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Home > Journals > The Coastal Review > Vol. 14 > Iss. 1

 

Abstract

A topic absent from cultural discussions is the Golden Age of Spanish Software (GASS). Known in Spain and Europe, but largely ignored elsewhere, the years 1983-1992 were the Golden Age of Spanish Software, when Spain became Europe’s second largest producer of 8-bit computer games, the dominant video gaming platform at the time. Ocho Quilates, the two-volume series by Jaume Esteve Gutiérrez, meticulously details the biographies and achievements of this unique time is Spanish history. Spanish achievement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) needs to be presented along with the arts of the Spanish-speaking world. The GASS makes an excellent topic to connect and compare, two of the overarching goals outlined by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) for world language education. Specific activities are presented to use the GASS in the Spanish language classroom. This “other” Spanish Golden Age should not be an historical footnote, it makes a fun and engaging topic for Spanish language lessons connected to STEM. Video games are popular with many students and connecting the Golden Age of Spanish Software in the classroom; for example, through a content and language integrated (CLIL) lesson, projects, or text-adventures, provide authentic examples of STEM in the Spanish language classroom.

Bio Note

Ransom Gladwin is a Professor of Spanish in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages at Valdosta State University. He is the ESOL Program Coordinator. He teaches ESOL, FLED, and Spanish. He holds a Ph.D. in Spanish and Second Language Acquisition from Florida State University and an M.A. and B.A. from Furman University. Published research interests include Meso-American Language Maintenance, Technology in the L2 Classroom, and the History of L2 Instruction.

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Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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