Russnet is an excellent resource for teachers of Russian. It provides information on a range of topics of interest to Russian language and culture specialists and their students. Modules are organized by theme on a wide range of cultural and historical topics such as biographies of Russian historical figures: Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great, and Joseph Stalin. Other topics include the role of women in contemporary Russian society and traditions associated with Russian holidays. Materials are most appropriate for intermediate to advanced learners.
Content Quality
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Strengths:
The materials in Russnet are uniformly authentic, varied, and well organized. Written texts are authored by and for native speakers, and the quality of spoken and written language is high. Different language styles are represented; e.g., some texts on historical topics are literary in tone, where others, such as contemporary interviews, are colloquial. The site also includes jokes and songs to provide more exposure to language variations.
Texts are glossed with pop-up translations of difficult words and phrases. Each text is preceded by pre-reading exercises that prepare students for the content and vocabulary of the reading that follows. Comprehension questions follow each passage. Some readings have accompanying videoclips to illustrate aspects of the text.
Concerns:
The addition of audio to accompany texts would provide opportunities for students to improve listening.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
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Strengths:
The range of topics represented on this site can be used in any number of ways in instruction. Topics can be assigned to students for independent reading and the site includes a feature that enables the teacher to keep track of student scores on reading comprehension exercises. Student results can thereby be evaluated and progress assessed by the teacher.
These modules could also be used as resources for student projects on the culture and history of Russia providing basic information for student presentations or written assignments. In fact, some of the modules contain a space for students to write their response to the material contained in the module and submit this to their teacher. Several topics also lend themselves well to classroom discussion and debate.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
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Strengths:
The site's introduction provides clear instructions and practical examples for using its materials. Students learn and practice the various techniques they will need to use Russian fonts and the site?s click and drag feature in the introductory section. Orientation to the site is enabled by a pleasing, unified design. Required plug-ins are clearly identified in and loadable from the site.
Concerns:
There are occasional minor errors whereby words are incorrectly glossed or the pop-up image does not correspond to the text. Occasionally a link leads nowhere or to an incorrect page.
Creative Commons:
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