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Cover Page

ASSIGNMENT
January 2015 SEMESTER
SUBJECT CODE

EEC 412

SUBJECT TITLE

COMPUTERS IN THE SECOND LANGUAGE


CLASSROOM

PROGRAMME

Bachelor of Education

STUDENTS NAME

: MOHAMMAD FUAD BN ABD MALEK

MATRC NO.

E30109120036

ACADEMC FACLTATOR

Pn Rafdah Abd Karm

LEARNNG CENTRE

POH, PERAK (COHORT 3 - PPG


PROGRAMME)

Part A: 10%
Read the article Develop and Evaluate the Effects of Multimodal
Presentation System of Elementary ESL Students by Fang-o Kuo,
P a o - T a Yu d a n W e i - H u n g H s i a o .
Answer the following questions:
a)

Describe the multimodal presentation system (MPS) use in

this study 2 pages


Answer
Storytelling

by

adults

is

considered

as

critical

step

that

can

facilitate comprehension and increase interest in teaching (Smith,


1988). Especially for language learning, storytelling is a practical
a n d p o w e r f u l t e a c h i n g t o o l ( Tso u e t a l . , 2 0 0 6 ) . C h i e n a n d H u a n g
(2000) claimed that predictable storybooks are effective in building
ESL

kindergarteners

storytelling

as

oral

way

of

and

literacy

teaching

development.

children

English

R e c e n t l y,
has

been

f l o u r i s h i n g i n Tai w a n ( L e e , 2 0 1 2 ) . I n a d d i t i o n , r e s e a r c h e r s h a v e
demonstrated
learning

in

successful

usages

significantly

of

computer

facilitating

teachers

assisted

English

storytelling

and

c h i l d r e n s l e a r n i n g i n E S L c l a s s r o o ms ( L e e , 2 0 1 2 ; Tso u e t a l . , 2 0 0 6 ) .
However, to the best of our knowledge, research of exploring the
effectiveness

of

IWB

in

English

vocabulary

learning

through

storytelling teaching method is rare, and therefore this has become


an important issue of research.

As a result, this study develops a multimodal presentation system


(MPS)

to

present

multimedia

instructional

materials

and

manage

i n t e r a c t i v e l e a r n i n g a c t i v i t i e s i n t h e c l a s s r o o m . M o r e s p e c i f i c a l l y,
the MPS is used to support the verbal instruction materials (e.g.,

printed

words,

instruction

spoken

materials

animation)

in

the

words)
(e.g.,

interactive

and

the

corresponding

illustrations,

photos,

instructional

a c t i v i t y.

visual

video,
In

and

addition,

learning achievement and satisfaction are the major objectives of


learning activities (Long, 1985; Lu et al., 2003), this study thus to
explore

the

learning

achievement

and

satisfaction

of

English

learning activity by use of the MPS.

In multimodal learning environments, students are presented content


knowledge

with

verbal

corresponding

visual

principle

instructional

of

representation

representations.
design,

and

According
learning

one
to

or

the

more

modality

outcomes

will

be

optimized by presenting the verbal and visual representations of the


knowledge

in

auditory

and

visual

modalities

(Moreno

&

Mayer,

2007). An interactive multimodal learning environment is the one in


which the presented words and pictures depend on the learners
actions and the communication is multidirectional during learning.
Figure

shows

the

architecture

of

the

multimodal

presentation

system (MPS). The MPS in the environment consists of four primary


components,

which

are

Component,

Annotation

Office
Card

Card

Component,

Component,

and

Media

Card

Manager

Card

Component. This multimodal presentation software was designed to


bring students to the interactive whiteboard, more directly involving
them in the lesson.

Office Card Component is used to manage software applications


s i m u l t a n e o u s l y,

especially

PowerPoint

software.

presentations

there

is

for

Microsoft

N o r m a l l y,
only

one

for

Power

Wor d ,
multiple

Point

Excel,

and

PowerPoint

application

can

be

activated at the same time. By using the functions provided by

Microsoft OLE and COM Automations, Office Card Component is


able to support the control of document, such as page up, page down,
page jump, and change the view of document, etc.

Media Card Component is used to manage media object containers.


F o r ex a mp le, D ig i tal Vid eo is us ed to co n n ect v id eo d ev ices an d
audio devices to display and record as a real-time streaming. Media
Player

Control

provides

scroll

bar

with

p l a y,

stop,

pause,

etc.

Browser Control and Image Control provides users with connecting


I n t e r n e t a n d i m a g e o b j e c t s , r e s p e c t i v e l y. An n o t a t i o n C a r d C o m p o n e n t
supports three major functions. Capturing is used to record screen
operations and sounds into video movie files. Handwriting is used to
support

teachers

electromagnetic

lecturing

digitize r.

handwriting
Focusing

is

with
used

notebook
to

without

emphasize

the

teaching materials by changing the background or frame colour of


the object containers. Manager Card Component is used to manage
authoring and presenting containers of materials. It includes five
m a j o r c o n t r o l f u n c t i o n s . C a r d C o n t r o l i s u s e d t o c r e a t e , a d d , c o p y,
rename, and delete the object containers. Location Control is used to
move, switch, and arrange the loc ation of object con taine r. Resize
Control is used to change the size of object containe r. Call Control
can create the relation between related materials such as the major
container and the child containers. It can record the numbers of
object containers, show the previous pages of containers, and call
the containers back to the primary monitor. Channel Control is used
t o p r e s e n t t h e o b j e c t c o n t a i n e r t o d i ffe r e n t m o n i t o r s . Tea c h e r s c a n
present instructional content in one or more columns scenario.

b) What are the findings of the study 2 pages


Answer
The purpose of this study was to develop a multimodal presentation
system (MPS) to support the English learning in the elementary
English as second language (ESL) course to enhance the students
learning effectiveness in the classroom setting. The results show that
there are statistically significant differences between the students in
experimental

group

and

control

group

on

measures

of

learning

achievement and learning satisfaction. Here the mean of test scores


was 79.78 (SD = 11.13) for the experimental group, higher than the
76.20 (SD = 8.61) for the control group. In addition, the mean of
overall satisfaction was 35.90 (SD = 4.91) for the experimental
group, higher than the 25.91 (SD = 3.91) for the control group. The
MPS facilitates the ESL learning effectiveness at the interface of
t e c h n o l o g y, p r o v i d i n g h i g h l e v e l o f i n t e r a c t i v i t y a n d m u l t i m o d a l
presentation, which are critical to the improvement of the wholeclass teaching and learning processes. In addition, by conducting
semi-structured interview of randomly selected students from the
experimental group, the data show that the students are impressed by
the

interactive

and

multimodal

features

after

s t u d y.

Several

important practical implications arise from our findings. First, the


MPS promotes a learner-centered pedagogy where both teacher and
students

are

learners.

For

example,

both

teacher

and

students

generated common topics and tried to find out the answers jointly
from the internet with the MPS. In addition, the more the students
interacted with the MPS, the more they became adept in using its
functions and features, and the more they would like to play with the
MPS to see what it could do. Second, in spite of the promising
f i n d i n g s s h o w n i n t h i s s t u d y, t h e M P S i s n o t a m a g i c t o o l f o r
i m p r o v i n g E S L s t u d e n t a c a d e m i c s u c c e s s . M o r e s p e c i f i c a l l y, M P S

cannot compensate for the teachers lack of subject matter content


knowledge,

capability

to

produce

instructional

c o m p e t e n c y,

and

classroom

MPS

was

simply

tool

that

instructional

improved

materials,

management
the

skills.

The

teachers innate

and

teaching capability in the ESL classroom. However, this tool, more


than the basic computer and overhead projector, offered teachers a
broader range of functions and features from which to provide a
variety of contexts for students with diverse learning needs. Third,
how

and

expressed

what
in

teacher

the

does

in

teacher-student

the

classroom,

normally

interactivities,

is

being

important

to

students academic success. Smith et al. (2005) claimed that teacherstudent interactivity is the primary benefit of the IWB. Based on
teacher feedback and observations in the classrooms, teacher-student
interactivity could promote the students attention to instruction and
participation

in

classroom

discussions

with

teacher

and

other

students. For example, as the teacher was instructing the vocabulary


by using the MPS and could not implement one of the MPS features,
some students actively proposed step-by-step guides to help the
teacher recover the error. Subsequent investigation revealed that it
was quite common for the teacher and students to help each other
when technical difficulties arose in the use of the MPS.
This study contains several limitations that suggest future research
directions.
randomized
approaches

First,

this

selection
were

study
and

does

not

assignment.

assigned

randomly

completely
Although
to

follow

the

classes,

truly

instructional
this

study

nevertheless is limited in the way that in educational settings the


intact classes are already constructed before the research is begun.
Efforts to replicate this study using a truly random design would be
helpful. Second, this study evaluates the post-test scores concerning
learning achievement. Further research should include a delayed posttest for evaluating whether there is a stable and persistent change in

the vocabulary learning. Moreover, further research should examine


whether and the extent the MPS is able to help ESL students learn
more materials in the same unit of time or learn a given unit of
materials

in

less

time

than

students

in

traditional

classrooms.

F i n a l l y, t h i s s t u d y e v a l u a t e s t h e l e a r n i n g e f f e c t i v e n e s s o f e l e m e n t a r y
student

in

the

context

of

ESL

subject.

Further

research

should

investigate the potential of its use in other subject areas, such as art
or math, or for students at other elementary grade levels or in higher
education to generate empirical evidence with greater generalization.

c)

Discuss

some

of

the

implications

of

the

study

in

your

classroom. 1 page
Answer
It should be kept in mind that Malaysian language learners, like any
other foreign language learners, have limited vocabulary knowledge.
Therefore, the use of multimodal texts by language teachers can help
language learners predict the content better leading to more effective
long-lasting comprehension. As a result, learners who learn with

words

and

pictures

learn

reading

content

more

effectively

and

re me mber it bette r. The result of the stud y implies tha t guessing the
story content from pictures was highly effective in increasing the
learners

reading

comprehension

a b i l i t y.

Chayaburakul

(2003)

maintained that pictures provide implication for the reader to make


intelligent

guessing.

Reading

pictures

motivate

the

readers

and

capture their attention to the content of reading materials as well as


reading tasks. Bowen (1982) explained that variation of pictures
stimulates language learners' thinking process to gain a far better
understanding of the reading passage.
Teach ers need to use innov ative digit al technolog ies and new li terac y
pedagogies to improve reading ability of second language learners.
The

findings

also

indicated

that

multimodal

learning

is

more

effective than traditional unimodal learning due to the fact that


adding visuals to verbal learning can result in significant gains in
higher-order learning. Multimodal instructional materials facilitate
reading comprehension process through the interaction between texts
and images. Multimodal texts, especially non-printed texts improve
learners pronunciation due to providing language learners with the
opportunity to listen to the texts. Multimodal texts also increase
language
learners' motivation to process reading comprehension texts. Second
language learners, who use multimodal texts, are
more motivated to deeply process reading texts than those who use
linear texts.

Part B: 10%

- 4-5 pages

Write a Report on the topic:

I n t e g r a t i o n o f Tec h n o l o g y i n Tea c h i n g E n g l i s h i n M y S c h o o l
Answer
During the last few years, many important changes have occurred in
the education systems, which will require teachers to upgrade and
refine their technology skills. Some of these changes are due to
changes in government policies related to the use of information
technology (IT) in schools while others are due to developments in
state of the art pedagogical practices. Others are due to the
continual advancements in technological products and systems
themselves, both the hardware and the software. Most countries
including Malaysia have been working hard for the last few years to
develop policies and strategies for school to infuse technology into
schools. The reasons for these efforts are not difficult to understand:
a nations economic success in the 21st century will be linked to how
well it can adopt and thrive in a global IT environment. The need for
knowledge workers and become a developed nation place tremendous
responsibilities onto schools and educators to prepare their children
to meet global technological changes. In preparing students for their

r o l e i n s o c i e t y, t h e M a l a ys i a n M i n i s t r y o f E d u c a t i o n h a s i d e n t i f i e d
technology along with literacy and communication, problem solving
and human relations as a foundation skill area to be developed in
every subject. The uses of information, communication and
technology (ICT) will not only enable the students to learn but to
also enhance their understanding of the connections between
t e c h n o l o g y, s o c i e t y a n d t h e e n v i r o n m e n t . H e n c e t h i s p a p e r w i l l
discuss the methods and the importance of integrating ICT in
teaching and learning and the concept of Smart School project. The
role of the computer as a tool and a tutor will be highlighted. The
relationship between learning theories and the use of ICT will be
discussed. Furthermore this paper points out the role of the leader in
developing IT culture through policy making and plan development,
supervision of resources, staff development and community support
in integrating technology into teaching and learning. Strategies of
ICT integration in acquiring skills and knowledge among the school
community will be suggested.

Part C: 20% - You decide on the number of pages

Finish the Story


Subjects:
Computers & Internet, Language Arts
Grades:
2, 3
Title

Finish
By
Primary
Secondary

the

Daniel

Subject

Subjects

Grade

Story

Tro yer
Language

Computers

Level

Arts
Internet
2-3

Daniel

Tro yer

Computer Use in Education


Lesson Plan #4
Top i c o f L e s s o n :
Exploring the use of characterization in childrens literature.
Finish the Story:
Objectives:
The students will be able to identify the main characters and label
the conflict or problem faced by the characters. (Students will get an
opportunity to write the conclusions to A Strange Dream, Caught in
T h e Web ! , Th e M is s i n g D u c k l i n g , a n d M y F i r s t S a i l i n g Tri p E v e r,
which

are

unfinished

stories

found

athttp://goodnightstories.com/finish.htm.)
Materials:
One of you r favorite children s stories I will use the Three Billy
Goats Gruff as an example, and a computer lab that is hooked to the
Internet.
Activities:

Introduction
(Introduc e the stor y in an exc iting ma nne r.) Ask the students what
they

would

do

if

horrible

mean

troll

were

between

them

and

something they really wanted.


Tra n s i t i o n
Inform the students that today they will learn how they can write
their own exciting stories and that they will be able to finish stories
on the Internet.
Sequence of Activities
1. Read the story to the students or have the students take parts
and read.
2. Ask the students what they thought made the story that you
read exciting. Get the students feedback.
3. Show how the storyteller introduced the characters and then
presented

the

conflict

or

problem

for

the

characters

to

overcome (the problem for the three Billy Goats was getting
across the bridge to the delicious green grass without being
eaten by the troll!).
4. Discuss how the conflict faced by the characters was brought to
a good conclusion.
5. In
the
computer

lab,

have

the

students

go

t o h t t p : / / g o o d n i g h t s t o r i e s . c o m / f i n i s h . h t m . Yo u c a n p a i r s t u d e n t s
on

the

computers

if

n e c e s s a r y. I f

you

need

to,

give

them

instructions as to how to get to the web and to the site.


6. Have the students choose a story out of the four mentioned in
the objectives that interests them and instruct them to come
u p w i t h a n d w r i t e o u t t h e r e s t o f t h e s t o r y. E x p l a i n t h a t t h e
stories each present a unique problem or situation that needs to
be resolved for the good of the character(s) involved.
Closure:
A l l o w t h e s t u d e n t s t i m e t o c o m p a r e t h e i r s t o r i e s . Yo u c a n a l l o w y o u r
students to read out loud if time allows and they want to share their
work. Review the importance of developing the problem facing the

m a i n c h a r a c t e r ( s ) i n t h e s t o r y. S h o w t h e s t u d e n t s h o w t h e y b r o u g h t a
resolution to the plot.
Evaluation:
A quiz can be given that asks students to identify the main characters
and the situations faced within the stories that they finished. (If you
wish, you can give the students a grade based on how they resolved
the problem in the stories. Be careful with your grading. Allow the
s t u d e n t s t o b e u n i q u e w i t h o u t s t i f l i n g t h e i r c r e a t i v i t y.)

Daly reflecton
The focused skll was wrtng. Overall, was qute satsfed wth
todays

lesson

because

of

some

reasons.

Frst,

the

objectves

acheved. Pupls were able to wrte sx smple sentences about ther


pet.

They

were

able

to

descrbe

the

characterstc

of

ther

pet.

Second, pupls also were able to complete the worksheet wthn the
tme gven. By the end of the lesson, pupls passed up ther exercse
book

and

corrected

managed

ther

to

grammar

check
errors

ther
rght

work
on

and
the

at
spot.

the

same

Thrd,

tme

pupls

b e h a v e d a n d d d n o t m a k e m u c h n o s e t o d a y. T h e y w e r e a f e w p u p l s
moved around and but they were able to fnsh and complete the work
wthn the tme gven. Also, n todays lesson, used postve reward
as a sgn of apprecaton portrayng good behavor. They looked very
excted and motvated to answer all queston.
However, there were some weaknesses dentfed n the lesson. Frst,
the actvty n practce stage needs a lttle more to nvolve all pupls
n the classroom notced only some of them were nvolved n the
a c t v t y. T h e r e s t o f p u p l s o n l y w a t c h e d a n d l s t e n e d . T h s s h o u l d
not happened n teachng and learnng process because t caused
pupls to become demotvated because they thought that the teacher
only focused on some pupls (Carter, Sabers, Cushng, Pnnegar &
Berlner, 1987).
To mprove, wl l prepare an actv t y that wl l nvolve ever y pupl n
the classroom. must make sure that the handout gven should be
s u f f c e n t s o t h a t e v e r y p u p l w l l b e a b l e t o t a k e p a r t n t h e a c t v t y.
Maxmum partcpaton s very mportant to have smooth lesson.
W h e n a l l p u p l s a r e w o r k n g , t h e y c a n b e c o n t r o l l e d e a s l y.
Internet Based Language Instruction, A Lesson Plan
L e s s o n O v e r v i e w C o u r s e : S e c o n d Ye a r U n i v e r s i t y E n g l i s h L a n g u a g e
Program

(Taiwan):

Public

Speaking

Forum

Number

of

Students:

approximately 25 Age of Students: 18 to 35 years Level: Intermediate


to Advanced. Duration: 1 Hour and 40 minutes, with a 10 minute
b r e a k . Top i c : I n t e r v i e w w i t h a n i n t e r n a t i o n a l v o l u n t e e r. O bj e c t i v e s
Give the students to practice their English with []
Written by Aubrey Neil Leveridge for TEFL.net
Lesson Overview
C o u r s e : S e c o n d Ye a r U n i v e r s i t y E n g l i s h L a n g u a g e P r o g r a m ( T a i w a n ) :
Public Speaking Forum
Number of Students: approximately 25
Age of Students: 18 to 35 years
Level: Intermediate to Advanced.
Duration: 1 Hour and 40 minutes, with a 10 minute break.
Topic: Intervi ew with an in ternat ional voluntee r.

Objectives
Give the students to practice their English with a native speaker
without leaving the classroom.
Question construction relating to a specific topic.
Posting to a Blog.
Materials and equipment needed
Computer Classroom with Computers

running

Microsoft Windows,

Apple OS X or Linux.
Data Transfer: networked computers with fast Internet connection
(LAN with Internet)
Vid e o i n p u t : Web - c a m e r a
Video outpu t: Proj ector
Audio input: Microphone with stand
Audio output: Speakers
Software: Skype
Guest Speaker: any world-wide location

with

Internet

access,

presented via Internet also with Skype, microphone, web-camera


Blog web page set up for the students to access.
Lesson Summary
The students will participate in a video conference with a native
English speake r. The students will, af ter a brief introduction to the
lesson,

read

pertinent

information

on

webpage

and

prepare

questions for the video conference. Once these tasks are completed,
the video-conference will begin. The teacher will assume the role of
moderator;

the

students

will

assume

the

role

of

an

informal

interviewer and interview the guest speaker via the internet. At the
end of class the students are to be instructed to post their thoughts
on

both

the

lesson

and

the

topic

to

pre-designated

homework.
Following this lesson, students should be able to:
Navigate to a web page
Construct questions appropriate to topic
Use the internet as a means of communication.
Take part in a live in ternet discussion.
Post thoughts and remarks to a blog.

blog

for

N o t e s t o t h e Tea c h e r
Level of proficiency: intermediate to advanced
Time suggested for the activity: 1 hour 50 minutes
The class is made of two periods with a 10 minute break in the
middle.
The classroom must be set up in an appropriate way so that the
students have easy access to the microphone as well as being able to
see the screen.
The microphone should be placed a few meters in front of the screen
so that the students are looking at the screen when asking questions,
not looking at the classroom with their back to the screen.
The web-camera should be placed in close proximity to the screen so
that when the students

are looking at the screen, they are also

looking into the camera. This will give the illusion of a face-to-face
conversation as well as simulating eye-contact.
T h e R e d C r o s s Web s i t e i s u p d a t e d o f t e n . T h e c o n t e n t o n t h e w e b s i t e
changes often. For this reason, it is advisable to ensure that the web
pages listed in this lesson plan are still relevant. It is advisable to be
familiar with the website content before class.
Introduction
The teacher will explain the benefits of video conferencing and how
it can be utilized by students to advance their listening/speaking
skills.
T h e t e a c h e r w i l l t h e n e x p l a i n a b o u t t h e t o p i c ( V ol u n t e e r w o r k ) a n d
about the person they are going to have an informal interview with
(an International Red Cross volunteer).
The teacher will show the students the International Committee of the
Red Cross webpage found at ht tp:/ /www.icr c.org/ and nav igate to the
English page. The teacher will then navigate to the Jobs at the
ICRC

page,

found

at

h t t p : / / w w w.i c r c . o rg / Web / e n g / s i t e e n g 0 . n s f / h t m l a l l / j o b s
The teacher will then instruct the students to read from the field
found at http: //www.icrc.org/web/ eng/sit eeng0.nsf/ht ml/nep al- stories310306

The

students

will

then

be

told

that

they

are

going

to

meet

an

international volunteer via the internet.


Pre-reading activity: group discussion.
1. How would you describe a person who does volunteer work?
2. What do you think about doing volunteer work for your entire life?
3. What are some benefits/costs of dedicating your life to helping
others?
Independent reading
The students can then open their own web-browser and navigate to
the

Red

Cross

website.

http ://www.icrc.org/web/eng/si teeng0.nsf/h tml/ nepal- stories-310306


Questions to think about as you are reading about Red Cross
volunteers:
How many people volunteer with the Red Cross?
What kind of work do they do?
Wou l d y o u b e i n t e r e s t e d i n v o l u n t e e r i n g ?
Do you think the benefits outweigh the risks?
To Students:
After reading, you will then discuss what you have read with your
group partners and discuss cultural differences between countries.
Discussion activity:
In groups of 4-5, talk about the similarities and differences between
family life in the different countries you read about. Refer to the
questions above to ask each other for more details.
You w i l l t h e n r e p o r t w h a t y o u f o u n d t h e m o s t i n t e r e s t i n g a b o u t y o u r
discussion to the class.
The students will then

be

told

that

they

are

going

to

meet

an

I n t e r n a t i o n a l R e d C r o s s Vol u n t e e r a n d t h e y c a n p r e p a r e q u e s t i o n s i n
advance of the conversation.
Note to the teacher:
This lesson is part of an English Conversation Class designed for
second year university students. The students have prior knowledge
of the vocabulary used on the websites. If a class using this lesson

p l a n i s n o t f a m i l i a r w i t h t h e n e c e s s a r y v o c a b u l a r y, a v o c a b u l a r y
worksheet prepared for the students in advance would be necessary to
ensure the class time is not devoted to terminology and explanations.
The teacher must be certain of students computer ability and online
reading as some students may need to be shown how to navigate to
the designated website.
Stages
Minutes (approximate)
Learning Objectives
Procedure
Expected outcomes
Introduction to topic.
10 Minutes
The students will be introduced to volunteer work. The benefits and
drawbacks of working in this field.
The students will then be introduced to Internet video conferencing.
The teacher will introduce the topic of volunteer work and the use of
the internet for video conferencing. The students will be instructed to
navigate to the International Red Crosss homepage.
The students will gain a knowledgeable background of volunteer work
as well as the use of the internet for video conferencing.
R e a d t h e g u e s t s Web p a g e
10 Minutes
Practice reading authentic web pages.
S t u d e n t s r e a d t h e w e b p a g e t e x t i n d e p e n d e n t l y. T h e t e a c h e r a s s i s t s
students in need and monitors the progress.
Students independently practice reading an online, authentic English
based webpage and navigate within the site.
Discussion
15 Minutes
Share ideas/peer editing
Discussion of the questions that the students may ask before they
have been constructed.
Students will gain further insight of the topic and guest through
listening and sharing of pertinent ideas.

Question construction
15 Minutes
Preparation of questions appropriate to a live interview.
Students can work in groups or alone, which ever they feel most
comfortable. They can construct questions that they may ask of the
interviewee
Construction of appropriate questions for an interview.
Break
10 Minutes
Video Conferen cing
35 Minutes
A chance to utilize listening, speaking and conversational skills in
real-time with a native speaker via the Internet
Students can come up to the microphone, introduce themselves and
ask their question(s).
Students utilize their language skills to interview a person.
Post Conference
13 Minutes
Discuss the conference proceedings.
Bring to the floor any questions so they may be answered.
A chance for students to give feedback on their thoughts of the
conference.
A teacher mediated

discussion

of

topics

brought

up

during

the

c o n f e r e n c e . Tea c h e r b e g i n s a d i s c u s s i o n o n t h e p r o c e e d i n g s o f t h e
conference and elicits any questions students may pose. The teacher
should vocalize some thoughts to initiate discussion.
This activity will allow the students to voice their opinions and
listen to others immediate reaction to the conference.
Follow-up Discussion
2 Minutes
Students can post their view of the outcome of the conference after it
has taken place in a non-classroom atmosphere.
The teacher assigns the homework which includes directions on how
to post to the blog. The teacher writes down the web-address of the
blog. Students are requested to post their thoughts about the topic

and conversation which took place. They are also asked to comment
on each others postings.
The students post their ideas and reactions to the Blog. This activity
will allow the students time to reflect on what was learned and post
thoughts of their learning experience as well as responding to others
feelings. This will give all students a forum in which to express their
feelings.
Post Lesson Activit y
Post thoughts to a blog.
Homework
A reinforcement of what has been learned in class.
Write a Blog. Post it to the internet for others to read.
I s s u es : Vid eo co n f er en c in g p r o v id es a v ir tu a l f ac e to f ac e mee tin g .
When people meet in real situations, eye contact plays an important
role. It gives cues for when to speak and when to listen as well as
p er c eiv ed at ten tio n an d in t en t. Vid eo co n f er en cin g la ck s th is e ye to
eye contact as participants tend to look at the screen to see the
other person and not directly at the camera. This gives the impression
that the participant is avoiding eye contact. This problem is currently
under research consideration (Bekkering, 2006).
To allev iate th is proble m, the ca mer a was placed so tha t when the
students were looking at the interviewee (screen) they would be
looking directly at the camera as well.
Justification:
This lesson is designed to be authentic as well as including task
based learning. Students are asked to work alone, in small groups and
as a class. This is important to create different learning atmospheres.
While working alone, students may encounter some difficulties which
can be addressed while in small groups. On the other hand, students
who feel uncomfortable speaking in front of a class will feel less
stressful working alone or in small groups.

Authentic

interactions

which

are

task-based

foster

student

m o t i v a t i o n . Th e s t u d e n t s t h a t I h a v e e n c o u n t e r e d i n Tai w a n e n j o y
meeting new people as well as using chat or video conferencing.
After using this lesson plan in class, students have later approached
me to say that the interview segment of the lesson proved to be one
of the most memorable experiences of their university education.
This

lesson

provides

many different

uses

of

web-based

language

learning. Including many types of web-based activities will avoid the


lesson from becoming inactive. Each part of the lesson is designed to
be supportive of the next stage. Each stage has an increasing amount
of interaction. The final stage however, the blog, is designed the
students to reflect on what has taken place as well as commenting on
what others have posted. The use of Blogs allows the student to
write, rewrite or edit their thoughts

before posting them to the

internet. This will minimize students fear of making a mistake in the


second language as well as fostering confidence and reinstating what
was learned.

Reference

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