5.2.5 Learning

Many teachers in this study expressed the belief that OLEs represent an effective means of meeting the changing needs of today’s students: "The nature of student learning has changed dramatically in the past decade as teachers have a more difficult task of motivating their students. The students are accustomed to numerous stimuli, (ie. (sic) virtual video games, etc.), thus the teacher has to be more creative to obtain and maintain their attention". In the following excerpt, a teacher describes how she maintains students’ attention and meets their changing needs through use of technology:

Today's students are quite different from those of even 2-3 years ago. I am motivated by the desire to make my classes as interesting and relevant to my students as possible. Let's face the fact that today's students grow up in a world that is super hi-tech. These youngsters are raised in a world in which they are "turned on" to a very audio-visual environment from infancy. As a teacher I must deal with this situation on a daily basis. So, my decision is to make the class as stimulating/interesting/relevant as possible through the manner in which I introduce/reinforce information. I have made a decision to implement all types of technology in the classroom. Within the past two years I have added e-mail exchanges with students in other countries; the use of CD-ROMs; internet sites, etc. into my curriculum.

The way in which students are changing can affect the way in which they do research and the tools with which they do this research. One teacher described her students as being more comfortable with an "arborenscence" (sic) approach of the Internet rather than a "linear and traditional approach" common to text-book learning. This teacher’s comments focus on students’ growing dependence on the use of electronic tools such as the computer and provide a prediction about how their needs will continue to change over the course of the next decade and beyond:

I also believe that students are becoming lazier...just as they must use their calculators as a crutch because most of them are unable to do simple math calculations in their heads, so will they begin to depend on the instantaneous reply of the computer to respond to their research needs. Most will probably not know the inside of a library and how books are classified or ever consult a card catalogue within 15 years!

Not only does use of OLEs allow teachers to better meet the needs of students, but it can enhance learning in other ways as well. Teachers described how the Internet "broadens the students’ horizons" and allows "students to be creative and learn through experience", to have "more independent learning in class" and "to learn on their own while using an alternate approach to teaching." One teacher commented that the Internet is a "nice change of pace from the regular classroom setting". Teachers commented on the range of activities in which students can engage online such as "internet competitions", "interactive activities, treasure hunts, crosswords", activities for special occasions, i.e., Christmas, Valentine’s day, holidays, festivals". They can also access "games, puzzles, maps", or have fun "sending greeting cards".

The multimedia capacity of OLEs can have a positive effect on the learning experience: "Use of still and animated graphics, sound and music clips can greatly enhance understanding and possibly promote greater retention of facts since it appeals to more senses." OLEs may also appeal, not only to more senses, but, as well, to different types of learners: "Differences in learning styles and individual abilities and strengths can be addressed through the variety of skills and types of activities involved with projects which take advantage of the computer and the Internet in particular".

OLEs can have an overall positive effect on the learning situation by allowing students to reconceptualize their role and the role of the teacher: "Used in the context of group work and resource based learning, it can help create a situation in the classroom whereby the students become more responsible for their learning. They realize that the teacher does not have to be a font of information, rather a guide. Hopefully, this will encourage them to become lifelong learners." One teacher provided support for this change in the role of the student: "Students become more responsible for their own learning and research and this is a good thing. It makes them become more responsible and independent learners." In general, use of OLEs can make students less dependent on the teacher to provide them with the necessary information and tools that they need: "My students are becoming less dependent on me to find information. They often find their own sites". OLEs can allow students more autonomy in learning, by providing them with the tools and information necessary to construct their own knowledge:

Les équipements actuels rendent surtout plus facile le travail en autonomie. Parce que l'apprenant possède, virtuellement, toutes les sources d'informations dont il a besoin, il lui est possible de construire seul son savoir. Parce que le matériel de formation en autodidaxie est plus accessible et plus facile à manipuler, la formation devient plus facile (mais cela ne signifie pas que "l'autonomisation langagière" de l'apprenant - ses capacités à se débrouiller seul en langue/culture - soit rendue plus aisée).

Along with a change in the role of the student may come a change in the level of thinking that they do while learning. One belief about OLEs suggests that learning online draws on higher levels of thinking skills than might be found in traditional learning environments: "When students use the Internet in their second language learning certainly they have to problem solve: analyze, interpret, synthesize the materials that they are using on the Internet". In the following excerpt, one teacher explains how a simple Internet activity can require students to engage in critical thinking and problem-solving:

If, for example, in planning a trip to Quebec City, the students had to use the Internet to develop an itinerary for their trip, they would have to be within a certain budget. So, they would do a guided search under the supervision of the teacher (provide some sites for the students), they would have to make comparisons, decisions, and report back to the class with the planned itinerary They must also be ready to explain why they chose a certain activity and not another. This, to me, would be an example of students using critical thinking and problem solving in an Internet activity in the French classroom.

Changing students’ role and bringing them to higher levels of thinking are some ways in which OLEs are described as affecting students’ learning in general. However, OLEs were also described by participants in this study as specifically affecting students’ language skills. In general, use of OLEs with students is described as something which "enriches their language experience". In particular, "opportunities to develop written communication skills are abundant". In terms of the types of writing activities in which students can engage, participants in this study noted that students can create "class web pages where students can post autobiographies and display their art work", that they can engage in "creative writing with online feedback" and that they can engage in "writing for publication".

As well, according to some teachers, online learning can make up for the lack of interaction in the regular classroom by providing opportunities for the development of listening skills and by helping students to see a purpose for language learning:

I also use web sites for listening activities - there are many radio stations online with reports that can be downloaded, music clips, etc. It does take planning and lots of time to incorporate such activities into the curriculum, but I think the time is well spent as the students enjoy the lesson so much and begin to see a purpose to learning a language and even to learning grammar! This year I will be using a discussion board and chat rooms with guest "speakers" from various French-speaking countries in all level of classes that I teach. Granted, it's not oral communication, but this is more of a cultural exercise. As the students go through the lessons I want to incorporate several "side tripss" (sic) to websites to make France and French more of a reality to them. What they lack in classroom interaction could, in part, be helped through use of the Internet.

Opportunities for online communication provide for enhanced learning experiences. Furthermore, enhanced interest levels in students as a result of working online can possibly encourage students to use more French than in the regular classroom:

I figure the more time they can work in groups and chat amongst themselves in the target language the better, and using the internet provides the dual opportunity of leaving the classroom setting, and presenting an activity that is relevant and interesting so that they are too involved in the task to begin speaking English.

Online learning also provides an opportunity to develop an appreciation for the cultural aspects of French. The Internet "opens up the classroom to many more cultural inputs than the library did, especially because of direct contact with francophones, be it through listservs such as CAUSERIE, or WWW sites which can linger on cultural details books simply cannot afford to do economically...". As well, the exposure to these cultural aspects may be more enriching than what students typically encounter in the classroom: "At last, we have a chance of truly integrating that cultural piece that seems always to elude us. At last, we can get past the beret and baguette!"

According to some teachers, OLEs appear to provide students with an opportunity for a learning experience which the teacher cannot provide: "The internet is enhancing their learning..is filling in blanks that I, as a stand-up teacher, can't possibly hope to fill and it is keeping them on task for the whole period..something that rarely occurs in a regular classroom setting (for me, anyway!)". Increased use of OLEs in the classroom can have an effect not only on the students but, as well, on teachers. The following section groups those beliefs that centre on how technology is changing and improving teachers’ role and their teaching practices in general.