Page 54 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 to 12: French as a Second Language – Core, Extended, and Immersion, 2014

THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM | French as a Second Language
The integration of ICT into the FSL programs represents a natural extension of the learning expectations. Current technologies are useful as both research and reference tools. For example, online dictionaries, thesauri, encyclopedias, and other reference works may be helpful tools for students when conducting research or editing and revising their work. Through ICT, teachers and students can also access authentic texts – including broadcasts, music, blogs, newspapers, magazines, dialogues, and advertisements – by French-speaking people from a variety of cultures in Canada and around the world.
Whenever appropriate, students should be encouraged to use ICT to support and com- municate their learning. For example, students working individually or in groups can use computer technology and/or websites to gain access to authentic French-language materials, such as those listed above. They can also use portable storage devices to store information, as well as CD-ROM and DVD technologies and digital cameras and projectors to organize and present the results of their research and creative endeavours to their classmates and others.
Although the Internet is a powerful learning tool, there are potential risks attached to its use. All students must be made aware of issues related to Internet privacy, safety, and responsible use, as well as of the potential for abuse of this technology, particularly when it is used to promote hatred.
ICT tools are also useful for teachers in their teaching practice, both for whole-class instruction and for the design of curriculum units that contain varied approaches to learning in order to meet diverse student needs. A number of educational software programs to support learning in FSL are licensed through the ministry and are listed at www.osapac.org/db/software_search.php?lang=en.
THE ONTARIO SKILLS PASSPORT: MAKING LEARNING RELEVANT AND
BUILDING SKILLS
The Ontario Skills Passport (OSP) is a free, bilingual, web-based resource that provides teachers and students with clear descriptions of the “Essential Skills” and work habits important in work, learning, and life. Teachers planning programs in FSL can engage students by using OSP tools and resources to show how what they learn in class can be applied in the workplace and in everyday life.
The Essential Skills identified in the OSP are:
• Reading Text
• Writing
• Document Use
• Computer Use
• Oral Communication
• Numeracy: Money Math; Scheduling or Budgeting and Accounting; Measurement and Calculation; Data Analysis; and Numerical Estimation
• Thinking Skills: Job Task Planning and Organizing; Decision Making; Problem Solving; Finding Information; and Critical Thinking
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