London, ON, June 25, 2010 - A class of grade six students at Southwold School in St. Thomas,Ontario is putting a local London web development company to the test. They are reviewing Lingo4Kids.com, a new online website for learning French. This Friday, Mr. Justin Bonger’s Grade 6class will be logging in to explore what the new site has to offer and their reactions will be recordedfor product development and enhancements. The students will be providing valuable feedback inpreparation for a national product launch to all schools across Canada this September 2010.
Lingo4Kids.com is an interactive, online (virtual) classroom filled with multi-media resources forlearning French as a Second Language. What separates Lingo4Kids.com from other e-learning toolsis its variety of interactive resources which combine listening, speaking, reading and writing – allcatering to individual learning styles. Both pre-designed and customizable lessons are geared toGrades 1 through 8 with plans to add further grades. Students can login at school or at home andhave access to text, audio and video at their fingertips.
Lingo4Kids.com resources follow Ontario’s French Second Language curriculum and are designedby a team of educators and IT specialists. Stephan Pelland, Education Officer, has acquired,developed and implemented program resources at the Elementary, Secondary, College andUniversity levels; Jacquot (Jim Duchesneau), Lingo’s Music Director is known for his Juno-awardnominated children’s albums, and concerts in schools across the country; Mona Lam-Deslippe,Lingo’s President and IT Director operates MLD Solutions, an IT and web development companybased in London, Ontario. The combination of technology and authentic, relevant educationresources is what makes Lingo4Kids.com so compelling.
“Not enough French language resources change with the needs of individual student learning stylesand teaching styles. Using technology as a platform, Lingo4Kids.com brings resources into homesacross the country and allows French teachers more flexibility. But in the end, it will be the childrenwho decide if it’s a good program,” says Mr. Pelland.
This Friday, 10- and 11-year-old students will be testing the site in rural St. Thomas-Elgin inanticipation of a national product launch in September to school boards across the country. (Ruralcommunities are the ultimate test for internet-based learning programs because they often haveslower online connectivity.)
The goal for the Lingo4Kids Team is to show students that learning French can be fun.
For more information about the LIVE classroom test this Friday, please contact:
Stephan Pelland, Education Officer, Lingo4Kids.com, Tel: 519-667-0826,
Janie Grand, Lingo4Kids Communications Officer, Tel: 519-667-0826
