Todd Oppenheimer’s article “The Computer Delusion” paints a bleak picture of the current state of education and calls into question many of the decisions regarding technology that are being made by educators and administrators, as well as much of the research upon which those decisions are founded. Oppenheimer exposes the pervasive and unquestioning support of computers in the classroom by everyone from teachers up through President Clinton as a case of the “emperor’s new clothes” – blind acceptance, with no one brave enough to stand up and say, “Wait a minute…”

Having grown up in the 60’s, I can totally relate to Clifford Stoll’s comment that “computers in classrooms are the filmstrips of the 1990’s.” The same could be said for DVD’s. This is the worst of what technology has to offer – an opportunity for everyone to dumb down for an hour. I have seen this happen in our own community. When my daughter was in fourth grade, the entire class read “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” Three years later, when my son was in fourth grade, his class listened to the book on tape (and did not even have to follow along in the book). Reading was not required.

I am not quite as pessimistic as Todd Oppenheimer. Personally I am old-school. I may always prefer to turn the pages of a book to reading the words on a glowing screen. And I believe that actually baking a cake will teach a child much more than watching it done on You Tube. In this regard, I felt validated by Oppenheimer’s views. On the other hand, I like to think that technology is still evolving as an educational tool and will eventually find a valuable place in the classroom. After all, the internet is unparalleled as a research tool, and digitized encyclopedias are more current, more ecologically sound, and offer much quicker navigation than their paper counterparts.

“The Computer Delusion” points out how easy it is for teachers and administrators to be seduced by all of the technology being thrown at them by both the public and private sectors. Unfortunately, beyond a ban on federal spending on technology, the author does not offer any real solutions. I suggest that this is the time for teachers to make sure that they have a clearly developed educational philosophy, including a philosophy on technology use, and that they revisit that philosophy regularly, to insure that they are continuing to resist buying into the hype.

MD 400 - So far, so good...

At this point (about midway through the course), I am pleased at how smoothly the course is going for me. Not that I do not have challenges - I am still stymied by my technological deficiencies at home - but in general, I am "getting" the new concepts, and I see remarkable application possibilities in my content area of world languages.

To recap, to date we have learned about Inspiration software, manipulation of digital imagery, copyright issues, blogging, web design, and digital storytelling. Of these, I find web design to be the most challenging by far (and I think I am not alone!). I think this is because, in web design, you have to use both the right and left sides of your brain at the same time to satisfy the technical and aesthetic requirements - it becomes overwhelming.

I can see excellent opportunities to use most of the new technologies we have learned to add value to the foreign language classroom. Blogging has lots of possibilities. A class blog could be used to gather thoughts on and clarify challenging aspects of the curriculum, and individual blogs could be used as weekly journals to reflect on progress or practice writing skills. My favorite idea is to use a class blog to create a continuing story in French. The story could be started by the teacher, and each student could be required to go on the blog at assigned intervals (maybe once a month) and add a paragraph to the story. Photo Story 3 could be used as an evaluation tool - maybe a final project. Students would have an opportunity to demonstrate pronunciation skills as well as writing skills.

I am very much looking forward to learning about podcasting. I do not really know much about it, but I am hoping, again, to see possible applications to world language instruction, since verbal comprehension is such an important part of learning a foreign language.

Copyright Issues and Educators

The area of copyright issues where media use is concerned is fraught with challenges and potential pitfalls for educators. Copyright legislation and legal precedent are tremendously complex and ever-changing. Nevertheless, educators are charged with a double duty: they must, themselves, adhere to fair use guidelines in their use of technology in the classroom, and at the same time, impart on their students an awareness of fair use principles and a sense of the potentially serious ramifications of violating these principles.



Today's technology gives educators unprecedented access to text, music, and images, both still and moving. This affords teachers exciting opportunities to use these resources to make learning come alive for their students. In using these materials, however, educators must maintain an awareness of the reach of copyright and the limitations placed on them by fair use guidelines. In practical terms, this may mean, for example, that teachers should avoid copying long works for class use or using the same copies year after year. Additionally, showing a class a movie unrelated to the subject area as a reward the day before vacation does not constitute fair use.

It is incumbent upon educators to help students gain an understanding of how fair use of copyrighted materials applies to them in their role as students (and as consumers of music and media). Students need to know that they may only fairly use a maximum of three minutes or ten percent of a copyrighted motion media clip (whichever is less), or ten percent of a copyrighted piece of music, in their own productions for educational purposes. They should also be made aware of materials and resources available to them in the public domain.

Copyright infringement is a serious offense, and educators should be aware of the requirements of fair use, as well as school copyright policy. Both teachers and students should be able to use the burgeoning supply of digital information to enhance learning. However, this may often mean walking a fine line between creative freedom and legal compliance. Resources in the public domain may well be the key to carefree creative licence.

Manipulated Digital Image

This image started as an experiment in the manipulation of digital photography using Fotoflexer, a free online image editing tool. I began with a sample photograph of a forest, available on the site, and converted the color to sepia. I then overlaid another sample photograph of waterlilies and used the opacity feature to make it 50% opaque. I then added a photo I found online of the Dalai Lama using the overlay feature, also making this image 50% opaque. I blurred the edges of all pictures to add to the ethereal quality, so that the end result appears peaceful and meditative.

In contemplating how the manipulation of digital imagery might be effectively used educationally in my content area of world languages, frankly, nothing immediately came to mind. I am very cognisant of the importance of adding educational value with technology, not just adding glamour with no substance. However, a part of the world languages curriculum concerns learning about the geography and cultures around the world where the languages are spoken. This would be a very appropriate use for image editing. Students are more likely to retain information they have learned through an image they have spent time manipulating, rather than one they have merely looked at online or in a book. Therefore, I think using such online tools as Fotoflexer.com and Piknik.com in conjunction with a lesson on, for example, the Francophone countries of the world would make the lesson more meaningful, as long as the tools were used appropriately and respectfully by the students (no putting Groucho Marks glasses and moustache on Charles de Gaulle).

Universal Design for Learning Inspiration Concept Map

Creating an Inspiration concept map to outline the reading on Universal Design for Learning was, in itself, an illustration of one of the techniques recommended therein - using multiple representations of data. This exercise accomplished three objectives for me. First, I better understand the tenets of Universal Design for Learning. Also, I now have hands-on experience with Inspiration as a teaching tool, and finally, I can see other applications for Inspiration in the classroom.

This reading on Universal Design for Learning points out that UDL is, first and foremost, a mindset, a way to approach education in order that it may be accessible and effective for all children, including those with various types of disabilities. Because the principles and recommendations of UDL are founded upon research about how the brain learns, the implementation of UDL techniques will very likely improve the effectiveness of teaching for all students. For example, using strategies that support various representations of data addresses the different ways that all students may learn - visually, auditorially, kinesthetically - which may, incidentally, improve learning for students without disabilities as well.

Inspiration, itself, is an example of a technology which can help students organize their thoughts in an outline manner, and may be more effective for some students than the traditional 5-paragraph essay pillar, because it is more visually oriented. Both of my children have used Inspiration in the classroom and give it high marks for ease of use and "fun factor." I found Inspiration very user-friendly. It was easy to grasp the basics and get quickly underway - not a big learning curve. This is important, as we have been hearing from the many teachers in our class. When tech support is scarce, software that is easy to learn and teach is surely beneficial.

As I was getting my feet wet with my first Inspiration concept map, I was simultaneously brainstorming ways to use this software in the World Languages content area. I think it could be effectively used to demonstrate comprehension of a piece of fiction in another language. My son has repeatedly had to produce something called a "story web," in language arts, which is essentially a concept map of a fictional story, showing such literary aspects as setting, characters, and plot. This could definitely work in other languages as well. Alternatively, Inspiration could be used to aid in comprehension of vocabulary relating to family relationships (aunt, grandmother, son, etc.) by using it to create family trees.

Linking Visual Learning with an Interpretive Content Standard

The content standard I chose to focus on this semester is concerned with written and oral comprehension and interpretation. As I was reading through the many standards, this one really jumped out at me and screamed its relevance to this course. The technologies we have discussed so far: the use of digital cameras to create a tableau; blogging; and Inspiration, all have obvious applications in the area of foreign language comprehension.

For example, students could be asked to create a tableau to demonstrate basic comprehension of a passage which uses new vocabulary. Alternatively, at a more advanced level, the tableau idea could be employed to have students interpret literature which is more complex and abstract, such as Antoine de Saint-Exupery's Le Petit Prince. Blogging could be effectively used as a form of interactive journaling - a great, creative way to force regular writing practice at any level. Finally, Inspiration could add value as a technique to help students demonstrate comprehension of the "bones" of written passages, such as the characters, plot, and setting of a story.

I can honestly say that I think these applications of technology really would add value - not just glitter - to the learning process. I can't wait to learn about podcasting...

Content Standard for World Languages

I have decided to focus on the following content standard for World Languages:

CONTENT STANDARD (9-12): Communication (Interpretive Mode)

How do I understand what others are trying to communicate in another language?

· Understand the main ideas and relevant details of extended discussions, lectures and formal presentations on topics related to daily life and/or historical or contemporary themes in the target culture.
· Understand the main idea or plot and relevant details or subplots of radio or television programs, films or other forms of media designed primarily by native speakers of the target language.
· Comprehend the main ideas and relevant details of live and recorded presentations of culturally significant songs, folk tales, plays, comedies and anecdotes.
· Recognize the characters and the significance of their roles when reading authentic literary texts and comprehend the main plot and relevant subplot(s).
· Comprehend the main ideas and significant details of full-length feature articles in newspapers, magazines and websites on topics of current or historical importance in the target culture.