6.2.1 Resources and Information

The issue of supplemental curriculum resources in the teaching of French is a significant one. Access to resources to supplement an English program would be relatively easy in any predominantly English-speaking area. However, such is not the case with French materials in non French-speaking areas. Any teacher living outside of French-speaking areas may not have immediate access to the same variety of resources as might a teacher in an English program. It is not surprising therefore that participants in this study displayed great enthusiasm for the capacity of OLEs to provide them access to resources and materials. This enthusiasm was particularly apparent for participants teaching in small, remote schools where OLEs now provide them access to resources that they could otherwise never have.

Participants also expressed a belief in the value of OLEs to facilitate a resource-based learning approach espoused and promoted by "educational leaders". "Resource-based learning involves active participation with multiple resources (books, journals, newspapers, multi-media, Web, community, people) where students are motivated to learn about a topic by trying to find information on it in as many ways and places as possible" (Laverty, 1997, p.1). Resource-based second- or foreign- language learning allows for a focus on content as opposed to a focus on language. It supports a language-acquisition approach whereby the language is acquired in the same way that first-language learners acquire their own language. Teachers’ reliance on this approach reflects a de-emphasis of explicit teaching of language in favour of student-centered investigation based on use of resources in the target language. Beliefs in this sub-category suggest that OLEs are facilitating use of this approach by providing teachers and students with access to resources that they would otherwise not have.

The belief expressed in the study that OLEs present an advantage for learning by providing vast quantities of information that could be used to do research suggests recognition of the importance of Pusak and Otto’s (1997) notion of "input and intake". This notion encourages less of a focus on the traditional production of sentences common with CALL and more on comprehensible input necessary for language acquisition to occur. Some teachers also expressed the belief that there is a large quantity of resources available online in French and that, where the resources are available in English, these can be translated online. This belief suggests that teachers perceive OLEs as being specifically valuable for the teaching of French and suggests a willingness to exploit the possibilities that such environments have to offer. The belief that adequate resources are now available and that online resources fill a void that previously existed suggests that teachers perceive an improvement in and are optimistic about the potential of OLEs to evolve their practices.

Not only did teachers express an enthusiasm about the quantity of materials that are now available, they appreciated that these materials were authentic. Beliefs in the value of authentic materials for use in the teaching of FSFL form an important part of the vision for language learning in the 21^st century. Pusak and Otto’s (1997) description of the "new era" of language learning is characterized by use of authentic materials: "Students should be prepared to handle the complex reality of a foreign language and culture .... To do this they must confront authentic documents, sounds images, and ideas from the foreign culture" (p. 7). Smith (1997) described use of such materials as providing a "bridge between the classroom and the world". Thus, beliefs about the value of OLEs to provide access to authentic materials provide support for the view of OLEs as a means to provide access to or to generate reality. Beliefs in the value of authentic materials also reflect support for communicative language activities. Richards and Rodgers’ (1986) characteristics of Communicative Language Teaching emphasize the importance of use of authentic materials. Constructivist learning also favours use of materials that are authentic and that therefore represent the complexity of the real-world. The belief in the value of these materials to make the language less "foreign" points to an appreciation for the value of meaningful content and learning so important in the vision for learning in the 21^st century. Emphasis on the ability of OLEs to provide students with access to living data as opposed to the "outdated" materials and information available in libraries and books reflects the principle that learners need to be connected to the ‘real world’. In other beliefs uncovered in this study, the immediate nature of online information was linked to the need for cross-disciplinary teaching which is also an important element in constructivist learning.

Beliefs grouped in this sub-category also showed an appreciation for the multi-media capacity of OLEs to appeal to a wide range of students’ needs and interests. Such beliefs reflect an interest in providing more student-centered learning. The emphasis on having access to greater variety and more diversity in information formats and content reflect the importance of multiple modes, representations and perspectives on the content evident in constructivist learning. These beliefs reflect Williams and Burden’s (1997) propositions for constructivist language learning which highlight the importance of taking into account the fact that learners learn in ways that are meaningful. This proposition implies that teachers will need to provide a variety of language learning activities that allow for different, individual learning styles, preferences and personalities. These beliefs also reflect Pusak and Otto’s (1997) description of a new era of language learning characterized by student-centered learning and accommodation of different learner styles and strategies. Teachers in this study also highlighted the capacity of multimedia to provide information in other formats such as with sound or images thus supporting Hanson-Smith’s (1997) assertion that multimedia provides support for different learning styles of language learners by deploying different neuro-systems in learning through its reliance on sound, colour, animation, etc. Similar beliefs were expressed by teachers in a study by Honey and Moeller (1990) of teachers' thinking related to how and why they use or do not use technology in their teaching. The high-tech teachers expressed a belief in the need for different learning styles and learning requirements for students.

Some teachers also expressed the belief that the information provided by the computer is superior to that which is available in other formats such as in a book, encyclopedia or a library. This belief reflects a questioning of current practices in that it rejects the assumptions that the printed word is the source of all knowledge and that the teachers’ exegesis is required by students in order to learn effectively. Beliefs in the superiority of online resources support Pusak and Otto’s (1997) argument that extensive use of, reliance on and appreciation for multimedia material has the capacity to challenge the "dynamics of the textbook/classroom model of instruction" (p.15). Beliefs that express an appreciation for the resources and information available online also reflect an interest in extending control from the teacher to the student. Smith (1997) argues that the value of such materials resides in the fact that students interact directly with these materials rather than with the teacher’s interpretation of them. Students are interacting, not with prepackaged content or didactically prepared materials, but with documents which they access directly. Allowing students greater control and autonomy in the learning process reflects an essential principle in constructivist learning and in the vision for learning in the 21^st century.

Many of these beliefs regarding online resources and information reflect constructivist principles. However, beliefs in the importance of authentic materials also reflect the principles of Communicative Language Teaching. Thus, an individual can express the belief that OLEs add value to learning through the provision of authentic resources and information while still being unaware of how these materials can be used to support learner control, knowledge construction and knowledge sharing since these principles are characteristic of constructivism but not of CLT. Beliefs reported in this category of resources and information reflect an understanding of CLT but not necessarily of constructivism or of the vision of learning espoused by this study. Ultimately, whether the belief in the value of online resources makes a difference to the learning situation depends on what the teacher intends that students do with the information and resources. Does the way in which online resources and information are used reflect an understanding of the potential of OLEs to support knowledge construction and collaboration? For example, resources and information can be exploited by teachers and students simply as reading selections. When used for this purpose, the potential of OLEs is reduced to that of little more than a repository of content. Retrieval of information in itself is not a high-order skill. It is how the information is used and processed by students in the context of learning activities and projects that may encourage the development of higher-order thinking skills.

In relation to beliefs about the capacity of OLEs to provide resources and information we need to ask further questions. Do teachers see the access to and availability of resources simply as a solution to a problem of lack of resources, or lack of ready-made content, or do they see it as a means of doing more projects, more resource-based learning and more learning that appeals to students’ interests? Are students simply using the computer to turn pages of a more varied and voluminous textbook? What control do students have over what they do with the information once it is retrieved? Do they share this information with others in order to collaborate on projects? Do students use this knowledge as a means to construct new knowledge?