Say, for example you're learning Spanish. It's possible you could establish a pen pal in Spain with whom you could practice your writing. You can be on a chatline and have direct feedback. Computers, the Internet and e-mail help faculty reach today's students. We don't want to portray our discipline in a way that students don't relate to.
Computers are part of their daily life and what they know.
So if we portray foreign languages as something totally divorced from that, we basically lose touch. These are just some of the ways Michael Martinez, associate professor of political science, is helping his students learn. Like Duran, he uses multimedia technology, e-mail and the Internet to supplement his teaching. And because one of his courses has 300 students, these tools help him communicate his material more effectively. I can draw pictures and produce charts more quickly on my computer.