--- Forwarded Message from TennesseeBob Peckham <[log in to unmask]> ---

>Date: Fri, 7 Jun 2002 11:52:19 -0700
>To: [log in to unmask]
>From: TennesseeBob Peckham <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Beginning French program (TBob)

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We are planning for the eventual replacement for Portes Ouvertes (an
outstanding beginning college French textbook, which will probably not see a
second edition).  I just finished looking at the CD of another popular
book, and it was clearly and devastatingly inferior to Portes 
Ouvertes.  The wooden characters are the worst of Jack Webb 
impersonators, and dorks to boot, with those eye movements are 
characteristic of unwilling actors, still discovering a script.  I 
keep waiting to see other members of the "Night of the Living Dead" 
cast appear, or for one of them to suddenly animated and utter "Live 
from New York...". Hey, maybe they are there "en attendant Godot".


As director of the language resource center (an all Mac lab), I am 
responsible for 40% of the time of
all of our language students from sand-pile through 2nd year.  I am
looking for a beginning French book which could be used for 3
semesters, one with a thorough CD and web program with exercises
whose scores or transcripts can be printed out. I want engaging
exercises, reflecting developmental realities and expectations in
text type, topical variety, grammar, etc.  Situational realism is 
important. It must have good video (no dorky talking heads) and 
accompanying activities, which could be used in listening 
comprehension tests. Materials should be
integrated so that serious use could be made of each, and so it would
be obvious that they were all part of the same learning experience.
Our successful lab program required 100 minutes of hard work per week
in the lab.  Students get zeros for slack time.  The textboo0k itself
needs to be right also.  Do you know of such a product?

TBob

-- 
==========================================================
Look it up in the Andy Holt Virtual Library
http://www.utm.edu/vlibrary/vlhome.shtml
==========================================================
Robert D. Peckham, PhD
Director, the Globe-Gate Project
Director, the Muriel Tomlinson Language Resource Center
Department of Modern Foreign Languages
Univ. of Tennessee-Martin
http://globegate.org/french/globe.html