1. Pamela V. Arrarás FAAPI 2010 Effects of Telecollaboration through E-forums onLanguage Learning and Motivation

2. Download my research paper at: http://tiny.cc/arraras2010faapi Let’s be green!

3. Virtual Backpacking &Cultural Bridges

4. What exactly is telecollaboration? a. definition b. types c. modelsThe Study a. Rationale & Context b. Purpose c. Research Design d. FindingsLessons learned from this study: a. How to get started b. Reliable sites with ready made projects & more info Agenda

5. What is telecollaboration? “The use of Internet communication tools by internationally dispersed students of language in institutionalized settings in order to promote the development of foreign language linguistic competence and intercultural competence.” (Belz, 2003).

6. Types of telecollaborationWarschauer (1997) One-to-one telecollaboration. Eg. International Email Tandem Network. Many-to-many telecollaboration: Shared students’ publications (such as is the case with wikis or newsletter). Comparative investigations involving both groups of students' cultures or issues of interest. Collaborative creation and exchange of folklore compendia, oral histories and other projects. E-forums (my field of research )

8. Reciprocity: both learner & expert role.

9. Autonomy: high level of self-discipline and learning skills required.

10. The Cultura Model (MIT)

11. Stage 1: Questionnaires designed to reveal basic cultural differences(native language). Results compiled and presented side by side.

12. Stage 2: Analysis of questionnaires in the classroom (target language) with the teacher's guidance.

13. Stage 3: Exchanges and forums. Students from both groups meet in online message boards accessible to all participants. (either language as long as they can get their message across).

14. Stage 4: Analysis of the forums in the classroom and analyze both the language and the content of the exchanges.

17. E-forums (Moodle)

18. Both L1 and L2 used.The Project

20. What are the observable effects of this particular project in the students' language learning skills and performance?

21. What insights can be gained from this experience regarding organizational aspects of projects of this kind?Motivation: “A state of cognitive and emotional arousal, which leads to a conscious decision to act, (CHOICE) and which gives rise to a period of sustained intellectual and/or physical effort (PERSISTANCE & EFFORT) in order to attain a previously set goal.” Purpose / Research Questions

22. My Research Paradigm: The educator doing research Research Methodology (According to Brown’s characteristics for primary research 2004) Data type: quantitative (questionnaire, grades) and qualitative (feedback slips, forum contents, interviews). Data collection methods: non-experimental. No control group. Survey research. Data analysis methods: statistical as part of the process, but overall interpretive. Intrusiveness of the study: leaning towards non-intervention. Students did the project subject of this research as part of their regular course of studies. Selectivity: non-selective. All sts who participated in the project were included in the study. Reasoning: inductive Context: natural. The study was carried out in the classroom. “Set of basic beliefs […] that deals with ultimates or first principles. It represents a worldview that defines for its holder, the nature of the world, the individual's place in it, and the range of possible relationships to that world and its parts […] The beliefs are basic in the sense that they must be accepted simply on faith; there is no way to establish their ultimate truthfulness” (Guba & Lincoln, 1994) Research Design

23. Findings: Motivation

24. Findings: Motivation

25. Findings: Motivation

26. Findings: Motivation Pamela says: “¿Hubieras participado de la misma manera si la participación en el proyecto no era obligatoria y con nota?” Student says: “si, ya q como ingles particular lo había finalizado hacia un año estaba medio olvidada en el idioma entonces pude volver a aplicar lo q ya había aprendido”

27. Findings: Language Learning

28. Findings: Language Learning

29. Findings: Language Learning

31. Self management: A student mentioned that they found that they had to be able to do things by themselves, as the teacher “is not inside the computer with me” and they had to find ways to get the message across.

33. those of your peer at the other school,

34. the skills of the students,

35. the technological capabilities of both schools and groups of students.

37. Getting started… Decide on how you will assess the project Make sure that you set a minimum number of interventions for each student in order to promote interaction. For example, if using forums you could establish that each student has to post three comments and that each comment needs to address another student’s questions as well as posting new questions to keep the conversation going.

38. Getting started… If the other group is learning your students’ native language, decide on a method to ensure that both languages are used in the forum. Separating forums is a possibility, but students tend to participate in their L1 forum most. Another possibility is requesting that 50% of each message is written in each language, as the E-Tandem Network recommends. If you’re mostly interested in developing your students’ reading skills, Cultura’s model of only L1 writing might be suitable.

39. http://www.epals.com http://flatclassroom09-3.flatclassroomproject.org/ http://iearn.org http://iearn.org/projects/projectbook.html http://www.globalschoolnet.org/ Good places to start looking for projects and partners…

40. pamelaarraras@gmail.com Twitter: pamelaarraras www.pamelaarraras.com.ar Thanks for coming!!!!!