Social interaction through video-webcommunication and virtual worlds:

An added value for education

Kristi Jauregi, Silvia Canto, Rick de Graaff, Utrecht University and partners

Online Educa Berlin 2010

Structure

• Background to NIFLAR • Experiences• Examples• Research results• Conclusions

NIFLAR (2009-2010)• Partners: Universities of

– Utrecht in the Netherlands– Granada and Valencia in Spain– Coimbra in Portugal – Palacky in Olomouc the Czech Republic,– Nevsky and Novosibirsk in Russia– Concepción in ChileTELL Consult (Netherlands)Secondary schools, in Spain and The NetherlandsCoordination: Utrecht University

• Target languages: Dutch, Portuguese, Russian & Spanish

Where to start?

NIFLAR objectives:

• Enrich• Innovate learning processes • Improve

Make them more rewarding!!

How?

Interaction Telecollaboration

Learner centeredness

ICCAuthenticity of learning

Blended learning, combinining • Face-to-face classroom teaching

• Telecollaboration:– To enhance oral interaction & ICC– Using synchronous tools that enable oral

distant interaction with expert peers– According to relevant and meaningful tasks

Second Life

Open Sim

Adobe connect

(Surfnet)

Telecollaboration in NIFLAR• Cross-cultural interaction among peers • Interaction formats:

1 native pre-service teacher & 1 or 2 foreign language learners

• Focus on social interaction according to specific tasks

• Integration in courses• Tutorials• 5 sessions, once a week IMPORTANT: to create a win-win situation

Task design criteria for:

Experiences

• Tasks for Dutch, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish have been developed.

• Several pilot experiences have been carried out in video-web and/or Second Life,

• Both with secondary and tertiary learners• Almost 400 students have participated

Example video-web communication

•Task: student life (The Netherlands – Czech Republic)•TL: Dutch (beginner/A2)•Student teacher + student Dutch

•Task: student life (The Netherlands – Czech Republic)•TL: Dutch (beginner/A2)•Student teacher + student Dutch

Example in Second Life:Task

Task 2People and adventures:

-TL; Spanish (B1)-pre-task & task

-NS & FLL

People and adventures:

-TL; Spanish (B1)-pre-task & task

-NS & FLL

Scenarios:-Participants meet at a restaurant and have

to decide where to go to on holidays: winter/summer holidays.

-Go to a hotel (reception/room) -- Depending on their choice go to the

summer or winter slurl

Scenarios:-Participants meet at a restaurant and have

to decide where to go to on holidays: winter/summer holidays.

-Go to a hotel (reception/room) -- Depending on their choice go to the

summer or winter slurl

Example Second Life

Research issues

Is there any added value in implementing virtual interaction in language teaching curricula?

1. Students’ perceptions (evaluation of experiences)

2. Meaningfulness of interactions3. Impact on motivation: Willingness to

communicate (MacIntyre et al. 2001) • Perceived competence• Communication anxiety

Results participants’evaluationVery positive:

• Interactions with pre-service native teachers highly contributing to enhance learning processes (gains in self-confidence, fluency, cultural awareness, vocabulary).

• The environments, in spite of technical problems, effective for enabling interaction & strong preference for VWC or SL above other SCMC tools (chat or audioconferencing).

• Interactions being relevant & fun. • Tasks motivating and useful.

Preliminary results interaction analysis• Learners exposed to very rich input.• Learners activate knowledge & strategies to

communicate in the TL.• Authenticity of interaction: spontaneous language

use with a convergent objective.• Varied rich & meaningful sequences of negotiation

of cultural and linguistic meaning emerge. • Building on empathy.• Reinforcing learner-centeredness• Differences according to tool: static versus

dynamic, unpredictable language use.

Results: Significant impact on motivation

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Week

2

3

4

5

Ave

rag

e A

nsw

er

VC VC VC

VC

VC

VC

VC

SL SL SL

SL

SL

SL

SL

C C C C C C C

Competence

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Week

2

3

4

5

Ave

rage

Ans

wer

V

V V V V V V

S

S SS

SS

S

C C C C C C C

Like speaking to native speakers

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Week

2

3

4

5

Ave

rage

Ans

wer

VV

VV

VV

V

SS

S

S

S

S

S

C C C C C C C

Perceived competence

Get nervous talking in the TL

5 point Lykard scale

ConclusionsChallenging and motivating learning environments:• Support authenticity of learning by favouring motivation

& learner centeredness. • Participants favour experiences of enjoyment and success. • Rich learning sequences emerge during interactions. • Learners improve their intercultural communicative

competence substantially • Intersubjectivity and social empathy are enhanced• Adequate environments also for introvert learners

(particularly Second Life)

Would you like to know more about NIFLAR?

Join us in niflar.ning.comwww.niflar.eu

Thank you for your attention!!