Language, Culture & Technology
Foreign language faculty adjust their curricula to ensure that today’s college students know how to use technology tools to communicate
Dr. Kevin M. Gaugler had an epiphany in his Spanish class when a student asked how to affix an accent mark over the letter “a” on a computer. The question was simple, but Gaugler’s answer was quite long. The button sequence to accomplish the task is different for desktop computers and laptops, as well as for Macintosh and PC operating systems.
That incident marked the birth of a new class Gaugler has introduced at Marist College, where he has taught since 2000. Appropriately enough, it’s called “Spanish and Technology.”
“Since I dedicated an entire day of class to accent marks,” says Gaugler, an associate professor, “I knew there was an entire course in here, somewhere, about communications technology and Spanish.”
