Abstract:

The purpose of this article is to present recent improvements in interactive videodisc (IVD) lesson development at the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA), discuss the rationale for our latest lesson design--its advantages and limitations--and discuss the rationale for IVD use at USAFA. For more than a decade, the Department of Foreign Languages (DFF) at USAFA has been seeking ways to integrate IVD technology into the foreign language classroom. After experimenting with cumbersome interactive videodisc videotape, DFF has since developed three interactive videodisc lesson designs for all seven languages taught at the Academy. The third and latest lesson design differs from the previous two in that it uses only the target language coupled with additional images and audio to mediate meaning, rather than rely on English text translations and glossaries.

Author: Kevin L. Whitman