Chapter 2 Reflection

Chapter 2 of Robert J. Blake's Brave New Digital Classroom: Technology and Foreign Language Learning provides a lot of detailed, in-depth explanations about the history and applications of the Internet, programming languages, web browsers, etc., but it also provides powerful insights on how we can create a Web-based pedagogy for foreign language learning. I found this chapter to be quite interesting (after moving past some of the technical jargon), and I can agree with most of what Blake says.

I found his analysis of the number of Internet users who speak English and other languages very interesting. I disagree, however, with his statement that English seems to be the  de facto language of the Internet (p. 25). I just don't see any evidence of that. If one frequents English-language Web sites, then of course English will be the major language. The fact that the largest chunk of Web sites on the Internet are in English is not enough to say that it is the "official" language of the Internet. There are thousands upon thousands of resources available online for any of the languages we in this course will teach, and this makes the Web a very suitable tool, perhaps the most suitable technological tool, when it comes to foreign language learners. 


Another aspect of this chapter that caught my attention was the section entitled "Toward a pedagogy for Web-based language learning" on page 38. Blake mentions that, arguably, nothing is inherently wrong with using grammar drills and other similar exercising in the foreign language curriculum, but this is not the sort of thing we should expect to see when incorporating technology, specifically the Internet, into the curriculum. I feel that there are so many more significant and dynamic resources available online that the Internet should be used as a tool to promote, as Blake suggests, negotiation of meaning and to allow for comprenehsible input. For example, consider how showing a YouTube video (or video from a similar site that is not blocked in public schools) or reading an actual news article from an authentic L2 source could enhance learning. When compared to doing grammar exercises, these multimedia experiences using the Internet have the advantage of allowing teachers to meet FL standards and increase student motivation at the same time. I think they really do have an important role in any foreign language curriculum.

References:

Blake, R.J. (2008). Brave new digital classroom: Technology and foreign language learning. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.