Reducing Distance in Language Learning through Social Networking,

Video Development, and Website Integration

Eileen O’Connor, Ph.D. Eileen.oconnor@esc.edu

Empire State College / State University of New York (USA)

June 2014

Reducing Distance in Language Learning through Social

Networking, Video Development, and Website Integration

Reducing Distance in Language Learning through Social Networking, Video-Development, and Website Integration

The need for global communications and interactions in the fast-shrinking world requires 21st century skills and understanding. Language and linguistics instructors are essential educators who provide students with opportunities to develop strong foreign-language communication and cultural skills. In this paper, resources for documenting, sharing and across-geography interacting that can strengthen communication skills and encourage cross-cultural connections will be considered. Readily available tools for social networking (such as Facebook), video incorporation, and website development will be presented and suggestions for their use and integration into and across courses be will be highlighted. With ready access to global information and communication, language instructors can now have their students study, analyze, reflect-on, and immerse-themselves in different languages and cultures. Students can demonstrate their growing use of language through integration of video and audio in the works that they develop; readily accessible e-media can make this form of expression easily mastered. By providing students with a complex, stimulating, and memorable experiences of language, linguistics, and culture, students can be moved far beyond textbook, grammar, and language-lab studies. A conceptual / academic framework that can support and justify the inclusion of these tools that encourage interpersonal interactions and communications will be addressed as well.

The role & importance of foreign language instruction

Address global demand • 21st century

skills• Commerce &

trade

Develop cultural understanding & awareness• Present/ popular culture• Economics, geography,

history

Develop foreign language fluency• Learning

through integration of usage with technology

Motivators to improve foreign language acquisition

Ways to ensure & monitor success• Self video (easy /

private)• eJournals,

websites & Facebook (growth over time)

Quick access to foreign languages & cultures• Internet in other

languages• Social networks / virtual

meetings• Sharing & support

Digital natives preferences• Interactivity• More than text• Multiple

intelligences

Integrating emerging tech & internet can support foreign language instruction in many areas

Emerging Technologies & Internet

Language Performance

Cultural understandi

ng

Teacher resources

All technologies can be adapted to support these different areas

Ways to use internet-accessible resources in language instruction

Educational Framework

Educational frameworks – and possible example applications

Immersion / usage / communication (from language and linguistics literature)

Community of Practice (Lave & Wenger) in the target language

Zone of Proximal Development (Vygotsky)

Sharing the learning experience - YouTube

Motivation for the learners

Safe ways to try – can listen and learn before speaking

Technologies with which students are comfortable already

Analysis and study

Comparing different events & cultures

Assessment that are authentic

Live recordings of language usage

Embedded assessments in the portfolio or Facebook; observe growth over time

Visiting peers / badge

Ways to use internet-accessible resources in language instruction

Websites & Facebook

Facebook / Websites – can store student work, as will be seen in the next slides

Website Facebook

Text Unlimited More restrictions

Images can be uploaded?

Yes Yes

Videos can be uploaded?

Yes Yes

Make links to other sites?

Unlimited Through Likes / somewhat limited but easy

Ease of creation Can be more challenging, but new methods are improving quickly

Easy Today, many of the

suggestions for foreign language instructors can

be addressed by both platforms

Easy to develop & free website tools – many templates available

Consider: www.wix.com or www.webbly.com

Robust, but more involved, websites from Google are available too

Even translation programs built into web-site building features

Have your students test and see the accuracy & quality of these services

Facebook & Website – authored by the students

Quick development & updating Easy integrating & storing e-resources Videos can be uploaded

Post of ongoing learning Can be shared with the world – but after a safe time

Sharing with the class & with groups Have students analyze examples from other countries

Live cultural studies possible Students will need to understand and interact with other

cultures for jobs, trade, and interactions

Ways to start students using Facebook, an example . . .

http://iltl.wordpress.com/2010/11/11/using-facebook-for-language-learning/

• Practical suggestions for starting quickly and reliably with Facebook – a scaffolded approach

• Students are guided through things-to-find about another country

• Has students finding videos in the target language – an extra boost to learning the language

Another example: my Professional Facebook page

Videos can be added to Facebook

Ways to use internet-accessible resources in language instruction

Self-videotaping (ie. YouTube)

Video & self-video (YouTube) uses – visual & audio together

Video / Internet

Target language exposure

Cultural exposure

Self video

Practice in safe

environments

Demonstrate growth over time

Use video to have students demonstrate increased language proficiency over time

Increased

fluency

Progressive taping

Stories, plays, vignettes

Safe environment for practice

Ways to use internet-accessible resources in language instruction

Emerging ideas – based on technology

Using ideas surfacing from emerging technologies, such as . . .

Badging & peer review

Have students review the web-posted work of their peers Offer student-offered best practice badges

Expands dedication, interest, and commitment Can be separate from the course evaluation too

Have peers review work -- offer badges based on the “Votes” of classmates

Ways to use internet-accessible resources in language instruction

Virtual reality

Using Second Life – a collection of virtual reality locations

Requiring actual visits to different cultures and exhibits

Talking to avatars from other countries Making machinima in other language

That is, videotape the avatar(s)Demonstrate performance

Virtual locations

Moscow

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Moscow%20Island/191/186/21

Integrating language education through the use of e-tools – ways to think

Across courses – create a learning journal / growth over time / meeting individuals from other countries

Analyzing cultural examples – comparing to textbooks / interview others from different countries

Gathering insights and writing papers that use info and images from other websites, virtual location

Requiring communications with social networks, forums, and virtual reality in other languages

Ways to use internet-accessible resources in language instruction

Gathering ideas, resources, and professional development from other language / linguistics professionals

Some examples follow

Many language instructor resources available

Materials and resources – via the web or Facebook

Instructor networks and social networks – join communities on an ongoing basic

Attend conferences

Foreign Language websites vetted by instructors

Website with different foreign-language cultural perspectives

Facebook pages devoted to Language Learning

https://www.facebook.com/LLTJournal

Center for Language Education & Research (CLEAR)

https://www.facebook.com/CLEARatMSU

Learn from links from these trusted organizations

Get quickly to quality, web-accessible resource

Learning language improvement through video usage

http://sisaljournal.org/archives/sep12/hirschel_yamamoto_lee/

Initial results appear to indicate that student videos are correlated with a positive effect upon students’ interest in, enjoyment of, and confidence in speaking English, but not with perceptions of increased general English ability or ability to interact in English. . . . Taken together, the qualitative and quantitative data point to a pattern whereby, over the eight month course of study, students appeared to be developing a greater interest in and enjoyment of communicating in English.

Research & journals online too

Her research investigated what kept adult English learners of Italian motivated during a beginners' course. Though the students joined the classes for a variety of reasons and were taught by different teachers using different approaches, it quickly became apparent that maintaining motivation was closely connected to the social elements involved.

. . . "We found that those most likely to stick with it were the ones who developed a social bond within a group,“ . . . "For them, learning Italian became part of their social identity: something they do one evening a week with a group of pleasant and like-minded people. For both groups [in the study], social participation was the driving force for sustaining motivation."

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/mar/19/language-learning-motivation-brain-teaching

Find articles & research

Consider workshops in using technologies in language instruction, created by and for teachers

Locate professional development, such as this self-efficacy in language-learning online webinar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw4sOfUS6p8

Find compiled repositories of resources

Commercial applications are available too

Ways to use internet-accessible resources in language instruction

Making this happen

Planning & training for technology acquisition Partner with

other disciplines• Computer & writing instructors

• Modules to share among all disciplines

Students self-support• Peer training• Badging• Students help other students

Integrate tutorials• Place in your course

• Integrate the many supports and links available Have students

participate in creating technology

supports

Integrating technologies can help support the VITAL role of language education

Address global demand • 21st century

skills• Commerce &

trade

Develop cultural understanding & awareness• Present/ popular culture• Economics, geography,

history

Develop foreign language fluency• Learning

through integration of usage with technology