THE FRENCH IMMERSION TEACHER'S
GUIDE TO THE INTERNET
By Elizabeth Murphy
First published in 1995 as "Towards the Global Classroom, The French Immersion Teacher's Travel Guide to the Internet".
Journal of Immersion Teachers. Vol.18 (2) 37-40.
*Please note that this article is somewhat outdated and does not include reference to the WWW.
Have mouse will travel! That's my "signature". What's a
signature you ask? Every time I send an electronic mail (email)
message using the Internet, my signature (including my name and
address) automatically comes up at the bottom of the screen. My
mouse is linked to my computer of course and that's what allows
me as a teacher to travel around the world on an electronic
highway everyday. British Columbia, Ottawa, Israel, France, or
Australia are just some of the places where I stop to connect
with other classrooms and teachers.
When I first started using the Internet about two years ago,
I thought that it was largely an anglophone network. Since then I
have discovered that, for the French immersion teacher, the
Internet represents the ideal tool to access resources, exchange
ideas, ask questions and, most importantly, to give our students
access to the new global classroom. More and more classrooms,
students and teachers are embarking on the superhighway and, like
me, are getting hooked.
There are many sites to explore, reams of news to read and
plenty of groups you can join. You don't need to be a computer
guru to link up. You simply need to know where to go. Follow me
and let me serve as your tour guide as we navigate our way
through the Internet en francais!
There are many routes to take but for the purposes of this
trip we will explore Usenet, and Mailing lists and Gopher. These
are the easiest, most user-friendly Internet routes to follow.
I'll show you how to get there, what you can expect to find and,
finally, how you might put it to use.
USENET
Usenet, or newsgroups, is similar to a bulletin board except
that it operates on a global scale and in cyberspace. You can
both read and post messages, commentaries or questions. Different
systems use different software to access the groups. My program
requires me to type the word "TIN" and that gives me access to
about 1800 different groups or bulletin boards on different
topics. Each newsgroup could have hundreds of new items posted by
individuals each day.
Newsgroups can be used to access information, post questions
or commentaries about French politics, history, economics,
travel, language or culture. They can also be used to ask for
translations, for keypal or penpals and to organize exchanges.
Postings from Quebec and France give a sort of "pulse" of the
people and allow us to see what types of issues individuals from
these areas are concerned about. Newsgroups can be used by
students as well as teachers and are informal, open to anyone and
give you direct, immediate access to francophones in France or
Quebec! They therefore provide an infinite number of
possibilities for use by students and teachers.
You can get access to various newsgroups related to French
language and culture such as:
can.francais
soc.culture.french
soc.culture.quebec
k12.lang.francais
In the can.francais or the soc.culture.quebec newsgroup
you'll find hundreds of postings many of which are related to
politics in Quebec. There are also postings related to language
issues and people looking for correspondents and a Reveu de
Presse de l'Actualite Quebecoise from L'Acadie Nouvelle. Most of
the postings are in French although there are quite a few in
English. If you have students interested in engaging in debates
with francophones about Quebec sovereignty or about language and
cultural issues, this is a good place to go. If you have students
planning a trip to Quebec or wanting to ask questions related to
travel or work in Quebec, just have them post their question. You
might just want to browse through the postings yourself and print
off the interesting ones for your students to read in class. You
could post them on a real bulletin board in class. Watch out for
these newsgroups! You just might find yourself getting caught up
in the online debate yourself. Some people spend hours discussing
and debating in these types of groups.
The soc.culture.french newsgroup is very similar to the
Quebec equivalent except that the postings relate to France.
Students will enjoy having direct access to the issues being
discussed and debated. Arguments about language use such as the
relative value of standard French versus regional variants are
common. Recently, there were a number of postings related to the
use of the imparfait. Student projects could involve following
the debate on a particular issue being discussed online then
doing further offline research on the topic and finally posting
students' own commentary all in French. Students can even create
their own issues to be debated or discussed online. They might
want to send a message to France asking for people to tell them
what they know of or what their impressions are of Canada.
For information, questions or comments directly related to
the teaching and learning of French and its related culture
connect to k12.lang.francais (careful - there's no E on the end).
This newsgroup is ideal as a means of contacting other immersion
or French teachers, setting up keypals, penpals or exchanges.
It's also a source for translation of new terms not found in
dictionaries such as the "Internet Gopher".
There are also a very large number of other groups beginning
with "fr" for French such as fr.rec.cuisine, fr.announce.divers,
fr.announce.newsgroups. If your Internet Service Provider gives
access to them, you can engage in discussion or find information
on any topic related to just about every aspect of contemporary
life in France today!
MAILING LISTS
Mailing lists represent one of the best avenues for
exploitation of the Internet by immersion teachers and students.
Many of the lists included here are specifically geared towards
classroom use and therefore provide projects and themes that are
already designed for online use by students.
Lists are very similar to newsgroups in many ways, however,
unlike newsgroups where postings are sent to sites, postings from
mailing lists are sent directly to your email box provided you
have subscribed to the particular list. To subscribe to a
particular list you will need to know the address. Always leave
the subject line empty and include in the body of the text the
following message: SUBSCRIBE LISTNAME YOUR FIRST NAME YOUR LAST
NAME. As an example, to subscribe to the mailing list FRENCHTALK
you would send an email to listproc@cren.org. The body of your
message would be SUBSCRIBE FRENCHTALK JOHN DOE. The
listproc@cren.org address is a common one for many different
lists so it is important that you specify the name of the list to
which you want to subscribe. Once you have emailed your message
you can expect an immediate confirmation of your subscription.
You may want to even consider starting your own list for
teachers in your area. I began one here in Newfoundland to which
I have added the name of about forty teachers. The purpose of the
list called french-connection is to provide a medium or network
for the sharing of ideas, concerns & information related to the
teaching of French and use of Internet resources. To set up your
own list, you should contact the technical help person for the
system you are on.
Here are the addresses for and some information on a number
of useful mailing lists for French teachers, francophiles and
francophones:
EDUFRANCAIS
listserv@univ-rennes1.fr
This is a useful list for finding out about conferences,
resources and general information related to the teaching of
French. Edufrancais is moderated by the French Cultural Services
of Canada and is designed to foster exchanges of educational
information between French teachers.
EUROSESAME
eurosesame@citi2.fr
Eurosesame is described as a multimedia, multilingual email
exchange list. It was created in France in 1984 and provides many
services and activities for Europeans and for students all over
the world. Some of these activities and services include: the
transmission of requests for penpals and keypals; participation
in international email exchange projects based on themes; a
selection of multilingual and multimedia documents; cultural
activities; games; exchanges of opinions on current affairs;
creative writing contests. Information on Eurosesame is also
available on GOPHER at this address: gopher.citi2.fr
FRENCHTALK
listproc@cren.org
Provided by the French embassy in Washington , Frenchtalk allows
you to read or post messages about any subject that interests
you. The only requirement is that you post in French!
FRANCOPOLIS
listserv@univ-lyon2.fr
Francopolis is for anyone interested in a free discussion of
politics in France or anywhere else in the world
FROGNET
listproc@cren.org
All subscribers to this group get a free revue de presse every
day in French and an information bulletin in English entitled
"News from France" every 15 days.
FROGMAG
listproc@cren.org
This is an electronic magazine for and by francophones and
francophiles. Students participate in the writing of a magazine.
FROGJOBS
listproc@cren.org
As the title suggests, this list provides a forum for the
discussion of job possibilities and problems in France.
LA CLASSE GLOBALE FRANCOPHONE
listproc@cren.org
There are actually two lists offered by the CLASSE GLOBALE
FRANCOPHONE. The first list, cgf-presse consists of news sent out
by the French Embassy in Washington. The second list cgf-
activites is designed for interdisciplinary communication between
classrooms around the world and for French projects of all levels
and countries. Cgf-activites offers activities organized around
different themes, spontaneous discussions, electronic visits and
special projects and contests.
THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING FORUM (FLTEACH)
listserv@ubvm.cc.buffalo.eduan
Flteach aims to foster networking among foreign language teachers
from the elementary levels right on through to university.
CAUSERIE
listserver@uquebec.ca
This list is described as a "cafe campus" for discussion in
French. Discussions revolve around many different issues. The
only requirement is that the language of use be French.
Participants communicate from as far away as Japan.
INTERCULTURAL EMAIL CLASSROOM CONNECTIONS
iecc-request@stolaf.edu
Iecc is designed for teachers looking for partner classrooms for
cross cultural electronic mail exchanges.
IMMERSION.FR
majordomo@stu.ca
Andre Obadja of Simon Frazer University has recently set up this
list for immersion teachers to provide them with the opportunity
to exchange ideas and information on methods, resources,
conferences, seminars, publications and opinions related to
immersion teaching.
ENCLASSE
listproc@schoolnet.carleton.ca
Inclass or enclasse is a bilingual list that selects internet
messages from other education-related lists. As part of Canada's
schoolnet, ENCLASSE helps teachers find articles, set up
projects, locate software etc. You can also send postings
directly to Enclasse to look for help, ask questions or to send a
message.
CORRESPONDENTS
can.schoolnet.chat.student.jr
This is an ideal way for students to meet other students by
electronic mail. Students can send their message directly to this
address. They should give some information about themselves.
their interests, where they live and any other information they
feel is important.
GOPHER
Gopher is a user-friendly, menu-driven view of Internet
resources. Through Gopher you can get a direct link to many
French universities, libraries, databases, embassies and
organizations. Unlike mailing lists and newsgroups, GOPHER is not
interactive. It puts you in contact with a place or site as
opposed to mailing lists or newsgroups which put you in contact
with other individuals.
Your Internet Service Provider will usually require you to
type the word GOPHER after you log on. To go to a particular site
using the addresses provided in this article, type the letter O
at your very first menu. Your screen will then display a box in
which you will be prompted for the address or hostname. Type it
in, press enter and you'll find yourself connected. The address
may not take you all the way and you may need to choose subitems
from the menu. Once you get there for the first time, type the
upper case A to save the site in your bookmark. The next time you
want to find the same spot, just type V and the gopher will
display a list of your favourite sites to you as a menu.
Some interesting sites to explore are:
LES GOPHERS FRANCOPHONES
gopher.jussieu.fr
There are about 60 francophone gophers listed in LES GOPHERS
FRANCOPHONES most of which are universities and scientific
organizations. You can access most French-speaking universities
in Canada and France as well as their libraries. This site is
ideal for students who would like to get information about study
in Quebec and France. Course listings, registration procedures,
campus activities and all other information related to student
life can be found in the submenus of the university gophers.
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF TEACHERS OF FRENCH
utsainfo.utsa.edu
One of the best sites for Immersion teachers is the American
Association of Teachers of French. Once there, you will discover
a wealth of information and resources about French culture and
language and is for francophiles, teachers and students.
FRENCH EMBASSY IN WASHINGTON
iep.univ-lyon2.fr
This gopher provides general information on France as well as
information on French services, programs and activities in the
United States. You can read official statements and speeches or
find out about travel, study or work in France. The PROFILE OF
FRANCE menu includes information on items such as population,
history, government, taxes, economy, tourism, transportation,
telecommunications, culture and media. Unfortunately, this
information is provided in English. However, it is very up-to-
date and is a useful source of information for both teachers and
students. Much the same information is available in French by
choosing INFORMATIONS EN FRANCAIS from the main menu.
FRENCH EMBASSY IN OTTAWA
avril.amba-ottawa.fr
Like its Washington counterpart, the French Embassy in Ottawa
provides online general information about all aspects of France.
You can choose to view the information in French or in English.
DIRECTORY OF FRENCH CULTURE ONLINE
utsainfo.jpl.utsa.edu
To access DOFCO you will need to choose the American Association
of Teachers of French from the submenu. As its name suggests,
DOFCO is an online directory of most French sites and sources
on the Internet. As well as providing access to databases and
organizations, DOFCO includes updated compilations of all the
usenet groups and mailing lists related to the French language
and culture. This site also can help you if you are interested in
having access to the French minitel services.
PENPALS IN FRANCE
spartacus.univ-lyon2.fr
If you have students interested in finding a penpal, they can
read through descriptions of individuals from France and its
overseas territories looking to correspond in French with North
Americans. The submenus allow you to select from a male or female
penpal, from one of 24 different regions and from four age
groups. Prospective penpals are profiled with information
including their names, birthdates, hobbies, address and an
indication of whether or not they would be able to host their
penpal for a visit in their home. There is also an online
application form which students can complete if they would like
to post information about themselves in order to find a penpal.
Penpals in France is actually a submenu which you access by first
selecting AMBASSADE DE FRANCE from the main menu then LEARNING
FRENCH-TEACHING FRENCH from the submenu.
FRENCH LANGUAGE PRESS REVIEW
burrow.cl.msu.edu
To access the review from this address, you will need to select
NEWS AND WEATHER from the main menu, then ELECTRONIC NEWSPAPERS,
then GENERAL NEWSPAPERS, then FRENCH LANGUAGE PRESS REVIEW. This
review is a summary of news reported in the French language
press.
RESEAU SCOLAIRE CANADIEN
schoolnet.carleton.ca
The RSC is probably one of the most useful gopher sites for the
immersion teacher because it is directly geared towards helping
teachers and students stay informed about educational projects,
services and activities. Many electronic classroom activities,
projects and themes are already established. Have your students
try the submenu CHASSE AU TRESOR. Students are given questions
and must find the answers by doing electronic searches. from the
main menu select ECOLE VIRTUELLE, then RECREATION, then CHASSE AU
TRESOR. The CAREER CENTRE may also interest students as well as
teachers. In the COIN DES PETITS designed for elementary
students, there are science projects for students and a forum for
finding French-speaking keypals.
THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTREAL
gopher.umontreal.ca
This site is useful for gaining access to other French gophers
and for getting technical information in French on using the
internet.
MINISTERE DE LA CULTURE ET DE LA FRANCOPHONIE
cyr.culture.fr
If you select "communiqu/" from the main menu you will be
connected to a submenu which includes information on expositions,
and cultural activities in France. Through this gopher, students
can participate in activities such as an online Journee Mondiale
de la Francophonie.
FUTURE TRAVEL PROSPECTS
These are just some of the destinations you and your
students can embark on in order to connect with French-speaking
people and their culture. As the Internet grows in popularity,
more destinations, services and contacts will become available.
There are an estimated 30 million internet users in more than 100
countries and these numbers are constantly growing. Global
classrooms, virtual schools and electronic friends are quickly
becoming part of a new pedagogy for the turn of the century.
BON VOYAGE
With this travel guide in hand, sit back in your chair, turn
on your computer and prepare for departure. You never know where
you might end up or who you will meet. That's one of the things
that makes Internet travel so exciting. I'm sure you will
appreciate my translation of the signature "Have mouse will
travel": "Je voyage donc...je suis, Je voyage donc...je
souris!". Bon voyage and hope to see you there soon!
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