Schedule: 2009-09-12 (12:45 - 13:30)
Parallel Session 2 (Room A-31)
Title: Towards a pedagogic framework for task design in video web communication and virtual worlds
Authors: Rick de Graaff, Ton Koenraad, Machteld Moonen, Silvia Canto, Kristi Jauregi
Abstract: In the international NIFLAR project, Networked Interaction in Foreign Language Acquisition and Research, eight universities cooperate in and outside Europe aiming at making foreign language education more authentic and interactive through innovative e-learning environments.
Within the NIFLAR project two environments are being developed in which students can communicate with native speakers. In a video web communication environment students from various countries can talk with each other, work together and share files (for example photos, presentations, films). Their discussion partners are native speaker student teachers , who in this way have the opportunity to communicate with real foreign language learners and give them feedback. Secondly, Second Life-like 3D Virtual Worlds are introduced that focus on foreign language interaction, acquisition and intercultural awareness. In such an environment students from different countries can ‘meet’ each other and carry out activities and assignments together. For this, researchers are developing pedagogical tasks in which intercultural awareness and authentic social interaction play a much larger role than in present-day classroom language education.
In order to design networked interactive tasks and assess the effectiveness of such tasks being carried out, a set of design principles has been developed and is currently tested. This framework focuses on such criteria as interactivity, language level, negotiation of meaning, focus on form, intercultural awareness and distant and computer-mediated communication. In the presentation we will present the framework and discuss the theories and models it is based upon. In order to illustrate its application, we will present the analysis and assessment of a some tasks that have been developed for and applied in video web communication. Subsequently, we will present the application of the framework for tasks in 3D virtual worlds, in which native speaker student teachers and foreign language students interact in virtual culture-specific settings. We will discuss what the potential effectiveness of such environments can be and how this can be exploited in task design and task performance.
Keywords: Computer mediated communication, task development, video-web communication, virtual worlds, networked interaction, intercultural communicative competence
Main topic: Computer Mediated Communication (CMC)
Biodata: Dr. Rick de Graaff is researcher and consultant in language learning and teaching at the IVLOS Institute of Education, Utrecht University. His fields of expertise, both at secondary and higher education level, include task-based language learning and teaching, content and language integrated learning, computer-supported collaborative language learning, and professional development in pre-service and in-service language teacher training. Drs. A.L.M. Koenraad worked for 15 years as a teacher and trainer of in-service teachers in secondary education. In Higher Education he held a variety of positions: Teacher of Pedagogy and Methodology, Teacher/Researcher CAL, ICT-Coordinator and currently he works as ICT-E consultant. His main interests are in CALL related task design, telecollaboration, CorpusCALL and tools for CLIL, MOOs and 3d MUVEs for language learning. He has coordinated projects in the fields of modern languages and teacher education. For the Council of Europe he moderates the LanguageQuest network at www.lquest.net. and is (was) involved in a number of international EU projects. Dr. Machteld Moonen has finished her PhD in the field of task-based foreign language pedagogy at the IVLOS Institute of Education, Utrecht University. Her expertise includes foreign language task design, task-based assessment, in-depth analyses of learners' task performance, second language acquisition theories and teaching of Spanish as a foreign language. Drs. Silvia Canto is lecturer of Spanish at Utrecht University and is doing her PhD research on 3D Virtual Worlds. Her expertise includes tasks development for formal and networked interaction. She has collaborated in pilot studies with the use of video-web communication tools. Dr. Kristi Jauregi Ondarra is lecturer and researcher in applied linguistics at the Spanish Department of Utrecht University. Her fields of expertise include foreign language acquisition and teacher training, task-based language teaching, computer mediated communication, and intercultural pragmatics. She has participated in ICT projects and has directed the pilot experiences with video web communication. She now coordinates within the European Lifelong Learning Program the NIFLAR project.
Type of presentation Paper presentation
Paper category Research & Development
Target educational sector Higher education
Language of delivery English
EU-funded project Yes