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Prepared by Mark D. Larsen
HyperCALL
Developed by Robert J. Blake and Larry
Landry, The University of Rochester HyperCALL (HyperCard Computer-Assisted Language Learning) is an authoring tool which allows a courseware author to implement HyperCard routines without extensive knowledge of programming. Graphics cards form the basis of the lessons, with review, dictionary, and help functions available. The program requires at least 1 Mb of memory, Macintosh System version 4.2 or later, and HyperCard version 1.21; a hard disk is recommended. A site license (for a university department) is available. HyperCALL works with HyperCard to provide a format flexible enough for any discipline, but which provides functions particularly useful to computer-assisted instruction for foreign languages, such as display of text and graphics, question/answer handling, and use of digitized audio and interactive videodisc. Learning to use an authoring tool such as HyperCALL is significantly easier than learning a programming language like C. Instead of spending time learning to write code, authors can focus their energies on creating stimulating lessons for their students. One of the strengths of HyperCALL is its non-linear structure. Lessons are created around «cards», each of which contains text and graphics, and which can be linked to audio or video segments, or to any other card in the stack. Students have the ability to browse through the lesson as they choose, to examine more closely the elements that interest them, and to leave the lesson at any time. Although the HyperCALL documentation is clear and fairly free of jargon, familiarity with HyperCard basics will accelerate the authoring process. HyperCALL's command buttons allow the author to insert several routines into the lesson, without actually writing the code for those routines. The author pastes command buttons into a card, and the programming script is automatically produced for the selected commands. As shown in the illustration from the demo lesson, a note can be linked to a picture which gives the student additional information about that item, or an audio button can be linked to the same picture which produces an audible version of the word when the student clicks the mouse on the picture.
A video button can be linked to a card to play a video clip
when the student clicks on a particular spot. Other command buttons allow the
author to insert Help, More Info, and Pop-up Menu windows into cards to provide
additional options for students to discover. A Review function can test the
student for comprehension of material in the lesson. The Dictionary stack is
accessible from anywhere in the
HyperCALL lesson, and allows the author
to create a specialized vocabulary for the particular lesson, or a general
dictionary that can be used with many lessons. After completing the lesson, the
author converts it into a student version by clicking on a button; student
versions can then be run over a network or on individual
Novice authors may balk at the «blank slate» format of HyperCALL; even though the program is quite easy to use, the notion of having to create all the graphics could be daunting. However, the program is extremely flexible, and one can use the command button tools to create quick lessons using digitized graphics, audio, and videodisc. There are many authoring tools available that can do the same things as HyperCALL, but for those already familiar with HyperCard, and with a small budget, HyperCALL can be a useful addition to the toolbox. Kelly Nelson PC Globe 4.0
(Spanish Version)
PC Globe, Inc. Designed for the IBM PC, XT, PS/2, PS/1 and compatibles, PC Globe comes on three 3.5 inch diskettes; it is not copy protected. Installation is straightforward and the program runs flawlessly. While the instruction booklet is clear and complete, the software is so simple in design and execution that reading it is probably unnecessary. AD instructions and help screens are in Spanish. PC Globe provides a wealth of information on the countries of the world. The screens are well designed. Menus are logical and are quickly accessed from the keyboard or from a mouse. To find information, designate a «país activo», and select «datos del país activo». The program provides information on such diverse facts as population demographics, natural resources, imports and exports, and cultural aspects. An attractive feature of the software is that the user can search for specific data without going through the entire presentation sequence. PC Globe presents information in the form of charts, graphics, and maps; it superimposes features such as principal cities, geographic elevations, and points of interest on the map of the selected country. It also provides graphic designs of national flags. While the map overlays and the databases provide information on many of the principal cities and geographical features, there could be more. Taking Argentina as an example, instances of important omissions are the cities of San Luis, Jujuy, or Godoy Cruz. While the map shows la Patagonia, it does not show regions such as el Chaco, el Altiplano, or el Litoral. Also, I would like to see future versions of the program include configurations of interest to culture classes. For example, details about demographics and languages of Indian tribes like the Guaraníes in the north and the Tehuelches in the south would improve the program. The program's usefulness is greatly enhanced by the ease with which it can print all screens. Printing selected information for inclusion in reports might prove very helpful to students. Teachers will surely find this feature effective for creating handouts. If the teacher is fortunate enough to have a laser printer, producing overhead transparencies is easy. Moreover, it is a simple process to export from PC Globe to word processors such as Word-Perfect in order to incorporate graphic designs into tests and exercises. This is, however, one part of the program that needs some improvement. The print quality of the graphics, even on a Hewlett Packard LaserJet III, was only fair, despite the fact that I used the «High» graphics quality setting in Word Perfect. I produced the following graphics directly from the PC Globe program:
This inexpensive, well designed, and easy-to-use program is completely functional. I recommend PC Globe as a useful aid for high school and university students and teachers involved in the study and teaching of the civilization of Spanish-speaking countries. It is also an excellent acquisition for computer-based language laboratories and libraries. Howard Cohen Picture It! (Spanish Version)
Penton Overseas, Inc. Picture It! is a collection of graphics, sounds, and text available for use with Macintosh, MS-DOS, and MS-Windows; this review used a Mac LC with color monitor. The Macintosh version comes on 10 disks. Installation involves copying files onto the hard disk, then joining and expanding them. It's easy, but takes about 40 minutes. Be warned: the hard disk must have 18 megabytes free for the process; it will end up occupying only 11 Mb. Calling itself an «Interactive foreign language picture dictionary» the software has a database of 530 words written and spoken in both English and Spanish, and illustrated with a black and white line drawing. The program is «bilingual»; the user can choose which will be the primary or secondary tongue. (I selected English as my first language for this review). There are four «presentation modes»: «Navigate», «Flash», «Type Answer», and «Multiple Choice». Descriptive of their functions, the modes allow the user to choose how to work with the words on the list. In general, the screen shows the picture, the text in English and Spanish, and the computer's speaker pronounces the word in both languages. Before using any mode, one must develop a list of words -or perhaps various lists for different units. Developing a fist is cumbersome and time-consuming. The 530 available words appear in a window that displays four at a time; it advances three words with each click on the scrollbar. That means some 170 clicks to see all words. It then takes one click to select a word, and another to add it to the list. The drawings are good, as is the pronunciation of the words. The English voice is that of an American man; the Spanish of an Hispanic woman using a «general Latin American» pronunciation. The fricatives (b, d, g) come through accurately, and the difference between single and trilled r's can be heard. «Type Answer» mode has serious flaws. «The shower», for example has two variants: «la ducha, la regadera». And that is exactly what the user must enter: both words, in that order, with a comma and one space separating them. The same is true with adjectives which show gender. The Spanish for «broken» must be «quebrado, quebrada». The program judges any deviation from its entry as incorrect, even an extra space at the end of the word. Such flaws undermine the package's claim that one can «quickly access the translation and definition of any word». The «Options» screen is cluttered and not very intuitive. Fortunately, the well-written documentation leads the user through it fairly easily, and a «Help» function (very much like Macintosh System 7 Balloon Help) is always available to the user. The user can add to the words that come with the program
(adding sound and drawings is not trivial!). One must be able to illustrate the
concepts, so nouns predominate,
The packaging says «sound + action», implying animation. However, the only «sound + action» to be found is on the Title Screen, where there are six pictures. Clicking on them will cause action (for some) and sound (for all). An example is an old-fashioned three-wing plane which does a barrel roll to some noise, but there is no use of any language, and no integration of this animation into the rest of the package. The biggest flaw with this program is its pedagogical basis. This is just «flash-card» translation with pictures and sound, with no attempt to use the language in any meaningful way or in context. Unlike most drill programs, it doesn't recognize its own alternates or pre-process answers to eliminate extraneous spaces. The software boasts impressive features like digitized sounds and images, but suffers from a lack of pedagogical substance or utility. Unless teachers desire to borrow the graphics for applications of their own design, I would hesitate to recommend its purchase or use. Robert Phillips En el zoológico
Gessler Publishing Co., Inc. A straightforward «interactive picture dictionary with pronunciation» for use with Macintosh and HyperCard 2.0, this stack helps students learn the names of animals and related vocabulary by visiting a zoo. The manual accompanying En el zoológico provides clear, detailed instructions for installing and using the stack, a good explanation about HyperCard, and a list of the animals and objects in English, Spanish, and other languages. For teachers who are not experienced in using software, it also explains some of the principles for computer-assisted language learning. Students begin their tour of the zoo by clicking on the «Practice» button, which presents a map. They then choose any of seven locations by simply clicking on a specific area. After clicking on lions, for example, students find themselves in front of a pride of lions. When they click on one of the animals or objects in the scene, learners hear and see the word. En el zoológico, though, is not just a guided tour. Students can choose their own paths, and the program keeps track of every word the students hear and see. In the «Practice» mode, learners can click on the «Dictionary» button to see an English-Spanish list of the words, and they can print the list. As they take the self-quiz, students may choose any area of the zoo. After they click on a button, a word appears, and if they click on the correct animal or object they hear the word for it. If learners make a mistake, however, there is no feedback. The quality of the program's digitized sound is excellent. The woman reading the words enunciates well and speaks at conversational speed. For the best sound reproduction, however, this stack must be installed on a hard disk. Overall, the program's illustrations are clear, but the pictures seem like those in a coloring book. While the vocabulary selection is generally good and a wide variety of animals is included, some of the groupings are unrealistic: a puma shares a cage with panthers, and a peacock appears with chickens, pigs, and other farm animals. En el zoológico has several drawbacks. The self-quiz simply tests for passive vocabulary acquisition and does not challenge older students. Like the illustrations, it is more interesting to younger pupils. Since this is a HyperCard stack, the authors could have taken advantage of several options in order to allow more in-depth interaction. For instance, to test listening comprehension, they could have let users hear the word and then click on the appropriate animal or object. Unfortunately,
En el zoológico has no
Some of the additional activities suggested according to proficiency level are good, but many (e. g., «Point on a world map to where each animal is from, and say the name of each country») would be more successful with younger students. Other tasks require language skills that learners at lower proficiency levels just do not have. Students at the novice level, for instance, cannot be expected to compare animals in the programs with those in an encyclopedia. Some suggestions went beyond the actual content of the stack. Teachers who are just beginning to experiment with Macintosh software will find that En el zoológico offers a good introduction to computer-assisted language learning. On the other hand, those with a basic knowledge of HyperCard, access to a scanner, a collection of clip art and a sound input device, would probably be better served by writing their own stacks. Robert D. Giosh
How to Submit a «Paper»-
without the Paper
Mark D. Larsen
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