LeLoup, Jean W.

Ponterio, Robert

English

ScholarSpace at University of Hawai'i at Manoa

Language Learning & Technologyhttp://llt.msu.edu/vol8num2/net/May 2004, Volume 8, Number 2pp. 3-6Copyright © 2004, ISSN 1094-3501 3ON THE NETInternet Television News in the ClassroomTF1: Improved Features Make Sites More UsefulJean W. LeLoupSUNY CortlandRobert PonterioSUNY CortlandTruly current, up-to-the-minute video by native speakers using the language for real communication canmake the language and culture come alive for students. With the explosion of broadband Internet accessthrough cable and DSL, better connections in schools, faster low cost computers, and better graphicsadapters, access to authentic video on the Internet is approaching the promise of usable digital video forthe language teacher. As more end-users get fast Internet access, media companies are targeting theirvideo to these markets. Faster computers along with this fast connection have managed to improve qualitythrough better use of compression. Also, newer video cards help speed the display of smooth, clear videowhile offering TV-out and full screen modes, providing more flexibility for the teacher. But thetechnology is just the first step. The design features of a media site can go a long way towards makingvideo pedagogically usable. There are many television sites around the world that offer streaming video,especially for news programming. The French television channel, TF1, broadband video news sitehttp://hautdebit.tf1.fr/hautdebit/newsjt/is an example of a well thought out presentation whose features help the language teacher use the video ina sound lesson. We will examine the features of the site and suggest ways that they can be best used, hereas well as on other television sites around the world, to maximize the benefit for the teacher and students.Media companies of this sort frequently redesign their Web sites for technical or advertising purposes, soone can expect that the main TF1 entry page, http://www.tf1.fr/, will be more stable than sub-pages suchas their broadband video page. This is good to remember for the day the site changes, possibly rightbefore a lesson! As it is currently configured, the broadband video page offers access to the TV Newsvideo, including current events, sports, weather, reports on holidays, arts, and music -- everything that onecan expect to find in the news. But the site also has links to separate pages for astrology, the stock market,cinema, music, shopping, sports, travel, advertising, and even pages that a teacher might prefer to avoid,such as the "Sexy" link.Jean W. Leloup & Robert Ponterio On the Net: Internet Television News in the Classroom …Language Learning & Technology 4A wide variety of language and culture is available through this relatively condensed interface. The linkto the news videos dominates the page, making it easy to locate in a hurry, and links to other videos scrollacross the bottom of the page for leisurely browsing.Technical FeaturesThe many video streams on the site are available inWindows Media or RealPlayer format and in smallor large size. This variety makes it possible for theindividual to select the best format for the computersystem and connection speed being used or simplymake a choice based on personal preference or onthe particular features of the chosen software.Options are also presented for accessing particularvideo segments. The news programs for both theafternoon and evening broadcasts can be accessedfor any day in the past two weeks, as can be seen inthe upper panel below. This allows a teacher thetime to choose an interesting news story, design a lesson plan, develop materials, and prepare the studentsbefore the video disappears forever. It has been rare on video sites for such video archives to bemaintained long enough to allow teachers to carefully prepare lessons in this way.Another valuable feature is the ability to access individual news stories just by clicking on the topic, asshown in the lower panel above, much as one can jump to the separate chapters of a DVD. Thissegmentation of the news program makes it possible to locate a particular news story without wastingtime searching through the video and to easily and quickly replay a segment from the beginning, as oftenas desired for intensive study. In the evening news for March 23, for example, the program was dividedJean W. Leloup & Robert Ponterio On the Net: Internet Television News in the Classroom …Language Learning & Technology 5into 23 separate segments. One may also prefer to view the entire news program from start to finish formore extensive viewing.Some teachers prefer to take advantage of the TV-out feature of many of today's video cards to make acopy of a segment to VHS videocassette. Generally these use a video overlay technology to send thevideo out as a full screen TV image. A VHS backup avoids the potential drawbacks of technical problemspreventing online access when it is needed in class. In addition, the teacher might not have adequateInternet access in the classroom or may simply wish to have a backup in a different medium -- to keep onreserve for absent students, for example. This quick access to individual news items also simplifies thetask of setting up the connection and cueing the video segment in just the right location and at the righttime for recording.Print MediaPrinted news stories appear on the site as well: http://news.tf1.fr/news/. These cover a wide range oftopics including, of course, the same topics found in the video news. For this reason, the printed materialcan serve as an additional pedagogical support for pre-viewing activities or vocabulary building. Carefuladaptation of the print material into advance organizers may help prepare students for the video segments,which can be far too challenging if the students' level and familiarity with the content are not taken intoaccount when designing activities. These pages can also provide additional background information,taking both students and teachers beyond the content of the video segments.Jean W. Leloup & Robert Ponterio On the Net: Internet Television News in the Classroom …Language Learning & Technology 6Options for Use in the ClassroomMany different types of activities may be designed around authentic materials, and the National Standardsfor Foreign Languages clearly support such activities when they integrate the products and practices ofculture leading to the understanding of cultural perspectives. Further, frequent use of authentic materialsas a basis for classroom tasks prepares students to become life-long users of the language by teachingthem how to access information in the language long after their studies are completed. Activities may bedesigned around well known pedagogical models, or they may simply serve as the starting point for classdiscussion in the target language.From a purely practical point of view, Internet video sites -- either in digital format on the Web or copiedonto videocassettes -- may be used with students in a number of ways:• A teacher might make video available to students individually for access outside of class.• Students could work in small groups or pairs in lab or at classroom stations.• The teacher can present/project a video to the entire class, all at once or stopping frequently.• Video copied from the Internet to a VCR can be used in all of the ways mentioned, bypassing thecomputer and avoiding possible network connection problems.CaveatThe Internet contains much material that may be inappropriate for children or even adult learners.Teachers have long known that sending students to the web requires paying attention to possible misuseof students' time and intentional or accidental browsing of material, er, shall we say ... not included in thelesson plan. One might expect a television news site to be fairly safe, but it always behooves us tocarefully examine any site before using it in class. One of the rubrics on the TF1 site, for example, istitled "Sexy."This word itself might even prevent the entire site from being accessed on some schoolnetworks. This "Sexy" page includes a warning about adult content as the site goes beyond inappropriate,leading to erotic images and even offering pornographic films for sale. In order to use the excellentfeatures of the site, one needs to take care to avoid allowing students to access this other area. On a schoolnetwork, filters may be available to do this automatically and local tech support might be able to help.The teacher may also avoid problems by carefully selecting a safe entry point URL, if possible directingstudents to pages that do not contain links to those places one might not wish students to go.ConclusionWe want our students to be able to work with authentic materials and receive comprehensible targetlanguage input as often as possible. In addition, the National Standards charge us with integrating culturalproducts, practices, and perspectives throughout our curricula. Internet television news offers an excellentopportunity to achieve these goals by accessing current, timely, and interesting news stories from targetlanguage cultures that will be meaningful to our students. With purposeful planning and the use ofbroadband technologies, our "textbooks" can extend to "the world today."

Internet Television News in the Classroom - TF1: Improved Features Make Sites More Useful

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Internet Television News in the Classroom - TF1: Improved Features Make Sites More Useful

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