The use of asynchronous online discussion groups to promote reading, writing and interaction in foreign language learning

1. The use of asynchronous online discussionThe use of asynchronous online discussion
groups to promote reading, writing andgroups to promote reading, writing and
interaction in foreign language learninginteraction in foreign language learning
Teadira PérezTeadira Pérez
University of Los AndesUniversity of Los Andes
Faculty of Humanities andFaculty of Humanities and
EducationEducation
School of Modern LanguagesSchool of Modern Languages
Mérida- VenezuelaMérida- Venezuela
teadira@ula.veteadira@ula.ve

2. The purpose of this presentation is to
demonstrate how a tutor-made Webquest
and an asynchronous online discussion
group can be integrated to a course titled
Reading and Writing in English - Level II for
undergraduate students.
Purpose

3. Throughout this talk I will offer you a
description of how the We bq ue st and the
asynchronous online discussion group were
integrated in order to support students'
reading comprehension and written
productions. To achieve this, I will show:
a) the procedures for integrating the We bq ue st and
the online discussion group with a Reading and
Writing course;
b) students' comments and opinions while
interacting with their peers through the e-group
discussions;
c) students' perceptions of combining e-group
discussion with a Reading and Writing class;
and,
d) the pedagogical challenges of integrating e-
group discussion in a Venezuelan language

4. The integration of asynchronous technological tools,
such as e-discussion groups, can promote
communication and interaction among learners
(Weasenforth, et al. 2002). Asynchronous tools
promote interaction among learners by using
strategies which are paramount to develop critical
thinking: reflection, evaluation, solving problems or
simply exchanging ideas (DeWert et al., 2003). But
these e- tools also provide learners, future teachers,
researchers or translators, with the opportunity of
experimenting with new technologies which
contribute to their professional development.
Learners, then, can have the opportunity of
experiencing technology from the users´perspectives
and be able to evaluate the benefits of incorporating

5. Apart from helping learners develop their computer
literacy, the e-discussion group encourages
learners to construct knowledge by interacting
socially and learning collaboratively (Vygotsky,
1998; Donato, 1996). When learners scaffold each
other, their knowledge is built through the context of
threaded e-discussions. Discussions, when
threaded, become particularly significant to learners
because of their active participation in meaningful
and authentic contexts. Threaded discussions
involve users responding to one another's
comments directly. These comments or postings
are the thre ads that emerged from the main
discussion: students respond directly to a comment
related to the main topic, and another student
replies to this response, and so a thre ad is formed

6. The introduction of We bq ue sts and e-group discussions in
the EFL classroom, in this particular case, considered the
five step model suggested by Salmon (2000). This model
provided the basis for designing the e-activities students
needed to motivate and actively encouraging students for
participating in the e-group discussions. This model
comprises five stages:
a) access and motivation;
b) socialization;
c) Information exchange;
d) knowledge construction; and,
e) development.
These stages for designing e- activities will be explained
later on to illustrate how Webquests and e-group discussions
were integrated into a Reading and Writing subject at
university level.
Procedures forintegrating the Webquest and the
online discussion group with a Reading and Writing
course

7. Stage 1 - Access & MotivationStage 1 - Access & Motivation
The Re adwrite inte ract project consisted of e-
tasks to encourage students to read, write
and interact both on-line and off-line. We
were three tutors carrying out this project
simultaneously. I am going to report, in this
talk, only my own experience.
The purpose of this stage was to provide students
with induction sessions in order to familiarize them
with:
a) the Webquest content and tasks;
b) the e-group discussion tool; and
c) the way how these e-tools were incorporated to
the Reading
and Writing II subject by integrating them to a
classroomproject called Readwriteinteract.

8. InitialInitial stagestage
During this initial stage, students were
given clear guidelines to start
participating in the Re adwrite inte ract
project. Students were asked to read a
fiction booked titled HOLES by Louis
Sachar to develop their reading
comprehension and written productions.
Then, students were asked to answer
the guided questions, provided by the
tutor, to ensure comprehension of the
book content. These questions were first
published in a tutor-made WebQuest.

9. InductionInduction sessionssessions
These sections were focused on
demonstrating students the purpose of
the Webquest. Additionally, students
were told how to use the information
published on the Webquest and how to
start using the e-discussion group. This
information was presented using
PowerPoint in order to offer students not
only the content of the Webquest, but
also technical support to create their e-
mail accounts, to join the e-group, to log
in, and to start posting and replying
messages.

10. Description of the Webquest and theDescription of the Webquest and the
e- discussion groupe- discussion group
A Webquest is an inquiry-oriented activity in
which most or all of the information used by
students is online. By providing certain links
necessary to complete the quest, the student
is able to focus on the material rather than to
spend time looking for it.
This is the Readwriteinteract Webquest:This is the Readwriteinteract Webquest:
http://www.zunal.com/webquest.php?w=73391
The five-part WebQuest (Introduction, Task,
Resources, Process, Evaluation, and
Conclusion) promotes critical thinking at the
levels of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.

11. Introduction:
This section explains the purpose of the task –reading
a fiction book–and of the Webquest.
Task:
This part contains all the tasks students need to
undertake during the semester in relation to the
Webquest and the e-discussion group.
Process:
This part includes all the questions that will guide
students´ e-discussions.
Evaluation:
This section presents the guidelines for evaluating
students when interacting with their peers, using the
e-discussion group.
Conclusion:
This final part encourages students to reflect upon
what they have learned after undertaking all the tasks
assigned.
Resources:
This section offers students links that will expand their
knowledge of the book content, the author, themes,
and how to take part in the e-discussion group.

12. Description of the e-groupDescription of the e-group
discussiondiscussion
The e-group discussion provided students
with an open space for exchanging
information, contributing to knowledge
construction and engaging students in
authentic and meaningful discussions to
complement classroom tasks. Students could
read, post and reply messages. Additionally,
students and tutors could add files, links and
pictures which contributed to the discussion
and the classroom project such as a hando ut
abo ut pre se ntatio n skills . Students could also
post messages and questions related to their

13. Apart from using the e-group discussion, two
chat sessions were organised using
Webheads, in groups of five, in order to
answer questions and clarify doubts related
to the identification of themes and the final
semester tasks: book presentation and final
paper.
This is the Readwriteinteract e-groupThis is the Readwriteinteract e-group
discussion:discussion:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Readwriteinteract/http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Readwriteinteract/

14. Stage 2 - SocializationStage 2 - Socialization
At the socialisation stage, students were
encouraged to start posting and replying
messages to get to know each other and to
familiarise themselves with the e-tool.
The messages, presented below, show an
example of the socialization stage – students
were posting messages to introduce
themselves and to invite their peers to start
the e-group discussions.
Hello
hi everybody, my name is Andreina, i would li ke to
know if there's any peer that would love to work with
me in the discussion please write soon... bye
Andreina...
alina_nina9
Hello Andreina,
Hello!!! My name is Margerit, and I would like to
discuss about "Holes" the first ten chapters. bye
 margeritmont...

15. Stage 3 - InformationStage 3 - Information
ExchangeExchange
During the information exchange stage,
students were asked to post their
comments and opinions based on what
they thought the most salient “themes”
of each chapter were.

16. Send at least one message during the weeks, assigned by the tutor, to
show full understanding of book content. A weekly scheduled of the
project is presented below:
Week0: (Induction and socialisation)
Week1: (Part I -- Chapters 1 – 10) online discussions started
Week2: Class discussions
Week3: (Part II -- Chapters 11 – 20)
Week4: Class discussions
Week5: (Part III -- Chapters 21 – 30)
Week6: Class discussions
Week7: (Part IV -- Chapters 31 – 40)
Week8: Class discussions
Week9: (Part V -- Chapters 41 – 50) online discussions finished
Week10: Class discussions
Week11: Book presentations
Week12: Final paper
Add relevant opinions and comments.
Relate messages to previous information.
Refer to other students’ posting appropriately.
Provide new insights.
Students neededStudents needed
to:to:

17. Although, students´comments had to be
related to most salient themes, their
postings, during their first on-line
encounters, were descriptive and they
did not call for discussion. One of the
students mentioned that:
At the be g inning Ihad so m e pro ble m s to
participate , but the n Ico uld discuss with
m y classm ate s.

18. After these initial on-line discussions, I decided to
analyze with students the nature of their comments
by offering examples – shown in transparencies -
and asking them for their opinion using incomplete
statements such as:
The purpo se o f this e -g ro up discussio n is…
The num be r o f chapte rs Ihave to re ad be fo re
taking part in the e -g ro up discussio n is…
Me ssag e s have to be ce ntre d o n…

19. The following messages illustrate theThe following messages illustrate the
descriptive nature of the first e-groupdescriptive nature of the first e-group
discussions:discussions:
8
First Chapter
THERE ISN'T LAKE AT CAMP
GREEN LAKE. in this chapter
describes the scene of the tragedy
Camp Green Lake is set. It is a desert,
dry. The town shrivelled and...
margeritmont...
Offline
Send Email
Oct 25, 2006
6:29 pm
12
Re: First chapter
I agree with you the first chapter only says
about of the description of the place. Well,
in the first chapter I found a lot of
vocabulary that is good for us...
alina_nina9
 Offline
 Send Email
Oct 26, 2006
1:24 pm

20. Apart from showing students the purpose and
nature of the e-group discussions, I also provided
e-feedback by clarifying their doubts, when
necessary. The example below shows how I was
explaining the concept of the m e s in order to make
them focus on the task.
18
Hello everybody,
Remember you have to focus your
discussions on the most salient themes of
each chapter.
A reminder:
A theme is a broad idea in a story, or a
message conveyed by a work. This
message is usually about life, society or
human nature. Themes are usually implied
rather than explicitly stated.
If you need more information, please click
on:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theme_(literarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theme_(literar
y)y)
readwriteint...
 Offline
 Send
Email
Thu
Oct 26, 20
06
10:38 pm

21. During the second week, the most salient themes,
students′ opinions and connections to their own
experiences began to emerge in their postings, as
presented below:
25
Re:Themes
I think in this story there are several important themes.
One of them is "curse" that Stanley' grandfather suffered
because he had stolen a pig from an Egyptian woman,
and his descendants are suffering now. I would like to
know: Is it possible that Stanley's father is alive? This is
just a doubt! I could notice that in several chapters our
main character remembered or mentioned the follow: “It
was all because of his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-
great-great-grandfather!". In other words, Stanley always
put the blame on his grandfather for all problems he was
suffering. I think that we should not accuse someone ofI think that we should not accuse someone of
our own troubles. I think every one has a destiny, inour own troubles. I think every one has a destiny, in
simpler terms, destiny is written for every one.simpler terms, destiny is written for every one.
angolmoq
 Offline
 Send
Email
Mon
Oct
30, 2006
10:38 p
m
Most
salient
theme
Most
salient
theme
Learners´
opinions and
connections
to their own
experiences
Learners´
opinions and
connections
to theirown
experiences

22. 28
Re:Themes
AuthorityAuthority is the main theme even in the following
chapters, I mean, chapter #15;16;17.In chapter #14
we can notice how The Warden exerted her
authority over the guys even she exerted pressure
over Mr. Pendanski and Mr.Sir. I would like to know
what you think. Do you agree?
alina_nina9
 Offline
 Send Email
Nov 06, 2006
1:24 pm
Apart from reflecting upon the most salient themes of the
book, students started creating subtopics which emerged
from their responses to these themes, for instance, the
theme having g o als discussed in message # 45 was related
to the concept of intrinsic m o tivatio n in message # 48, as
presented below:
45
Re: We only have one life, so we should try to make the mostRe: We only have one life, so we should try to make the most
of it!of it!
The salient theme in this chapter is to have goals in our life and
do not quit to it, be perseverance. About Zero’s goal, he has
expended a lot of time in...
b_oreany
Offline
Send
Email
Nov 8,
2006
12:36 p
m
48
Re: We only have one life, so we should try to make the mostRe: We only have one life, so we should try to make the most
of it!of it!
Ok. Definitely, intrinsic motivation - Zero’s inner want is a
paramount element when setting up goals. Remember that
"Believing in yourself is the key to...
angolmoq
 Offline
 Send
  Email
Nov 9,
2006
1:00 pm
Most
salient theme
Most
salient theme
Most salient
themes
Most salient
themes
Learners´
reflections
Learners´
reflections

23. Stage 4 - KnowledgeStage 4 - Knowledge
ConstructionConstruction
Students were constructing knowledge
through their e-group discussions and the
themes that emerged as they tried to respond
to their peers´comments. Students were
threading their messages, mostly
concentrating on the assigned tasks, but
significantly, relating their constructed
knowledge to their own experiences.

24. Class discussionsClass discussions
The e-group discussions were also integrated
to classroom activities as a way to cater for
different students. Student-provided prompts,
which derived from students’ comprehension
of the content of the book and the inference
of themes, initiated the group discussion. The
tutor moderated the discussions and provided
support and guidance. The tutor-made
questions were answered by students both
written and orally. Students discussed and
shared their answers with their peers and
they also reflected on the themes posted in
the e-group.

25. Book presentations/ finalBook presentations/ final
paperpaper
At the end of the semester, students
needed to select one character or
episode from the text in order to
present it to the class and to write a
final reaction paper. This off-line
activity gave students the opportunity
of sharing their constructed
knowledge from the text and to share
their presentations - dramatization,
short films, PowerPoint presentations,
among others - and written

26. Students, as mentioned above, needed to read the
assigned chapters and identify the most salient
themes of each chapter before starting the e-group
discussion. Students were mostly motivated to
discuss about the most salient themes of each
chapter. The most salient themes students identified
were related to: perseverance, friendship, cruelty,
authority, racism, among others.
There were some themes that emerged in the
discussion that showed that learners were reflecting
upon the messages posted by their peers and
making connections to the text content and the
target language culture: “bullying” and

27. Stage 5 – DevelopmentStage 5 – Development
The e -discussio n g ro up was a way to e xpre ss yo ur
o pinio n abo ut “Ho le s”. Ie njo ye d it a lo t be cause I
co uld write what I tho ug ht abo ut “Ho le s”.
This so rt o f activity was use ful be cause it he lpe d m e
clarify m y ide as be fo re writing .
Ithink the o nline discussio n was an am using way to
discuss abo ut the bo o k, just m aking co m m e nts abo ut it
was re fre shing fo r e ve ryo ne , Ig ue ss.
During this stage students reflect upon their own learning
experiences by using the e-group discussion. Students′
perceptions on how the integration of e-group discussions
with their reading and writing about “Holes” help them
improve their writing were diverse. Three of the students,
highlighted the fact that the e-group discussion represented a
gateway to : a) write about their opinions about the book, and
b) organise their ideas, as presented below:

28. The integration of e-group discussions, in a
Venezuelan language teaching context, implied tutors
facing a number of challenges. The first one, computer
facilities, represented one of the challenges I had to
face when integrating e-group discussions into the
EFL classroom. I felt the need to bridge the dig ital
divide by bringing my own laptop in order to give
students extra training when required. Internet
connection was not available in classrooms and
computer labs did not have enough computers to
accommodate all students in one induction section.
Class time restrictions made it also quite difficult to
schedule students, consequently, one-to-one sessions
in my office was, sometimes, the one off solution.
Pedagogical challenges of integrating e-group
discussions in a Venezuelan language teaching
context

29. Students´computer literacy was another challenge
since I had to bear in mind that most students were
not familiar with the e-group tool. Induction sessions
were, therefore, important and they involved guiding
students in creating e -m ail acco unts, jo ining , sig ning
in, po sting /re plying m e ssag e s, and adding file s when
participating in the e-discussions issues. At the
beginning of the course, students′ frustration was
related to the fact that most of them were taking part
of this kind of activity for the first time and they
needed training to participate in e-group discussions
successfully. Additionally, students were lacking
technical skills to efficiently po st and re ply
messages. Another drawback, was related to the
fact that most students did not have access to the
Internet at home, and they needed to go to Cyber
Cafés in order to post and reply messages which, in
some cases, caused delay in their responses.

30. Another challenge faced by both the
tutor and the students was related to
the asynchronous feature of the e-
group discussion. Though
communicating no-simultaneously has
the advantage of making tutors and
students work at their own pace; peers′
and tutors′ responses when not
provided promptly, demotivated
students by reducing e-group
interaction and exchanges. When
responses were delayed, students lost
the need to follow threaded comments.

31. Recommendations for tutors
This blended learning experience – the integration
of the tutor-made Webquest and the e-group
discussion to the Reading and Writing II subject –
provided an insight into the understanding of how
these e-tasks demand both tutors′ and students′
active roles in the construction of meaning when
reading and writing. Based on this experience, I
would recommend tutors, to successfully
implement these e-tools to their classroom, to:a) hold on-line and off-line training sessions in
order to help learners use information and to
monitor their language learning;
b) encourage group work considering classroom
dynamics for interaction;
c) integrate e-tasks with classroom activities
and/or classroom projects;

32. d)do not delay responses and try to encourage
students to participate within scheduled
weeks to avoid frustrations and to keep them
motivated.
e)ensure classroom dynamics by motivating
students to discuss online: make sure
students understand that participating in
online discussions is essential and that you
expect them to get involved in the e-tasks.
f) offer feedback and support when students are
using WBSALL material on their own, and;
g)provide before, whilst, and after use guidance
to students in order to determine students’ IT
and language needs, to monitor students’ e-
groups use, and to evaluate the benefits
students are gaining from using the material.

33. To sum up, in e-group discussions students get
hands-on experiences in communicating and
interacting with their peers and tutors, via
technology, and develop their reading and writing
through meaningful, contextualized and authentic
contexts. As technology is changing the way in
which people communicate, new teaching practices
need to be introduced in the teaching and learning
of English as a foreign language, most importantly,
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)
need to be embedded within the EFL classroom
curriculum and activities. It is important to consider,
then, not ‘what te chno lo g y can do fo r the stude nts’,
but ‘what the stude nt can do with te chno lo g y’ (Felix,

34. Thanks!