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Post edited 3:45 pm – January 22, 2010 by admin

During the Technology: Tool or Method? broadcast, Dr. Nina Garrett shared her thoughts on what truly constitutes effective implementation of technology in the classroom. She pointed out that secondary language learning involves three basic areas that can be addressed by technology:

1. Active communication: the process of the language learner communicating with other learners, the instructor, and native speakers.

2. Working by themselves: students using the techniques of problem solving, memorization, and practice to improve their language skills.

3. Feedback from others: students not involved in an authentic communicative situation, but receiving feedback to their attempts at using the language.

Most importantly, however, is the need to synthesize these aspects of learning into a holistic learning environment that utilizes an effective blend of the above three aspects and fuses it with technology to maximize the effectiveness of the language learning process. (listen to the broadcast here)

As professors and students of language, we all agree that the above points are valid. What approach do you find most effective when breaking down your language teaching or learning process into the above elements?

Dr. Nina Garrett will return to Washington and Lee University on February 18, 2010 as part of the Foreign Language Teachers Workshop Series (FLTWS) to discuss use of Computer-Assisted Language Learning in connecting the study of language, literature, and the liberal arts. Find more information on FLTWS and register for the free workshops at http://www.wlu.edu/x33602.xml.