- "Oral Text Learning" is a system developed by the Dr. Jim Noblitt which involves learning language by listening to foreign popular music, and reading the lyrics in the foreign language or as an English translation. The music is streamed from the web site using a RealAudio server, and the text lyrics are presented in an adjacent web page frame. This technique combines access to real-world examples of the syntax, dialect, intonation, etc. of the languages with a presentation method that attracts and holds the interest of most students.
- The popularity of the technology has presented some production burdens that needs to be better distributed if the system is to be successful in the long-run. Currently, graduate assistants edit and format most of the text, audio, and graphics for each lesson. Sometimes these editors are not familiar with the lesson's language, which makes production quite a challenge. Text entry and content decisions should be made by the teacher, not the editor. Communication limitations between teachers and editors makes the process slow and inefficient.
- The goal of the software design project is to make an extremely simple production interface for a foreign language teacher which steps them through the content entry and lesson making process. The interface should allow the teacher to:
- Enter the name of the lesson, and name
the lesson files systematically and automatically.
- Enter the foreign lyrics and English
translation, stanza by stanza, through a popular word processor
(Microsoft Word)
- Extract the audio file from a computer
CD drive and save it in [.wav] format
- Select graphics to accompany the lesson
- Upload these files to the FLRC server
effortlessly
- Communicate problems or make suggestions for the editor
The
production process should be resumable, so that the lesson can be
produced in several sittings, not necessarily all at once. After
the teacher has finished the lesson, and the materials have been
transfered to the server, the editor can easily create the
streaming audio file and design the web page to present the
material to students.
|
B a c k 
