Product
at a glance
| Product type |
Multimedia Textbook |
| Language |
Russian (with English translation) |
| Level |
Intermediate-high/advanced, adult |
| Activities |
Visual/audio comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, culture learning |
| Media format |
CD-ROM |
| Operating system |
Windows 98+ |
| PC |
Pentium based PC and compatibles |
| RAM |
128 Mb+ |
| Hard Disk Space |
1.2 GB free |
| CD-ROM |
x 8 or higher |
| Sound |
Sound card, speakers |
| Video |
VGA + |
| Internet |
IE
6.0+ or Mozilla 1.3+: |
| Documentation |
User guide available on CD |
| Price |
Single User: a retail price of $95 for 2 CDs |
General
Description
The 12 Chairs Multimedia Russian
Textbook program exposes intermediate to advanced learners of Russian
to 21 episodes of one the most popular films of the Soviet era. The movie,
in turn, is based on a famous bestseller, which has become a classic of Soviet
literature. Each episode is treated as a separate lesson and includes simultaneously
unfolding written narrative, glossary, dictionary, and supporting information
on Russian grammar.
Each component is fully controlled by the learner and can be synchronized with the others at any point in the program. Moreover, each episode is divided into small logical segments containing of one or two sentences - a short verbal exchange or one longer utterance. The navigation is set up to give the user an opportunity to replay each segment as desired while reviewing corresponding vocabulary and grammar information until full understanding is reached. Once this goal is achieved for every segment of the episode, the learner can view the movie all the way through just like watching a regular film. The navigation tools not only allow easy control of the sequence and number of replays, but also provide an opportunity to synchronize the video with written narrative as well as with a glossary, dictionary, and grammar support.
The majority of the words and phrases in the written
narrative are highlighted and hyperlinked to the glossary entries. Each entry provides a translation and, when needed, an additional explanation
of the socio-cultural context in which the word/phrase is used. While the
glossary provides immediate help with the word or phrase, the dictionary offers
more detailed explanations of the word meanings and grammar.
Although the authors state that the program is designed for intermediate level language students, judging by the nature of the language usage and socio-cultural references, it would seem to require higher linguistic competency. It requires a familiarity of language and culture at the level of least 3rd year Russian language learners. Its purpose is to immerse the students in highly authentic, idiomatic, speech while helping them gain semantic comprehension through translation and analysis of grammar and vocabulary of the small segments comprising each unit.
The program is based on material first published in the Intermediate Russian textbook by Paperno, Nakhimovsky, Nakhimovsky and L. Leed. The structure of program indeed reminds one of a traditional foreign language textbook: reading passages, lesson vocabulary, and related grammar. Yet despite this apparent similarity, the software provides a rather different approach. The 12 Chairs software program is structured around genuinely authentic material with the grammar and vocabulary being supporting tools that help in understanding that material as opposed to the more traditional use of the text to support grammar and vocabulary acquisition.
Documentation for the program is available both online and in the files on the CD-ROM. The authors provide sufficient help with both installation and use of the program.
Evaluation
Technological Features
The 12 Chairs program requires the Windows 98, Me,
2000, or XP operating system. There is no Mac version.
Complete and detailed instructions on how to install the program are available in the read-me file on the CD-ROM and inside the CD cover. The process involved following multiple steps and was time consuming and somewhat confusing at times.
Thus, it required a number of components installed on the hard drive of the user’s computer, all of which are available on the CD, i.e. , Internet Explore 6.0 or higher browser, Java Runtime Engine 1.4 and QuickTime 6.0 including QT Java. Moreover, a custom installation of Quick Time was required for the program. It is suggested that the users uninstall their current version of QuickTime and install the version with the required custom features. In addition, a number of files need to be copied from the CD into specific directories on the user’s hard drive. Provided 1.2 GB are available, the video episodes can also be copied onto a hard drive as well for better performance. The program runs in a web browser window. All the lessons, as well as user guide and a brief episode description can be accessed from this screen.
Figure 1
On the computer used for testing (Pentium 4, 1.22 GHz, 256 MB RAM) the program ran with adequate speed. There is a short delay, however, every time a new lesson is opened as well as during the operation of the QuickTime player (forwarding, rewinding, searching, etc. ). While running the program, some stalls and crashes were experienced. The drop-down menu on the movie control panel did not work in any of the episodes. When first installed, the video did not work in lessons 4 and 5 (all the viewer could see was a blank screen with the Java symbol). In lessons 10, 12, 13 there were problems with sound: static like noises and skips. Complete reinstallation of the program has resolved the problem with video, but did not help with the other issues. The instability of some features of the software appears not to be due to the poor design, but rather to the unstable running of the Java engine supporting the program. Most of the issues seem to be resolvable by simple reinstallation of the software. While this solution is quite simple, it is nonetheless rather tedious and no immediate fix is available at this point in time.
The main screen provides the user with easy navigation. The numbers from 1 to 21 on the bottom of the screen link to each of the 21 lessons/episodes, while the “Select Episode” link takes the learner to a brief description of each episode. The User Guide brings up instructions on using the software navigation tools.
The user interface is consistent throughout all the episodes. It consists of four simultaneously opened windows: video, narrative (transcript), dictionary/grammar, and glossary. The navigation tools are easy to use and, for the most part, self-explanatory. However, in order to take the full advantage of the video/transcript synchronization in the program the user must refer to the user guide for instructions.
Figure 2
The program makes a good use of computer resources. It utilizes video, audio, and written narrative supported by glossary, dictionary, and related grammar materials. Simultaneous access to all resources is one of its most beneficial features. Short segments of any episode can be played and replayed; any part of a video can be triggered to play by simply highlighting a word in the narrative. Likewise, the video is synchronized with the transcript of the narrative. Highlighting a word in a narrative brings up a dictionary entry for the corresponding word. By optimizing the search for grammar and vocabulary, the software allows the students to concentrate on actual language acquisition.
Activities (Procedure)
The program is designed as a multimedia textbook. The software consists
of 21 episodes of a popular Russian movie created during the Soviet era representing
satirical comedy by genre. The aim of the program is to allow students to
gain full comprehension of each episode by exploring vocabulary and grammar
related to the narrative. It is expected
that learners will watch the episodes, refer to the glossary for each word
or phrase, consult the dictionary and grammar for additional semantic and
grammatical explanation and then review the video. Having completed one segment
they then proceed to the next. The episodes are
placed in chronological order and the 21 lessons cover the film from the beginning
to the end. Once all the episodes are worked through, learners should be able
to view the film in its entirety with full understanding.
The video segments are synchronized with the transcript. Virtually every word in the narrative is linked to an entry in the glossary, which gives detailed explanations of both the general word meaning, its interpretation in the specific context, as well as other uses. The dictionary provides additional information on the grammatical aspects of the word. For example,
Narrative:
Бендер: …(надевает
пиджак) учтите:
попадёте за решётку,
я вам передачи
носить не буду…
Glossary:
. . . передачи носить. . .
передачи носить. . . to bring packages
Ostap is saying that if Vorobyaninov gets arrested, he won't take care of him while he's in prison. Normally, relatives of jailed convicts would bring them packages with food.
Dictionary:
носить И MS нoсят; pres. pass. ptcpl. носимыйImpf carry; wear
The program is self-contained and does not require any additional materials and/or explaining. It provides users with easy navigation and allows them to move at their own pace. It is mainly focused on building listening comprehension and at the same time supports vocabulary, language, and culture acquisition.
Teacher Fit (Approach)
Several approaches to language learning
can be traced in the design of the program. It follows a socio-cultural approach
(Kern & Warschauer, 2000), where learners are exposed to authentic material
and the language is learned as a part of the culture. The choice of the film
speaks for itself: 12 Chairs is an extreme satire of the various aspects
of Soviet post-revolutionary culture. It is filled with comments and jokes,
which can be understood only in their socio-cultural and historical context. For this reason, some are highly idiomatic and nearly impossible to translate
literally. They thus present a particular challenge for learners unfamiliar
with either the language or its history/culture. At
the same time, if properly understood, the content of the film presents a
wealth of authentic Russian vocabulary, conversational patterns, and grammar
structures.
To bridge gaps in the understanding of the authentic content of the movie episodes, the authors adopt a structural approach, dividing the film into small sections and offering users word-by word translations (through the use of electronic built-in dictionary) and explanations of grammar structures (Levy, 1997). There are a number of conjugation charts for each type of verb, number and gender information for nouns, etc.. While this helps the learner understand the specific grammar points and patterns used in the movie, it is not nearly as affective in teaching the full meaning of the authentic content with its strong cultural and social ties. This focus on grammatical structure can at times also divert the learner’s attention from understanding the meaning of the episode and/or film as a whole.
Almost every word/phrase in the movie is given in translation. In some cases, the socio-cultural aspect of word usage is also provided for better understanding of the context. While the immediate access to the glossary and dictionary is consistent with learner-centered pedagogical practices, it runs counter to constructivist approaches in that it leaves very little room for the user’s imagination and discovery. In some cases the meaning of a joke or saying (many of which have entered into the Russian vocabulary) is lost in translation and can only be discovered by learners based on their previous knowledge of the language and history and socio-cultural experience. Combining socio-cultural and structural approaches is effective in providing learners with an overall understanding of authentic language usage, yet the fact that such understanding can be achieved without the need for students to personally construct it themselves limits the extent to which it is likely to lead to long-term acquisition.
Learner Fit (Design)
The 12 Chairs is designed for
adult learners with at least an intermediate-high
knowledge of Russian. Given its authentic and highly idiomatic nature, and
frequent references to phenomena of Russian life, this program is most suitable
for more advanced learners with at least three years of experience of language
learning and some prior knowledge of Russian culture and Soviet history.
No activities are offered to the learners besides the ones supporting the study of the film, which include viewing the episodes, following the transcript and consulting the vocabulary and glossary. Communication between the learner and the program is essentially one-way, with little input from the student. The only aspect the learner can control is the pace and synchronization of the movie, script and vocabulary/glossary. There is no testing of knowledge therefore there is no feedback. The students are the sole judges of their progress. This is the major pedagogical shortcoming of the program.
The structure of the 12 Chairs favors visual-textual, field-dependent learners and is designed for individual work. Learners are given control over the pace, and order of learning. Although the episodes follow the sequence of the film from the beginning to the end, with the help of the selection chart users are free to choose any episode at any time. Each segment can be repeated as often as required. Notwithstanding its focus on individual learners, the wealth of authentic sociolinguistic material contained in the program would easily allow it to be incorporated into a traditional course of language study.
Figure 3
The 12 Chairs program is designed with intermediate-high to advanced learners in mind. Its primary use is intended for independent language learning. In exposing the user to authentic language usage, it presents a wealth of culture and real life vocabulary to an interested learner. It provides translation and grammar-based explanation for almost every utterance and event of the film. . It falls short, however, in the opportunities it affords for student input and user feedback.
Scaled rating (1 low-5 high)
Implementation possibilities: 2
Pedagogical features: 3
Socio-Linguistic accuracy: 5
Use of computer capabilities: 5
Ease of use: 4 (except installation)
Overall evaluation: 4
Value for money: 4
Producer Details
Designed by Tom Myers and Alexander Nakhimovsky,
implemented by Tom Myers, CTO and CVO
with additional online materials by Slava Paperno
Computer Science Department
Colgate University
Hamilton NY 13346
Phone: (315) 228-7586
Fax: (315) 228-7004
Email: adnakhimovsky@mail.colgate.edu
WWW: http://cs.colgate.edu/~sasha
Victoria Savchenkova holds a Ph.D. in Education with the concentrations in Instructional Media and Technology and Foreign Language/ESL Education. She is a recent graduate of The University of Tennessee,
Reviewer Contact
1811 Festival Lane
Montgomery,
Email: vsavchen@urfinjus.com
References
Kern, R. , & Warschauer, M. (2000). Theory and practice of network-based language teaching. Retrieved from http://www.gse.uci.edu/markw/nblt-intro.html
Levy, M. (1997). Computer-Assisted Language Learning. Concepts and conceptualization. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc.