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Le Franēais dans le Monde

"Cédérom éducatif et culturel, La chaise berēante séduira les apprenants de franēais. A notre avis, de nombreuses  activités intéresseront également de jeunes enfants francophones. Bien structuré et esthétiquement réussi, ce cédérom offre une entrée originale dans la culture canadienne francophone."

- Reviewed by Évelyne Pāquier

Language Learning and Technology

"The Culture menu provides information on artists and art, songs (including lyrics and music), festivals, paintings, and dances (including video clips to illustrate). This area is indeed a rich source of cultural information for learners. In fact, as learners study a cultural product, such as this traditional story along with its art and music, they have opportunities to explore various cultural perspectives and gain a deeper understanding into the life and culture of the people of that time (Pesola, 1991)."

"The dictionary is an impressive feature of the program -- almost every word is glossed, and it is accessible simply by clicking on an unknown word."

"One distinct advantage of using a short animated film as a vehicle for language learning is that in it language is seen as a tool, not as an end in itself. It is rich in both content and language, exploring life and traditions of rural Quebec to today. La Chaise Berēante offers an engaging experience for students in that they can discover traditional Quebecois traditions and compare them to those of today (e.g., the carnival)."

"Overall, La Chaise Berēante represents an excellent integration of culture and language in the form of story with cultural history. The animated film, music, and interviews are noteworthy additions to this program. The variety in content, style of exercises, and type of information make La Chaise Berēante an attractive way to learn about Quebec. This CD-ROM offers both an enriching and engaging experience for students, teachers, or anyone with an interest in Quebec."

- Reviewed by Lara Lomicka, Ph.D., The University of South Carolina

The Learning Village.com

"The designers of La chaise berēante were fortunate enough to have a story exceptionally told in the form of "Crac" and then be able to come close in matching the quality of the story with their design of learning activities and supplemental knowledge around historic Quebecois culture."

"If you are a French teacher or have an interest in the French culture, this is a must see program."

- Reviewed by Dan Lang

Ratings

Educational: 4.7
Overall Design: 4.5
Ease of Use: 5.0
(4.0 = good, 4.5 = very good, 5.0 = excellent)

CALL@Chorus

"It has become a commonplace that in educational multimedia, products are either beautifully produced but pedagogically vacuous, or pedagogically sound but poorly conceptualized or engineered. Fortunately, the occasional product breaks this rule and is both well produced and pedagogically rich. La Chaise Berēante, a CD-ROM that teaches French through the culture of Canada and Quebec, is such a program.

Narrative has long been an effective medium through which to teach language and culture. Seeing this program reminded me of what is missing from so many others: a sense of story and culture."

- Reviewed by Maggie Sokolik, Ph.D., UC Berkeley, College Writing Programs

NECTFL REVIEW

“La Chaise Berēante, with its many interesting features, enhances comprehension of spoken and written French and helps viewers improve their own writing as well.”

“… contains a variety of well-structured activities and information.”

“The message of the film [CRAC!] is universal, and the film can be watched by anyone.”

“In our opinion, what makes this CD-ROM even more valuable is the animated legend. The Chasse-galerie tells the story of a group of lumberjacks deciding to sell their soul to the devil so that they can use a flying canoe and be with their families on Christmas Eve. The interesting thing is that the legend can be heard in two different versions: one in standard French and the other one in a Québécois dialect. Thus, teachers who wish to introduce their students to dialects of French will find this part of the CD-ROM invaluable. Introductory audio materials on dialects are rare …, but this program is an exception.”

“If you have never been able to give your students an idea of what the Carnaval de Québec or the city of Montréal is like, the Diapos [slides] section will help you.”

- Reviewed by Marc Lafontaine, Université Laval, Québec, Canada

CANADIAN MODERN LANGUAGE REVIEW

"La chaise berēante/The Rocking Chair is a multifaceted program that provides a meaningful educational experience through many culture-based activities."

"The 'Carnet', an interesting and innovative feature, is a personal notebook where students are able to write down vocabulary and ideas in the process of using the program."

- Reviewed by Melanie Heads, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto

Revue ALSIC

"En somme, un pur plaisir pour l’esprit, la vue, l’ouļe et mźme ... pour une pratique ą l'oral, notamment pour ceux qui souhaitent chanter!"

"En définitive, nous recommandons vivement ce cédérom ą qui veut s’offrir plusieurs heures d’activités langagičres et culturelles en franēais (langue premičre ou langue seconde). Les trames sonores, les textes narrés et écrits, les chansons, les animations et les personnages filmés, tout contribue ą l’acquisition d’une meilleure maītrise de la langue tout en laissant place ą une immersion culturelle canadienne-franēaise sans pareille. Francophones, francophiles, apprenants de tous niveaux (débutant, intermédiaire, avancé) et de tous āges en tireront, croyons-nous, chacun ą leur faēon, agréablement profit."

- Reviewed by Linda de Serres, Ph.D., Département de Franēais, Université du Québec ą Trois-Rivičres

CALICO Review

"a must buy .... The program is a wonderful introduction to the culture of the most important Francophone culture in North America. Its motion video sequences, still frames, exercises and activities can be used by a wide variety of learners and learning styles."

Scaled Rating (1 low - 5 high)

• Implementation possibilities: 5
• Pedagogical features: 5
• Socio-linguistic accuracy: 5
• Use of computer capabilities: 3
• Ease of use: 5
• Value for money: 5

Over-all evaluation: 5

- Reviewed by Mikle D. Ledgerwood, professor of French and Technology and Education as well as Director of the Language Learning and Research Center, State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Approvals:

• La chaise berēante CD-ROM has been evaluated, approved and recommended by: Alberta Learning, British Columbia Ministry of Education, Calgary Board of Education and Quebec Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration..

• "un produit de grande qualité" - Lise Desmarais, Ph.D., Canadian Foreign Service Institute, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Canada. Author of Les technologies et l'enseignement des langues.

• "November 2001: La chaise berēante (The Rocking Chair) is released, ... one of the masterpieces of CALL production in Canada." - History of CALL in Canada.