School foreign language computing with authentic resources

Investigator: Mr David Ritchie Wilson

Institution: Department of Equal Opportunities and Department of Modern Languages, Harton School, Lisle Road, South Shields

Email: davidritchiewilson@compuserve.com
URL: http://www.specialeducationalneeds.com/

Project Description

Aims

The project aimed to examine the applicability of current technologies to modern foreign language teaching at school level, with particular emphasis on authentic resources.

Objectives

The project's initial objectives were to investigate

the use of German and Austrian Bildschirmtext and Swiss and Luxembourg Videotex (online viewdata systems) to support the learning of German;
the integration into German courses of public domain and commercial computer software originally developed in German speaking countries for purposes other than language learning;
the use of scanners, databases and desktop publishing software to store, process and retrieve authentic German texts and graphics to promote reading and vocabulary development.

Publications and Outcomes

Reports of work in progress

Wilson, D. R. (1994) Großbritannien Urlaub: integrating the British Tourist Authority's German viewdatabase into the foreign language education of a pupil with learning difficulties, Modular Inset Assignment, University of Northumbria at Newcastle.

Final report

Wilson D. R. (August 1996) Going places: travel software as an authentic resource in school foreign language computing, EUROCALL 96 Conference Presentation, Szombathely, Hungary.

Other outcomes

Emulations of Austrian, German, Swiss and Spanish viewdatabases running under @genesis for Windows' have been ported from Acorn computers to PCs.

INSET workshop presented for special educators at the University College of Ripon and Yok St John in June 1996.

Dates of Research: April 1993 - December 1995

Source of Finance: Unfunded

CILT Current Research into language teaching and learning in the UK reference: 3591.