The weekly column

Article 98, May 2002

The new web-site for CD-ROM

By Pete Sharma

In this article, I will:

  • argue that CD-ROM will continue to have a place in language learning for the foreseeable future
  • look at one of the most exciting features of the new generation of electronic dictionaries on CD-ROM
  • conclude with a focus on the new web-site for CD-ROM, recently launched by Summertown Publishing.

Part one: a multiplicity of media.....

One thing about audio-cassettes is that they have not disappeared from language teaching! The CD-audio has been around for a long time now, with instant access to a specific song, or in the case of ELT, a specific teaching unit. And yet, in many staffrooms, teachers regularly spend frustrating minutes before a lesson searching for the right place on the cassette tape first thing in the morning.

For a long time now I have heard about the demise of CD-ROMs.

"They will be outmoded by the Internet!"

"Broadband will take over!"

"CMC (computer-mediated communication) will be the future".

After all, the arguments go, you cannot record on the disc. (Hence the name: CD-ROM - read only memory).

However, surely MANY forms of media exist at the same time to support our efforts as teachers. Video- cassettes are as popular as ever - the new one from OUP "BIG City" is great for low level learners. Some students have cassette players in their car, others have CD-players, the car being a great place to listen to English language material.

In fact, we have a multiplicity of media to support our efforts as teachers: video on CD-ROM, and on the Internet, audio on the Internet...and so on.

At every presentation I give, someone comes up to me and says:

"We're just opening a new self-access centre and I wonder which disc to buy?"

or

"We're buying some software for our computers - what do you recommend?"

So. In my view, there is no real need to write off CD-ROM as out-moded. Rather, why not use each media for what it is most appropriate. I still use flip-charts on a seminar, not to mention the whiteboard, even though the old Power Point presentation comes in handy too!


Part two: CD-ROM dictionaries to die for.....

You may need to blink again at the price tag when you buy a new electronic dictionary. The price is often for the paper-based dictionary....with the CD-ROM in the back!

With the new dictionary from MacMillan, the MED, your learners can read a text on-screen and as they move their mouse over each word, it appears in a small dictionary "window" on your desk-top, allowing instant checking of a word. Also, the dictionary "speaks" the pronunciation of the word at you!

This excellent feature (in this product called QuickSearch) works with a web-page, and has all-but revolutionized our learners approach to reading texts on-screen. It works in Word, and of course many Business English students write letters. The QuickSearch facility enables the learner to check spelling, and access meaning from received e-mails.

We also encourage learners to use the QuickSearch function of the CD-ROM dictionary when they prepare their presentations, to check the words for both spelling and pronunciation. Note that the it works with Power Point too.

The same type of function is also available as the Oxford Genie (OUP) which can "live" on your desk-top. CUP's new series of French - English and Spanish - English dictionaries on CD-ROM, Cambridge Klett Compact (CUP) has the same feature.


Part three: the new CD-ROM web-site....

At this year's IATEFL conference in York, Summertown Publishing launched its new CD-ROM teacher's web-site.

The CD-ROM Teacher's Handbook will shortly be available on CD-ROM. Purchasers will have access to many of the exciting features of the website, such as:

  • Reviews of CD-ROMs
  • A database of discs, searchable by category

Note that for the first part of this year, all of the site features are accessible to everyone, so please visit!

The site also contains:

  • Articles about CD-ROM and E-language learning issues
  • Frequently-asked questions, divided into areas such as setting up a self-access centre and range of software
  • Practical ideas

If you have any thoughts on any aspect of CD-ROM, why not contribute an article?

We can be sure that technology will continue to develop and enable the teacher to enhance language teaching courses. CD-ROM can be empowering for our students; it is a boon for schools to be able to offer further help in learning a language by offering this facility, as well as making the learning experience more enjoyable.

Imagine the learner at the centre of the new paradigm. He or she can take a face-to-face lesson, e-mail the teacher, access the web and communicate through chat or video-conferencing, and access multimedia on CD-ROM. It sounds like tomorrow's reality, but it is possible today. It is simply a case of getting the mix right!


About the author

Pete Sharma works as a teacher and teacher trainer for Linguarama International. He reviews CD-ROM software for the IATEFL BESIG Newsletter. He is the author of CD-ROM: A Teacher's Handbook (Summertown Publishing 1998).

He contributes articles and reviews to the new CD-ROM web-site, which can be found at http://www.summertown.co.uk

If you would like to raise any issues concerning CD-ROM, or ask any related questions, please contact him on petesharma@linguarama.com

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