The EuroCALL Review - Vol 20, No 1 (2012)

Tabla de contenidos

Artículos

Learning register variation. A web-based platform for developing diaphasic skills
Designing for online interaction: Scaffolded and collaborative interventions in a graduate-level blended course
Task design for L2 oral practice in audioblogs
A Cell Phone in the Classroom: A Friend or a Foe?
Assessing oral proficiency for intercultural professional communication: the CEFcult project
Combining face-to-face learning with online learning in Virtual Worlds
What data for data-driven learning?
Towards new roles for learners and teachers in a language learning system?
Application of Gender Difference and Topic Preference to Promote Students’ Motivation for Online EFL Learning
I’m* two rabbits / J’ai un rouge pullover*. How corrective feedback is handled in collaborative exchange programmes between early language learners
An in-depth exploration of the effects of the webcam on multimodal interactive learning
Identifying Identity: Using Second Life in the Teaching of Sociolinguistics for the rasing of Gender Awareness
The VoiceForum platform for spoken interaction
Correcting erroneous N+N structures in the productions of French users of English
What is the impact of video conferencing on the teaching and learning of a foreign language in primary education?
In search of the optimal path: How learners at task use an online dictionary
One Quiz File, Several Modes of Delivery
Design perspectives on technology, language teaching and language teacher education
Integrating cross-cultural interaction through videocommunication and virtual worlds in foreign language teaching programs: burden or added value?
Using a quest in a 3D virtual environment for student interaction and vocabulary acquisition in foreign language learning
On Experience of Integrating CALL in Everyday Practice of Language Teaching
Facebook used in a German film project
Changing teachers’ attitudes towards ICT-based language learning tasks: the ETALAGE Comenius project (the Portuguese case)
An evaluation of an automated approach to concept-based grammar instruction
Supporting Low Ability Learners in a Tertiary Level Compulsory English Programme using CEFR Based Online Language Software
Building up an equilateral language learning triangle through innovation and pedagogic improvement: the example of an educational innovation project
CALL: A triangle of triangles
Revising writing in an online learning environment
Come si fa? Can virtual worlds help us promote Intercultural Awareness?
An electronic dictionary and translation system for Murrinh-Patha
Digital literature: finding new ways to motivate students to read Brazilian literature electronic books
The learner, the media and the community: How does learning take place in the other CALL triangle?
Students as Doers: Examples of successful e-learning activities
“... then click on the correct answer”: which way ahead for the field of CALL?
Enhancing writing skills through blogs in an EFL class

URI permanente para esta colecciónhttps://riunet.upv.es/handle/10251/199592

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Enhancing writing skills through blogs in an EFL class
(Universitat Politècnica de València, 2012-03-22) Vurdien, Ruby
[EN] Today Web 2.0 technologies, including blogs, are presenting both teachers and learners with new horizons in the field of language teaching and learning. A blog is an online journal which can be continuously updated by its users (Matheson, 2004). People can write their views at their own pace without space and time constraints. Blogs aid in the development of interpretive and critical thinking skills. The present study explores how a blog as a computermediated tool engages a group of EFL learners, at a language school in Spain, in reflective and collaborative learning, and argues that personal blogs can motivate students to build on their writing skills through self-reflection and peer feedback. The students had become more careful with planning their task and error correction before submitting their work. Collaborative skills were also fostered through students regular interaction on the blogs.
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"... then click on the correct answer": which way ahead for the field of CALL?
(Universitat Politècnica de València, 2012-03-22) Tschichold, Cornelia
[EN] Despite the promise it holds, tutorial CALL has been marginalized within the CALL community. Where the computer is used solely as a tool, the beneficial effects of feedback for language learning are absent. Vocabulary would be one of the areas where tutorial CALL can be of great use to the individual learner. A small study on learning Welsh vocabulary shows some of the areas where feedback in vocabulary CALL could be improved.
Access status: Abierto ,
Students as Doers: Examples of successful e-learning activities
(Universitat Politècnica de València, 2012-03-22) Tammelin, Maija; Peltonen, Berit; Puranen, Pasi; Auvinen, Lis
[EN] This paper discusses learning language and communication activities that focus on students concrete involvement in their learning process. The activities first deal with student-produced blogs and digital videos in business Spanish. They then present student-produced podcasts for Swedish business communication learners that are meant for speakers of Finnish. Finally, the activities introduce language karaoke for individual pronunciation practice in Swedish. These successful learning by doing activities have shown to enhanced the students´ motivation and interest in learning.
Access status: Abierto ,
The learner, the media and the community: How does learning take place in the other CALL triangle?
(Universitat Politècnica de València, 2012-03-22) Sockett, Geoffrey
[EN] In this research project, students in applied linguistics were asked to keep blogs over a three-month period in which they reported on their online informal learning of English through activities such as social networking, downloading films and TV series and listening to music on demand. The study is situated within the framework of complexity theory, many aspects of which are well suited to describing informal language development. The blogs are analysed according to a number of learning processes suggested by Larsen-Freeman and Cameron (2008) and a corresponding range of learning activities are observed. Finally, suggestions are made as to possible classroom applications of this work.
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Digital literature: finding new ways to motivate students to read Brazilian literature electronic books
(Universitat Politècnica de València, 2012-03-22) Soares Barbosa, Vânia; Lima, Vera; Silva, Rejane; Silva, Willy; Soares, Ana Carolina; de Sousa, Aline
[EN] This quantitative and qualitative study is aimed to diagnose and promote the use of new technologies in teaching literature reading in Public (State) Schools, assessing materials accessibility and computer skills. The research consisted of three distinct steps: 1. A survey to detect teachers and students computer skills, their use of computers and accessibility; 2. Search and list websites where users can either read or download Brazilian literature books; 3. Workshops on where and how to access these books. This research is also intended to reflect upon electronic books and their impact on reading.
Access status: Abierto ,
An electronic dictionary and translation system for Murrinh-Patha
(Universitat Politècnica de València, 2012-03-22) Seiss, Melanie; Nordlinger, Rachel
[EN] This paper presents an electronic dictionary and translation system for the Australian language Murrinh-Patha. Its complex verbal structure makes learning Murrinh-Patha very difficult. Design learning materials or a dictionary which is easy to understand and to use also presents a challenge. This paper discusses some of the difficulties posed by the Murrinh-Patha verb system and proposes electronic resources which build on deep language processing to perform the required tasks.
Access status: Abierto ,
Come si fa? Can virtual worlds help us promote Intercultural Awareness?
(Universitat Politècnica de València, 2012-03-22) Nocchi, Susanna
[EN] This paper describes the author’s experience with a pilot course of Italian in SL®2 . The course is part of a PhD research on Exploring the potential of virtual worlds to promote Intercultural Awareness in students learning Italian as a Foreign Language. In the paper the author will justify her choice of virtual worlds for the development of language competence and Intercultural Awareness and will present some results of her activity theoretical analysis of the data. Problematic areas and potential moments for the development of Intercultural Awareness were highlighted during the analysis.
Access status: Abierto ,
Revising writing in an online learning environment
(Universitat Politècnica de València, 2012-03-22) Nikiforou, Eleni
[EN] The screen of the computer provides good practice for the writing process and functions as an exemplar for it since what is being written is not permanent in contrast to writing with pen on paper. The following research questions were addressed to explore the area and were investigated through the data: 1) Do students revise their writing globally or on the surface? 2) Do students co-operate or collaborate to edit their produced text? This paper will report the results from data taken from tertiary EFL students writing collaboratively and/ or co-operatively in a wiki to complete a task. This paper focuses on the revisions and editing university students did to their text while completing a group task in a wiki for the purposes of an upper-intermediate to advance English language course. The methodology that lies behind the research is grounded theory. The research conducted is qualitative and as such the data is collected from the wiki and the history pages which kept track of the students work in the wiki. An attempt is made to distinguish between superficial and global revisions the students performed. Emphasis is given to the frequency with which the students entered the wiki to edit, and the quality of the revisions to their work. From the data we can also draw conclusions as to whether the students collaborated or co-operated to edit their work. The discussion will round off with implications for future research and offer suggestions about how EFL students from the specific and similar contexts could be encouraged to revise in order to write better.
Access status: Abierto ,
CALL: A triangle of triangles
(Universitat Politècnica de València, 2012-03-22) Montoro, Carlos; Hampel, Regine
[EN] Institutional investment in technology and infrastructure for the provision of new online and self-access language learning opportunities is not always accompanied by the necessary changes in the practices of learners, practitioners and managers in higher education (Wertsch, 2002). As a result, feelings of frustration, helplessness and confusion in individuals can begin to emerge soon after the initial excitement and novelty wear off. A large investment project that has little or no overall impact may give rise to questions about the adequate use of resources and ultimately lead to abandoning, discontinuing or replacing the project. What lies at the root of failures to implement CALL institutionally? How can new practices emerge from existing ones? To explore these questions, in this paper we describe a project based on the assumption that the proposed CALL triangle consisting of the student, the teacher and the institution should be seen as a triangle of triangles, that is, the combination of three separate triangles, each one representing the specific activity system of the student, the teacher and the institution. The rationale is that these activities have different objects and motives as well as their own inner contradictions manifested in various ways. Building upon activity theory (Leontiev, 1978; Vygotsky 1987; Engeström, 1987) and expansive learning theory (Engeström, 1987) principles, the authors advocate the Change Laboratory methodology developed at CRADLE (University of Helsinki’s Center for Research on Activity, Development and Learning) to bridge gaps between the three activities of the student, the teacher and the institution by finding a shared object, building a common zone of proximal development and creating the necessary tools that could lead to the formation of a new collective activity.
Access status: Abierto ,
Building up an equilateral language learning triangle through innovation and pedagogic improvement: the example of an educational innovation project
(Universitat Politècnica de València, 2012-03-22) Martínez-Sáez, Antonio; Sevilla-Pavón, Ana; Gimeno-Sanz, Ana; Generalitat Valenciana; Universitat Politècnica de València
[EN] In recent years, several initiatives relating to pedagogical innovation have been implemented at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), Spain, in order to integrate ICT into current teaching practices by means of combining the efforts made by teachers, students and the institution itself in terms of the support it provides. These three core elements reflect the main theme of the EuroCALL 2011 Nottingham Conference, i.e. the CALL triangle. The paper focuses on the role played by each of these three elements or sides of the equilateral triangle that has been set up in our particular research context. The authors will refer to one of the projects funded by the UPV, known as the Innovation and Improvement in Education Project (Proyecto de Innovación y Mejora Educativa – PIME), which aims to encourage academic staff to engage in projects that provide an added value to a subject by renewing methodologies, rethinking teaching strategies, that is, on innovation. It was this funding initiative that allowed the authors of this paper to complete the final design, development and implementation stages of the recently published InGenio FCE Course & Tester, an online preparatory course and exam simulator for learners wishing to acquire a B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (2001) of competence in English or take the Cambridge First Certificate in English Examination. The authors will refer to the courseware and illustrate how the CALL triangle has been formulated and sustained.
Access status: Abierto ,
Supporting Low Ability Learners in a Tertiary Level Compulsory English Programme using CEFR Based Online Language Software
(Universitat Politècnica de València, 2012-03-22) Lynch, Gavin; McKeurtan, Maureen
[EN] This report describes the processes, methods and results of using language software based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) in a tertiary level institute in Japan in order to facilitate the learning of low ability learners of English. None of the learners were English majors, all were between the ages of 18 and 20, and the classes were compulsory. Approximately 100 learners were divided into four classes, A, B, C and D, in order of decreasing ability, according to their performance on a placement test. This research focuses on Classes C and D. Students in these classes were all at or below the CEFR s A1 level in their English ability. Online language software was first used in order to tackle factors which were considered by Lynch (2011) to be the cause of lower performance in students in Classes C and D, namely the lack of four factors: motivation, achievable goals, concentration ability and proper classroom management. In the first year, the lowest ability class, Class D, used online software designed to teach vocabulary at level A1 of the CEFR for 25 minutes out of a 90 minute session for a total of 15 sessions, while the higher level classes were taught using traditional methods. The software was used in such a way as to tackle the four factors for lower performance, mentioned above. It was found that Class D eventually performed as well as Class C (in terms of ability shown in a CEFR-based examination) after the 15 sessions. In the second year of the study (with new participants), Classes C and D both used the computer program yet Class D performed better in terms of the quantity and knowledge of vocabulary covered. The reasons for this are discussed in this paper with particular attention paid to difficult to control classroom circumstances. One significant difference between the classes was the achievement targets set by teachers, with the lowest ability class, Class D, having a target being only half of that set for the next higher class up, Class C. Despite this, the Class D average performance was significantly higher than that of Class C. We present our hypotheses for the above results in this paper, and it is hoped that it will be useful for other teachers of low ability language learners using CALL in the classroom.
Access status: Abierto ,
An evaluation of an automated approach to concept-based grammar instruction
(Universitat Politècnica de València, 2012-03-22) Lyddon, Paul A.
[EN] Acquiring sufficient linguistic proficiency to perform competently in academic and professional contexts generally requires substantial study time beyond what most language programs can offer in the classroom. As such, teachers and students alike would benefit considerably from high quality self-access materials promoting independent learning out of class when possible and, thus, allowing greater social interaction in class when necessary. The present study is a follow-up to Lyddon (in press), in which a concept-based approach to grammar instruction was adapted into a series of computerized modules. As the number of participants in the previous study was insufficient for meaningful statistical analyses of the learning outcomes, the current investigation redressed this shortcoming as well as responded to survey suggestions for several key changes to the pedagogical materials, including provision of more numerous training sentences, more highly elaborated feedback on exercises, and an immediate remediation option. As before, the purpose of the present study was to determine the viability of a computer-based conceptual approach to teaching English grammar. In a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design, 31 Japanese university English learners of English for Science and Engineering completed a series of self-paced, interactive online tutorials aimed at teaching the concept of grammatical voice. Gains were then measured in terms of improvement in post-treatment grammaticality judgments. While the findings showed the modules to be generally effective, they also suggest important differences in learner understanding of the use of animate vs. inanimate subjects. Thus, additional study will be needed to focus on this particular issue.
Access status: Abierto ,
Changing teachers' attitudes towards ICT-based language learning tasks: the ETALAGE Comenius project (the Portuguese case)
(Universitat Politècnica de València, 2012-03-22) Lopes, António
[EN] Many foreign and second language teachers are reluctant about shifting from traditional language instruction to TBLT. Another challenge has been the use of ICT in the classroom, a problem addressed in previous Comenius projects. The ETALAGE project aimed to build on the achievements of such projects and to address these challenges, by collecting, re-designing, adapting and disseminating samples of good practice of ICT-based language learning tasks (A1-B2 CEF levels) in primary and secondary education. Partners produced in-service teacher training courses adjusted to local needs. Independent experts in language teaching monitored the quality of the products at a national level. This paper explains the project setup and its implementation in Portugal, describing a) the specific challenges and constraints that the local reality poses to an international project like this and; b) the perceptions of the Portuguese trainees in pre- and post-course surveys concerning the use of ICT in TBLT.
Access status: Abierto ,
Facebook used in a German film project
(Universitat Politècnica de València, 2012-03-22) Leier, Vera
[EN] Looking for a way to make German language study more relevant and to step out of the conventional classroom setting, I introduced Facebook (FB) as a learning platform to my intermediate German students at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. The students took part in a film competition. A FB group was created and the films were uploaded. The students and a selected audience commented on the individual entries. German was exclusively used as the language in the group.
Access status: Abierto ,
On Experience of Integrating CALL in Everyday Practice of Language Teaching
(Universitat Politècnica de València, 2012-03-22) Kogan, Marina
[EN] This paper discusses the results of experiment on teaching CALL elements to second year Linguistics students as a part of syllabus of practical studies in IT course. The syllabus of the CALL part of IT course is described which is followed by the discussion about experience in implementing it, achieved results and arisen difficulties.
Access status: Abierto ,
Using a quest in a 3D virtual environment for student interaction and vocabulary acquisition in foreign language learning
(Universitat Politècnica de València, 2012-03-22) Kastoudi, Denise
[EN] The gaming and interactional nature of the virtual environment of Second Life offers opportunities for language learning beyond the traditional pedagogy. This study case examined the potential of 3D virtual quest games to enhance vocabulary acquisition through interaction, negotiation of meaning and noticing. Four adult students of English at advanced level and a native speaker of English formed two groups, one group of two students and one group of two students and the native speaker. The groups took part in the Pot Healer Adventure Quest in Second Life. Qualitative analysis showed that a) there was a great amount of output and meaningful interaction, as well as negotiation of meaning and negative feedback for the words tested, b) small but substantial quantities of incidental learning of vocabulary occurred, together with some small samples of incidental learning from some students, and c) noticing worked very well in the activity, due to the combination of the written chat, the virtual environment and the game itself. There is a need to promote the creation of quests that will combine the attractive elements of games with the aim of second language learning. More research is needed to see how we can have effective language learning while interacting in virtual environments. More study cases with various samples should be conducted for more conclusive evidence.
Access status: Abierto ,
Integrating cross-cultural interaction through videocommunication and virtual worlds in foreign language teaching programs: burden or added value?
(Universitat Politècnica de València, 2012-03-22) Jauregi, Kristi; de Graaff, Rick; Canto, Silvia
[EN] Organizing and implementing telecollaboration projects in foreign language curricula is not an easy endeavour (Belz & Thorne, 2006; Guth & Helm, 2010), as pedagogical, organizational and technical issues have to be addressed before cross-cultural interaction sessions can be carried out (O’Dowd & Ritter, 2006). These issues make many teaching practitioners reluctant to try to integrate telecollaboration in their teaching, as they are more aware of the burden such initiatives might impose than of the benefits they might have for language learners. Within the European NIFLAR project we attempted to address the question under which circumstances and for what purposes integrating synchronous collaboration projects through video-communication or Second Life in language teaching might have an added value in language learning, taking organizational and technical issues into account. In order to answer this question different sources of data were gathered and analysed: questionnaires and interviews, oral pre- and post-tests and recordings of interaction sessions. Results show that telecollaboration experiences have an added value on cultural, linguistic, interpersonal and motivational issues.
Access status: Abierto ,
Design perspectives on technology, language teaching and language teacher education
(Universitat Politècnica de València, 2012-03-22) Jalkanen, Juha; Laakkonen, Ilona
[EN] Despite the national strategies and major efforts to promote pedagogical use of ICTs in education, training programs for in-service teachers have often failed to develop sustainable pedagogical practice. For sustainable development, teachers need to be offered opportunities to explore the role of technology in relation to their concept of language and learning, and reforms should be designed in negotiation with teachers and students. In teacher education, aspiring teachers are being informed of the latest research results, but bringing the theory down to practice is a major task that calls for development work soundly based on research. In this paper we suggest that design-based research (DBR) may help to meet some of the challenges related to integrating technology in language teaching and language teacher education. We claim that teachers need to develop their expertise in multimodal pedagogy, not so much in the use of specific technological applications. To support our claims, we draw from a study where the pedagogical thinking of aspiring language teachers was analysed during the subject studies and new research-based pedagogical structures were developed.
Access status: Abierto ,
One Quiz File, Several Modes of Delivery
(Universitat Politècnica de València, 2012-03-22) Herbert, John C.
[EN] This report offers online course designers, particularly those keen on using Moodle CMSs, a means of diversifying accessibility to their educational materials via multiple modes of delivery that do not require the creation of numerous files and formats for just one activity. The author has made contributions to the development of an open source module for Moodle known as QuizPort and has collaborated with the creator of QuizPort to explore methods for using the module such that content added to it can be more smoothly delivered via smart phone, tablet, or handheld game console. Key points to consider when designing online content for a variety of devices are addressed.
Access status: Abierto ,
In search of the optimal path: How learners at task use an online dictionary
(Universitat Politècnica de València, 2012-03-22) Hamel, Marie-Josée; Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
[EN] We have analyzed circa 180 navigation paths followed by six learners while they performed three language encoding tasks at the computer using an online dictionary prototype. Our hypothesis was that learners who follow an optimal path while navigating within the dictionary, using its search and look-up functions, would have a high chance of successfully completing the tasks. We have found that learners who indeed followed such an optimal path were systematically successful in completing the tasks. While alternative paths mostly led to failures, some did, nevertheless, lead to success. One didactic implication that emerged from this experimental study suggests that optimal navigation paths can be taught to learners so as to enhance their navigation strategies while they use dictionary search and look-up functions for specific language learning tasks, and in turn, increase their chances of task success.

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