Follow Up e-mail to Richard M. Robin

[John Juricic]

> "I was wondering whether any of you use in your language teaching new
> (and  older) high-tech stuff such as computer programs, Web sites set up
> specifically to teach languages, films or news programs downloaded from
 >the Internet, or any other computer-related teaching devices."


We use a variety of methods including computer programs (for standard
grammar drills), films and video discs (for upper level language courses),
films
and news broadcasts direct from Russia via satelite. Some things we
download, some we buy.


> Our fourth-year course is entirely web-based. For example, the first
> topic was "Radio." Students got a list of all the major Russian radio
> stations on the web. They listened to several, picked their favorite and
prepared a
> report to the class. Another topic was SMI. Students picked an article
>from an Internet newspaper on a prominent current event and compared it to
> coverage in an American publication. Other topics were historical
> events (using the www.echo.msk.ru site), the U.S. elections, and the
Russian
> national anthem. Next semester, we will do movies, health, and vopros
>otsov i detei.


We do not offer courses entirely web-based.


> Obviously, for this to work, all students must become comfortable not
> only reading web pages in Cyrillic, but also typing and reading e-mail. Up
until
> this year, this was a major challenge, but the GW computer people have
>been very helpful in making sure that every GW lab computer can read and
> write Cyrillic both in html-forms and in in e-mail.


Our language lab, which is the finest in the country, has all these
capabilities.


> In first and second year, we use Golosa, which has a webpage
> (www.gwu.edu/~golosa) with all sorts of additional links. We will be
>making serious use of these links in the second semester of the intensive
> course.


We have been using GOLOSA until last year; publication of this fine text
has been discontinued.  This year  we have switched to another text. All
new Russian texts, to my knowledge, offer a wide variety of e-support and
web links.


> Finally, getting back to fourth year, students type all their written
> work in Russian, some for correction in grammar and style (private
> attachments) and some for class consumption through a local listserv (no
overt
> correction). All questions to me outside of class ("...how would I say
> so-and-so) come in the form of Russian e-mail.


Being able to type in Russian is a must for our students when they're
already in the third year. They have pen-pals in Russia with whom they
regularly communicate, and often visit. Many of our students attend
Russian universities and language institutes (Pushkin) and spend a year or
so in
Russia travelling and studying.


> I would like to get students to write e-mail to Russians in Russia.
> Some do - on their own. But I haven't found an easy way to make this part
of
>the course.
> > >> -----------------------------------------------------

Dr. Zelimir Juricic
Professor Emeritus
Dept. of Slavonic Studies
University of Victoria
zbj at uvic.ca

Academic Consultant
http://www.profstoprofsbooks.com/

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