language learning
New media, new communicative genres and inclusive technology-mediated L2 pedagogy: A conversation with Steve Thorne
Professor Steve Thorne is well-known for his work on second and foreign language development and Internet-mediated communicative activity.
Steve Thorne is identified with the study of language use, communication dynamics and technology-mediated foreign, second, and plurilingual language learning, occurring within and outside of formal educational settings. His work draws on sociocultural and cultural-historical approaches to language development and he is particularly interested in multiplayer online gaming environments, the "cultures of use" of Internet communication tools, and intercultural communication. Professor Thorne is currently a faculty member in the Department of World Languages and Literatures at Portland State University in the United States and the Department of Applied Linguistics at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. The following interview took place in April 2011 on the occasion of the EUROCALL CMC & Teacher Education SIGs Annual Workshop in Barcelona, in which Professor Thorne was the keynote speaker.
Closing the loop between theory and praxis: new models in EFL teaching
This article will discuss the development of a teaching unit designed for initial secondary teacher training (specializing in foreign languages).
The unit not only exemplified the theory of project-based learning (PBL) for the student-teachers but also involved them in a hands-on experience, thus fully engaging them in the development of the necessary management skills to be able to implement PBL in their own future classrooms. The unit was designed to help shift student-teachers’ understanding of teaching approaches towards pedagogies that promote autonomous language learning and collaborative problem solving. We consider how English language teachers can capitalize on the language learning benefits of project work by first examining the characteristics of PBL and then by considering how this approach can be integrated into EFL training.
DIVERGENT PERCEPTIONS OF TELECOLLABORATIVE LANGUAGE LEARNING TASKS: TASK-AS-WORKPLAN VS. TASK-AS-PROCESS
The use of computer-supported collaborative learning is more and more commonplace in language learning classrooms; this has given rise to the need for more research on roles and processes of telecollaboration in language teaching and learning and how online interactions are integrated with face-to-face classroom activities.
Using a data-driven, qualitative approach to provide snapshots of a telecollaborative language learning project, this article examines participants’ modes of language use beginning with the task-as-workplan (Breen, 1987, 1989) and then examining episodes (both F2F and online) and outcomes of the task-in-process. By pinpointing specific moments of emerging language knowledge in the telecollaborative process, the article aims to delineate salient factors involved in this type of language learning context.
Special Issue “Social media and language learning: (r)evolution?/ Médias sociaux et apprentissage des langues : (r)évolution ?” .
Through the freely available selected papers of the peer-reviewed ALSIC journal, this special issue explores which elements of the social-technical landscape of social media in language education bring something new, and which of them represent an evolution in terms of language education. The special issue has been coordinated by Françoise Demaizière and Katerina Zourou.
Vol. 15, n°1 | 2012
Médias sociaux et apprentissage des langues : (r)évolution ?
Katerina Zourou
On the attractiveness of social media for language learning: a look at the state of the art / De l'attrait des médias sociaux pour l'apprentissage des langues – Regard sur l'état de l'art
Monique Lebrun et Nathalie Lacelle
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This communication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Social media in informal language learning - competition launched
The EU network 'LANGUAGE LEARNING AND SOCIAL MEDIA – 6 Key dialogues' has launched a new competition: Social media in informal language learning and use.
This competition aims at documenting how a language learner in the Web 2.0 uses social media for language learning in daily life outside formal learning contexts.
All you have to do to take part is participate in an interview and answer questions about social media in informal language learning and use. More than 80 interviews have already been uploaded to the LS6 Vimeo channel.
For further information about the competition, the panel of jury and useful links, go to the competition website and read the instructions.
101 Web 2.0 Teaching Tools
Online tools and resources have made it easier for teachers to instruct students, and for students to collaborate with those teachers and with other students and parents. These "Web 2.0" teaching tools aren't magical, but they may seem to defy definition at times since they save time, help you to stay organized, and often take up little space on a computer. Some of these applications are Web-based, which means that they can be accessed from any computer.
The following list is filled with tools that will make a teacher's life easier. The categories are listed in alphabetical order and the links to each tool are also listed alphabetically within those categories:
Aggregators, Bookmark Managers, Classroom Tools, Collaboration, Course Management, Office Suites, Office Tools, Productivity, Public Content Management (Blogs, etc.) and Storage.
1er Congreso Internacional Sobre Entornos Digitales y Aprendizaje de Lenguas
Digitalingua nace con la intención de ser un punto de encuentro, un espacio de comunicación y un evento formativo internacional dirigido a estudiar las relaciones que se producen entre los nuevos entornos digitales y los procesos de enseñanza y aprendizaje de lenguas. Asimismo se constituye como plataforma para la creación y la transmisión de contenidos.
Se plantea establecer líneas de investigación sobre el funcionamiento de la lengua meta y los procesos de enseñanza-aprendizaje, y discusiones sobre los enfoques metodológicos más adecuados para facilitar su aprendizaje. Pretende crear espacios de encuentro y debate entre los profesionales e instituciones dedicados al secto mediante la participación de profesores e instituciones de todo el mundo. Su intención a largo plazo es dar continuidad a esta comunidad mediante la creación de un espacio estable destinado a convertirse en una plataforma para estudios y biblioteca de datos sobre la enseñanza y aprendizaje de lenguas y culturas, y sus relaciones con el nuevo espacio digital.
Objetivos:
Proporcionar un centro de reunión e intercambio para el estudio de las relaciones entre la tecnología y el aprendizaje de lenguas y culturas extranjeras.
Abordar la situación actual de la enseñanza LE/L2 respecto al uso y desarrollo de entornos digitales. Analizar oportunidades y retos, presentes y futuros.
Promover el uso de las TIC entre el profesorado de lenguas como LE y L2
Impulsar el encuentro de los profesionales y las instituciones que trabajan en la enseñanza de lenguas.
Actualizar la preparación didáctica de los profesores de lenguas en las áreas y los contenidos necesarios para su actividad.
Facilitar la búsqueda colectiva de nuevos recursos didácticos y propuestas metodológicas que contribuyan a la enseñanza-aprendizaje de la lengua.
Crear y mantener un espacio profesional estable de estudios y espacio para el intercambio y la difusión de investigaciones, así como proporcionar las bases iniciales para la constitución de un Observatorio internacional sobre entornos digitales y enseñanza-aprendizaje de lenguas y culturas extranjeras
12 de marzo
Inicio del plazo de inscripciones y envío de comunicaciones
6 de mayo
Finalización del plazo de envío de comunicaciones
13 de mayo
Finalización del plazo de inscripciones
14 de mayo
Inaguración de la plataforma del congreso
14 -19 de mayo
Comunicaciones y foros online
18 y 19 de mayo
Sesiones presenciales
19 de mayo
Clausura