Anindita Banerjee, University of California, Los Angeles
My presentation will discuss a number of issues surrounding the creation and use of an annotated reader for beginning and intermediate levels in Russian using the electronic medium. In light of the pedagogical problems of applying authentic reading material in a Russian language classroom, I wish to present (along with a sample demonstration) a project which aims at a compilation of authentic Russian texts with "hyperannotation." Such a "reader" may be used primarily in teaching reading, but its format allows a host of other features which can create a text far richer in form and content than traditional printed material. It likewise integrates the process of learning reading along with pronunciation, vocabulary acquisition and cultural material. It offers variable modes of annotations, where it is possible to hypergloss words or phrases in any language, and even adding "audio glosses" for simultaneous exposure to pronunciation and intonation. Any unit of a text of this type can be linked to graphic or video material and even to World Wide Web links. This provides almost limitless options for adding cultural details and "digressions," an activity for which there is little time and scope in a classroom with a printed text. The electronic format makes this text and its accompanying material available outside the classroom. In addition, non-literary texts can be directly linked to video or audio materials on the same or related issues (e.g., articles from the news media with TV news clips or radio broadcasts).
The problems of reading authentic texts in non-advanced levels is a long standing question for teachers of language (S. Devitt, "Interacting with authentic texts: multilayered processes," 1997), but the type and quality of annotation, or even its real value while dealing with the primary task of reading remains a controversial issue (J. H. Hulstijn, "When do foreign language readers look up the meaning of unfamiliar words?", 1993; R. P. Leow, "To simplify or not to simplify," 1993; J. H. Hulstijn, M. Hollander and T. Greidanus, "Incidental vocabulary learning: the influence of marginal glosses, dictionary use, and reoccurence of unknown words," 1996). My proposed method of creating a "Hyperreader" seeks to eliminate some of those problems. The electronic medium is definitely more conducive to "top-down" reading for meaning and information. Recent works on language pedagogy have considered hypermedia or multimedia as valuable aids in teaching reading and vocabulary acquisition ( D. Chun and J. Plass, "Effects of multimedia annotations on vocabulary acquisition," 1996 and A. Martinez-Lage, "Hypermedia technology for teaching reading," 1997). My presentation is aimed towards a discussion of the practical application and viability of existing opinions, as well as a way to incorporate the latest technology in solving some of these issues.