Thursday, December 14, 2006
Satellite TV in the Language Lab
One of my favorite but most underused aspects of the language lab is the Satellite TV. For me, watching TV from a foreign country is such a great way to learn the culture and you usually have a context for the language too. When we were in Korea for just one night on a recent trip to the Philippines, we were stuck at a hotel out by the airport, but I did get to watch Korean television and that gave me sense of being there even more than physically being there since airports are the same no matter where you go, so are airport hotels. ANyway, it's also a great way to keep up with the news and see it from another country's perspective.
One of my favorite but most underused aspects of the language lab is the Satellite TV. For me, watching TV from a foreign country is such a great way to learn the culture and you usually have a context for the language too. When we were in Korea for just one night on a recent trip to the Philippines, we were stuck at a hotel out by the airport, but I did get to watch Korean television and that gave me sense of being there even more than physically being there since airports are the same no matter where you go, so are airport hotels. ANyway, it's also a great way to keep up with the news and see it from another country's perspective.
Blogging in the Foreign Language Classroom
I believe that blogging is a powerful tool for the foreign language classroom. It has several uses
First of all, blogging is an excellent way to do process writing. They can post an essay, and then have their classmates make comments refering to style and grammar, and then edit their own composition based on the constructive criticism of their classmates. Meanwhile, they will become more aware of grammar and style points as they edit the entries of their peers. The blog is an excellent place to do critique in that there is a bit of anonymity. There isn't the uncomfortable feeling of giving criticism to the writer's face.
Blogging can also improve writing in that the student has a wider audience other than just his or her professor and maybe a few classmates. Entries in a blog can be read by people all over the world. Blogging is especially efffective when done in conjunction with a class in the target country who's learning English, perhaps. They can read your students blogs and make comments and suggestions and your students can comment on their entries in English, but leave the commentary in the L2.
Blogs can also be purelyy content based without worrying so much about form. These would be more useful for upper level courses devoted mostly to literature, culture, and history. A controversial topic could be raised with one of your students stating a position and then wait to see what types of comments it inspires. Like-minded students in the U.S. and around the world can discuss topics as diverse as their favorite fairy tales, a cultural movement like liberation theology, the work of El Greco, or the reign of Mussolini. All this discussion will take place in the target language. Parents or friends at other colleges can even join in the debate.
First of all, blogging is an excellent way to do process writing. They can post an essay, and then have their classmates make comments refering to style and grammar, and then edit their own composition based on the constructive criticism of their classmates. Meanwhile, they will become more aware of grammar and style points as they edit the entries of their peers. The blog is an excellent place to do critique in that there is a bit of anonymity. There isn't the uncomfortable feeling of giving criticism to the writer's face.
Blogging can also improve writing in that the student has a wider audience other than just his or her professor and maybe a few classmates. Entries in a blog can be read by people all over the world. Blogging is especially efffective when done in conjunction with a class in the target country who's learning English, perhaps. They can read your students blogs and make comments and suggestions and your students can comment on their entries in English, but leave the commentary in the L2.
Blogs can also be purelyy content based without worrying so much about form. These would be more useful for upper level courses devoted mostly to literature, culture, and history. A controversial topic could be raised with one of your students stating a position and then wait to see what types of comments it inspires. Like-minded students in the U.S. and around the world can discuss topics as diverse as their favorite fairy tales, a cultural movement like liberation theology, the work of El Greco, or the reign of Mussolini. All this discussion will take place in the target language. Parents or friends at other colleges can even join in the debate.
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