Lights, Camera, Language

Improving oral skills in advanced Second Language Learners poses several challenges to any instructor that go beyond the provision of creating a class environment that animates students to speak. Accuracy tends to be lower in speaking and listening tasks because of the linearity and speed of oral language.To increase accuracy, advanced students need to be exposed to tasks that allow them to slow down their speech to be able to reflect on their expression and pronunciation. They also need to be exposed to a large amount of language, to a variety of speech patterns, and to various inflections.

For the practice and enhancement of oral language skills on various levels, we introduced new digital video technology in an advanced German conversation class by challenging students to create a German language news report. Students researched their topics on-line, interviewed speakers on camera, wrote and recorded their own narration, and digitized and edited their footage -- all in German. This web site presents a description and the results of the project.

This web site contains: