Telecollaborative Language Learning

This guidebook brings together the knowledge, insight and experience gained by the participants of an international telecollaborative language learning project entitled Moderating Intercultural Collaboration and Language Learning (MICaLL). Telecollaboration is understood here as a shared teaching and learning experience between distanced partners that is facilitated through the use of Internet technology; an area of growing interest for many teachers. The book first provides a theoretical outline of suitable pedagogical practices for this type of joint effort and then moves into the more practical aspects of designing, setting up, implementing and evaluating telecollaborative projects. The guidebook considers relevant questions and issues which often come up when teachers without previous experience in telecollaboration undertake this type of enterprise. Through the realistic advice and practical examples provided, the reader will be motivated to engage in telecollaborative language learning projects with their own pupils.

Telecollaboration, or online intercultural exchange, has become widely recognised as an effective way to promote the development of intercultural communicative competence and language skills. However, the study and implementation of new 2.0 environments such as wikis, Skype, virtual worlds and gaming for telecollaboration is still in its infancy. How can these multilingual, multimodal, collaborative environments be used to promote language and intercultural learning? What are the implications for teachers and learners and what new literacies are required? Do they offer an added-value? This book seeks to answer these questions and many more by bringing together the experience and expertise of researchers and practitioners alike. The authors offer critical stances, new frameworks and practical case studies to help the reader 'navigate' the world of Telecollaboration 2.0.

This book provides a nexus between research and practice through teachers' narratives of their experiences with telecollaboration. The projects described in the volume serve as excellent examples for any teacher or education stakeholder interested in setting up their own telecollaborative exchange.

Providing an overview of how online technology is being used for foreign language learning, this title assesses three different models of telecollaboration and covers theoretical approaches to online intercultural exchange as well as practical aspects.

Student engagement relies on the students and their willingness to participate in the learning process and can be enhanced through the application of various technologies within learning environments. However, strategies for implementing these technologies need research and development to be implemented effectively. The Handbook of Research on Fostering Student Engagement With Instructional Technology in Higher Education is a comprehensive academic publication that focuses on the engagement of learners with academics in higher education and especially how this engagement can be fostered with the integration of new technologies. Featuring an array of topics such as gamification, digital literacy, and social networking, this book is ideal for instructors, educators, administrators, curriculum developers, instructional designers, IT consultants, educational software developers, researchers, academicians, and students.

This volume provides a state of the art overview of Online Intercultural Exchange (OIE) in university education and demonstrates how educators can use OIE to address current challenges in university contexts such as internationalisation, virtual mobility and intercultural foreign language education. Since the 1990s, educators have been using virtual interaction to bring their classes into contact with geographically distant partner classes to create opportunities for authentic communication, meaningful collaboration and first-hand experience of working and learning with partners from other cultural backgrounds. Online exchange projects of this nature can contribute to the development of learner autonomy, linguistic accuracy, intercultural awareness, intercultural skills and electronic literacies. Online Intercultural Exchange has now reached a stage where it is moving beyond individual classroom initiatives and is assuming a role as a major tool for internationalization, intercultural development and virtual mobility in universities around the globe. This volume reports qualitative and quantitative findings on the impact of OIE on universities in Europe and elsewhere and offers comprehensive guidance on using OIE at both pedagogical and technological levels. It provides theoretically-informed accounts of Online Intercultural Exchanges which will relevant to researchers in Computer Assisted Language Learning, Computer-Mediated Communication, or Virtual Education. Finally, contributors offer a collection of practitioner-authored and practically-oriented case studies for the benefit of teachers of foreign languages or in other subject areas who wish to engage in developing the digital literacy and intercultural competences of their learners.

The ability to effectively communicate with individuals from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds is an invaluable asset. Learning a second language proves useful as students navigate the culturally diverse world; however, studying a second language can be difficult for learners who are not immersed in the real and natural environment of the foreign language. Also, changes in education and advancements in information and communication technologies pose a number of challenges for implementing and maintaining sound practices within technology-enhanced language learning (TELL). Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Technology-Enhanced Language Learning provides information on educational technologies that enable language learners to have access to authentic and useful language resources. Readers will explore themes such as language pedagogy, how specific and universal cultural contexts influence audio-visual media used in technology-enhanced language learning (TELL), and the use of English video games to promote foreign language learning. This book is a valuable resource for academicians, education practitioners, advanced-level students, and school administrators seeking to improve language learning through technology-based resources.