International Network: Germany, Iceland, UK, USA

Mirjam Hauck

m.hauck@open.ac.uk

• Web = rich source of cultural information and authentic language resources

• Internet = dynamic arena for communication between individuals and groups– synchronous tools: direct contact with native speaker

learning partners– asynchronous tools: more time for reflection, greater

impact on ICC gain (Hauck and Lewis 2007)• Web 2.0 technologies = social networking/computing

Context

• Increasing convergence of technologies• Different communication modes in one medium:

learner’s computer• High levels of multimodal communicative competence

(MCC)

“The ability to understand the combined potential of various modes for making meaning” (Royce 2002)

Context

• Hypothesis:

Varying levels of MCM have crucial influence on intercultural awareness gain in telecollaboration

• Research objectives:

1. Analyse the impact of synchronous and asynchronous environments on development of MCM and ICC

2. Establish to what degree these competences are interdependent.

Aim

• Two multimodal environments:– Flashmeeting (http://flashmeeting.open.ac.uk)

• video and audio conferencing, text chat, onscreen whiteboard and file upload/download features; recorded and time-stamped; can be replayed by all participants at any time via the web

– fOUndit (http://foundit.open.ac.uk)• repository for annotated links to text, audio and visual

resources; digitally recorded on password protected server • 10-week pilot phase, two 10-week project phases• Language learners from the UK and Iceland; teacher trainees

from Germany and the USA

Methodology

• Spitzberg’s (2006) Model and Measure of CMC Competence• ELP in MyStuff

– The Council of Europe’s (2007) Autobiography of Intercultural Encounters

• Fantini’s (2000) Your Objectives, Guidelines, and Assessment (YOGA) form, a self-evaluation guide for ICC

• Post-treatment interviews using Stimulated Recall (Gass and Mackey 2000)

Data collection

Schedule ParticipantsUK and Iceland: language learners (German and English)USA and Germany: languageteacher trainees

Tools

asynchronous synchronous

September(pre-treatment)

receive and return pre-treatment questionnaires

Moodle Forum

OctoberWeek 1(warm-up)

- get to know each other- familiarise themselves with tools

Moodle Forum FlashMeeting

OctoberWeek 2 and 3

- read literature about the use oftechnology to facilitate language learning and intercultural exchange- discuss/speculate about whatworks and what not

Moodle Forum FlashMeeting

Oct week 4 - prepare for task design:search online for examplesof tasks and materials for owntasks (dedicated websites)

fOUndit FlashMeeting

NovWeek 1 and 2

- design tasks (American andGerman teacher trainees) leadingto multimodal presentations on intercultural issues

Moodle Forum FlashMeeting

NovWeek 3 and 4

- carry out tasks (Icelandic andBritish language learners) drawingon online tools to give multimodal presentation on intercultural issues

Moodle Forum, fOUndit, blogsor wikis (dependingon task design)

FlashMeeting(depending ontask design)

DecWeek 1-2

- evaluation of experience Moodle Forum FlashMeeting

January(post-treatment)

- receive and return post-treatment questionnaires

FlashMeeting