The
Natural Approach: Technology in the Second Language Classroom
by
Terrence Mannetter, UW-River Falls
Mannetter
uses Natural Approach Methodology in his Spanish language
and
literature courses. While this approach encourages the use
of multimedia materials,
Mannetter writes, "I learned that, to use this methodology
successfully, I needed to
incorporate multimedia elements into the classroom in a
more systematic manner,
always keeping with the basic tenets of Natural Approach
theory, and always with a
specific purpose." (October 2002)
The
Sights and Sounds of Learning: Designing a CD-ROM to Enhance
your Online Course
by
Susan Brantly, UW-Madison
In
the summer of 2001, "Nineteenth-Century Scandinavian
Fiction" debuted as a distance course through the
Madison campus. It featured a course CD-ROM, through which
lectures were delivered via illustrated audio. The course
also made use of online quizzes, bulletin boards, email
and chat rooms. Based on student feedback, the course
was improved and delivered once more in the summer of
2002. The purpose of this article is to share some of
the lessons learned while developing the course for those
engaged in or contemplating a similar project.
Language
Instruction: A System Approach to Distance Delivery
Lauren
Rosen, Coordinator
Collaborative Language Program, UW System
The
University of Wisconsin Collaborative Language Program
(CLP) developed a model for teaching less commonly taught
languages (LCTL) to students throughout the state of Wisconsin
using distributed learning technologies. The CLP's successful
use of classroom-based videoconferencing (CVC), coupled
with web-based course tools, provides students on campuses
without LCTL instructors access to languages deemed critical
to national and state interests. This article discusses
policies and approaches chosen to guarantee successful
results and sound pedagogy, enrollment and attrition data,
student achievement, and student opinions about the courses.
Collaborative
Distance Learning for Oral Proficiency in Professional Contexts:
French 524: Expression écrite
et orale en situations professionnelles
Jodi Samuels, Assistant Director
Professional French Master's Program, UW-Madison
The
Professional French Master's Program (PFMP), based in
the Department of French & Italian at UW-Madison,
has begun to develop and redesign existing courses to
be offered via distance education technology. French 524,
offered as a distance-ed course for the first time in
January 2000, is the first such venture. Read about how
this course came to life through a team teaching approach
and a suite of technological tools, including sophisticated
voice software called WinPitch LTL.
Wisconsin
French Connection: A Major Internet Resource for French
Language and Culture in the State of Wisconsin
Professor Gabrielle Verdier
Department of French and Italian at UW-Milwaukee
Professor
Ken Fleurant
Department of French at UW-Green Bay
ABSTRACT
(no feature article)
Wisconsin French Connections is collaborative, outreach
project, sponsored in part by the Wisconsin Humanities
Council, to commemorate the history and continued presence
of French and Francophone people in the State of Wisconsin.
The website contains links to historical sites, genealogical
data, publications, music and video clips, art work, and
culinary information among other resources. Collaborators
include five UW Universities, K-12 teachers and students,
citizens and cultural organizations across the state.
A recent recipient of the State of Wisconsin Commendation
award, the French Connections project began in 1997 and
will continue through Wisconsins Sesquicentennial
anniversary. The URL for this website is: http://gbms01.uwgb.edu/~wisfrench/
Please e-mail Ken Fleurant at: fleurank@uwgb.edu
if you would like to join this collaborative effort or
have any questions.
Distance
Education and Norwegian at UW-Madison
Dawn Tommerdahl, Project Assistant
Department of Scandinavian Studies at UW-Madison
Tommerdahl
has created a course in beginning Norwegian that was taught
from UW-Madison to UW-Eau Claire during the summer of
1997 via distance education using compressed video and
two-way video conferencing.
Advanced
French and Learning Intéractive
Nelly Halzen, Lecturer
Department of French and Italian at UW-Madison
This
fall, Lecturer Nelly Halzen will offer her writing-intensive
French class "Techniques dexpression écrit:
Teaching Writing through the Internet and World Wide Web"
using the groupware WebCT. In this course, students
will have the opportunity to take virtual literary/cultural
trips throughout various regions in France, work interactively
with the web page through e-mail conferencing and electronic
exercises and quizzes, and prepare weekly written assignments
that are edited electronically using the French Electronic
Writing Tutor Service (FREWTS)