Internet Resources

Internet Based Language and Cultural Resources for Students and Educators

For students and educators of French, Gaelic, and Spanish interested in language learning and cultural awareness via Internet and multimedia technology. This page presents a guide to Internet based language and cultural resources, computer assisted language learning (CALL) organizations, journals and other resources. 

Please email comments to MLC.

French (Acadian, Canadian, American and Other) | Gaelic | Spanish 

Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) - Organizations, Journals, and other resources

 

French: (Acadian, Canadian, American And Other)

Acadian Resources

Acadians in Nova Scotia 
An interesting and informative site, which provides locations of the various Acadian communities in Nova Scotia, a brief history of the Acadians including how, when and where they settled, what their lives were like, as well as a brief description of the deportation. In addition, this site includes links to websites about Acadian points of interest, such as Grand Pré and Land of Evangeline, as well as Université Sainte-Anne and the Digby and Clare County website. 

The Acadians - Film 
A website of the National Film Board of Canada that provides purchasing information and a brief description for the English and French versions of the film “The Acadians”. There is also a link that provides still images from the film. This page can also be viewed in French. 

The Acadian and Francophone Community of Nova Scotia 
A Government of Canada website that gives details about the French and Acadian influence in Nova Scotia. Included on the page is information about: Le Conseil scolaire acadien provincial (CSAP), Provincial organizations (ex. FANE) and the various events they sponsor and Le Congrès Mondial Acadien to be held in Nova Scotia in 2004. There are also links to websites for FANE and the French site: Federation of Francophone and Acadian communities. 

Acadie Nouvelle 
Acadie nouvelle is a French site with an Acadian focus and news. It has links to Acadian information bureaus, as well as information on weather conditions, sports, and headlines from Acadian radio stations, as well as various other daily features. 

Université Sainte-Anne 
The official website of Université Sainte-Anne, Nova Scotia’s only all-French university. Located in Pointe-de-l’Église (Church Point), Nova Scotia, near Digby. The site can be viewed in both English and French. 

La Fédération Acadienne de la Nouvelle Écosse (FANE) 
The official site of La Féderation Acadienne de la Nouvelle Écosse/Acadian Federation of Nova Scotia. This is an organization dedicated to the celebration and preservation of the Acadian heritage in Nova Scotia. This site provides information on the mission of the organization, their objectives, purposes and goals. There are also links to other Acadian sites as well as similar Francophone organizations 

Conseil scolaire acadien provincial 
This is the official site of the Acadian provincial school board of Nova Scotia. It offers information about schools, a map showing school locations throughout the province, information about admission criteria as well as the school calendar. 

L'odyssée acadienne 
This site, offered in both English and French, is devoted to the concept of the “Acadian Identity”. The Acadian Identity comprises the experiences shared by all Acadians concerning the culture and its preservation as well as the history. Some of the site content (which functions as links to separate pages) include: the origins of the name “Acadia”, as well as pages that chronicle different periods in Acadian history, such as the deportation. There is also a picture gallery depicting “Acadian life, past and present”. For those who wish to learn more about Acadian history and genealogy, this site also provides a link to the “centre acadien”, which is located at Université Sainte-Anne in Church Point, Nova Scotia. 

Le Courrier de la Nouvelle Écosse 
The official website of Nova Scotia’s only all-French newspaper. It includes the headlines of the day as well as links to the full text stories about what is happening in Nova Scotia’s Francophone and Acadian communities. There is also a link to archived issues of the newspaper as well as a contact link for the paper. 

Nouvelle-Écosse 
This provincial tourism website provides information on Acadian language and culture in the province.  

The Fortress of Louisbourg 
This is the official website of the Fortress of Louisbourg, Louisbourg, Nova Scotia. Available in English and French, this site provides a brief history about the Fortress from its beginnings to the present. Included are: an arial photo that shows the layout of the historic site, links to other pages, which provide information about the people of Louisbourg, the history of the settlement, its archaeology and some of the legends and folklore associated with the fortress and the settlers, an interactive map which provides a list of the buildings/attractions found in that section of the fortress and a colour photo of the area. This site also provides a glossary of French and Acadian terms as well as a direct email link for the Fortress. 

Evangeline: Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth (full text) 
The legend of Evangeline is well known by Acadians in Maritime communities. A love story by nature, the tale tells of the separation of two young lovers by the deportation of the Acadian settlers. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, a well-known writer, heard of this legend and wrote the famous novel. This site gives information about Longfellow’s version, as it has been adapted for a new audience in an electronic version. There are excerpts from the text as well as a link to the full-text electronic version. This site also provides relevant publication information. 

Musée acadien: Université de Moncton 
The official website of the Acadian Museum, located at the University of Moncton (Moncton, New Brunswick). This site is available in English and French, and gives detailed information about both the permanent and temporary exhibits housed at the museum, a brief description of the museum’s origins and history and the geographical and contact information for the museum. 

La Société nationale de l'Acadie (SNA) 
SNA is an organization that promotes the history and preservation of Acadian culture and identity in the Atlantic provinces through various activities designed to teach and celebrate the Acadian way of life. The site provides information on the organization, its formation, its activities and the areas it serves.

 

Canadian Resources for French

St. Francis Xavier University, Nova Scotia, Canada - Department of Modern Languages 
Recognizing that language acquisition is an important component of a Liberal Arts education, the Department of Modern Languages is committed to fostering knowledge of both French and Spanish. In accordance with Canada's Official Language Act, the Department also promotes bilingualism within the University community. 

Ressources en français langue seconde / Resources for Students and Teachers of French as a Second Language 
Designed at the University of Ottawa, Canada, this site contains links to exercises and resources for students, and resources for teachers such as information about French in Canada outside Quebec, Quebec, France, francophonie in the world, and miscellaneous info rmation related to FSL. 

REPSIT 
Designed at the University of Calgary, by Eileen Lohka and Odile Rollin, this site offers both students and educators an extensive collection of on-line resources promoting French language development and culture. It is comprised of 16 sections covering topics such as Civilization, Dictionnaires, Exercices de langue, Journaux et magazines, Librairies et bibliothèques, Linguistique, Littérature, Littérature jeunesse, Maisons d'édition, Monuments et musées, Musique, Pédagogie, Portes d'entrée, Ressources en langue, Télévision, radio et cinéma and Tourisme. 

Canadian Association of Second Language Teachers 
Supporting the promotion of second language development in Canada, this site provides a variety of Internet based French as a Second Language learning activities, as well as links for second language teaching of FLS, ESL and Other Languages, various teacher tools, message boards, publications, linguistic resources, organizations & associations, official languages, conference listings, professional development info., publishers & suppliers, curriculum guides and Canadian and International Francophonie.

 

American and Other Resources for French 

ARTFL Project 
Project for American and French Research on the Treasury of the French Language.

ClicNet 
French Internet resources for students, teachers of french as a second and foreign language, and for all others interessed in francophone culture, art and literature.

Tennessee Bob's Famous French Links 
A comprehensive and regularly updated database of links to francophone sites all over the world. Includes links to French literature, art, music, history, tourism, film, teaching/learning resources etc. Intended for both students and educators.

 

Gaelic:

St. Francis Xavier University, Nova Scotia, Canada-Department of Celtic Studies 
One of the few universities in Canada offering the study of Celtic languages and the literature and history of the Celts from about 800 BC to the present. The Department of Celtic Studies possess one of the finest collections of Scottish Gaelic works and recorded Scottish Gaelic Folklore in Canada, supplemented by substantial holdings in the other areas of Celtic studies. Major initiatives in the department include the Gaelic Language and Folklore Project and the Chair of Gaelic Studies. This site reflects the broad field that includes the languages, literatures and histories of the Celtic peoples. Thus it ranges in scope from the Continental Celts of ancient Gaul to the modern Celtic languages of Scottish, Irish and Manx Gaelic and Welsh, Cornish and Breton. 

Gaelic College, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada 
Founded in 1938 by Rev. A.W.R. MacKenzie as a school devoted to the study and preservation of the Gaelic language and Celtic arts and culture. Situated in the heart of the earliest Scottish settlement in Cape Breton, the College began as a school of Gaelic language. 

Gaelic and Gaelic Culture 
A web site devoted to the language and culture of the Gaels, those people that speak or did speak any of the three Gaelic languages. Contents include: Gaelic Languages, The Celts and the Six Celtic Languages, Gaelic-L: The gaelic language list and the Gaelic-L Electronic Library, Sabhal Mór Ostaig (a Further Education college in the island of Skye, Scotland, teaching through the medium of Gaelic), The Soc.Culture.Celtic FAQ, Gaelic Language Books and Tapes, RTÉ Radio (Internet) News, The Irish Times, Ceòl Gàidhlig - Gaelic Music, General Celtic Information 

Speaking Our Language 
Online Gaelic language lessions with audio, short explanations of Gaelic phrases which are being focused upon, additional notes on how to use them and exercises which will allow learners to test and apply the Gaelic being presented. 

Learn Gaelic 
Is a site that encourages the active use of Scots Gaelic and provides “both learners and native speakers alike with a comprehensive source of information about the Gaelic language, culture and world wide community”.  

Celtica-Gaelic, Gaelige, Breton, Manx, etc. 
Provides a comprehensive compilation of services and guides. However, this site also gathers a rich collection of interactive Scots Gaelic and Irish Gaelic on-line lessons that include mini-lessons with audio clips, Scots Gaelic and Irish Gaelic songs with audio clips and information concerning singing styles and singers, Irish Gaelic news, Links to ancient Irish tales, sayings and literature. As well, this site links to a Celtic Corpus of contemporary and historical Irish documents in literature, history and politics. 

Learn Cornish Now 
A site intended for anyone interested in learning Cornish.  

Irish and Celtic Languages 
Provides sites of interest for students of Irish and Celtic Languages. Includes links to Celtic dictionaries, language lessons and cultural awarnesess resources, literature, newpapers and periodicals, journals, radio and television resources 

BBC On-Line Scotland 

Radio na Gaeltachta 

 

Spanish: 

Welcome to " Si Spain"  
An interactive site which provides information on many aspects of Spanish current events, history, language, culture etc. 

Lingua.ly 
This site offers learning/teaching materials in Spanish, French, Italian and German at several levels of proficiency. This free site is as good as most language programs sold on compact discs. 

Proyecto Sherezade 
An all Spanish website, provides Spanish language students with an interactive language learning environment. Given the all Spanish or immersion nature of this site, it is particularly useful for second year Spanish students. Students have the option and control to choose to read from a variety of Spanish short stories published each month. Having read a short story and viewed the accompanying photo of the author, students are encouraged to communicate with the author via email and provide comments or ask questions, thus promoting intercultural communication. They are also encouraged to participate in the interactive lessons accompanying each Spanish short stories while listening to the audio version read by the author. 

MundoHispano: The Spanish Language Learning MOO 
MundoHispano is a community of native speakers of Spanish from around the world (Spain, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Ecuador, and Peru), teachers and learners of Spanish, and computer programmers, all of whom volunteer their time and talent to make this a dynamic virtual world and provide nearly limitless contexts in which the language learner can communicate for authentic purposes, learn about the many Spanish cultures, and create a home of their own in cyberspace's oldest Spanish MOO. 

Spanish Websites 
The Best Spanish Websites, news, media, literature, teaching and other Spanish information resources. 

Spanish Radio Stations 
Lots of Spanish-language radio stations which you can listen to live. 

CNNenEspañol.com 
CNN news in Spanish 

BBC Mundo 
BBC news in Spanish, is the website of the BBC Latin American service - lots of features to read and hear in RealAudio, plus a live feed.

 

Computer Assisted Language Learning (Call) - Organizations, Journals And Other Resources:

The Computer Assisted Language Instruction Consortium (CALICO) 
An American professional organization for computer assisted learning and instruction, with a particular interest in modern language teaching and learning. The Consortium also offers the CALICO Journal, a quarterly publication devoted to the exploration of the new technologies as applied to language learning. This journal also provides timely information on events of interest to the technology-inclined language professional. 

International Association for Language Learning Technology 
IALLT is a professional organization for the promotion of the effective uses of media centers for language teaching, learning and research. This site provides an extensive second/foreign language software database. The association also publishes The IALLT Journal, a fully refereed professional journal, published twice yearly. 

Language Learning and Technology. A Journal for Second and Foreign Language Educators 
This web journal which was launched in 1997 seeks to disseminate research on issues related to computer technology and second language education. 

EUROCALL: European Association for Computer Assisted Language Learning 
An association of language teaching professionals from Europe and world-wide which aims to provide information and advice on all aspects of the use of technology for language learning. EUROCALL disseminates information via the ReCALL Journal and other publications. 

Computer Assisted Language Learning: 
Aimed for teachers and researchers, linguists, computer scientists, psychologists, and educationalists. Computer Assisted Language Learning is an international journal ssociated with the use of computers in language learning (L1 and L2). It provides a forum to discuss the discoveries in the field and to exchange experience and information about existing techniques. The scope of the Journal is intentionally wide-ranging and covers a variety of disciplines. 

System 
Of particular intest to researchers and practitioners in the fields of educational technology, applied linguistics, and language teaching and learning. System is an international journal devoted to the applications of educational technology and applied linguistics to problems of second and foreign language teaching and learning. Attention is given to all languages.

Computer Assisted Language Learning Resource Page 
A comprehensive compliation of CALL resources by Claire Bradin-Siskin, Director of the Robert Henderson Language Media Center, University of Pittsburgh.