Lately I have been giving my final paper some serious thought, especially where my main focus lies.  The general goal of my topic is to look into how the Shuswap language is being revitalized by means of technology and also how the language will be effectively delivered to the learners and documented.

After browsing through Google Scholar, I came upon a paper that discusses the ins and outs of podcasting, which is the tool that I believe will be one of the most used for language revitalization.  According to (Rosell-Aguilar & Fernando, 2007), podcasts are now easy to use and are much more readily available now that companies like Apple have adopted ways to provide podcast distribution via iTunes.  In the past, only those people who were searching actively would ever find particular podcasts.  Also, podcasts can be accessed by subscription from online podcast directories.  Individuals or groups can make their podcasts (which are located on websites or blogs) available online through these directories.  The only thing that communities would need would be access to the internet in order to benefit from these podcasts.

Another important aspect that is developed in this paper is that language podcasts are distinguished into 2 different groups.  The first focuses on recordings of authentic native speakers of a target language, which are aimed at other native speakers of the same language.  This is done by means of news feeds or radio programming.  The second focuses specifically on language courses or teaching content which are specifically aimed for language teaching.  It is essential to differentiate between these 2 aspects of podcasting because in the case of the Shuswap for example, to simply record the fluent native elder speakers, will not necessarily benefit beginner speakers when they are first attempting to learn the language.  Yes, it is recommended to listen to native speakers as much as possible (just like I encourage my French Immersion students to listen to the international news in French) but in addition to exposing them to native speakers talking at their normal speed, special lessons (of various levels and difficulties) will also need to be created and recorded, which will assist beginners when they are starting out.

Perhaps current, younger Shuswap teachers (who are not necessarily completely fluent in the language) could create these lessons, under the supervised guidance of elders, who will help make corrections in pronunciation where needed.  Schools like Chief Atham in Chase B.C. (where Shuswap immersion is underway at the elementary level) I’m sure could really benefit with having archived language podcasts that are geared towards all levels of language learning.  Of course having an authentic teacher working live with the students is the best option but that won’t always be the case. It would also offer more variety for students, instead of always having the same teachers speaking the language.  Also, the difficulty of finding young, fluent teachers will be the challenge.  The older ones who speak the language will eventually retire and young ones are essential to keeping a program going.

Finally, this paper supports the cognitive constructivist communicative approach to learning as well as situated and life-long learning. It supports that

“language learning has been identified as one of the disciplines likely to benefit from development in podcasting”.

 References

Rosell-Aguilar, Fernando (2007). Top of the Pods – In search of a podcasting “podagogy” for

language learning. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 20(5), pp. 471–492.