"If you're going to teach a foreign language, you need a language learning system.
Every school should make a language lab a priority. It's that important."

-- Jim Chadwell, Principal, Northwest High School

The United States Department of Education launched the Blue Ribbon Schools Program in 1982. The program "promotes and supports the improvement of education in America," says The US Department of Education. This year, Northwest High School is one of 37 Texas schools to be nominated to the National Blue Ribbon School Program. In May, the school will know if a Blue Ribbon flag will be flying on their flagpole.

High test scores, Principal Chadwell believes, helped Northwest High School to make it through the first application review to round two. He also believes the school's commitment to technology, including the recent installation of a Sony Symphony® System with ER-8020 student recorders and SoloistTM Digital PC-Comparative Recorder Software was a factor in their nomination.

Two for One

Northwest Independent School District is one of the largest districts in Texas. This suburban Fort Worth district's one high school - Northwest - serves a large and economically diverse population. When the school was ready to purchase a language learning system, principal Jim Chadwell knew what his school needed: a reliable, user-friendly system, flexible enough to meet a variety of teaching needs and on the cutting-edge. That's why Jim and Northwest High School chose the 30-position Sony Symphony System with digital and analog capabilities.

Timing is Everything

"Teachers are seeing real improvements in student speaking and listening skills. Our foreign language department head is preparing hard data to quantify the level of improvement. It's important, we believe, to have that empirical data."

In 1994, Jim Chadwell was a German teacher at Northwest High School - and one foreign language teacher who saw a real need for a language learning system. The school district, at that time, did not have a system. In 1999, Jim was promoted to principal and still firmly convinced that the foreign language department needed a learning system. "The school had never had a language learning system, and, I believe, that was to the detriment of our language program," says Jim.

A new superintendent took office six-months later and, according to Jim, shared his point-of-view. The foreign language faculty was committed to using the lab on a weekly basis. "Money," says Jim, "was now the only obstacle. IntelTM came to the rescue with a generous grant in lieu of taxes." Northwest High School was ready, and with Teaching Systems, a Sony Authorized Reseller, visited a number of schools with language learning systems.

"I wanted the Sony Symphony system," says Jim. "I think it's the best. Sony has been in this business for a long time. They've worked the bugs out of their systems, and the company is going to be around in the future. Plus, the Sony Symphony System with both analog and digital capabilities offered the flexibility Northwest High School needs. The choice was simple. We had our system."

"Participating in the Blue Ribbon Program is about more than getting an award. Through the application process, you have to assess your school and identify where you need to make improvements. You're not competing against other schools. You're competing against a standard of excellence - a standard every school should strive to achieve."

--Jim Chadwell, Principal, Northwest High School

The Best of Both Worlds

Digital language learning systems offer outstanding storage capacity, instant access to coursework, networking capabilities and efficient classroom management and control. Analog integration allows teachers and students to record to tape. That makes it easier for students to take work home and to meet some standardized testing requirements. A hybrid Sony Symphony System like the one installed at Northwest High School offers all of these features and more.

"Our Sony Symphony System is linked to the school's network and the Internet. We're able to bring a very wide-range of video, software and electronic teaching materials into the classroom, and to do AP testing," says Jim. "What's more, Northwest High School has seven foreign language teachers with very different styles who want to use this system in different ways. With a hybrid digital/analog Sony Symphony System, they can work as they like to work, and that option allows for more effective teaching."

All Systems are Go

It's a little more than a year since Northwest High School's Sony Symphony System has been up and running. "Teachers love the system, and," says Jim, "thanks to regular training from Teaching Systems, are really using the lab to its full potential. We've learned how to use many of the features and software, and to switch from digital to analog and vice versa. So, if teachers want to send students home with a tape, they can easily choose to work in analog, and, if not, they can work in digital."

Teachers report that students love the Sony Symphony System too, and that interactive learning keeps them motivated and focused. In fact, students, teachers claim, are often disappointed when lab time is over. "The pairs function is very popular," adds Jim, "and students are far-less reluctant to speak in their target language. They're in a cubicle. That's private. Everyone is speaking at the same time. Pairs are also random, and the teacher can check-in to monitor and correct pronunciation."

This year, teachers expect AP testing on the Sony Symphony System will be even more successful. Ongoing training is helping to build their confidence and expanding their skill bases - and, the teachers contend, the technology is helping students to build real world language skills. "Teachers are seeing real improvements in student speaking and listening skills," says Jim. "Our foreign language department head is preparing hard data to quantify the level of improvement. It's important, we believe, to have that empirical data."