BACKGROUND:
This project aims to explore methods through which multimedia tools (i.e., HyperStudio and Libra) can help learners of Chinese at the Intermediate level to advance their listening proficiency to the Advanced level, or above. This project is based on the development of a series of 12 Chinese fable stories. Each story is a lesson. I hope to strengthen the learners' listening skills through various kinds of stimulation, such as technology enhanced features, complexity of moral tales, and Chinese sociocultural reality. Technically, each story is sequentially structured on three cards by HyperStudio with the following features: images, animation, video clips and Chinese text. By using the second multimedia tool, Libra template, a series of story-related, interactive questions for the students will be designed. For example, asking the learners to figure out meaning from the context of each individual story, to construct thematic ideas of each story, to identify role/characters, to identify the moral tales, to predict/infer, to recall the story-line, or to form a creative sequel to a given story. All of these questions are structured basing on a three-step pedagogical principle: preactivity, activity, and postactiviity (Omaggio, 1986).
CURRENT STATUS:
At this stage, the 12 three-card HyperStudio based stories have already been created, and this has been chiefly accomplished by our senior student, the HyperStudio expert, Sergio Siaoyuen Lan. The production can be explored through the access of Connecticut College network, if anyone would like to investigate (under the electronic folder entitled Chinese 309). Sergio is in the process of fine tuning, and linking together the total stack of 36 cards. This work includes creating an additional card for the table of contents which links to each individual story, and a bibliography card at the end. Our hope is to make this into a CD-ROM eventually, if the grant permits.
REQUEST FOR SUPPORTING THE COMPLETION OF THIS PROJECT:
What this project needs in order to continue is moving toward the second stage in which it involves the use of Libra template.
My estimation is that this project still needs another 3 months of work toward its completion on the following: (a) create listening comprehension questions on Libra, (b) digitize voice over reading the questions, and ( c ) integrate the work in HyperStudio and Libra. According to the original proposal, a second student expert should be joining in to complete this project for another 14 weeks of work.
It is my hope that the goals of this project can be achieved by the end of August, 1998. I take pleasure to have any opportunities to share with our colleagues in knowing about this project from the CTW three campus and beyond.
I hereby request that the Director, Assistant Director, and members of the Executive Committee permit the remaining grant money for the second student assistant to help continue to be available over the Summer 1998. Thus, this project can be approaching to a successful completion.