EUROCALL 2010, Bordeaux, 08 September 2010

Telecollaboration 2.0: 

What to do in a digitally-networked globalized society?

Sarah Guth & Francesca Helm

CMC SIG

This workshop is presented by the CMC SIG, which was formed at Coleraine 2007. One of the main areas of interest of SIG members is telecollaboration, and this workshop, though run by two SIG members, represents many of the SIG members who in the last three years have collaborated in two regional SIG events, online discussions, a bid for an EU project on telecollaboration, symposia and presentations at Eurocall conferences and the publication of a book, Telecollaboration 2.0: Language, Literacies and Intercultural Learning in the 21st Century, which collects some of the papers presented at the 2008 SIG meeting in Padova, Italy and some invited papers by experts such as Steve Thorne, Marie-Noelle Lamy and Robin Goodfellow. 

Context

For over a decade now telecollaboration, or online intercultural exchange, has become a relatively common practice among individual foreign language teachers. However, whereas in the past projects tended to be bi-national, bicultural, and bilingual, in recent years, it has become increasingly clear that the concept of culture is much more complex and fluid than national culture and that the use of new online tools for communication require new online literacies on the part of students and teachers alike. 

Workshop objectives

To review and discuss recent trends in the practice of telecollaboration, such as different configurations of partners in terms of types of learners, groupings and languages used. To explore practical examples of ‘Telecollaboration 2.0’ projects, focusing on the task design and the new tools and environments used. To better understand some of the critical issues for telecollaboration practitioners today, such as teacher collaboration and assessment.

Expected outcomes

Participants will have a more complete understanding of the numerous opportunities available for implementing new forms of telecollaboration in their own contexts. Participants will also have a better understanding of the challenges involved, but concrete ideas about how to deal with these issues. Participants will leave the workshop with concrete ideas about how they can implement Telecollaboration 2.0 in their own contexts to enhance their students’ language and intercultural learning and online competences.

Resources

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Workshop programme

14.00-14.15 Introductions

14.15-14.45 Telecollaboration 2.0: New configurations, objectives and contents

14.45-15.30 Group activity 1: exploring practical examples

15.30-15.45 Break

15.45-16.00 Brief presentation of issues regarding task / project design

16.00-16.45 Group activity 2: application to personal contexts

16.45-17.00 Closing discussion: Critical issues in Telecollaboration 2.0 

Group Activity 1: Exploring practical examples

Groups: 3-5 attendants  (feel free to make groups as you like!)

Step 1 (15 min.): Quickly scan through the 8 case studies listed below. For each one consider (or take notes on):

• the advantages and disadvantages
• the feasibility of implementing the example in your own case (why or why not?)
• similarities with or differences from more 'traditional' configurations or experiences you have had
• do they promote all 3 domains (language learning, ICC and new online literacies) or does one dominate?

Step 2 (15 min.): In your groups, discuss your 'findings' and together choose:

• one case study you find to be particularly effective or interesting
• one case study you find to be problematic.

Step 3 (15 min.): Each group presents their choices to the whole group followed by discussion.

Case Study 1

Case Study 2

Case Study 3

Case Study 4

Case Study 5

Case Study 6

Case Study 7

Case Study 8

Group Activity 2: Application to personal contexts

Groups: 3-5 attendants  (feel free to make groups as you like!)

Step 1 (10 mins.): Establish the general context (real or fictional) for your mock exchange 

Step 2 (15 mins.): Brainstorm ideas for the exchange. You may want to consider, for example,

- What are the proposed learning outcomes?

- What type of participants will be involved?

- What language(s) will be used for the exchange?

- What tools and environment(s) will you use?

- What kind of tasks will you design?

- How will students interact with the tools / each other / the teacher?

- What kind of reflective activities will students be required to do (group discussions, individual journals/blogs, will these be private or public?)

- What are the technical requirements? (e.g. broadband, installing software, technicians, other equipment such as microphones, i-pod, etc.)

institutional constraints

Step 3 (20 mins.): Build the project. With the poster and materials you have been given, build a 3-stage project and design a task for each of the three following phases, Information Exchange, Comparison and Analysis, Product Creation. Prepare to present it to the rest of the group. In the poster, the group should point out: 

• the main task for each phase, 

• who does what and when (students and teachers), 

• tools/environments used in each step,

• Expected output from the students at each step.

Step 4 (5 mins.): Choose one member in the group to present the mock exchange to the rest of the group