Teachers have always encouraged pupils to look beyond the school
gates, to widen their horizons. Unfortunately education cuts may
mean parochialism writ large. It is becoming increasingly difficult
for pupils to see beyond the boundary signs of the new local authorities.
The Internet can be used to overcome some of the difficulties.
It can help pupils experience other cultures and glimpse life
elsewhere. The cost can be relatively cheap, with some access
providers charging no more than £500 per year for all-day
access - less than 50p per pupil for larger secondary schools.
Many of the thousands of schools are connected to the Internet
enhance the curriculum by developing fast and effective links
with schools in other countries, in other cultures. One school
in England recently decided to offer Spanish courses for the first
time and using the Internet it receives curriculum advise and
materials from an American school. Schools in the United States
have greatest access to the Internet and while most material is
written in English, opportunities for reading and even communicating
in other languages are increasing. It is estimated that by 2010
almost 25% of Americans will be Spanish speakers and there is,
of course, material from lots of other countries. Teachers of
modern languages can find a wealth of resources on the Web.
Regional, national and international Spanish
newspapers can be accessed and an impression of Hispanic culture
gained or the UK seen from a Spanish point of view. The English-language
Tenerife News, for example, appears to be more concerned
with the social chapter and the single currency than the stars
and villains of the UK election campaign.
Newspapers published in other countries are not only valuable
for modern languages but can also be useful for Modern Studies
or Media Studies. It would be interesting to investigate how the
European press represents British Eurosceptics.
A range of French
newspapers can also be accessed. Online newspapers are regularly
updated and, of course, sections can be saved or printed out.
While the Blair administration has already indicated a commitment
to the future of the communications superhighway, the government
in France is one step ahead, offering support to Francophone African
countries anxious to develop Internet connections. Officials are
determined that French will not be marginalised by the new medium
and try to insist that Web sites published in France should be
written in French. Even English-speaking schools such as the American
School in Paris have been asked to publish in French.
Some sites, such as those aimed at tourists,
are written in English and provide much to investigate. These
pages often give details about places of interest, restaurants
or hotels and are usually up-to-date.
Publishing on the Web is not limited to large newspapers, government
bodies or tourist organisations and that's one of Web1s great
strengths. Two Scottish schools - Clydebank and Boclair - which
participate in Web for Schools, an initiative which has
provided Internet training for 600 teachers from 150 schools,
have also put sites online. Training sessions for staff with little
or no experience were held in nine countries and the results can
be seen at Web
for Schools site.
Most of the school sites are available in English, some in two
languages and each one gives a flavour of its country and culture.
The Web for Schools site provides links to schools in sixteen
countries, more if you count the United Kingdom as four rather
than one. In fact one of the few weaknesses of this Web site is
that UK schools are listed in one group which makes it more difficult
to identify, for example, Scottish schools. Nevertheless it is
a useful place to start, especially for teachers of modern languages
and for those new to the Internet. There is a Frequently Asked
Questions page which helps to explain the jargon and there1s also
a search facility. Type in a word such as "food" and
the participating schools with relevant material are listed with
direct links.
Frederiksvaerk Gymnasium, one of the few Danish schools, actually
undertook a project on food and lifestyle and pupils from IES
Altair in Madrid have published details of traditional and favourite
Spanish dishes.
Beyond the virtual classroom Web for Schools has even led
to some interesting visits. A group of senior pupils from Clydebank
has just returned from a trip to the Gesamtschule in Germany.
The Clydebank pupils had already formed Classy Catering,
a mini-company which provided the fare at the school Burns Supper
and Challenge of Europe event, and in Germany they demonstrated
traditional Scottish cooking.
More links from the Web for Schools site can be found in
an area entitled Use of the Internet in Education. Irabia
School in Pamplona has designed interesting pages, written by
the pupils, in English. Students are currently involved in a languages
programme with Pontypridd College and other educational establishments
in Portugal and Denmark. The boys also explain that to help their
fellow pupils with research about Hemingway they had to identify
a starting point on the Web for them. They have done very well
by suggesting that students try McGill
University in Canada where there are lots of details about
the author - Spanish teenagers providing details about an American
writer, gleaned from a Canadian Web site, to help other European
schools!
I first discovered I was European while touring Australia in the
1980s with my best friend. In explaining our own culture and exploring
another we came to really appreciate being Scottish. Even if they
can1t actually visit other countries, the Internet now makes it
possible for pupils to see the world from a different point of
view and the boys in Pamplona say they have been enriched by the
experience.
