Another issue is that what will probably emerge from an overview of the work done is where the gaps are in our needs for materials. Our project to combine reading materials from various sources---a short story from Cutler (with his annotations and glossary), another one from Schiffman or Lindholm, others from other sources---will then show us what is needed in terms of new graded materials to make the transition from easy readings to more difficult readings. This is one of the hardest things to do, in my estimation, and is the chief fault of the Asher-Radhakrishnan materials. But in the end, we will see what needs to be done next, and be able to propose solutions.
Another thing that should emerge from this overview is what the limits of
website materials are---what can students profitably get from their use,
and what they continue to need in classroom contact time. This should
have a positive benefit on our perceptions of student needs, and what the
field of Tamil pedagogy needs to address. On the positive side, it
should allow those of us who rarely meet (for primarily financial and
geographical reasons) to confer via email about what to do
next.
For a LCTL like
Tamil, the web may end up saving us from what otherwise looks like
certain extinction, should NDEA Title 6 funding evaporate, and if the
trend to downsize universities and eliminate low-enrollment classes
continues. This is indeed the whole purpose of Penn's LRRC, to enable
small groups to cooperate and rationalize their efforts.