Tifle Final Project Proposal

Tifle Final Project

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Video Quiz: making of.

The video I made is trying to show the possibilities of this technology to create an alternative kind of test. When I was a young English student we had similar exercises using videos with all instructions on the screen, and they were mostly oriented to train listening skills. I loved them and I learned so much…those scenes are still recorded in my memory. I think they create a special interest in the FL and they are definitely more relaxed. There is a minimum amount of preparation in comparison to a standard paper quiz, and all it took me to design, produce and edit this one was about 3 hours. The great thing about this technology is that all these recorded scenes can be used in many different ways. You can actually record many more than what you need for one quiz and then use the rest in a different one. I thought of having someone else do the acting, but I realized that the instructor should be able to do a better job in terms of the speed of the conversation, the kind of vocabulary and the accent the students are used to.

Materials
To produce this video all I needed was a standard photo camera with good resolution and the capacity to record small videos and store them in a memory card. I could have used a video camera but since all I needed were a few separated scenes of about 20-30 seconds each…my Canon Powershot 7.1 MB was enough. Not to mention the fact that I saved all the hassle of transcribing mini DV digital tape format to the computer, with a firewire cable etc…Also I wore different outfits and I used different locations to make it visually attractive.
I downloaded the scenes already separated in small .avi files onto my computer, and then I used the same software that my other camera (the video camera) uses to edit the raw footage. This software is absolutely free and can be downloaded from Canon website. It comes with a series of visual effects such as transitions, text on screen, and also sound effects. I downloaded all the music samples for this video from free music sample (loops) websites. They come in .wav format as a standard, and they were compatible with my software. I can save the final movie as a small file to use over the internet or I can burn it to a DVD or VCD.

The activity
I created this video with my current students in mind. They are at college level, Spanish Language Beginners, and they have little or no experience with oral Spanish, besides our daily class. Because of the fact that this is their first year, I actually struggle with keeping the balance between English and Spanish in the class, and I think this kind of exercise, even when used as an evaluation, can be a great way to add more oral Spanish to their training.
This activity requires only a computer with internet access (if the video is to be posted on Youtube, for example) and some kind of projector, or a DVD player and a display. Just like a paper quiz, the students only need a blank piece of paper and something to write with. In the first part of the activity (which can be indicated on the actual movie), the students will only watch and listen the movie one time. Then the movie can be displayed a second time to complete the assignment. Having the instructions for the assignment on the screen means that no talking is required and the instructor could be only in charge of moving the video back and forth. The second part of the activity requires a closer attention to the movie to be able to perceive difficult words or phrases. Once the video is completed, the instructor should review all the answers with the students to ensure comprehension. This activity is made simple because is intended to replace the standard paper quiz. I believe it can be implemented maybe once every 2-3 weeks during the second half of a normal class period.

Video Quiz: a good alternative?

Hi class, here is my video for the MP#3. I will soon post the justification, you can watch and tell me what you think in the mean time.

Second Lies

I honestly cannot think of one single reason why I would use Second Life in my language program. The environment is the most advanced version of many other online interaction programs that I have used in the past, mostly for fun and communicating with tons of people at the same time. Public chat rooms are probably the earliest ones I recall. The design is very appealing because of the endless multimedia resources, and the personal avatars(inspired in so many other online gaming environments) allow you to create a pretty original character to PLAY with. I have nothing against using games for learning, but...what I believe that Second Life is more than a game for the majority of its users. Someone in my class said the other day that Second Life is for those who don't have a life. I agree. And for that matter I prefer to teach to the living.
Seriously, there is not a single feature on SL that I could say well, this can be useful because it saves time, or is a faster alternative to learning or even...can it be used as an intercultural communication tool. Don't get me wrong, as a game is very fun...but I refuse to sit in front of my computer to gather my students from around the...classroom in ANOTHER virtual classroom. Even if we could create a virtual environment to have an international class with students interacting in real time from across the globe, how different is that from voice/webcam chat? The difference is that you are not really being yourself, you are pretending to be someone else. I also think that Second Life offers a great chance to those with lots of time in their hands...or just nothing else to do. I personally think that in order to learn a language, or just any other skill...you first) need to know yourself, and second) you need to be yourself to the others...otherwise what kind of communication are offering?
I apologize for the harsh tone on this post, but I think I'm not the only one who thinks that SL should not be taken seriously for educational purposes.
I leave you with two of my favorites youtube videos on SL.
Go on, comment.

Teaching with Technology Philosophy Statement

I have posted my second Mini Project as a Google Document. If you want to read some of my teaching philosophy, please click HERE.

Some conclusions on Intercultural Communication

There is no doubt that intercultural communication can put many challenges, but I think that in the FL education this activity can be used to enhance the learning process like no other. As we leared from the readings last week, bringing awareness on the "other's" culture and on your own, and negotiating a "third place" with yourself to adapt and enrich your cultural perspective, are proof that this type of communication offers a dimension in language learning that no textbook can offer.
Reading the many research on what makes interc. comm. a challenge, I realized that expectation and motivation are two factors that can arise tensions between the two sides, as well as personal goals, cultural stereotypes etc. Nevertheless, I think that the kind of involvement that students at any level would get from inter. comm. is extremely valuable, and as close as possible to full foreing language immersion (in fact, this kind of activity could work as the perfect introduction to the idea of studying abroad).
These are a few conclusions derived from the readings to make the inter. comm. project work better:
1. Make a clear and objective presentation of the goals of the project.
2. It would be very good to survey the students expectations on the project beforehand and based on that, work together on a solid commitment.
3. Study and explain the other culture carefully, focusing on the most obvious differences such as politeness, diplomacy, social values, religion, etc.
4. Practice seeing your reality with a different perspective. For example, a debate on religion diversity and the difference between "accepting" the other and "tolerate" the other.
5. Learn as much as possible about the persons on the other side, and explain the benefits of intercultural collaboration.

Some comments on FL and video

The possibilities of video technology in a FL class are endless. I still remember when I was learning English as a child that short videos is all we had in many classes. My teacher would show us “real life” situations with native speakers and then there were repetition exercises. Some times we would also try to transcribe the whole dialogue or fill in the blanks. Video technology today offers a lot more than this. Creating, editing and sharing videos have become very easy processes, and especially young people do it mostly for fun.

I think that some of the challenges for using this kind of technology in FL education are:

1) To design an activity that gives the chance to everyone in the class to interact simultaneously.

2) To gauge the language level of the videos according to the level of the students.

3) The understanding and use of certain video technologies can be a challenge for some students.

4) For the instructors: evaluating a video activity that requires no writing.

Here are some of my ideas for video projects in a FL class:

1) Mini videos in the TL with instructions for an arts and craft or cooking or painting projects.

2) Periodical interactions with native speakers using webcams.

3) A “jigsaw-like” video editing game on which the students need to organize the sequences to create a logic situation.

4) A semester-long video project on which all students collaborate by turns to create a story in Spanish simulating reality or, why not…science fiction!