social networking in language learning
DESCRIPTION
Academic presentation on innovative teaching methods in FL teching classrooms, involving socials and the InternetTRANSCRIPT
In this short presentation we will
Discover the latest didactic innovation
involving IT
Getting to know Skype as tool for
language learning
Find a “place” were to meet possible
partners in our project
Read some feedbacks from teachers who
are using this tool in their classes
What’s SKYPE?
Skype (pron.: /ˈskaɪp/) is a proprietary Voice over
IP service and software application.
Some prices of Skype-in or out (in euro):
ITALY > GERMANY: 1,9 cents/min
ITALY > USA : 1,9 cents/min
ITALY > JAPAN : 2.3 cents/min
ITALY > AUSTRALIA : 1,9 cents/min
ITALY > BRAZIL : 2.3 cents/min
ITALY > TURKEY: 2.8 cents/min
TYPE OF CALL CHARGE
PC to PC For free
PC to phone (“SKYPE-
OUT”)
Cheap calls depending
on the country you are
phonning to / from. Phone to PC (“SKYPE-
IN”)
Possible applications in language
learning
Classroom to classroom
videoconferencing activities
1:1 activities, in a school lab
Personal relatioships between students
around the world (TANDEM)
PRO
Intercultural knowledge of the world
Social interaction among classmates and with pupils around the globe
It increases motivation and interest for the subject
It stimulates curiosity
Provide direct access to authentic language, bringing language into life
It sets up linguistic awareness
It’s a low-cost activity for the school
CONS
The school has to provide a good
internet connection
The teacher needs to know how to use
the program
Lesson must be prepared very carefully to
prevent technical inconvenient
Where can I begin?
eTwinning is the community for schools in
Europe.
it offers a platform for staff (teachers, head
teachers, librarians, etc.), working in a school in
one of the European countries involved, to
communicate, collaborate, develop projects,
share and, in short, feel and be part of the most
exciting learning community in Europe.
What can I find on eTwinning?
Just by registering on the website www.etwinning.net/it/pub/index.htm
You can become part of a community of teachers and schools and:
Create every possible kind of collaboration (commmon projects, discussions, etc) with collegues across the EU countries.
Create a partnership with one or more EU schools
Some possible activities
Pair works on laptops
Class debates
Competitions between classes
Metalinguistic tasks
Intercultural activities
Some feedbacks (1)
(some extract)
“students take a leading role in the project,
also those who are not generally active
can take responsibility, believing in
themselves”
Jo speak, Cookridge Primary school
Some feedbacks (2)
“It has a peculiar role in motivation, in way that normal classroom can’t. Pupils have a real audience for their work. Perhaps they might be interesting for the some thinks. It can be a great topic of competition
Once a boy asked the teacher to check his work about football he has written to another country because he did not want the other to think that he couldn’t write good English”
Professor Marylin Leask,
University of Bedfordshire
Some feedbacks (3)
“It give some sense of important, it improve
their self-esteem they are able to value
them self and what their doing, they feel
important, part of the community, part of
the school”
Nick Falk, Sackville school
Time to sum up!
By using SKYPE you can easily make your
student become part of a something
which was completely unthinkable before!
They can become aware of the real
importance of language learning
They can meet cultures and different way
of lives
They can understand to be a little part of
something much greater.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Conor Galvin, 2010, eTwinning in the classroom: A showcase of good practice (2008-2009), Central Support Service for eTwinning, Brussels
Council of Europe, 2001, Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment, Cambridge University Press, London
Christina Crawley, Anne Gilleran, Donatella Nucci, 2010, Voices of eTwinning: Teachers talk, Central Support Service for E-twinning, Brussels
WEBSITES
http://www.etwinning.net/it/pub/index.htm (visited on Jan, 18th 2013)
http://www.slideshare.net/saraheaton/using-skype-for-language-teaching (visited on Jan, 24th 2013)
http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning-programme/comenius_en.htm (visited on Jan, 24th 2013)
www.skype.com (visited on Jan, 24th 2013)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skype (visited on Jan, 27th 2013)