Tell me about it: Pan-American collaborative language exchange projects By Aurora Castillo-Scott...

Tell me about it: Pan-American collaborative language

exchange projectsBy

Aurora Castillo-Scott Ed.D.Juan Alcarria M.A.

Telecollaboration in University Foreign Language EducationFebruary 12-14, 2014

• eTandem Projects• First Project:

• Institution: EAFIT University, Medellín, Colombia• Courses:

• GCSU: Intermediate Grammar• EAFIT: Intermediate Conversation

• Length of Project: 3 semesters.• Second Project:

• Institution: Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile.• Courses:

• GCSU: Spanish Structure and Composition.• UdeC: Intermediate Conversation

• Length of Project: 1 semester.

• eTandem ProjectsFirst Project Second Project

GCSU(USA)

EAFIT(Colombia)

GCSU(USA)

UdeC(Chile)

Students 20-21 18-20 14 20-25

Instructor Spanish instructor

English instructor

Spanish instructor

English instructor

Class Length 45 minutes to 1 hour

45 minutes to 1 hour

30 minutes to 1 hour

30 minutes to 1 hour

Number of Interactions

Once a week for 1 month

Once a week for 1 month

One meeting once a month for 4 months.

One meeting once a month for 4 months.

First Project Second Project

GCSU(USA)

EAFIT(Colombia)

GCSU(USA)

UdeC(Chile)

Technology Wimba/Blackboard Skype/Google Hangouts

Tech Support Lab Coordinator Lab Coordinator

Assessment Written Report Oral Report Blog Oral Report

Additional Interaction

Home Interaction Home Interaction

• Topics

Colombia Project: Personal Introductions – Family. Childhood. College life and plans for the future. Learning languages and study abroad. Culture topics (holidays, music, movies, sports, etc.).

• Chile Project

Sessions Dates

1Aug 27

2Sept 10

3Oct 22

4Nov 12

GCSU(USA)

Likes, places for entertaining, music, holidays, and festivities in Chile

Past events, Past trips, Childhood, Family in Chile

Future Plans, College life and working opportunities in Chile

Open Topic

UdeC(Chile)

How to apply to a US college. Future plans.

Trips, tickets, airlines, airports.

Opening a bank account, types of accounts

Open topic

• Process: Step 1:

• Students’ information (names – emails - Skype accounts).• Pair students (1 English speaker – 1-2 Spanish speakers).• Usernames/passwords.• Instructors’ training session.

Step 2:• Students’ training session (Wimba Instructions Handout –

Project Guidelines – Essay/Blog grading criteria).• Meeting times and dates.

Step 3:• Meeting at main Lobby.• Drag and drop

(breakout rooms).• Greetings and start

interactions.• Supervise interactions

and technical problems.

Step 4:• Written reports/Blogs.

Suggestions and Limitations• Suggestions:

Be organized. Select and prepare topic ahead of time. Select assessment technique. Suggest/request time spent in each language. Give clear instructions and expected outcomes. Give brief introduction about the partner institution

and students. Reserve time for reflection before and after.

• Suggestions cont. Select technology and back up technology. Prepare technological support. Train yourself, partner-instructor, students. Select students’ pairs (if not at random). Select dates, time and length of project. Prepare handouts. Cooperate with partner instructor. Be open to last minute changes. Make sure students have access to technological tools

needed.

• Limitations: Time difference between countries. Time difference between classes. Equal number of participants in each group. Students accountability. Internet speed/connection. Technology malfunction.

• Finding a Partner Institution• First Project: • Personal email.• Personal visits and meetings.

• Second Project:• www.LinguaeLive.ca

Contribution of Jennifer Hosek and Mayu Takasaki (Queen’s University)

jhosek@queensu.ca - Mayu.Takasaki@QueensU.ca

• What is www.LinguaeLive.ca?

• A free tool for eTandem using VOIP (Skype) to help learners improve their language and cultural skills by making connection abroad.

Contribution of Jennifer Hosek and Mayu Takasaki (Queen’s University)

jhosek@queensu.ca - Mayu.Takasaki@QueensU.ca

Unique Elements

• Free, non-commercial, open access.• Developed by instructors and students.• Designed for accountability and efficiency.

Contribution of Jennifer Hosek and Mayu Takasaki (Queen’s University)

jhosek@queensu.ca - Mayu.Takasaki@QueensU.ca

• How www.LinguaLive.ca works?• It provides 3 important roles for successful

eTandem. • 1)Match maker for instructors: • LinguaeLive website provides a place where

instructors can find their partners. Once instructors sign up, they can view potential partners and request partnership. LinguaeLive will match instructors according to their language pairing and their time frame.

Contribution of Jennifer Hosek and Mayu Takasaki (Queen’s University)

jhosek@queensu.ca - Mayu.Takasaki@QueensU.ca

• 2) Match maker for students. • LinguaeLive matches students according to

their availability. Once instructors are paired up, their students will sign up and enter their availability. Then LinguaeLive will match students accordingly. Having mutually available time, pairs can easily schedule their sessions.

Contribution of Jennifer Hosek and Mayu Takasaki (Queen’s University)

jhosek@queensu.ca - Mayu.Takasaki@QueensU.ca

• 3) Time keeper! • Students can use LinguaeLive to record their

session time. This function makes record keeping easy as instructors can view their students’ activity online.

*Students need to open LiLi and their preferredVOIP at the same time. Start and stop buttons have to be pressed by different students for the credibility.

Contribution of Jennifer Hosek and Mayu Takasaki (Queen’s University)

jhosek@queensu.ca - Mayu.Takasaki@QueensU.ca

• How to use LignaueLive.ca• 1) Instructor sign up 2) Instructor pairing

• Upon sign up, instructors can see a list of ‘Potential Complementally Courses’

Contribution of Mayu Takasaki (Queen’s University)

Mayu.Takasaki@QueensU.ca

• 1) Students sign up 2) Student pairing

Students will create their own account under their instructor’s account using ‘Course Code’, and enter their availability. Instructors can see their students account activities.

LiLi will list potential partners that have overlap in their availability. Students can send message fromhere. Instructor can decide whether students will have single or multiple partners.

Contribution of Jennifer Hosek and Mayu Takasaki (Queen’s University)

jhosek@queensu.ca - Mayu.Takasaki@QueensU.ca

• Student’s Voice about LinguaeLive

Contribution of Jennifer Hosek and Mayu Takasaki (Queen’s University)

jhosek@queensu.ca - Mayu.Takasaki@QueensU.ca

Contribution of Jennifer Hosek and Mayu Takasaki (Queen’s University)

jhosek@queensu.ca - Mayu.Takasaki@QueensU.ca

Contribution of Jennifer Hosek and Mayu Takasaki (Queen’s University)

jhosek@queensu.ca - Mayu.Takasaki@QueensU.ca

• Students’ Comments• I learned more in this experience that what I could have

learned from a book…now I am not nearly as nervous as before about speaking with native speakers, I am ready to practice with native speakers around the world.

GCSU Students EAFIT Students

• Students’ Comments

• I gained motivation and confidence to continue studying Spanish as a foreign language in hopes that I will become fluent one day. eTandem allowed me to realize that Spanish speakers living in a part of the world I have never been to can understand my Spanish without any problems and that gave me so much confidence in myself.

GCSU Students with UdeC Students (Chile)

• Instructional video about Linguaelive (LiLi)• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

gRpkvuxLwwQ