Keeping Students & Teachers Interested Is Easier With Hi-Tech Language Lab
        
        
        
        Entering the Global Communications         Center at Northport High School on Long         Island's North Shore (New York), students are greeted         with a language lab that epitomizes the high-technology         vision of many forward-looking educators. Meander through         the 25-station Center and, at first glance, one may not see         much that differs from other language labs across the         country. Take a closer look at what students and instructors         are actually doing, however, and some crucial differences         become apparent.
The center also utilizes two Panasonic         Universal VCRs (for watching tapes from other         countries), three Panasonic 13-inch VCR/monitor combos, two         Panasonic 27-inch Stereo monitor/receivers and         Canon's Video Visualizer (document camera).         Tandberg's language lab system coordinates all of these         components, letting instructors accomplish anything from         communicating with students using headsets, to scanning         student computers that are accessing the         Internet.
                  The system also allows one to send images         from the Video Visualizer to the 27-inch monitors and to the         student computers; send writing samples, messages and more         between the instructor's computer and students' computers;         and send out CD-based software programs to student stations,         among other functions. The system even lets instructors send         out as many as four different audio/ video sources         simultaneously to student stations. This helps in the         multi-level classes in which there are mixed groups with         varying skill levels and sometimes an entirely different         curriculum.
                  Touch the World
                  Larry Lubin, Chairperson of Languages         Other than English, says that choosing Tandberg         (Brewster, N.Y.) was the result of six months of         researching the best way to "create a learning laboratory         for students to link up with the rest of the world." And         link to the world it d'es. Classes can receive live video         images from virtually any country in the world via the         16-foot satellite dish on top of Northport's roof, with         feeds to individual student computers. And, using         CU-SeeMe software, individual videoconferences can be         sent to the two 27-inch monitors in the front of the room         for entire classes to participate.
                  Lubin also relates that the Tandberg         system specifically helps New York State teachers by being         able to establish random pairing patterns between students         to develop oral proficiency skills. "This is a tremendous         aid for teachers since the 8th- and 10th-grade standardized         examinations test the speaking skill in a role-playing         format," he says. Instructors can also retrieve the oral         responses of 25 students on one tape, letting them evaluate         speaking skills in a much more time-efficient manner, he         adds.
                  And, students presenting an oral report         can now take advantage of the system's various functions to         incorporate video, audio or even 3D objects using the Video         Visualizer into their presentations.
                  Letting Teachers Teach
                  While some say that nowadays the         technology is ahead of the methodology, Tandberg and         Northport are making sure that d'esn't apply here. One of         the main reasons, according to Lubin, why the department has         remained enthusiastic about the Center is because of the         extensive training provided by Tandberg representatives. The         firm has provided inservice orientations to the various         components of the system. And the district has been very         supportive, creating extensive opportunities for curriculum         development in three areas: use of the Internet, use of the         satellite and integration of e-mail.
                  The district has been         very supportive, creating opportunities
         for curriculum development in three areas:
         use of the Internet, use of the satellite and integration of         e-mail.
                  "The Global Communications Center has         sparked a new interest in the language program," says Lubin.         "Most students enjoy visiting the laboratory. It is an         opportunity for them to use their skills in an authentic         context." Lubin's own students often ask him which day they         get to go to the center.
                  "Whether it is watching a live foreign         language broadcast, perusing the Internet to read the latest         foreign newspapers, communicating with new friends via         videoconferencing or practicing writing skills in a new         format, the Tandberg Global Communication Center is a         phenomenal success," Lubin concludes. Keeping both students         and teachers interested in learning has always been a         challenge, but even something as "ordinary" as a language         lab can do just that, if it is utilized correctly.