The shape of the future: computers and multimedia resources in the teaching of Portuguese as a foreign language and culture

Abstract

This paper briefly discusses the role and impact of new technology in foreign language teaching in higher education and the unwillingness and fears of the educational establishment to give this technology the central role it has yet to assume in higher education. The influence of computers in education is already tangible and will undoubtedly change the curricula and approaches to teaching and learning in the near future. From this assumption, we argue that a good strategy to promote the learning of languages with less demand in higher education, such as Portuguese, is to make adequate use of the new technologies. This is in order to ensure a more interactive learning process, to meet students’ demands, and to aid students to develop both language and computer skills. That is why we believe it is important to include a review of the multimedia resources in Portuguese, together with a discussion on their pragmatic applications, thus providing an efficient tool for teachers.