Administrators and teachers should keep the following guidelines in mind when considering how to allocate compute resources, in promoting classroom use of such technologies, and in developing programs for professional development. Appropriate use policies protect all involved, and well-designed lessons and activities minimize the risk that students will venture beyond the limits established by the teacher. In addition, all students should have the opportunity to become familiar with using Web resources in French, both finding and consulting them, either in the classroom itself or in a lab facility. These two capabilities, electronic mail and Web access, provide an excellent forum for allowing students to communicate with native speakers from the many francophone regions of the world, to collaborate with other students of French both in the U.S. and in other countries, and to present themselves and their school to the public. Any classroom modem connection must be made via a dedicated telephone line.
Rapid access is particularly necessary in the case of group work by students.
A slow computer or poor connection waste too much valuable learning time and cause needless frustration. Questions pertaining to accents, terminology, location of French-related resources, site evaluation, and specialized foreign language pedagogical applications can best be answered by experts trained in the subject area. While use of the Web itself is easy, obstacles often arise regarding means of connection and other hardware or software problems. In addition, there should be ongoing support available in the school. Actual applications may depend on the facilities available in a particular setting, but, at the very least, teachers should have access to the necessary equipment to project or replay computer sessions in the classroom.