Re: [school-discuss] Free-Open Baccalaureate Idea

[ian <ian.lynch2@ntlworld.com>]

On Sun, 2003-07-06 at 00:15, Yishay Mor wrote:
> Ian,
> 
> "a free software language laboratory": just curious - is it about using 
> software to teach language, or about software languages (as in programming)?


The former. The School is a specialist languages college as in Modern
Foreign Languages. We are setting up a general purpose computer network
with the view of providing the facilities that dedicated language labs
provide but using free software. So things like digital recording of
students responses in speaking and listening, ability to play digital
video of native speakers, foreign language word processing, and computer
aided learning activities. We are only at the identifying needs stage,
but the basic tools are available. VNC will allow teacher to control
pupil stations, Xine can play video etc We will need to package it up to
be easy to use in a language learning context but since quotes from
Tandberg and similar suppliers put the cost at around £800 per seat for
these facilities on top of computer hardware furniture etc, it seems to
me that schools could save a lot of money if we can invest relatively
small amounts in software development.Should also be applicable around
the world so a good focus for International interest.

-- 
ian <ian.lynch2@ntlworld.com>