Creating Cross Campus Language Learning Communities

Creating Cross-Campus
Language Learning
Communities
Using a Blended Learning Approach

Barbara Lindsey, Charlie Pei, Renato Ventura
University of Connecticut
NECTFL 2009

Saturday, April 18, 2009

• ‘Blended’ communities of practice
• Expanded language learning opportunities
• Vision, reality, adjustment


Blended Learning

“Thoughtful fusion of face-to-face and
online learning experiences”

Garrison, D., & Vaughan, N. (2008).
Blended learning in higher education: Framework,
principles, and guidelines. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.


Which standard and why?


Connections

Communities


Blended Communities of Practice


Our Vision


What is your interest in ‘blended’
language learning communities?


Expanded Learning Opportunities


Our Reality

Engaging off-site students during class

Connecting students with each other outside of class

Developing speaking skills


Reason for taking ITV section
Chinese

Italian


Feeling of Community

Chinese
Chinese

Italian
Italian


Knowing each other

Chinese

Italian


Helpful outside class activities

Chinese


Helpful outside class activities

Chinese
Italian


Self-Rating Skill Levels

Chinese

Italian


Want more help with...

Chinese

Italian


cucinare


Esame Orale Nome_______________________

Classe_____________________ Data________________________

Evaluation Sheet
Excellent – 20 Good – 18 Fair – 14 Poor – 10

Content Comments Grade

Relevant information
20 pts.

Interaction Comments Grade

Responds to questions
20 pts.

Vocabulary Comments Grade

Appropriateness
20 pts.

Comprehensibility Comments Grade

All Italian comprehensible
20 pts.

Grammar Coments Grade

Syntax control
20 pts.

Total___________________


Personalized, Whole-Group, Authentic Assessments

Chinese 1112 Oral Conversation
Project
1112
Objective & Requirements ( ):

The purpose of this project is to promote and consolidate
your Chinese language conversation capability by taking
advantage of the online tool:Voicethread.com. Each student
should work with his/her group to develop a series
conversation thread based on a selected topic, which is
covered by our textbook (L.1 to L. 9).


What we do in our project
Please follow the steps to complete your project:

Everyone must register on the Vociethread.com.
Our class is divided into three groups. Each contains 5 people from both campuses.
Each of you choose or is assigned a topic. Based on the given topic and the required
vocabulary, expressions, and questions (see the details below), each should select a topic
related photo, picture, or drawing (copyright free) and upload to the VT.

Based on this picture to develop an initial introduction/talk and record it to your VoiceThread.
Then invite me. I will forward the invitation to the class.
After completing your uploading and recording, you should start to visit the Voicethreads of
your group mates and listen to theirs, and then contribute your comments, questions, and
grammar or pronunciation errors correction.

Remember to revisit your own site and listen to the comments, questions, or correction from
others and respond to the comments, questions, or correction.
Each individual should at least visit four threads of your group mates and record comments
and questions there to prove your participation in this conversation.
It is expected that each site should get at least four comments or questions from group mates
and 1 or more responses from the initial talker to those comments.


Topics,Vocabulary & Expressions
(My Family and I) Introduce family members, their relation to you, their names, ages & professions,
nationality, what do you like to do together, etc. ( ( )
…)

(My Friends and I) Introduce your friends, their names, ages, their occupations, hobbies, and what you
often play together, etc.

(
…
…

Tell us about your daily life and activities on the campus, such as: When do you usually get up and go to
bed? What do you do after getting up and after classes? How many classes do you usually take? What are they? What
do you usually do besides studying? Etc . . .
… (Party)…

(My Birthday Party) Tell us when is your birthday, How was your B party? Whom did you invite to the
party and who came to the party? What activities did you have in the party? What drinks and foods did you treat your
friends with? …etc…
/ …


Topics,Vocabulary & Expressions
My Appointment Tell us you made an appointment with whom, when, and for what
reason. People could be your family member(s), friends, or classmate(s). Time could be weekday or
weekend, morning or afternoon, or evening. Activities could be seeing movie, playing ball, watching
TV program, or having a party, etc. ?
…

My Chinese Class Tell us how do you like your Chinese class. Who is your
teacher? What does he teach you in class? Do you think it is easy to learn Chinese? If not, what
are easy and what are difﬁcult in studying Chinese? How do you like the class and your teacher?
etc. ?…
…

My Shopping Experience Share you shopping experiences with us. Tell us what you
wanted to buy, what the store had, what you bought, whether you found right size and right color,
how much money you spent, and whether you like what you bought. Was the shop assistant polite,
etc.
…


Student Work

Spring, 2009 Chinese 1112
The Modern & Classical Languages Department
University of Connecticut, Storrs

Student Name_______________ Total Raw Score ___________
Converted Score___________

Rubric for Assessment of the Chinese 1112 VT Project
Exemplary Proficient Partially Proficient To be Improved
Definition
4 3 2 1
Picture description clear & Picture description clear Picture description clear but Picture description with
1 Original Introduction
fine with no mistake nor error & fine but with 1-2 errors with 3-4 mistakes/errors more than 4 mistake/error
/description of the
picture
Response logically clear & Response logically clear Response logically clear but Response with more than 4
2 Response (comments &
appropriate with no mistake & correct but with 1-2 with 3-4 mistakes/errors mistakes/errors
questions ) to the
nor error errors
pictures & original
introduction
Grammatically/Culturally Correct use of vocabulary Use of vocabulary and Use of vocabulary and
3 use of vocabulary and
correct use of vocabulary and and expressions with les expressions with not more expressions with more than
expressions
expressions with no mistake than 1-2 grammar or than 3-4 grammar or culture 4 grammar or Culture
nor error culture errors mistakes/errors mistakes/errors
Accurate with no mistake nor Less than 2 errors Less than 3-4 mistakes/errors More than 4 mistake/ errors
4 Pronunciation and
error
tones

Convert chart for scores: 13-16 = 5, 10-12 = 4, 7-9= 3, 6 and lower = 2

* The Oral project result takes total 5% of the grade for the course.


Your experiences? Your suggestions?


March: pre-VT
Chinese

April: post-VT

Chinese


March: pre-VT

April: post-VT


Knowing each other

March: pre-VT

April: post-VT


Usefulness of VoiceThread


Future plans

http://www.skype.com/

http://skypeinschools.pbwiki.com/

http://www.facebook.com/

http://it-it.facebook.com/


Other tools to explore


What one idea can you take away from
today’s presentation and use in your
program?


Creating Cross-Campus
Language Learning Communities

Q &A


Photo credits (in order of appearance)

• ACTFL Standards graphic taken with permission from the ACTFL
Standards for Foreign Language Learning. Preparing for the 21st
Century. Executive Summary. http://www.actfl.org/i4a/pages/
index.cfm?pageid=3324

• Flamingos: DSC09122 by muzina_shanghai http://www.flickr.com/
photos/muzina_shanghai/3443095627/

• Two Elephants: DSC03475 by muzina_shanghai http://
www.flickr.com/photos/muzina_shanghai/3300086620/in/
pool-16477389@N00

• The Candelier Bunch by Jean Piere Candelier http://
www.flickr.com/photos/jpcandelier/3203722876/


Resources
• Communities and Connections: Hardest Standards to Meet? Or Greatest Opportunities?
2008 NECTFL presentation by Anna Chamot, NCLRC/GWU; Sheila W. Cockey,
NCLRC: http://www.nclrc.org/profdev/nclrc_inst_pres/nectﬂ.html

• Creative Commons: http://search.creativecommons.org

• Dimdim: http://www.dimdim.com/

• Google Voice: www.google.com/voice

• Livemocha: http://www.livemocha.com/

• WiziQ: http://www.wiziq.com/Virtual_Classroom.aspx

• Creating Cross Campus Language Learning Communities: http://www.slideshare.net/
lindseybp/slideshows

Thanks to our students
and
Thank you!

Barbara Lindsey lindseybp AT gmail DOT com
Charlie Pei peixiaolin AT hotmail DOTcom
Renato Ventura ventura DOT renato AT gmail DOT com
University of Connecticut
NECTFL 2009


Creating Cross Campus Language Learning Communities

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