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| Reviewed: |
Aug 01, 2005 by World Languages Editorial Board |
| Overview: |
The REALIA Project which stands for Rich Electronic Archive for Language
Instruction Anywhere is a searchable, web-enabled database of images for use in
teaching foreign languages (currently French, German, Japanese, Portuguese,
Russian and Spanish).
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| Learning Goals: |
Visualizing language items by adding images to tests, vocabulary lists, and
grammar handouts can significantly increase students' learning and help them to
familiarize themselves with the everyday realities of other cultures.
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| Target Student Population: |
The site is intended more for instructors than for students. The goal of the
REALIA Project is to develop and implement a searchable digitized media database
which will provide instructors of modern languages with teaching resources
accessible via the Web.
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| Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills: |
No prerequisite knowledge or skills are required except for very basic computer
skills.
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| Type of Material: |
The REALIA project currently includes more than 600 images for two languages,
Russian and Spanish; for example, images and sounds of street life, festivals,
ceremonies, signs, food, people, games, events, crafts, advertisements, local
products, transportation, schedules, tickets, local products, and postcards.
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| Recommended Uses: |
The materials can be used for testing and review purposes as well as for
discussions on differences between the cultures.
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| Technical Requirements: |
There are no additional technical requirements.
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| Strengths: |
The goal of The REALIA Project is to promote and support the use of images in
language instruction. Users of the prototype database can expect to browse and
search a set of approximately 200 images. Images can be viewed and downloaded in
thumbnail, computer screen-size, and full resolution archival formats. Users
can also compare images side by side and save selected images to html webpage
formats for use on local web servers and electronic reserve systems. Besides
providing high quality images and sounds, the REALIA project includes detailed
descriptions of each item, the name of a photographer or an item provider, and
directions on the use of these materials via Pedagogical Notes. For example, the
photo of "pododeyalnick", a blanket cover used to protect the blanket from dirt
and damage that lessens the need for laundering, is provided with a detailed
description on how this photo and the information about this cultural reality
can be used: it can be used in discussing daily life in Russia, and how this
differs from life in the US. Even such details as how a bed is made (the absence
of fitted sheets, the ubiquity of pododeal'niki, the larger square pillows,
etc.) are included.
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Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool |
Rating:  |
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| Strengths: |
The site can be used in both language and culture classes, as well as in
literature classes to focus students' attention on Spanish or Russian everyday
life and promote discussions among students on how language reflects culture.
The site items can be used in tests and quizzes to help students to visualize
learned material. The images can make a great addition to vocabulary lists.
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| Concerns: |
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Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty |
| Rating: |
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| Strengths: |
The site provides an excellent interface for searching materials. One can search
the whole collection or can choose either the Russian or Spanish collection to
search. Images are categorized on several levels,
and an advanced search feature
allows the user considerable control over search results. It is possible, for
example, to search by title or description. Further search options include
target language (Russian or Spanish), theme/realia (art, buildings, people,
food, transportation), and location (Bolivia, Mexico, Cuba, Moscow, Russia).
This allows the user to pinpoint materials that are appropriate for his or her
audience. The site also has its own bookmark feature "My Favorites", which
allows the user to create personalized mini collections.
The CONTENTdm PowerPoint Plug-in enables quick and easy import of My Favorites,
images as well as metadata, into a Microsoft PowerPoint format. The PowerPoint
presentation can then be edited and modified using the tools available in
PowerPoint
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| Concerns: |
The site does not provide the opportunity to search in Cyrillic, but this
feature is promised to be available in the next version.
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| Other Issues and Comments: |
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