Self-Study Guide to the Web

On-Line Web Workshop

PRESENTING WEB DOCUMENTS IN CLASS

There are several ways to present documents to students which vary from a simple activity to a complex project which lasts for weeks.

The rules concerning the use of copyrighted documents found on the Web have not yet been well defined by the law. If you find a document interesting, always consult the Welcome page for the site, because sometimes there are instructions concerning the use of the documents found there. You can also do your own search using a search engine and the word "copyright." In general, it seems that the same rules which exist for print documents prove useful: 1) ask the authors permission if possible; 2) always mention the source of the document; 3) the use of a document for non-remunerated pedagogical purposes is probably all right.

If you are dealing with a text or even an image (illustration, map), you can print it on paper in black and white or in color if you have a color printer or on a transparency.
If you have the necessary equipment, you can project the computer screen to the class (on line or from a diskette).
You can save files on diskette that students can consult off line.
You can create your own Web page which contains links that you want students to use.
You can record sound files or video excerpts to play to the class.
You can let your students freely explore the Web or according to an assignment/project that you have given them.

Of course, all these options depend on the technology available, for example, if you have one computer or several computers in the classroom or a lab where the whole class can work. It is also necessary to have a computer with sufficient memory and a sufficiently high-speed connection to make accessing large files feasible. Texts generally are not a problem, but files containing images, sound files, or video excerpts can be very large and take a long time to download or to appear on screen.

Finally, it you have your students work on projects, be sure that the activity remains a language activity where French is the language of communication and exploration. The Web is a marvelous tool to enrich and motivate a class to use French to communicate and to do research. It is too easy for the activity to become focused on the technology in English, especially since a lot of sites on French are in English or have English versions. See this example of a Web project described in a French Review article.

If you want to cite a Web site in a written document, I advise the following format:
Web site author, name of the site (URL of the site's Welcome page), date de creation or last update, date of consultation, URL of the document itself.
Example: Abrate, Jayne. Commission sur la compétence culturelle de l'AATF (http://www.frenchteachers.org/cultweb/), modified 15 Jan. 1997, consulted 8 janvier 2003, http://www.frenchteachers.org/cultweb/franc1.htm.

Pedagogical Activities

The Web, like any technical or pedagogical innovation, is only a tool. It is an exciting and inexhaustible resource, but if Web documents and Web exploration by students are not organized to fulfill a specific pedagogical goal with all the necessary supporting information and activities, students will become frustrated and not benefit fully from this enormous resource.

Here you will find links to several sites containing pedagogical ideas and activities:

Minitel Activity Pages: Fiches describing activities based on Minitel services but which can easily be adapted to Web resources.
Minitel Service Pages: Fiches describing the content and possible use of more than 100 Minitel services. For information about subscribing to Minitel, consult the Minitel Web site.
Cultural Activities with the Web: These activities are based on resources from the AATF Commission on Cultural Competence Web page.
Le Quartier français du village planétaire: Lots of resources and links to other pedagogical resources.
Page Pédagogique: You will find ideas here for pedagogical acitivities based on the Web.
Fédération ADEMIR: Site of the Association pour le Développement dans l'Enseignement de la Micro-informatique et des Réseaux with lots of ideas for activities.
AATF Teaching with the Internet FAQ: Answers to your Frequently Asked Questions concerning the pedagogical use of the Web and the Internet.
Activités pour l'enseignment de la civilisation: Numerous review fiches for a course on French cultures with questions and images.
Intercultural E-Mail Classroom Connections: Site full of information concerning school e-mail exchanges.
Franceworld: Pen-pal service with correspondants of French, American, and other nationalities.
Teaching with the Web: More ideas and links.
Enseigner le français avec Internet: Other links..
Enseigner au futur: Technology and the Internet.

Use this fiche to note your ideas on the pedagogical use of a Web document you have found.

Other Resources

Useful Sites in French and for French

AATF: Information about the association, practical information for teachers, scholarship announcements from the French Cultural Services, links to many Francophone sites.
The Paris Pages: A lot of cultural and touristic information on Paris.
ClicNet: Many French sites or sites on French listed by subject.
Adminet: Links to a lot of municipal, departmental, or regional sites in France and more than 300 other countries.
Le Quartier français du village planétaire: Informations on French sites or sites on French with pedagogical ideas.
Tennessee Bob's Famous French Links
Minitel: Instructions for downloading the necessary software to have access to Minitel services via the Web and how to subscribe.
Pariscope: Information on activities and show in Paris.
Agence France Press: Links to many Francophone newspapers and magazines.

Official Sites in France and Quebec

UREC: CNRS site which lists Web servers in France organized by region.
Ministère des Affaires Etrangères: Contains a lot of information on French government, politics, history, economy, and culture.
Ministère de la Culture: Much information and many links to sites on French cultural heritage.
Ministère de l'Education Nationale
ONISEP Office national d'information sur les enseignements et les professions
Ministère de la Jeunesse et des Sports: Information on sports and the Francophone Games
Le Tour de France
Centre d'information et de documentation de la jeunesse (CIDJ)
Centre national de la documentation pédagogique
Centre national de l'enseignement à distance
Assemblée nationale
Sénat
SNCF
RATP - Transports parisiens
Délégation Générale de la Langue Française
Site officiel du gouvernement du Québec
Office de la Langue Française
Fédération Internationale des Professeurs de Français (FIPF)

Embassies of French-Speaking Countries

Canadian Consulate in New York
French Embassy in Washington
Embassy of Madagascar in Canada
Swiss Embassy

Other Resources

National French Week Web Resources Page: Numerous lists of links to useful resources on France and la Francophonie
CIA World Fact Book: Detailed descriptions of all the world's countries, in English, with simple maps.
Lonely Planet: Travel guides in English pour may Francophone countries which contain more in-depth analyses than typical tourist information.
Virtual Tourist
Premiers pas sur l'Internet: Site pour des enfants.
Vie pratique en France
Foreign Language Periodicals: Links to international newspapers and periodicals created at MIT.
Webovision: Links to the media--press, radio, télévision--in may countries and languages.
FLTeach

Created: January 3, 1997

Last update: April 8 2003

On-Line Web Workshop

PRESENTING WEB DOCUMENTS IN CLASS

Pedagogical Activities

Other Resources

Useful Sites in French and for French

Official Sites in France and Quebec

Sites about Francophony

Embassies of French-Speaking Countries

Other Resources