Technology-Infused French: Foreign Language Instruction for the Digital Age (review)

This edited volume addresses the use of technology to enhance the instruction of French. The intended audience includes teachers of French at the secondary and post-secondary levels (whether they are technologically savvy or skeptical of all things digital in the classroom) as well as library media specialists.

The book is divided into two parts. The first section, 'Strategies for Getting Started,' includes an introductory chapter on how to use the book, followed by three individually written chapters on basic principles of teaching French with technology. The second half features four comprehensive unit plans that teachers can implement in their classrooms. A CD with a generous amount of teaching materials accompanies the book.

In the first chapter, 'Learner-Friendly Technology in a Brain-Friendly Classroom,' Carl Falsgraf describes the gap between teachers' innovative ideas and the challenge of actually implementing them, admitting that often the teaching of grammar and vocabulary takes priority in the pursuit of proficiency. Falsgraf argues that language learning must be authentic, contextualized, and interactive, and that technology, quite simply, can be all of these at once. The author proposes several metaphors rooted in science fiction and pop culture to encourage practitioners who are hesitant to take risks with technology, urging them to consider all of the tools that are at their disposal, both low-tech and high-tech, to enhance the learning of French.

Chapter 2, 'The NETS-S and the Five Cs,' written by Kyle Ennis, provides a concise introduction to the Standards for Foreign Language Learning adopted by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) and the National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS-S). Ennis argues for an integration of these two sets of standards and presents a detailed chart to illustrate their interrelationship. He cautions that the biggest impediment for teachers is their attitude toward technology and the classroom, the latter of which should be viewed as a 'portal to the world and the languages we teach' (p. 25).

Chapter 3, 'Measuring What Matters' by Rita Oleksak and Kathleen M. Riordan, focuses on performance assessments and technology and specifically addresses the question of how to use technology to help design and facilitate effective, contextualized performance assessments. Oleksak and Riordan maintain that the purpose of foreign language education has changed significantly over the years, with profound implications for society, economy, and national defence. Therefore, the way foreign language learning is assessed needs to change as well. The authors identify the fundamental concepts of performance assessment, an approach that not only measures student performance but also helps develop it. An extensive pilot project conducted in Springfield, Massachusetts is explained in detail, with practical information on the Standards-based Measurement of Proficiency (STAMP) and a detailed comparison chart of various assessments, which teachers will surely find useful.

The second half of the book includes four comprehensive and varied resource units. The first two units, introduced by Laurent Cammarata and Diane J. Tedick, were produced through a professional development program from the University of Minnesota on Content-Based Language Teaching with Technology (CoBaLTT). Unit 1 explores the topic of 'Le Moyen Âge en France' through world history, geography, architecture, art, literature, and political science. Unit 2 focuses on 'Les Stéréotypes des Français' and combines social studies and psychology as it delves into issues centred in cultural and social identity.

Units 3 and 4, introduced by Marcia Harmon Rosenbusch, were developed by participants in summer institutes sponsored by the National K-12 Foreign Language Resource Center at Iowa State University. Unit 3 focuses on the life and work of Carole Fredericks, a multicultural singer and humanitarian with ties to Europe, West Africa, and Springfield, Massachusetts. Unit 4, 'The Culture and Literature of FrancophoneWest Africa,' combines geography, history, music, folklore, and literature in its exploration of cultural artifacts from the francophone world.

Each unit starts with an 'at a glance' list of the...