--- Forwarded Message from Stepahnie Kufner <[log in to unmask]> ---

>Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2000 12:37:02 -0400
>From: Stepahnie Kufner <[log in to unmask]>
>To: Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum     <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: #5661.6 Using technology to save $$ and to revolutionize learning
>References: <[log in to unmask]>

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I would be very much interested in looking at your site.
Thank you
Stephanie Kufner
bard College

LLTI-Editor wrote:

> --- Forwarded Message from Bill Thrasher <[log in to unmask]> ---
>
> >Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2000 18:24:01 -0500
> >From: Bill Thrasher <[log in to unmask]>
> >To: Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum     <[log in to unmask]>
> >Subject: Re: #5661Using technology to save $$ and to revolutionize learning
> >References: <[log in to unmask]>
>
> ------------------
> I am a high school Spanish teacher and a doctoral candidate in Instructional Technology at the University
> of Alabama.  Two colleagues and I just completed creating an online Spanish course for rural Alabama high
> schools.  By using our creative products, linking to established sites, linking to web sites for the
> students to practice speaking and listening to Spanish, and planning toll free telephone calls to online
> teachers, I think we've created a very good Spanish course.
>
> For info on the course, email [log in to unmask]    or email [log in to unmask]     or  [log in to unmask]
>
> I'm interested in any info on technology impact on language learning.   I hope to do my dissertation on
> this subject.  Any suggestions?
>
> Regards,
>
> William H. Thrasher, Jr    (Bill)
> Doctoral Candidate
> Instructional Technology
> The University of Alabama
>
> LLTI-Editor wrote:
>
> > --- Forwarded Message from Rachel Saury <[log in to unmask]> ---
> >
> > >Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2000 09:00:01 -0400
> > >To: Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum    <[log in to unmask]>
> > >From: Rachel Saury <[log in to unmask]>
> > >Subject: Using technology to save $$ and to revolutionize learning
> > >In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
> >
> > ------------------
> > Dear colleagues and friends,
> >
> > I have an interesting nut for everyone to chew on.  It is a commonly
> > expressed view in our field that the new digital technologies are primarily
> > being used within a curricular model that differs little from when we
> > relied on analog technologies.  This manifests as students primarily
> > listening to digitized audiotapes and video with some recording of their
> > responses.  If the digital technologies are being used in innovative ways,
> > it is still within the traditional classroom structure: students meeting in
> > class 3-5 hours/week (depending upon the level) with a single instructor
> > with homework assignments, both written and oral, to be done at home and in
> > the lab.  It is interesting to note that the report from the Mellon
> > Foundation in 1998 after years of funding foreign language instructional
> > technology projects, came to the conclusion that making the leap into using
> > the technology in ways that could truly cut costs is challenging.
> >
> > I have been intrigued by Virginia Tech's Math Emporium model.  About four
> > years ago, VA Tech decided that they needed a more cost-effective way to
> > deliver basic math instruction.  They dismantled the traditional structure
> > of the class, with students meeting in large lecture halls with a single
> > instructor--usually a TA under the supervision of a full-time faculty
> > member.  They purchased an old Rose's building (Rose's is a southern
> > version of K-Mart), installed a few hundred computers in various
> > configurations and groupings to allow for individual, paired and group
> > work, created learning modules, and restructured the commitment of faculty
> > and TA time.  Students primarily did their work using the computer-based
> > learning modules.  They had paired and group projects and could also choose
> > to go to lectures on various areas of mathematics, if they felt they needed
> > extra help.  Faculty members and TAs held their "office hours" in the lab
> > and were available to tutor students.  Small group sessions with
> > instructors were also scheduled for group discussion and questions.
> >
> > Here at UVA, the Spanish Dept. is facing a crisis:  enrollments in first
> > year Spanish are up, with the result that each class has 30 students with
> > one instructor.  There is no end in sight in terms of enrollment, but
> > funding for more TAs is not keeping up with demand.  I have been
> > considering whether the Math Emporium model could be applied creatively to
> > foreign languages in such a way that students could actually get more
> > one-on-one tutoring, more opportunities for communication with an
> > instructor and with other students, and more drilling and rote pratice to
> > reinforce grammatical forms and vocabulary.  In the end, I don't think what
> > students would learn in terms of quantity or quality would be
> > sacrificed.  But I do think that learning could be more dynamic, with
> > students being exposed to more varied communicative contexts and
> > opportunities than in the current structure.
> >
> > I would be interested in your ideas and thoughts.  Are there any programs
> > out there right now that are trying this out?  Do you think this could
> > work?  If so, how?  Can you refer me to any sources?
> >
> > Thanks!
> >
> > Rachel Saury
> >
> > Rachel E. Saury, Ph.D.
> > Director, Arts & Sciences Center for Instructional Technologies
> > P.O. Box 400784
> > University of Virginia
> > Charlottesville, VA 22904-4784
> > (804) 924-6847 ph.
> > (804) 924-6875 fax
> > www.people.virginia.edu/~res4n