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Dedicated to the multi-media needs of
our profession Prepared by Robert A. Quinn Assisted by Richard A. Raschio Many teachers have phoned and written to ask that we include «how-to» type articles and reports that deal with practical applications of the various media in this column. In response to that valuable suggestion, Bill Fletcher's article, which focuses on interactive video (IAV), appears in this issue. Although many of us consider the use of video a new and almost unexplored aspect of language teaching, Bill Fletcher has had six years of practical experience in working with a team of teachers to write interactive video programs, attempting to integrate IAV lessons into the curriculum, and revising them after they have been evaluated by students as well as teachers. The video lessons he describes have been used extensively in the classroom and then improved in response to comments by midshipmen about which exercises they find helpful, what they especially like, etc. Rather than a discussion of potential uses or a series of platitudes and hopes, the article concentrates on providing definite answers to questions important to those interested in taking advantage of interactive video in order to improve teaching. While Bill Fletcher is knowledgeable in the use of computers and video machines, he is primarily a classroom teacher who keeps up-to-date on the latest methodological trends. If you have specific questions or wish to share information, Bill invites you to contact him at the Department of Language Studies, U. S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD 21402-5030. As you will notice from the «Reports and Notes» in this issue, our column focuses on the use of all the various media (audio labs, computers, VCR's, slide projectors, television, maps and posters, etc.) to teach Spanish and Portuguese more effectively. We urge you to share your ideas with us and to contact us if you would like to write reviews, submit reports, and so forth. We are, of course, interested in a wide variety of topics concerning how teachers can take advantage of «low tech» media (such as audio-cassettes, slides, overheads, flashcards, maps, and posters) and «high tech» innovations (like computers, interactive video, and satellite television broadcasts) to improve instruction. Our continuing emphasis will be on not just using machines but on using them well in order to help you make language learning more interesting and more effective. If you have not already done so, we also encourage you to respond to the «Reader Interest Survey» which was published on page 296 of the March 1990 issue. Towards the end of this section, as usual, are several reviews.
If you are interested in evaluating films, video programs, audio tapes, or
computer software, or if you would like to write reviews of language lab
equipment, videotape or videodisc players, and similar machines, we invite you
to contact us. Also,
Numerous reports and reviews on how to use music in language classes, innovative ways to use the audio lab, how computers can assist students with composition, and integrating video into the curriculum are now in process. They will begin appearing in the next issue. We appreciate the positive responses and numerous submissions that we have begun to receive. Finally, we invite you to browse the contents both in this column and the closely-related new section «Computers for Professional Applications» in preceding issues of Hispania. If you have not had an opportunity to read them, we believe that the articles, news notes, advice, and reviews in our columns will be of benefit to you. RQ 
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