Armadillos the Internet and French Conceptualization and Implementation

Armadillos, the Internet and French: Conceptualization and Implementation of an Online Pedagogical Grammar Lindsy L. Myers University of Kentucky KFLC 2006

Tex’s French Grammar Grammaire de l’absurde www. laits. utexas. edu/tex

Background & History • • • University of Texas at Austin 1997 -2000 Department of French and Italian Carl Blyth et al. Liberal Arts ITS

Traditional Aspects • Parts of speech used to categorize specific grammar items • Individual grammar items explained in English • Grammar items exemplified in dialogue • Paradigms

Index • • Nouns Determiners Adverbs Adjectives Verbs Negation Prepositions Conjunctions • Tense/Aspect/Mood Voice • Interrogative Constructions

Web Aspects • Self-check, validating, fill-in-the-blank exercises for every page • Cross-linking of grammar items and related topics • Sound files for pronunciation • Verb tutor • Humor: cast of characters, nontraditional “edgy” story-line

This website is about much more than just French Grammar. It is also about the epic love story of Tex and Tammy, two star-struck armadillos, and Bette, the sex kitten bent on destroying their love. In addition to this ménage à trois, the cast of characters include Edouard, a pretentious French snail, Joe-Bob, a dim-witted squirrel from College Station, and Corey, a cockroach who prefers getting high and watching the X-Files on TV to doing his French homework. (TFG-Overview)

quitter, partir, sortir, laisser http: //www. laits. utexas. edu/tex/gr/ vl 1. html

Other Features • pdf downloads • mp 3 downloads

Applications-UT • Embedded as grammar component of Français Interactif • www. laits. utexas. edu/fi

Applications-UK • Grammar Supplement • Personalized grammar for drafts of compositions

What do you think of Tex’s French Grammar? • “I find it elementary enough to understand hard concepts yet funny and useful…” • “It helps me remember things and remember grammar rules I learned a long time ago” • “Like most things French, it is difficult”

How and when do you use Tex’s French Grammar? • “I use it as a reference when writing compositions for tenses etc. ” • “When I’m doing a composition on my computer, I keep Tex’s up in a separate tab because it’s quicker than getting out a book and looking up a question” • “I use it whenever I have doubts or I think I need to practice weak points”

Is it helpful? Is it clear? • “Yes…it gives you an English equivalent next to the French way to say it. ” • “I like the sound clips to hear how I should use the grammar” • “Yes…I pair it with my textbook to clarify grammar” • “Through explanation and example, it’s difficult to get confused”

Would you rather use a book? • “The internet is far more likely to be used as a reference than a book purely because it’s so much more accessible” • “Tex’s isn’t amazingly better, it’s just different. But I do prefer it to a book, it’s more concise” • “I like having a book because I do not always have internet access”

Suggestions for Improvement: • More exercises • Less sensitive to accents/facilitate accent input • Clearer index • Pages are too long • Vocabulary can be difficult • “Where are the exercises? ”

Usage Worldwide • 671, 557 hits/day (Tex + FI) • 38, 548 page views/day (Tex + FI) • 60 -87% of webserver traffic for the UT LAITS URL • Saturated bandwidth • High schools, middle schools, governmental agencies, community colleges and universities

lindsy. myers@uky. edu