Technology and Teaching Culture in the L2 Classroom: An Introduction

Foreign language teachers and students have historically relied on the textbook as the main source of cultural as well as linguistic input [l]. With the increased emphasis on teaching language in context and with the gradual adoption of the 1986 American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency guidelines across the country [2], the profession now faces two major challenges: incorporating the new computer technology into non-mainstream classroom cultures (inner-city, rural, and border town schools, for example), and creating real-life activities using the new technology to teachhse language in cultural context. Furthermore, with the recent publication of the National Standards for teaching language [3], teachers can now adopt clearly stated goals for the teaching of culture, goals that, for the first time, emphasize the importance of creating activities and opportunities for the students to develop perspectives about the products and practices of the target culture. Although the Standards does not suggest a method or approach, teachers can make use of the sample activities and scenarios provided in the document to develop their own lesson plans to focus on the teaching of cultural perspectives through a study of cultural products and practices [4]. Can the emerging technology, with the computer as a central tool, offer students ways of interacting with material and with native speakers so that they develop perspectives not only of their own culture but also of the target culture? Garrett reminds us that the use of the computer does not constitute a method, since the computer is nothing more than a tool, an expensive one indeed, but nothing more than a tool [5 ] . The more important question, according to Garrett, has to do with