Title of Software: "Side by Side" by Interactive
Publisher: Steven J. Molinsky and Bill Bliss, New York: Pearson Longman
Target Audience: Mostly teens and adults despite the presence of cartoons
Proficiency Level: Beginning and low intermediates
Description/Evaluation: Multimedia "Side by Side" contains short, interesting videos of attractive people speaking flawless English. It is possible to stop the video and work in segments of language, such as sentences. In addition, recording your own voice after one of the speakers allows you to listen and compare. However, no value judgments of how close you come to native quality are provided. The illustration shows the simplicity of the screen and controls. A written script of the dialogue is provided, and activities to practice the video material provided.
Activities include video segments which are to be placed in correct order, drag and drop the right word into questions, filling in your own information to the questions, etc. However, except for the video portions, the activities are STRANGELY SILENT.
The scaffolded lessons provide practice of previously learned material, and do not appear to attempt to overwhelm the student with too many new vocabulary words.
Writing skills are tested, and a model of the writing is presented side by side, but there is no assessment of errors. Again, everything is STRANGELY SILENT.
Grammar toons present, for example, the present tense of "to be" with appropriate pronouns, but there is no interactivity--just entertainment and another opportunity lost to learn!
The software is relatively easy to use: watch the video; orally practice the language looking at the script, if necessary; work your way through the activities, and then on to the next lesson, which should contain much of the vocabulary from the previous exercise.
I would use the software as a supplement to a LOT of spoken work in the classroom. Also, some noticing will have to be called in to help with selected Form on form grammatical enhancement of understanding of the language used.
The language skills targeted are: listening primarily, reading, writing, and some speaking. Passive rather than active skills appear to be the result of using this program, which is admittedly more entertaining than much of what I have seen.
There is an excellent full review of this version of "Side by Side" by Larry Statan of Contra Costa College in "Language Learning and Technology" http://llt.msu.edu/vol10num3/review3/default.html
