1. Pamela Arrarás July 17th 2010 Opportunities for Authentic Communication over the Internet

2. Some concepts connected to CMCCMC and language learningPositive aspects of CMC Types of CMCTelecollaboration: a. definitionb. types c. phasesd. the role of the teacher e. models Telecollaborative projects:a. How to get startedb. Reliable sites with ready made projects & more info Agenda

3. Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) Timeline: Until late 1990s: only e-lists and e-mail. 2000: chat, IRC…internet becomes more popular 2006: web 2.0 2010: web 3.0? CMC vs. CALL Who do you interact with? Important features of CMC: Synchronicity Persistence Anonymity

4. Role of CMC in language learning “In the field of foreign language education, it is often unclear whether the internet should be seen as a tool for learning foreign languages, or whether learning foreign languages is simply one of the tools that our students needs to work and communicate on the internet. In either case, the internet opens language teachers to a host of new tools and resources, including a vast amount of authentic materials in the target language as well communication tools that enable teacher-student or student-student communication in the same classroom or between classes at geographically different locations.” (O'Dowd, 2008)

5. Aspects to take into account The relationship between the learners' current online practices and the demands of formal online language learning The increased possibilities for communication and learner participation that networked environments can offer. The new opportunities that online tools can offer to teaching methodology. NOT a new way of doing the same things, but NEW THINGS!!!!

6. What are these NEW THINGS? Online intercultural exchange with learners in different locations. (Little & Brammerts, 1996) Student participation in public discussion forums based in the target language. (Hanna & de Nooy, 2003) Collaborative creation and publication of websites or blogs. (Godwin-Jones, 2003)

7. Positive aspects of CMC more opportunities to interact than in a regular classroom. greater opportunities to come into contact and interact with native speakers /other learners of the target language asynchronous tools: give sts time to read their partners' contributions fostering reflection and a deeper sense of understanding. text-based nature of many interactions such as chat and forums provides more opportunities for noticing aspects regarding L2 structure. possibility of printing and re-reading, or even going back online to re-read different interactions in the L2 provides teachers with authentic input that can be recycled for use in the face-to-face classroom.

8. Types of CMC Asynchronous/synchronous Blogs / videoconferences One to many / many to many/ one to one Blogs / chat rooms / e-mail

9. Classify the following tools:e-mailSkype (or VoIP)e-listsweb conferencingdiscussion forumsblogswikischat roomsinstant messagingWhat about…Facebook? MySpace? Fotolog? Exercise

10. Q & A Before we move on…

11. What is telecollaboration? “The use of Internet communication tools by internationally dispersed students of language in institutionalized settings in order to promote the development of foreign language linguistic competence and intercultural competence.” (Belz, 2003).

12. Types of telecollaborationWarschauer(1997) One-to-one telecollaboration. Eg. International Email Tandem Network. Many-to-many telecollaboration: Shared students’ publications (such as is the case with wikis or newsletter). Comparative investigations involving both groups of students' cultures or issues of interest. Collaborative creation and exchange of folklore compendia, oral histories and other projects. E-forums (my field of research )

13. Phases of telecollaboration Muller-Hartmann (2008)

14. Role of the teacher Hartmann (2008) and O'Dowd (2007) Researcher: Experiment, change activities and adapt models to contexts through observation in classroom and critical reflection (action research). Organizer: Find appropriate partner classes, establish and negotiate activities with partner teachers, and find ways to integrate the projects to the curricula. Model and coach: Provide students with models of what is successful intercultural communication, to guide them and help them overcome misunderstandings and communication problems while at the same time promoting their autonomy. Source and resource: Help their students put the information they receive from their partners in context, as sometimes it is so specific or culture-bound that students struggle to make sense out of it. Provide students access to other materials (websites, dictionaries, etc.) that will help them bridge that gap.

15. Models of telecollaboration E-Tandem (European Union) Reciprocity: both learner & expert role. Autonomy: high level of self-discipline and learning skills required. The Cultura Model (MIT) Stage 1: Questionnaires designed to reveal basic cultural differences(native language). Results compiled and presented side by side. Stage 2: Analysis of questionnaires in the classroom (target language) with the teacher's guidance. Stage 3: Exchanges and forums. Students from both groups meet in online message boards accessible to all participants. (either language as long as they can get their message across). Stage 4: Analysis of the forums in the classroom and analyze both the language and the content of the exchanges. Stage 5: Broadening of fields of exploration and analysis. Students are provided with other related target language resources which allow them to better understand the culture of their partners. They later on discuss these new findings and conclusions with their partners online.

16. Q & A Before we move on…

17. Let’s think about all this together…How do you feel about doing something like this in your classroom?What are some of the foreseeable challenges of this type of project?Mention 3 things (don’t cheat, only 3!) that you would need to become more familiar/comfortable with in order to carry out such a project. Debate

18. Getting started… Spend time training yourself in the technological tools you are going to use. Choose tools based not only on your skills, but also on: those of your peer at the other school, the skills of the students, the technological capabilities of both schools and groups of students. Do not assume that your students will be able to handle the project just because they are supposed to be “digital natives”. The skills required for language learning are very different from the ones they have developed for social use.

19. Getting started… When looking for partner classes, pick a colleague who… …shares your same technical skills …shares your overall objectives for the projects, …is willing to spend time on the project. Assign enough time for each stage of the project make sure you include time before the interaction to prepare the students for the project… …and after the telecollaboration itself in order to allow them to process and reflect on what they have learned.

20. Getting started… Decide on how you will assess the project Make sure that you set a minimum number of interventions for each student in order to promote interaction. For example, if using forums you could establish that each student has to post three comments and that each comment needs to address another student’s questions as well as posting new questions to keep the conversation going.

21. Getting started… If the other group is learning your students’ native language, decide on a method to ensure that both languages are used in the forum. Separating forums is a possibility, but students tend to participate in their L1 forum most. Another possibility is requesting that 50% of each message is written in each language, as the E-Tandem Network recommends. If you’re mostly interested in developing your students’ reading skills, Cultura’s model of only L1 writing might be suitable.

22. http://www.epals.com http://flatclassroom09-3.flatclassroomproject.org/ http://iearn.org http://iearn.org/projects/projectbook.html http://www.globalschoolnet.org/ Good places to start looking for projects and partners…

23. While you listen…Take notes about which of the following websites and projects would be the most useful to youTake into account the criteria previously mentionedDon’t be afraid to ask questions and pleeeeeeeeease DO interrupt me with comments and doubts. Note taking

24. http://www.diigo.com/list/pamelaarraras/virtual-backpacking Slideshow of useful sites and projects

25. pamelaarraras@gmail.com Twitter: pamelaarraras If time… Let’s design a small website with the information you think you’ll need the most… Thanks for coming!!!!!