological advances, conferences, technological innovations, and publications. We encourage you to write to us at the addresses above. Let us know of your efforts to enrich your classes with media-supported presentations, and contact us if you would like to assist with reviews. Two brief surveys written by Richard Raschio appear below. By filling-in and returning them, you can help us focus on meeting your needs. To inaugurate the Technologically-Assisted Language Learning (TALL) column, several of my colleagues on the journal staff have encouraged me to summarize the progress made in improving and using computer-controlled instruction (including video), since it has been the focus of so much interest in recent years. In future issues, items in this multi-media section will run the entire gamut from «low tech» to «high tech». The column will include articles on innovative ways to use the older media as well as attempts to apply new media to solve long-standing problems, and it will cover individualized and small-group instruction in addition to how the various media can be used for classroom instruction. Overall, our emphasis will not just be on using machines, but rather on using them well in order to help you make language learning more interesting and more effective.
Annenberg/CPB Project, WGBH, McGraw Hill to do
Introduction Spanish TV Series An innovative introductory Spanish telecourse to be broadcast over PBS television stations nationwide has recently been funded by the Annenberg/ CPB Project. The 52-program (2 programs per week) series is scheduled to premiere on public television stations in September of 1992. This telecourse is being produced by the WGBH Educational Foundation in Boston, in collaboration with the McGraw Hill publishing company. Course pedagogical design is the responsibility of Bill VanPatten (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), in association with a National Advisory Board of language educators. When broadcast, the telecourse will be available for credit at colleges and universities throughout the United States, and appropriate for individual home study as well. In addition, the series will be available for use as an audio-visual supplement for standard introductory Spanish courses offered on campus. Accompanying print materials (workbook/ study guide, faculty guide, audiotapes, computer software) will be available for preview from the Annenberg/CPB Project and McGraw Hill in the spring of 1992. For further information, contact the Annenberg/CPB Project, 1-800-LEARNER. Thalia
Dorwick Calico (Computer-Assisted Language
Learning and Instruction Consortium) Continues to Grow Serving as an international clearinghouse and an organization leading in computer-assisted language instruction, CALICO now sponsors satellite teleconferences and regional seminars in addition to summer institutes, a professional journal, a monograph series, and an annual symposium. This year's international symposium is being held in Baltimore from March 19 to 23. During the conference, special interest groups will meet to focus on the following topics: computers in the classroom, courseware development, interactive audio/ video, hypermedia, artificial intelligence, CDROM, and foreign character fonts. For details, contact CALICO at 3078 JKHB, Brigham Young University, Provo UT 84602 (telephone 801/378-7079) or see the CALICO advertisement in Hispania (e. g., page vii in the September 1989 issue). Sheila Vásquez SCOLA (Satellite Communications for Learning) Increases Services Broadcasts from Brazil are being added to the already impressive list of services provided by SCOLA, which retransmits «live» TV news programs from over 21 countries. Students of Spanish can already benefit from shows originating in Spain, Mexico, and Nicaragua. Broadcasts from other countries in Central and South America are also being added. The SCOLA satellite transponder covering North America is received by over 400 colleges, universities, and high schools. It offers un-edited programs and «live» or «short-delay» broadcasts featuring natural, authentic language and including information on politics, business opportunities, cultural activities, etc. Transmitting via Telstar 303 Transponder 12H, SCOLA broadcasts programs from Mexico at 0802, Spain at 0930, and Nicaragua (on an alternating basis) at 1130 (all Central Standard Time). More and more subcarriers are being added to provide simultaneous interpretation on a separate audio channel. Other frequencies carry high-speed data such as vocabulary lists, glossaries of political, geographic, and biographical terms, exercises on speech patterns and idioms, discussion topics, and quizzes. These, along with the text of the broadcast in both the original language and an English translation, can be fed into computers connected to the satellite signal as it is received at the schools. For more information contact SCOLA at 2500 California St., Omaha, NB 68178-0778 (telephone: 401/280-4063; FAX: 402/280-2336; or 24-hour computer bulletin board: 402/280-2335). Lee Lubbers Preliminary Results of Interest Survey At the AATSP conference in San Antonio, those attending the computer sessions were asked to complete questionnaires to help us begin deciding what types of items should appear in this new multimedia column. 78% of the respondents indicated an interest in seeing newsnotes about up-coming conferences, new research projects, and new print or electronic media material. This interest was echoed by the 70% who expressed a desire to see reviews of new software and courseware. Three categories -reports of successful uses of various media,
«how to» hints for providing instruction via different media, and
assistance with software or hardware programs- were of interest to 59% of those
answering the questionnaire. There was also strong interest in how to gain
access to bibliographies of information sources for the various media. 48%
wanted up-dated software and hardware reviews, as well as evaluations of
authoring programs and other software useful to teachers. A nearly equal
number, 41%, asked for evaluations
Clearly, those who filled out the surveys showed a desire for information they can use immediately in their teaching or in making hardware purchases. We invite you to respond to those same questionnaires, which appear below. While several respondents volunteered to write reviews, we are particularly interested in hearing from those of you who would like to assist with evaluations of software, hardware, or publications. Richard Raschio Reader Interest
Survey
Please help us identify the topics you would like to see addressed in this new column. By taking a few moments to fill in this questionnaire, you will help us serve you better. We are considering including items like the following and would like to know which ones you are most interested in. Check as many as you wish.
Information about our Readers
Please check all items that apply to you and the technology you use.
If you checked an item in 3, print your name, address, and phone number below. Please mail these questionnaires to: Richard A. Raschio, College of Saint Thomas, 2115 Summit Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55105.
|
|||||||||||||||||||
