Integration of technology into the teaching of foreign languages and cultures with particular reference to russian studies

Despite the great interest in integrating multimedia resources into foreign language teaching, a comprehensive study of such resources in Russian is very limited with the few exceptions. This dissertation will begin filling the void by reviewing, sorting and listing computer-assisted programs and web sites that promote Russian technology-assisted learning. Further, this dissertation will demonstrate how the dedicated instructor can incorporate technology and move up the language learning curve. In this respect, the following topics are addressed: (1) A review of the status quo and the historical perspective of technology's integration into foreign language teaching. (2) A guide to selecting and organizing multimedia materials, to integrating technology-assisted resources and to the Internet for incorporation into the teaching and learning process. (3) A guide to accessing what is available on the Internet to those interested in learning/teaching Russian language and Russian culture. Then it will recommend ways this new resource can be used to improve levels of proficiency, build fundamental language skills, and support vocabulary development. (4) Multimedia resources for Russian studies that both the instructor and the student can actively exploit both in and out of the classroom as a quasi independent "tutor." (5) Practical recommendations on utilizing Cyrillic fonts, setting computers to a Russian friendly mode and highlights of computer and Internet terminology. This dissertation shows how new forms of technology and multimedia can improve established teaching approaches and bring new ideas to foreign language learning. Further, it examines the current practices in the integration of multimedia and Internet resources into foreign language teaching and cultural studies with a special emphasis on Russian. This study also explores language topics related to multimedia selection designed to enhance Russian language teaching based on relevant theoretical perspectives and foreign language teaching approaches. Special attention is paid to the cognitive aspect of each technological tool. This research also provides an extensive reference list of currently available multimedia resources and reviewing their potential curricular application. Also provided are strategies for using multimedia resources in learning Russian and examples of lesson plans featuring the use of internet-based activities in technology-enhanced classes.