District Administration - February 2009 - (Page 28)

Second Life visitors who are also English language learners use avatars to learn and play soccer, while learning English. Students at North Olmstead (Ohio) High School learn foreign languages using iPod Nano players. Foreign Language Speaking Their Language A variety of new technologies are available to teach language more effectively. BY KeVin BuTleR Tapping inTo TechnologY FoR foreign language learning is important, given that such learning is increasingly being seen as vital to the nation’s economic and cultural well-being. The development of technology has dovetailed nicely with a new paradigm of foreign language education, says Marty abbott, director of education for the american council on the Teaching of Foreign languages. Rather than having students just learn vocabulary from static textbooks and interact primarily with the teacher, foreign language teachers are attempting to make classes more communication-oriented, participatory, and connected to the real world. “Teachers are using the new technolo28 February 2009 gies to really open up the classroom for the students to connect more closely with their daily lives and to make learning more relevant,” she says. The New Language Lab probably the most advanced development in foreign-language instruction in the last 15 years is the multimedia-capable language-learning computer lab. This past summer, the Rumson-Fair haven Regional high School District in Rumson, n.J., unveiled a Sony Virtuoso language lab that allows for instructor-guided multimedia and digital student lessons using computers, special software and microphone headsets. Manufactured by the firm SanS, the system offers teachers control over each student operating a computer in the lab, says Michele Salazar-linden, RumsonFair supervisor of world languages. Teachers can upload digital multimedia lessons, communicate with students via text messaging, and listen in on students as they work, interrupting them if necessary to correct them. Students’ vocal input from the headset can be recorded to a computer file that the teacher or student can review later. The system, which connects to the internet, allows teachers to provide more individualized instruction and allows more time for language practice than a traditional classroom setting. “The student can work for the whole period practicing the language with their partner, and the teacher can work with the students instead District Administration

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - February 2009

District Administration - February 2009
Contents
Advertiser Index
Editor's Letter
News Update
Security
Curriculum
Crisis Response
Supervisor's Opinion
The Rise of the Virtual Teacher
Speaking Their Language
Alternate Transportation Routes
Opinion
The Aftermath of the New 403(b) Regulations
How Well Does This Web Site Work?
Problem Solution
New Products
Product Focus
Professional Opinion

District Administration - February 2009