An Inercontintental Video-Web Communication Project between Chile and the Netherlands

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Student cohort

Brief description and intended outcomes

This video-web communication project was set up to enrich and internationalize the learning environment of Spanish language and culture of students in both groups, aiming to enhance students' intercultural communicative competence.

Technologies used

Tasks & Phases

The project required learners to complete five tasks collaboratively, one per week, in a period of five weeks. Tasks were designed with a focus on the development of intercultural communicative competence, they aimed at creating opportunities to negotiate intercultural meaning and to promote cultural awareness, understanding and tolerance of cultural differences and discussion of commonalities.

• Task 1: Challenging stereotypes and getting to know each other - online interviews and write up
• Task 2: Interview review - peer review and publication of interviews
• Task 3: Student Life in Concepciòn and Utrecht - academic issues, student life and intercultural experiences
• Task 4: Literary Debate - Group 1 make presentations of books Group 2 act as jury and evaluate presentations. Debate on literary issues
• Task 5: DIfferences puzzle us - questionnaire on intercultural  differences, audio on pragmatic differences and discussion

Assessment

Learners were assessed on their virtual interactions, written products and reflections in the blog. The virtual interaction were assessed focusing on participants' involvement: adequate preparation, active participation, contribution to meaningful intercultural negotiation.

Evaluation of the Exchange

Positive

Students evaluated the project positively, managed to cope with difficulties and manifested positive attitude to continue with the project and recommend it to others. Positive impact on students' communicative competence, particularly intercultural and linguistic, and increased cultural awareness. Group 2 improved communicative competence when using L1 with non-native speakers and engaged in valuable metacognitive processes. Positive impact of actually seeing each other while interacting. Positive also for group 1 interacting with Spanish speaking community other than Spain - so new cultural framework, that of Latin America.

Negative

Technical problems emerged reurrently - delay in communication, volume, image quality

Different perceptions of the importance of punctuality and attendance at sessions.

Author's conclusions

Video-web technology can enrich, empower and inject life and motivation into language classes and the affordances of this technology enabled teachers and learners to enhance the language learning process and deal with pragmatic and cultural issues in authentic context.

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