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
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
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
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
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
ABSTRACT


          
       

        
       

         

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
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    1.     INTRODUCTION


This article considers the possible implications in which blended learning (a mix of online

and face-to-face instruction) is more effective than traditional learning in foreign

language classrooms. It presents arguments for considering why web 2.0 tools enhance

writing, reading listening and oral skills to students that are learning a foreign language

and how these rich learning experiences can be incorporated into the curriculum.



The main aim of this article is to stimulate debate and provoke thinking about why

foreign language teachers should shift from traditional learning environments to blended

learning approaches. The broad use of Web 2.0 by adolescents has created new digital

scenarios for learning and future schooling where networking technologies are shaping

new social landscapes in which education is part of it. Being more effective by using web

2.0 tools while learning a language provides the central argument of this article. The

main motivation is to convince teachers and educators that the use of technology in the

classroom is not only beneficial for the students but it also leads to better pedagogical



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results. Learning becomes then more attractive, compelling and it matches the new

challenges of the 21st century.



In order to



Whereas Web 1.0 websites were static tools where interaction was not at its core, web

2.0 has become the central headquarter for creativity and social networking. Youtube,

Facebook, blogs, wikis or     google docs are just some examples of user generated

content where collaboration and a constant activity of expression are shared without

boundaries. In this way, foreign language teachers should take profit of these new tools

by constructing brand new learning scenarios in a ‘post- print’ world (Warschauer

2007) in order to foster true education ‘ through the stimulation of the child’s powers by

the demands of the social situations in which he finds himself’ (Dewey 1897, p. 77) in a

model that embraces the vision of learning as a “collective intelligence” (Seragan, 2007),

Ubiquitous computing, cloud-computing, social software and web mash-ups              have

changed both the way we consume information and create and consume information

(Mason & Rennie, 2007).



Learning a foreign language       includes a set of competencies that have to be tackled.

That is to say, grammar learning, vocabulary, listening, writing, talking, and reading.

During the 60s and until the beginning of the 80s learning a foreign language meant

following a behavioral approach. Audiovisual and audio-lingual course books in routine

pattern practice flowed the market, the classrooms and all the spectrum of teaching and

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learning a language. Language Laboratories in individual booths and systems of tapes

and slides was    a trend followed by teachers and researchers. In this way, it was

assumed that all human and animal behaviors were determined not only by learning but

also by reinforcement and repetition in which responses were reduced to associations.

The book by B. F. Skinner, Verbal Behavior in 1957, stressed the fact that the controlling

variables of language were subject to the same controlling variables as any other

operant human behaviors. This was of great influence in the way teachers and students

started to learn a language. However, Skinner’s method was heavily criticized by Noam

Chomsky when he published his critique of Verbal Behaviour in 1959. According to

Chomsky,    Skinner had only limited himself to study of observables, i.e., input-output

relations. In this way, at the end of the 1980s, a more interactive and transactional

methodology started to flourish in which an increasing amount of foreign language

spoken in the classroom was being used.        Colorful teaching materials full of realia,

photos, images, maps and games, flashcards, videos, tapes, CD-roms, schemes of

work, computer back-ups and multi-modular text books were now part of the teaching

materials of the students although teacher centered instruction continued to be the main

trend. After the transition from the analogical age to the digital age we have witnessed

how technology has changed the social, cultural and educational scenarios. Now, with

the increasing use of collaborative web 2.0 tools the whole philosophy of language

learning has gradually changed towards a more constructive approach. Students, with

the right blended approach, are able to discover and create their own knowledge in a

creative way using non-expensive digital tools that can put into practice all the areas

required to learn a language. Films with subtitles, podcasts, comics, educational games

or online writing contests are just a few examples of the digital content created by users.
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In this way, blended language learning versus traditional learning would follow the three

P´s of pedagogy for the networked society: personalization, participation, and

productivity (McLoughlin and Lee, 2008).




1.1 Main Objectives and methodology




The main objective of our study is to let educators and teachers know the advantages of

learning a foreign language through a technological approach. The methodology used is

qualitative focused mainly on interviews with international teachers within an heuristic

approach and questions related to their view of how a blended learning environment can

boost the expectations and goals of the learnes.


Our study focuses on international schools and its online foreign language moodle

platform. Moodle, an acronym that stands for Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic

Learning Environments, is a courseware package and learning system that allows many

institutions to conduct online courses. It can be used in both e-learning and blended

learning course formats and has activity modules such as databases, forums and wikis

that allow administrators to build full collaborative communities of learning. Moreover,

teachers can also deliver content to students and assess learning processes using

quizzes or assignments. Iskoodle, the name given to the moodle platform, is used by

all international schools around the world so that it is available to all teachers who are

members of ICS. The Council of International Schools (CIS) is a non-for-profit


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organization of    International Education comprising over 650 member schools and 450

colleges/universities.   Its main aim is to deliver the highest standards in International

Education in order to improve the learning skills of students. In order to do that, a

program of evaluation has been created , the International Accreditation Service, to

demonstrate the quality of their schools, their resources, administration, teachers and

international practices where technology is a key element for the enrichment of all

subjects throughout the curriculum. On Iskoodle teachers can share discussions,

thoughts, files, course materials, conference information and speaker notes. It breaks

down into the different subjects taught at International Schools. The Foreign Language

Committee has decided        to boost the site in 2011 by creating useful content for all

those foreign language teachers around the world that want to improve their blended

learning approaches in the classrooms. Technological advances are a must in an

interconnected world and blended earning is becoming a trend in all international

schools. This implicates a change of approach both academically and pedagogically and

a vision towards future possibilities where web 2.0 tools and their practice have to be

considered. The main aim is to re-examine and reconceptualise the question of

language teaching through the help of new educational practices where technology

takes a major role. This second generation web-based services give students the

opportunity to for exchange and debate views, share ideas and make global connections

(Lamb    and      Johnson   2006).   Collaboration,   extrapolation,   analysis,   projection

demonstration and interaction are some of the skills needed in order to meet the 21st

century educational needs of the students (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2009),

opening a new window to the whole world, often foreseen not only but authorities but

also by teachers and parents who are not willing to implement a radical systemic
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educational change in the classroom. In this way, our educational culture does not yet

fully align learning to the realities of the 21st Century’ (Lemke and Coughlin 2009, 5).

The foreign language teacher has an immense opportunity to show their students the

language they are learning by using multimedia platforms where video, text and sounds

are constantly shared and uploaded. Knowledge production and                innovation in

ubiquitous technologies permit adolescents to express themselves in a variety of ways

where learner control is key for their own learning success since it affects outcomes

(Lepper, 1985) . Language teachers have to develop strategies for exploiting the fluid

nature of web 2.0 in order to generate innovative learning opportunities for adolescents

who are constantly operating (most of the time informally) in an online world.




‘…only through communication can human life hold meaning. The teacher’s thinking is

authenticated only by the authenticity of the students’ thinking. The teacher cannot think

for her students, nor can she impose her thought on them. Authentic thinking, thinking

that is concerned about reality, does not take place in ivory tower isolation, but only in

communication’. (Freire 1970).




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2. LITERATURE REVIEW

Open educational materials have endless possibilities for educators with exiting new

possibilities. The idea of learning environments to anyone, anyplace, anytime has been

proved to be an innovative approach for delivering interactive, well-designed, learner-

centered, interactive and flexible learning environments (Khan, 2001, p. 3).




Educational innovation within institutions in the 21st century requires a vision of change,

teamwork, resources and time (Zucker, 2009) since it can be beneficial for their

development ((Fiedler & Kieslinger, 2006) . This vision of change has to be

communicated effectively to a school board, parents, teachers and students through

meetings, websites, blogs and official school documents. In this way, the strategies for

digital integration in the language classrooms can range from delivering a single

technology course, offering mini-workshops, integrating technology in all courses to

education   faculty of how to infuse technology throughout the school with specific

learning goals.




The use of ICTs to foster new forms of learning through enabling new learning

relationships is indeed    a challenge for many teachers who are comfortable using

conventional e-learning and teaching     approaches     within the learning management

system platform. In such learning environments content continues to be decided by the

teachers and control is therefore still largely in their hands. In adopting the more recent



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Web 2.0 technologies, decisions related to content and control are largely in the hands

of the learners blurring the boundaries between expert or teacher and learner


( O’Sullivan, )




This cannot be though done without an improving student and teacher access to

software and      hardware together with pedagogical goals given to teachers in order to

avoid concerns about the implementation and classroom management of the usefulness

of for example web 2.0 games in education (Doering et al., 2003). International Schools

such as the one in Düsseldorf, repeated exposure to digital content in primary has been

implemented with clear pedagogical goals and constant information to parents, teachers

and the board of the school. Building content knowledge, enhancing      problem solving

and experimentation      are areas in which all the educators of the school have to take

part of in order to meet the pedagogical aims of blended learning.




As far as Iskoodle is concerned, teachers         have to be aware of the theoretical

implications behind its philosophy. Constructivism is the main theoretical source for

blended learning and Iskoodle is the platform that permits it to evolve. In technology

enriched lessons, teachers have to be dynamic and fully networked. They should strive

to be creators, facilitators and supervisors in order to let students build     their own

learning styles and preferences with the aid of computer-mediated educational tools.

According to The good language learner (Naiman et al., 1978), good language learners

have to be active, they need to develop the language as a system, they have to have the

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technical know-how and finally, they have to practice and use the language in an active

way. Being self-evaluative, sociable and constantly looking for meaning are other key

characteristics that could also be applied to 21st Century Learners. Students learn by

doing and not by only facing a static-centered classroom teacher. They have to be active

in class, independent ,    self-reliant and share their knowledge with their classmates.

They are, by nature, able to adapt fast to new forms of communication in a mash-up

culture. In this way, language teachers should provide them with a wide access to

worldwide information to nurture and expand connections through different learning

resources in a society where up-to-date competencies and skills are a must. This

change from lecture- to student-centered instruction is, however, not only a matter of

technology, but also of being convinced about its intrinsic value in which the teacher

plays the most important part. In the particular case of second language acquisition, a

myriad of diverse hybrid working strategies such as        online comics, podcasts or

customized motivational posters are just some of the enormous possibilities web 2.0 can

offer without any additional costs. Teachers and students become then constructors of

knowledge within authentic learning experiences in digital-age communication. For

students, this is a challenge that enhances entrepreneurship, participation and critical

thinking and enables them to be more prepared in an economy that is in constant

change and needs creativity and flexibility.




The road ahead is not a wasted land though. Schools and teachers around the world are

working towards the use and expansion of blended learning. IT teachers have now the

responsibility to offer the necessary tools the school needs in order to train their

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colleagues in a fully technological environment. To do that, it is not only necessary the

time and the skills to convince those who are not willing to take the leap towards

multisensorial learning environments but also the implementation of a good training in

teaching making use of the technologies around us. The academic universe of mixed

learning needs to be conveyed to the teachers of the future so Iskoole is aimed at filling

this gap. It has to be actively used by international foreign language teachers in order

to implement blended learning in their classrooms and spread the message of good

practices. Similar experiences in digital environments have shown that computer-

mediated communication (CMC) with language learning facilitates social interaction

between the teacher and the students as well as among students (Caado, 2010; De

Smet, Van Keer, De Wever, & Valcke, 2010). Apart from a constant active

communication, computer mediated communication is a motivational pool that engage

learners in meaningful communication in the target language,         leading to effective

language learning    (Sun, 2009, p. 88). Meanings on misunderstanding during the

process of learning a language are also solved anytime anywhere with the teacher in an

active and effective way (Kessler & Bikowski, 2010). Moreover, in CMC, the role of the

teacher changes towards guidance with less control over how students behave in the

online learning environment giving them freedom in order to construct their own

knowledge and enhance their creativity (Fu, Wu, & Ho, 2009). On the other hand, the

mass of resources on the web also enables language learners to practice the language

in real communication with people who are beyond their reach such as fellow learners

or native speakers (Warschauer, 1995). Comprehension through interaction is then

better than without any interactions (Gonzales-Lloret, 2003) so a platform like Iskoodle

can help teachers to be able to participate in a community of practice when using its
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resources in a proper way. The inclusion of tools and resources to create activities or

materials for learners such as quizzes, online materials presentations, assignments, and

tasks with question databases, feedback, scoring and tracking of students’ progress are

some of the characteristics offered by Iskoodle. Multiple choice, short answer, true/false,

matching, or cloze exercises including multimedia files (audio and video) are some of

many activities chosen in order to boost blended learning in the classrooms. Some

successful examples of moodle platforms integrated in the classroom practice can be

seen in the studies of Zeng and Takatsuka (2009) when using Moodle in            a course

management system, to engage EFL students in synchronous text-based dialogues.

The students, in a fully collaborative way,   assisted each other in attending language

forms through dialogues ,which consequently increased and improved their language

use in writing.




                                                                                        11

3. WEB 2.0 TOOLS




But what are the main web 2.0 tools that allow students acquire competences and

develop them in a blended learning environment? The main areas that should be tackled

are reading, writing, listening and grammar. In order to practice them in a mixed

environment the teacher has to be aware of the constructive approach needed so that

students can learn by doing, sharing their own knowledge with their school mates.

Reading, writing, listening, oral skills and grammar can be revised and practiced by

using various online programs. Most of them may include some of these areas and,

when they are not explicitly in the programs, the role of the teacher and his or her own

creativity making use of blended language learning goals can help to explore and

practice those skills that have not been tackled by the program itself.


Xtranormal is a text to movie platform that allows students to create 3D films in a very

easy way. In a blended learning environment, Xtranormal can be used with          students

who have previously created an original script with dialogues between various

characters (Xtranormal only accepts two). The teacher can introduce the characters to

the students in the foreign language studied in class, talk about their characteristics and

give some adjectives regarding their personality and physical appearance. The teacher

can also give a topic to the students such as ¨superheroes in danger¨ or ¨The prince

without a reign¨ although he can also focus the topic on the vocabulary and grammar

studied in class such as ¨Daily routine (of a superhero)” or describing a past experience.

With Xtranormal students can then edit their own film, embed sounds and music and

                                                                                        12

work on their sentences. The final result can be posted online and presented to the

students and the teacher. It can then be linked to the blog of the teacher or posted on a

facebook page in order to go viral. The outcome of the exercise is not only to write and

use all the relevant words studied in class but also to give a voice to the characters in

order to be creative and imaginative. After the presentation of the film, the students can

vote for the best one, talk in the language learned in class about its pros and its cons

and give advice of how to improve it. Structures such as “ What I liked about the film is”

or “ What could be improved is ” are just some examples of how to give an opinion. The

oral skills of the students are also then covered in a mixed environment and, at the same

time, students can listen in the language they are learning to all the dialogues created

online.




Blogs are also excellent tools to use in a blended learning environment. The teacher can

set a task such as “curiosities” or the recollections and experiences of a fieldtrip. It is

important to stress out the idea that students have to use their own words when writing

the text and, if possible, upload their own photos (especially if the blog is about their own

experience such as in the case of the fieldtrip). Videos and even audio snippets are also

welcomed in order to enrich the dynamism of the blog. Students then have to present it

in the language learned in class with an auto-evaluation about the strengths and

witnesses when creating the blog (Image 1 and 2)




                                                                                          13

Image 1: Project ¨El Fracaso Escolar¨ on a blog by a native Spanish year 9 student
from the International School of Bremen. 2010.




Image 2: Project ¨Fieldtrip to Granada¨ created with wordpress by a year 12
student from the International School of Bremen. 2010.




                                                                               14

Powerpoint, keynote or Prezi presentations are also good ways of practising a language.

Students have to work not only on the grammar and vocabulary skills but also on their

oral skills. With a presentation in electronic format sounds and videos can be embedded

so the tasks and potentialities are endless. Creating an online poem for example (Image

3) following the rhythm of a song, a musical video with images and its lyrics (Image 4)

or presenting a field trip or a task following a particular idea and grammar structure such

as ¨What would you do to change the world?” or ¨The House of the Future¨ (Image 5)

are excellent exercises that can be done by students to practice and work with the

language in different formats. Other constructive tasks are creating presentations about

various regions of the country of the target language or the States with their cultural,

linguistic, geographical and social aspects. The best presentations can then be shared

online with free programs like slideshare so that students can share their knowledge and

create quality content that can be used and practised by other students around the

world. On the other hand, with Prezi, the presentations are done online and published

directly on their own platform (Image 6).




                                                                                        15

Image 3: Project ¨Create a Poem with Powerpoint¨. Example of a slide created by a
year 10 student from a German state school in 2008.




Image 4: Project ¨Ground Control to Major Tom¨ created and posted on slideshare
by a year 6 student from the International School of Bremen. 2009.




                                                                              16

Image 5: Project ¨Mi casa del Futuro¨ created and posted by a year 9 student from
the International School of Bremen. 2010.




Image 6: Project ¨Mi Presentación¨ created with Prezi by a year 9 student from the
International School of Bremen. 2010.




Bighugelabs is another free web tool that allows students to practice their written skills.

They can create posters for films (Image 7) , books or concerts (Image 8) ,

advertisements or leaflets with the vocabulary studied in the classroom and then post

them on the blog. Coloseum Apocolypse for example is a project in which the student

had to invent the name of a film, add the relevant credits, a sentence about the film and



                                                                                        17

post a picture he had made. The picture chosen is from the Colliseum in Rome when he

went on holiday with his parents.




Image 7: Project ¨Mi Película¨ created with Bighugelabs by a year 8 student from
the International School of Bremen. 2010.




                                                                                 18

Image 8: Project ¨Mi Grupo musical favorito¨ created with Bighugelabs by a year
10 student from the International School of Bremen. 2009.




Working with online comic creators (Image 9) is also a rich experience for students and

teachers. Online comic platforms like stripcreator, give a set of tools in order to create

comics with a great variety of well-known characters. Students can write the dialogues

previously with the help of the teacher and then construct their own comic that can be

printed off, sent by email to parents and friends and published on a blog. This idea of “

letting the world know what I am doing” is an incentive for students to build up their

confidence and artistic skills. Their work is in fact published for the whole world to see,

something that it was literally impossible before the digital age.




                                                                                        19

Image 9: Project ¨My Comic¨ by a year 6 student from the International School of
Bremen. 2009.


These examples have in common the fact that both students and teachers can work in a

collaborative way and spread their message throughout the world. In traditional

classroom environments students are constrained into non flexible pedagogical tools

leaving them isolated from the rest of the world, a hindrance that can always be avoided

by an active and participative use of technology.




                                                                                     20

4.    HOW ISKOODLE IS ORGANIZED



In order to build up a useful online platform for teachers to use it, we have to respond to

most of the    needs    that different teachers, students and learning contexts require.

Web 2.0 services generate a great amount of data and services that have to be

controlled and aimed at a pedagogical useful level. Interaction and collaborative digital

exercises have to meet the needs of the learners so all the activities have to be carefully

chosen to support all the areas of language learning. Writing, reading, listening and

some interactive oral activities should appear in most of the websites chosen on

Iskoodle within well-designed, learner-centered practices. The amount of       vocabulary,

grammar scope and activities have to be not only attractive for both teachers and

students but also cover a wide range of grammatical points within an interactive

environment. Moreover, collaboration and independence have to be taken into account

in open, flexible and distributed learning environments. Students have to construct and

expand their own knowledge in a blended language lesson with the help of the teacher

so the chosen websites should be used in a creative way in the classroom. All resources

have to be stored and clearly centralized on the Iskoodle platform so that they are easy

to find and use. In order to do that, a clear separation between languages has been

stated (Spanish, French, German), (Image 10 and 11).




                                                                                        21

Image 10: Iskoodle logo




Image 11: Iskoodle external structure




On a second level, each website has a short description of its content so that the

language teacher can have some information about the website, a short description of

what teachers and students are going to find, the audience and the type of resources.




                                                                                        22

(Image 12)




Image 12: Iskoodle internal structure



Iskoodle will also include some other links on the platform such as Digital Advanced

Resources with websites      that can be used by all language teachers such as comic

creators or platforms with interesting pictures, audiovisual materials and podcasts. It will

also have a link with some presentations made by students for the different languages,

another one with the presentations made by the members of the Foreign Language

Committee and links to the official Foreign Language Committee Blog.




The websites have been chosen from various sources. On one hand, there has been a

pedagogical research done by various teachers on other platforms such as Edu365 for

                                                                                         23

Spanish. Edu 365 is a repository from the Departament de la Generalitat de Catalunya

where students and teachers can find dynamic resources for various subjects. In this

case, Spanish language learning has been carefully adapted for the different levels of

international foreign language learners according to the activities and the level of the

vocabulary. It has been stated that the content has to be attractive for both primary and

secondary students. The interactivity has to include videos, audio files and programs in

flash so that it creates a truly flexible experience for both students and teachers. They

have to be easy to use and cover the pedagogical content of a certain topic (food,

hobbies, verb tenses, idioms or specific exams for International schools such as the

ones for the International Baccaleuareat). In principle, it is not recommended to use

websites that lead students and teachers to new links. The content has to stem from the

website itself so that it has a directed and focused pedagogical purpose. Avoiding pdf.

and doc. documents is also an objective when looking for a good foreign language

platform. In blended learning students have to use actively their computers in the

classroom or be able to follow the teachers’ lessons on an electronic digital whiteboard.



Iskoodle .is also a central platform to gain visibility. The Foreign Language Committee is

trying to extend its influence within resource repositories. Youtube, Flickr, SlideShare or

Scribd are free platforms that can be connected to create and expand content within for

teachers and students. It is also important to boost the relationships within the Foreign

Language Iskoodle website amongst teachers to spread the message and promote

blended learning environments. Contacts and groups of international teachers is key to

increase the expansion of Iskoodle. In order to do that, all teachers can take part of the

website by posting their picture, giving some information about their professional
                                                                                24

background and stating their interests. The challenge is to make explicit the activities,

presentations and all the useful digital tools to all the international community. Getting

users connected and managing learning resources can only be done by boosting social

web 2.0 tools.




What activities can the teacher find on the resources from Iskoodle? And what are the

competences foreign language learners acquire in a blended learning environment? The

BBC has a website     with an interactive video drama in 22 different episodes called Mi

Vida Loca to learn Spanish (Image 13). The activity includes the full details of the

program, a user guide, the syllabus, the print outs and a comprehensive teacher’s guide

with all the relevant details. Students can complete Mi Vida Loca in twelve weeks with or

without the help of the teacher and it is recommended for beginners. The videos take the

student on an intrigue mystery adventure to Madrid so that they are curious about what

is going to happen next and why. The creators of My Vida Loca make use of the

cliffhanger resource so that there is a mixture of TV entertainment taken from the idea of

the sitcoms and language learning activities. Students learn the vocabulary and

grammar in each episode at their own pace, they can repeat the videos, listen to the

dialogues again and complete the activities for practice.




                                                                                       25

Image 13: ¨Mi Vida Loca¨ online exercises.



Students can choose their gender since they can interact with the videos at any point

and the videos are focused on the pronunciation and the translation of words and

sentences with a very clear and user friendly interface (Image 14).




                                                                                  26

Image 14: Video exercise ¨Mi Vida Loca¨.



    Within each episode the action is stopped with an explanation of all the new words that

have been used by the main characters. The students are then able to listen to them

again in Spanish, listen to the translation in English and see how they are written. The

reading and listening skills are practised step by step in a very detailed way so that the

student has a thorough understanding of the text, the environment and plot behind the

story. Since it happens in Madrid, there is a window to the streets of the capital city of

Spain, their people and the places, architecture and objects of the country such as

restaurants or taxis (Image 15) . The teacher can introduce areas of the Spanish society

to the students so that they are aware of the differences and similarities with their own

countries. The vocabulary can also be introduced and then practised with the program


                                                                                        27

and then, individually or in groups, prepare a presentation about some characteristics of

a Spanish city, the food or the architecture. The videos can also be a good starting point

to prepare similar scenes for a video that can be filmed in class and the presented to

other students so that the vocabulary, intonation and pronunciation is actively practised

in a constructive way.




Image 15: ¨Mi Vida Loca¨ Video



Mi Vida Loca uses in most videos the voice of the narrator translating every single

word and expression in English. This can be regarded as negative when learning a

foreign language since the students are not impregnated by it.



    On the other hand, El Instituto Cervantes offers a free program in flash to learn Spanish

called Mi Mundo en Palabras. Mi Mundo en Palabras is constructed entirely in Spanish

in order to improve the intonation, the pronunciation     and the vocabulary of the foreign

language learners. It is based on the life of Carlos, his family, hobbies and everyday life,
                                                                                         28

introducing new structures and vocabulary that have to be practised by the students

through interactive exercises where writing, reading and oral skills are a must. The

words are written and pronounced mostly by Carlos and the student can repeat them as

many times as he or she wants in order to imitate the pronunciation ( Image 16).




Image 16: ¨Una foto de mi familia¨ exercise.


Students can also record their own voice by answering directly the questions posed by

Carlos and his friend on the videos. This helps them pronounce and use the Spanish in

an active way (Image 17).




                                                                                   29

Image 17: ¨Mi Familia¨ oral exercise.


Other exercises include explaining the ending of a story, summarizing a certain idea,

recognizing the structure of a text and describing landscapes and characters with a wide

use of adjectives.




Escrilandia is a similar program to ¨Mi Mundo en Palabras¨ in a way that it uses a flash

program with colorful characters and clear text. Its focus this time is on writing so that

students can practice a variety of reading and writing activities that can be done online.

The website has a complete detailed guide and a didactic guide with numerous

examples and activities (Image 18).
                                                                                       30

Image 18: ¨Escrilandia. El Mundo de los Escritores¨.




Whereas the introductory character on ¨Mi Mundo en Palabras¨ was Carlos here it is ¨La

Cigüeña¨ or the storch. It is followed by four sections with many activities that can be

printed off and used in the classroom. The students can modify online a character using

most parts of the body according to a given description in the original language or write

about its common characteristics. In a blended learning environment the teacher can set

a task to the students by creating the character of their choice and then present it to the

rest of the classroom.



                                                                                        31

Apart from character descriptions “Escrilandia” , students can also follow the instructions

written in Spanish to construct a landscape with rivers, mountains, lakes, shapes and

colors. The vocabulary can be previously introduced in the classroom by the teacher so

that the students are familiarized with the pronunciation and the meaning. In

“Escrilandia” students can also write in a constructive way their own story illustrating it

with the images given by the program. The final result can be very attractive and

compelling and it can be sent as a gift to parents, friends of even the classmates. An

oline postcard (Image 19 and 20), similar to the one in “ Mi Mundo en Palabras” is

offered by the program with the particularity that the student can travel online to a certain

place and describe it. It can be sent online or printed off and the students can use it as a

reference for future writing exercises.




Image 19: ¨Aprende a escribir una postal¨.



                                                                                          32

Image 20: ¨Instrucciones aprende a escribir una postal¨.



In order to practise the listening comprehension students can use online story telling

websites. Clic Clic Clic Cuentos Interactivos offers stories in Spanish with a       the

peculiarity that the voice of the narrator is combined with the text of the plot     that

appears on captions and bubbles as he speaks. The vocabulary is simple enough to be

understood by average Spanish learners and the grammar combines the simple past

and the present perfect with dialogues between the characters in simple present.

Although it is aimed at children who are native speakers in order to enhance their

reading and writing skills, Clic Clic Clic Cuentos Interactivos is a good tool to be used

with non-native Spanish learners in a blended learning classroom when the teacher has

previously introduced some of the most complicated vocabulary and when the students

are familiarized with simple past and present perfect structures. Clic Clic Clic Cuentos

                                                                                      33

Interactivos has no exercises, grammar games or a bank of vocabulary. The teacher can

then generate content by creating activities based on the stories in order to practise the

words and structures learned from the website (Image 21)




Fig 21: Clic clic clic cuentos interactivos.



Online foreign language games are also a good tool for the students and teachers to use

in a blended learning environment. Edu 365 has created a great number of games to

improve the spelling and grammar of Spanish students. They are based on particular

objectives such as getting into the pool if the complete an exercise with success or

having a digital watch in order to see how much time the students need to finish an

exercise (Image 22 and 23). Although it is aimed to improve the spelling skills of the


                                                                                       34

students, in a foreign language classroom new words from the program can be

introduced so that the vocabulary can be enlarged and practised to a great extent.




Fig 22: Online exercise. Palabras con mb y mp




                                                                                     35

Fig 23: Online exercise. Palabras y significados.



The possibilities are endless but it is important for the teacher to be familiarized with the

programs on Iskoodle. A structured pedagogical plan before using the websites with its

objectives within the lesson are important for the success of the international learning

platform.




                                                                                          36

5. THE HEURISTICS APPROACH OF ISKOODLE


In order to validate the usability of the resources on Iskoodle we are going to follow

Jakob Nielsen’s ten principles for used interface design called heuristics. Two foreign

language teachers    have been using a blended learning approach in their language

lessons throughout 2011 with students from grade 8 and 9. Their experience and

practice with the students coincide in both cases and the resultant feedback has been

positive. The shift from a traditional foreign language learning approach to a more

blended and constructivist goal has helped to improve not only the performance of the

students when using Spanish (reading, writing, speaking and listening) but also the

confidence of the teachers and their creativity. The students have changed their

passivity in a centered teacher classroom into an active role where the construction of

knowledge has been manifested by the constant production of activities done by the

students with web 2.0 tools and the digital world. Taking into account Jacob Nielsen

heuristic approach, we will comment on each of the points he tackles from the point of

view of the two foreign language teachers.



    1. Visibility of system status: Is Iskoodle keeping users informed through

      appropriate feedback within reasonable time?



According to the teachers interviewed, Iskoodle sends feedback from all the messages

posted by foreign language teachers. The updated websites are not known by the users.

                                                                                    37

They have to log on in order to see what’s new on the Foreign Language Section. In

order to keep teachers and students informed the Foreign Language Committee has

decided to launch a blog with all the new websites, presentations and articles posted on

Iskoodle. The blog will be linked on a facebook fan page of the Foreign Language

Committee.



    2. Match between system and the real world: Is the system speaking the

       users’ language     with words, phrases and concepts familiar to the user?

       Does the information appear in a natural and logical order?



Both teachers have agreed that the information given is simple and direct. The words

and expressions used are functional. The division website, description, audience, type of

resources is clear enough for international teachers an no more is needed in order to

browse the websites.



    3. User control and freedom:



       Users have control and freedom throughout the platform so they have the chance

       to leave those places that are considered unwanted states



    4. Consistency and standards:



    According to both teachers interviewed the consistency and standards throughout

    Iskoodle are present so that all users know beforehand what they will expect. The
                                                                                   38

layout and the amount of information is sufficiently clear to be followed within the

    same platform conventions.



    5. Error prevention:



Although all the links and the information posted on the Iskoodle platform work, the

teachers have not found an error prevention structure when a URL doesn’t work. This

should be improved from the moodle platform.



    6. Recognition rather than recall:



       Objects, actions and options are all perceived as clearly visible by the user. All

       the chosen activities and instructions are also easily retrievable.



    7. Flexibility and efficiency of use:



       The teachers have not seen any use of accelerators on Iskoodle in order to speed

       up the interaction for the experienced user. One of the teachers commented that

       the layout was simple enough for both inexperienced and expert users to use

       fast.



    8. Aesthetic and Minimalist Design




                                                                                      39

The Iskoodle design is seen as minimalist and aesthetic by both teachers although one

argues that the combination of the colors are too plain. The units of information are

simple enough to find,



     

      










    10. Help and documentation



The teachers have not found any help or documentation. Both should be developed on

Iskoodle in order to provide more information about the pedagogical goals of the links

provided.



The overall impression of Iskoodle is positive. Teachers have commented they are

willing to use the platform although there are still many things it needs to be done. Both

of them discussed the fact that there should be an extra section with detailed

explanations of how to use the online activities. Guidance with a constructive approach

can help teachers to prepare and set goals to the activities presented on Iskoodle.




                                                                                       40

As far as traditional learning versus blended learning is concerned, both teachers agree

there has to be a steady change towards blending. In order to do that, software and

hardware have work well in the schools with good technological advisors and

pedagogical councelors. Without their support, the support of the parents and the heads

of the schools teachers can face difficulties that would hindrance the development of

blended learning in the schools. Another important point tackled is training. Both

teachers stated that a good pedagogical training aimed at the subjects they are teaching

is a must. A good software/hardware environment is not enough when teachers don’t

know how to create blended language activities with specific learning objectives in the

classrooms.



Last but not least, discovering a new world of teacher creativity through technology is an

advantage posted by both teachers. This does not mean that the figure of the educator

is left behind, on the contrary, blending means having control of the technological

devices that allow students get connected to the outside world in order to learn a

language more effectively. Avoiding the chaos of the net by following certain patterns of

order within a constructive approach can only lead to success in the process of

language learning.




                                                                                       41

6. CONCLUSION


Blended learning is more effective than traditional learning in classrooms where foreign

language is taught when teachers are aware of the implications and the constructivist

theory behind it. With the amount of web 2.0 tools available to be used for free form the

online world, reading, writing, listening and the oral skills of the students can be

improved when they take active part in the construction of their main knowledge. Brand

new learning generated scenarios have appeared with user generated content where

the spread of collaboration and a constant activity of expression have led to a more

democratic and interconnected worlds of users. Innovative approaches towards

education in flexible learning environments requires a vision of change, time, resources,

teamwork and a lot of supports from parents, teachers, the heads of the schools and the

whole educational community. Hardware and software, together with concrete

pedagogical goals and a good training for teachers and education are components that

cannot be left behind in order to lead the blended learning approach to a successful

terrain. This vision of the future responds to the need to a new marketplace where

workers have to be able to multitask and do their jobs in different environments and

situations including the digital world.




Iskoodle wants to be the online link for all teachers from international schools, a place

where discussions, thoughts, files, course materials,      conference information and

speaker notes can be shared on its moodle platform. A fully networked teacher will be
                                                                                   42

able to use the platform in order to facilitate knowledge to the students and help them

find their own learning styles with interaction in a community of practice. The

philosophical approach behind it is constructivism so a dynamic teacher will play the role

of supervisor letting students have control of their own knowledge. In this way,

worldwide information has to be shared and used in the classroom for both students and

teachers. A blended learning approach also permits teachers to find new information to

enhance a myriad of diverse      hybrid working strategies, an approach that cannot be

done in a traditional learning environment. Up-to-date competencies are also key for the

success and development of 21st century learners in the new economies so the digital

world has to impregnate every pore of the classroom, Web 2.0 tools permit learners

practise their listening, reading, writing and oral skills by being in constant contact with

students and teachers all over the world. With programs like Xtranormal students not

only create an online film but they also have the chance to listen to the characters’

speech, a feat that could not have been done by drawing the comic on a piece of paper.

Sharing their work make students more confident because they see that the result of

their creativity can be seen by anyone boosting their confidence and interest. We have

also seen how powerpoint, keynote or prezi presentations can be used in a variety of

ways (like creating a poem or a presentation about a given country)            in which all

students can benefit from them. Bighugelabs can be very helpful to create professional

like posters of a film, a book or a certain event. All of them can be analyzed and shared

by teachers and students building up a truly bank of resources that can always be used

by teachers around the world.




                                                                                         43

The organization of Iskoodle is mainly focused on how international teachers work with

content for primary and secondary students. All areas of language learning are tackled

in a creative and interactive way with videos, text, flash animations and sounds so that

educators can use the resources within a fully blended learning environment. The

division between Spanish, French and Germany has been enlarged by adding other

links such as Digital Advanced Resources or the Foreign Language Committee blog

together with connections to Youtube, Flickr and Slideshare.




The resources on Iskoodle exploit actively all types of activities with videos that can be

reviewed a practised over and over again such as in La Vida Loca or the possibility of

recording students´ own voices such as in Mi Mundo en Palabras where users can listen

and compare their own pronunciation with the native pronunciation of the native

speakers. Revision and comparison using all formats outside the walls of the classroom

is possible with a good internet connection at home so that students are able to go back

to their lessons and work with their vocabulary and grammar tackling all the relevant

points of grammar, listening and writing. As stated before, publishing a good piece of

writing has never been so attractive as before. With Escrilandia for example the creation

of a digital postcard can be very appealing to both parents and students since it gives

them a tool that can be digitally manipulated and then sent to anyone in a matter of

seconds. Blended      learning is not only more pedagogically rich but it also makes

students and teachers aware that with the new technologies they can be creators,

producers and distributors of their own knowledge. The use of language games or digital

stories amongst other digital activities open the doors to dynamism, entrepreneurship

                                                                                       44

and a truly architecture of participation. It is multitasking critical thinking and constant

adaptation in   mixed environments, a road that has to be taken by the teachers of the

21st century.




The performance of the use of the language inside and outside the classroom is

enhanced with the new technologies. We have seen how, from Jacob Nielsen´s

heuristics point of view, Iskoodle matches its system with the real world with the

information arranged in a natural and logical order with simple language and short

sentences. The user has control over all the information with the necessary freedom and

flexibility to roam about its platform in an efficient way. Consistency and standards are

also met with no errors found and objects actions and options have been perceived as

clearly visible with retrievable activities. It is important to stress out the aesthetics of

Iskoodle with its simple design, sometimes regarded as plain, since it helps its users to

easily find the units of information and understand at every level what they have to do

and how they have to do it. Help and documentation is still an area that should be

developed so that teachers can make use of extra pedagogical resources for the

development of their lessons.




Traditional learning versus blended learning. At the beginning of this article we stressed

out the importance of the vision of change. 21st century teachers should gradually move

towards technological centered classrooms presented the information in multifaceted

ways. . Communication in ICT-enhanced lessons permits          to take the leap from static

                                                                                         45

text books to the fluidity of web 2.0 boosting students confidence through constant

updating, self-development and participation in society (Gonzalez, 2010). Expanding

connections through different learning resources in a society that demands up-to-date

competencies is a key element for the success of the students. Blended language

learning, with sturdy pedagogical goals behind it, is the answer for students’

performance both inside and outside the classroom.


Blended language learning is a fascinating field to be discovered. Experimenting with

new activities, from the constructive approach, can be regarded as a leap towards the

improvement of good pedagogical practices. More research should be done in order to

compare, contrast and show real teaching experiences to the educative community. The

road ahead looks, by all means, fascinating.




                                                                                  46

7. REFERENCES

Chomsky, Noam (1967) A Review of B. F. Skinner's Verbal Behavior
In Leon A. Jakobovits and Murray S. Miron (eds.), Readings in the Psychology of
Language, Prentice-Hall, pp. 142-143.

Caado, M. L. P. (2010) Using virtual learning environments and computer-mediated
communication to enhance the lexical competence of pre-service English teachers: A
quantitative and qualitative study. Computer Assisted Language Learning 23:2 , pp. 129-
150.

Dewey, J. (1897) My Pedagogic Creed The School Journal, 54(3), 77-80. Retrieved
February 12, 2006 from HYPERLINK "http://www.infed.org/archives/e-texts/e-dew-
pc.htm"

De Smet, M. , Van Keer, H. , De Wever, B. and Valcke, M. (2010) Cross-age peer tutors
in asynchronous discussion groups: Exploring the impact of three types of tutor training
on patterns in tutor support and on tutor characteritics. Computers & Education 54:4 ,
pp. 1167-1181.

Doering, A., Hughes, J. & Huffman, D. (2003). Preservice teachers: Are we thinking with
technology? Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 35(3), 342–361

Fiedler, S. and Kieslinger, B. Hug, T. , Lindner, M. and Bruck, P. (eds) (2006) Adapting
to changing landscapes in education. Proceedings of microlearning conference 2006
Innsbruck University Press pp. 78-89. Innsbruck, Austria

Freire, P. (1970) Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Continuum Publishing Company.
Retrieved February 12, 2011.


Gonzales-Lloret, M. (2003). Design Task-Based CALL to Promote Interaction. Language
Learning & Technology, 7(1), 86-104.

Gonzalez Guzman, Victor (2010) . Web 2.0 and Language Learning IS Magazine
Volume 12 Issue 3. pp 23

Freire, P. (1970) Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Continuum Publishing Company.
Retrieved February 12, 2006

Fu, F., Wu, Y., & Ho, H. (2009). An investigation of coopetitive pedagogic design for
knowledge creation in web-based learning. Computers & Education 53 (3).

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Kessler, G., & Bikowski, D. (2010). Developing collaborative autonomous language
learning abilities in computer mediated language learning: Attention to meaning among
students in wiki space. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 23(1), 41-58.
Khan, B. (2001) Managing e-Learning strategies: Design, delivery, implementation and
evaluation Idea Group , Hershey, PA


Lamb, A., and L. Johnson. 2006. Want to be my friend? What you need to know
about social technologies. Teacher Librarian 34, no. 1: 55–7.

Lemke, C., and E. Coughlin. 2009. Leadership for Web 2.0 in education: Promise
and reality. Culver City, CA: Metiri Group. Learning, Media and Technology 305

Lepper, M. R. (1985) Microcomputers in education: Motivational and social issues.
American Psychologist 40 , pp. 1-18

Mason, R. and Rennie, F. (2007) Using Web 2.0 for learning in the community. The
Internet and Higher Education 10 , pp. 196-203

McLoughlin and Lee (2008) C. McLoughlin and M.J.W. Lee, The three P’s of pedagogy
for the networked society: personalization, participation, and productivity, International
Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education 20 (1), pp. 10–27.

Naiman, N. , Frhlich, M. , Stern, H. H. and Todesco, A. (1996) The good language
learner Multilingual Matters , Clevedon — (Original work published 1978.)

O’Sullivan, M. L., & Samarawickrema, G. (2008). Changing learning and teaching
relationships in the educational technology landscape. In hello! where are you in the
landscape of educational technology?. Retrieved (2012, March 28) from
http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/melbourne08/procs/osullivan-poster.pdf


Seragan, T. (2007) Programming collective intelligence O'Reilly , Sebastopol, Ukraine


Skinner, Burrhus Frederick (1957). Verbal Behavior. Acton, Massachusetts: Copley
Publishing Group. ISBN 1-58390-021-7 Chapter 1 "A Functional Analysis of Verbal
Behavior".

Sun, Y. C. (2009) Voice blog: an exploratory study of language learning. Language
Learning & Technology 13:2 , pp. 88-103.

Warschauer, M. (1995). Virtual Connections: Online Activities & Projects for Networking
Language Learners. Honolulu: Second Language Teaching & Curriculum Design,
University of Hawai’i.
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Zeng, G. and Takatsuka, S. (2009) Text-based peer-peer collaborative dialogue in a
computer-mediated learning environment in the EFL context. System 37 , pp. 434-446

Zucker, Andrew.2009. The Role of Nonprofits in Educational Technology Innovation.
Journal of Science Education and Technology no.18: 37-47.

Warschauer, M. 2007. The paradoxical future of digital learning. Learning Inquiry 1,
no. 1: 41–9.









                                                                                       49


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Víctor gonzález

  • 1.           
  • 3.                               
  • 5.                        
  • 6.                        
  • 9. ABSTRACT                                                              
  • 11.      1. INTRODUCTION This article considers the possible implications in which blended learning (a mix of online and face-to-face instruction) is more effective than traditional learning in foreign language classrooms. It presents arguments for considering why web 2.0 tools enhance writing, reading listening and oral skills to students that are learning a foreign language and how these rich learning experiences can be incorporated into the curriculum. The main aim of this article is to stimulate debate and provoke thinking about why foreign language teachers should shift from traditional learning environments to blended learning approaches. The broad use of Web 2.0 by adolescents has created new digital scenarios for learning and future schooling where networking technologies are shaping new social landscapes in which education is part of it. Being more effective by using web 2.0 tools while learning a language provides the central argument of this article. The main motivation is to convince teachers and educators that the use of technology in the classroom is not only beneficial for the students but it also leads to better pedagogical 1 
  • 12. results. Learning becomes then more attractive, compelling and it matches the new challenges of the 21st century. In order to Whereas Web 1.0 websites were static tools where interaction was not at its core, web 2.0 has become the central headquarter for creativity and social networking. Youtube, Facebook, blogs, wikis or google docs are just some examples of user generated content where collaboration and a constant activity of expression are shared without boundaries. In this way, foreign language teachers should take profit of these new tools by constructing brand new learning scenarios in a ‘post- print’ world (Warschauer 2007) in order to foster true education ‘ through the stimulation of the child’s powers by the demands of the social situations in which he finds himself’ (Dewey 1897, p. 77) in a model that embraces the vision of learning as a “collective intelligence” (Seragan, 2007), Ubiquitous computing, cloud-computing, social software and web mash-ups have changed both the way we consume information and create and consume information (Mason & Rennie, 2007). Learning a foreign language includes a set of competencies that have to be tackled. That is to say, grammar learning, vocabulary, listening, writing, talking, and reading. During the 60s and until the beginning of the 80s learning a foreign language meant following a behavioral approach. Audiovisual and audio-lingual course books in routine pattern practice flowed the market, the classrooms and all the spectrum of teaching and 2 
  • 13. learning a language. Language Laboratories in individual booths and systems of tapes and slides was a trend followed by teachers and researchers. In this way, it was assumed that all human and animal behaviors were determined not only by learning but also by reinforcement and repetition in which responses were reduced to associations. The book by B. F. Skinner, Verbal Behavior in 1957, stressed the fact that the controlling variables of language were subject to the same controlling variables as any other operant human behaviors. This was of great influence in the way teachers and students started to learn a language. However, Skinner’s method was heavily criticized by Noam Chomsky when he published his critique of Verbal Behaviour in 1959. According to Chomsky, Skinner had only limited himself to study of observables, i.e., input-output relations. In this way, at the end of the 1980s, a more interactive and transactional methodology started to flourish in which an increasing amount of foreign language spoken in the classroom was being used. Colorful teaching materials full of realia, photos, images, maps and games, flashcards, videos, tapes, CD-roms, schemes of work, computer back-ups and multi-modular text books were now part of the teaching materials of the students although teacher centered instruction continued to be the main trend. After the transition from the analogical age to the digital age we have witnessed how technology has changed the social, cultural and educational scenarios. Now, with the increasing use of collaborative web 2.0 tools the whole philosophy of language learning has gradually changed towards a more constructive approach. Students, with the right blended approach, are able to discover and create their own knowledge in a creative way using non-expensive digital tools that can put into practice all the areas required to learn a language. Films with subtitles, podcasts, comics, educational games or online writing contests are just a few examples of the digital content created by users. 3 
  • 14. In this way, blended language learning versus traditional learning would follow the three P´s of pedagogy for the networked society: personalization, participation, and productivity (McLoughlin and Lee, 2008). 1.1 Main Objectives and methodology The main objective of our study is to let educators and teachers know the advantages of learning a foreign language through a technological approach. The methodology used is qualitative focused mainly on interviews with international teachers within an heuristic approach and questions related to their view of how a blended learning environment can boost the expectations and goals of the learnes. Our study focuses on international schools and its online foreign language moodle platform. Moodle, an acronym that stands for Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environments, is a courseware package and learning system that allows many institutions to conduct online courses. It can be used in both e-learning and blended learning course formats and has activity modules such as databases, forums and wikis that allow administrators to build full collaborative communities of learning. Moreover, teachers can also deliver content to students and assess learning processes using quizzes or assignments. Iskoodle, the name given to the moodle platform, is used by all international schools around the world so that it is available to all teachers who are members of ICS. The Council of International Schools (CIS) is a non-for-profit 4 
  • 15. organization of International Education comprising over 650 member schools and 450 colleges/universities. Its main aim is to deliver the highest standards in International Education in order to improve the learning skills of students. In order to do that, a program of evaluation has been created , the International Accreditation Service, to demonstrate the quality of their schools, their resources, administration, teachers and international practices where technology is a key element for the enrichment of all subjects throughout the curriculum. On Iskoodle teachers can share discussions, thoughts, files, course materials, conference information and speaker notes. It breaks down into the different subjects taught at International Schools. The Foreign Language Committee has decided to boost the site in 2011 by creating useful content for all those foreign language teachers around the world that want to improve their blended learning approaches in the classrooms. Technological advances are a must in an interconnected world and blended earning is becoming a trend in all international schools. This implicates a change of approach both academically and pedagogically and a vision towards future possibilities where web 2.0 tools and their practice have to be considered. The main aim is to re-examine and reconceptualise the question of language teaching through the help of new educational practices where technology takes a major role. This second generation web-based services give students the opportunity to for exchange and debate views, share ideas and make global connections (Lamb and Johnson 2006). Collaboration, extrapolation, analysis, projection demonstration and interaction are some of the skills needed in order to meet the 21st century educational needs of the students (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2009), opening a new window to the whole world, often foreseen not only but authorities but also by teachers and parents who are not willing to implement a radical systemic 5 
  • 16. educational change in the classroom. In this way, our educational culture does not yet fully align learning to the realities of the 21st Century’ (Lemke and Coughlin 2009, 5). The foreign language teacher has an immense opportunity to show their students the language they are learning by using multimedia platforms where video, text and sounds are constantly shared and uploaded. Knowledge production and innovation in ubiquitous technologies permit adolescents to express themselves in a variety of ways where learner control is key for their own learning success since it affects outcomes (Lepper, 1985) . Language teachers have to develop strategies for exploiting the fluid nature of web 2.0 in order to generate innovative learning opportunities for adolescents who are constantly operating (most of the time informally) in an online world. ‘…only through communication can human life hold meaning. The teacher’s thinking is authenticated only by the authenticity of the students’ thinking. The teacher cannot think for her students, nor can she impose her thought on them. Authentic thinking, thinking that is concerned about reality, does not take place in ivory tower isolation, but only in communication’. (Freire 1970). 6 
  • 17. 2. LITERATURE REVIEW Open educational materials have endless possibilities for educators with exiting new possibilities. The idea of learning environments to anyone, anyplace, anytime has been proved to be an innovative approach for delivering interactive, well-designed, learner- centered, interactive and flexible learning environments (Khan, 2001, p. 3). Educational innovation within institutions in the 21st century requires a vision of change, teamwork, resources and time (Zucker, 2009) since it can be beneficial for their development ((Fiedler & Kieslinger, 2006) . This vision of change has to be communicated effectively to a school board, parents, teachers and students through meetings, websites, blogs and official school documents. In this way, the strategies for digital integration in the language classrooms can range from delivering a single technology course, offering mini-workshops, integrating technology in all courses to education faculty of how to infuse technology throughout the school with specific learning goals. The use of ICTs to foster new forms of learning through enabling new learning relationships is indeed a challenge for many teachers who are comfortable using conventional e-learning and teaching approaches within the learning management system platform. In such learning environments content continues to be decided by the teachers and control is therefore still largely in their hands. In adopting the more recent 7 
  • 18. Web 2.0 technologies, decisions related to content and control are largely in the hands of the learners blurring the boundaries between expert or teacher and learner ( O’Sullivan, ) This cannot be though done without an improving student and teacher access to software and hardware together with pedagogical goals given to teachers in order to avoid concerns about the implementation and classroom management of the usefulness of for example web 2.0 games in education (Doering et al., 2003). International Schools such as the one in Düsseldorf, repeated exposure to digital content in primary has been implemented with clear pedagogical goals and constant information to parents, teachers and the board of the school. Building content knowledge, enhancing problem solving and experimentation are areas in which all the educators of the school have to take part of in order to meet the pedagogical aims of blended learning. As far as Iskoodle is concerned, teachers have to be aware of the theoretical implications behind its philosophy. Constructivism is the main theoretical source for blended learning and Iskoodle is the platform that permits it to evolve. In technology enriched lessons, teachers have to be dynamic and fully networked. They should strive to be creators, facilitators and supervisors in order to let students build their own learning styles and preferences with the aid of computer-mediated educational tools. According to The good language learner (Naiman et al., 1978), good language learners have to be active, they need to develop the language as a system, they have to have the 8 
  • 19. technical know-how and finally, they have to practice and use the language in an active way. Being self-evaluative, sociable and constantly looking for meaning are other key characteristics that could also be applied to 21st Century Learners. Students learn by doing and not by only facing a static-centered classroom teacher. They have to be active in class, independent , self-reliant and share their knowledge with their classmates. They are, by nature, able to adapt fast to new forms of communication in a mash-up culture. In this way, language teachers should provide them with a wide access to worldwide information to nurture and expand connections through different learning resources in a society where up-to-date competencies and skills are a must. This change from lecture- to student-centered instruction is, however, not only a matter of technology, but also of being convinced about its intrinsic value in which the teacher plays the most important part. In the particular case of second language acquisition, a myriad of diverse hybrid working strategies such as online comics, podcasts or customized motivational posters are just some of the enormous possibilities web 2.0 can offer without any additional costs. Teachers and students become then constructors of knowledge within authentic learning experiences in digital-age communication. For students, this is a challenge that enhances entrepreneurship, participation and critical thinking and enables them to be more prepared in an economy that is in constant change and needs creativity and flexibility. The road ahead is not a wasted land though. Schools and teachers around the world are working towards the use and expansion of blended learning. IT teachers have now the responsibility to offer the necessary tools the school needs in order to train their 9 
  • 20. colleagues in a fully technological environment. To do that, it is not only necessary the time and the skills to convince those who are not willing to take the leap towards multisensorial learning environments but also the implementation of a good training in teaching making use of the technologies around us. The academic universe of mixed learning needs to be conveyed to the teachers of the future so Iskoole is aimed at filling this gap. It has to be actively used by international foreign language teachers in order to implement blended learning in their classrooms and spread the message of good practices. Similar experiences in digital environments have shown that computer- mediated communication (CMC) with language learning facilitates social interaction between the teacher and the students as well as among students (Caado, 2010; De Smet, Van Keer, De Wever, & Valcke, 2010). Apart from a constant active communication, computer mediated communication is a motivational pool that engage learners in meaningful communication in the target language, leading to effective language learning (Sun, 2009, p. 88). Meanings on misunderstanding during the process of learning a language are also solved anytime anywhere with the teacher in an active and effective way (Kessler & Bikowski, 2010). Moreover, in CMC, the role of the teacher changes towards guidance with less control over how students behave in the online learning environment giving them freedom in order to construct their own knowledge and enhance their creativity (Fu, Wu, & Ho, 2009). On the other hand, the mass of resources on the web also enables language learners to practice the language in real communication with people who are beyond their reach such as fellow learners or native speakers (Warschauer, 1995). Comprehension through interaction is then better than without any interactions (Gonzales-Lloret, 2003) so a platform like Iskoodle can help teachers to be able to participate in a community of practice when using its 10 
  • 21. resources in a proper way. The inclusion of tools and resources to create activities or materials for learners such as quizzes, online materials presentations, assignments, and tasks with question databases, feedback, scoring and tracking of students’ progress are some of the characteristics offered by Iskoodle. Multiple choice, short answer, true/false, matching, or cloze exercises including multimedia files (audio and video) are some of many activities chosen in order to boost blended learning in the classrooms. Some successful examples of moodle platforms integrated in the classroom practice can be seen in the studies of Zeng and Takatsuka (2009) when using Moodle in a course management system, to engage EFL students in synchronous text-based dialogues. The students, in a fully collaborative way, assisted each other in attending language forms through dialogues ,which consequently increased and improved their language use in writing. 11 
  • 22. 3. WEB 2.0 TOOLS But what are the main web 2.0 tools that allow students acquire competences and develop them in a blended learning environment? The main areas that should be tackled are reading, writing, listening and grammar. In order to practice them in a mixed environment the teacher has to be aware of the constructive approach needed so that students can learn by doing, sharing their own knowledge with their school mates. Reading, writing, listening, oral skills and grammar can be revised and practiced by using various online programs. Most of them may include some of these areas and, when they are not explicitly in the programs, the role of the teacher and his or her own creativity making use of blended language learning goals can help to explore and practice those skills that have not been tackled by the program itself. Xtranormal is a text to movie platform that allows students to create 3D films in a very easy way. In a blended learning environment, Xtranormal can be used with students who have previously created an original script with dialogues between various characters (Xtranormal only accepts two). The teacher can introduce the characters to the students in the foreign language studied in class, talk about their characteristics and give some adjectives regarding their personality and physical appearance. The teacher can also give a topic to the students such as ¨superheroes in danger¨ or ¨The prince without a reign¨ although he can also focus the topic on the vocabulary and grammar studied in class such as ¨Daily routine (of a superhero)” or describing a past experience. With Xtranormal students can then edit their own film, embed sounds and music and 12 
  • 23. work on their sentences. The final result can be posted online and presented to the students and the teacher. It can then be linked to the blog of the teacher or posted on a facebook page in order to go viral. The outcome of the exercise is not only to write and use all the relevant words studied in class but also to give a voice to the characters in order to be creative and imaginative. After the presentation of the film, the students can vote for the best one, talk in the language learned in class about its pros and its cons and give advice of how to improve it. Structures such as “ What I liked about the film is” or “ What could be improved is ” are just some examples of how to give an opinion. The oral skills of the students are also then covered in a mixed environment and, at the same time, students can listen in the language they are learning to all the dialogues created online. Blogs are also excellent tools to use in a blended learning environment. The teacher can set a task such as “curiosities” or the recollections and experiences of a fieldtrip. It is important to stress out the idea that students have to use their own words when writing the text and, if possible, upload their own photos (especially if the blog is about their own experience such as in the case of the fieldtrip). Videos and even audio snippets are also welcomed in order to enrich the dynamism of the blog. Students then have to present it in the language learned in class with an auto-evaluation about the strengths and witnesses when creating the blog (Image 1 and 2) 13 
  • 24. Image 1: Project ¨El Fracaso Escolar¨ on a blog by a native Spanish year 9 student from the International School of Bremen. 2010. Image 2: Project ¨Fieldtrip to Granada¨ created with wordpress by a year 12 student from the International School of Bremen. 2010. 14 
  • 25. Powerpoint, keynote or Prezi presentations are also good ways of practising a language. Students have to work not only on the grammar and vocabulary skills but also on their oral skills. With a presentation in electronic format sounds and videos can be embedded so the tasks and potentialities are endless. Creating an online poem for example (Image 3) following the rhythm of a song, a musical video with images and its lyrics (Image 4) or presenting a field trip or a task following a particular idea and grammar structure such as ¨What would you do to change the world?” or ¨The House of the Future¨ (Image 5) are excellent exercises that can be done by students to practice and work with the language in different formats. Other constructive tasks are creating presentations about various regions of the country of the target language or the States with their cultural, linguistic, geographical and social aspects. The best presentations can then be shared online with free programs like slideshare so that students can share their knowledge and create quality content that can be used and practised by other students around the world. On the other hand, with Prezi, the presentations are done online and published directly on their own platform (Image 6). 15 
  • 26. Image 3: Project ¨Create a Poem with Powerpoint¨. Example of a slide created by a year 10 student from a German state school in 2008. Image 4: Project ¨Ground Control to Major Tom¨ created and posted on slideshare by a year 6 student from the International School of Bremen. 2009. 16 
  • 27. Image 5: Project ¨Mi casa del Futuro¨ created and posted by a year 9 student from the International School of Bremen. 2010. Image 6: Project ¨Mi Presentación¨ created with Prezi by a year 9 student from the International School of Bremen. 2010. Bighugelabs is another free web tool that allows students to practice their written skills. They can create posters for films (Image 7) , books or concerts (Image 8) , advertisements or leaflets with the vocabulary studied in the classroom and then post them on the blog. Coloseum Apocolypse for example is a project in which the student had to invent the name of a film, add the relevant credits, a sentence about the film and 17 
  • 28. post a picture he had made. The picture chosen is from the Colliseum in Rome when he went on holiday with his parents. Image 7: Project ¨Mi Película¨ created with Bighugelabs by a year 8 student from the International School of Bremen. 2010. 18 
  • 29. Image 8: Project ¨Mi Grupo musical favorito¨ created with Bighugelabs by a year 10 student from the International School of Bremen. 2009. Working with online comic creators (Image 9) is also a rich experience for students and teachers. Online comic platforms like stripcreator, give a set of tools in order to create comics with a great variety of well-known characters. Students can write the dialogues previously with the help of the teacher and then construct their own comic that can be printed off, sent by email to parents and friends and published on a blog. This idea of “ letting the world know what I am doing” is an incentive for students to build up their confidence and artistic skills. Their work is in fact published for the whole world to see, something that it was literally impossible before the digital age. 19 
  • 30. Image 9: Project ¨My Comic¨ by a year 6 student from the International School of Bremen. 2009. These examples have in common the fact that both students and teachers can work in a collaborative way and spread their message throughout the world. In traditional classroom environments students are constrained into non flexible pedagogical tools leaving them isolated from the rest of the world, a hindrance that can always be avoided by an active and participative use of technology. 20 
  • 31. 4. HOW ISKOODLE IS ORGANIZED In order to build up a useful online platform for teachers to use it, we have to respond to most of the needs that different teachers, students and learning contexts require. Web 2.0 services generate a great amount of data and services that have to be controlled and aimed at a pedagogical useful level. Interaction and collaborative digital exercises have to meet the needs of the learners so all the activities have to be carefully chosen to support all the areas of language learning. Writing, reading, listening and some interactive oral activities should appear in most of the websites chosen on Iskoodle within well-designed, learner-centered practices. The amount of vocabulary, grammar scope and activities have to be not only attractive for both teachers and students but also cover a wide range of grammatical points within an interactive environment. Moreover, collaboration and independence have to be taken into account in open, flexible and distributed learning environments. Students have to construct and expand their own knowledge in a blended language lesson with the help of the teacher so the chosen websites should be used in a creative way in the classroom. All resources have to be stored and clearly centralized on the Iskoodle platform so that they are easy to find and use. In order to do that, a clear separation between languages has been stated (Spanish, French, German), (Image 10 and 11). 21 
  • 32. Image 10: Iskoodle logo Image 11: Iskoodle external structure On a second level, each website has a short description of its content so that the language teacher can have some information about the website, a short description of what teachers and students are going to find, the audience and the type of resources. 22 
  • 33. (Image 12) Image 12: Iskoodle internal structure Iskoodle will also include some other links on the platform such as Digital Advanced Resources with websites that can be used by all language teachers such as comic creators or platforms with interesting pictures, audiovisual materials and podcasts. It will also have a link with some presentations made by students for the different languages, another one with the presentations made by the members of the Foreign Language Committee and links to the official Foreign Language Committee Blog. The websites have been chosen from various sources. On one hand, there has been a pedagogical research done by various teachers on other platforms such as Edu365 for 23 
  • 34. Spanish. Edu 365 is a repository from the Departament de la Generalitat de Catalunya where students and teachers can find dynamic resources for various subjects. In this case, Spanish language learning has been carefully adapted for the different levels of international foreign language learners according to the activities and the level of the vocabulary. It has been stated that the content has to be attractive for both primary and secondary students. The interactivity has to include videos, audio files and programs in flash so that it creates a truly flexible experience for both students and teachers. They have to be easy to use and cover the pedagogical content of a certain topic (food, hobbies, verb tenses, idioms or specific exams for International schools such as the ones for the International Baccaleuareat). In principle, it is not recommended to use websites that lead students and teachers to new links. The content has to stem from the website itself so that it has a directed and focused pedagogical purpose. Avoiding pdf. and doc. documents is also an objective when looking for a good foreign language platform. In blended learning students have to use actively their computers in the classroom or be able to follow the teachers’ lessons on an electronic digital whiteboard. Iskoodle .is also a central platform to gain visibility. The Foreign Language Committee is trying to extend its influence within resource repositories. Youtube, Flickr, SlideShare or Scribd are free platforms that can be connected to create and expand content within for teachers and students. It is also important to boost the relationships within the Foreign Language Iskoodle website amongst teachers to spread the message and promote blended learning environments. Contacts and groups of international teachers is key to increase the expansion of Iskoodle. In order to do that, all teachers can take part of the website by posting their picture, giving some information about their professional 24 
  • 35. background and stating their interests. The challenge is to make explicit the activities, presentations and all the useful digital tools to all the international community. Getting users connected and managing learning resources can only be done by boosting social web 2.0 tools. What activities can the teacher find on the resources from Iskoodle? And what are the competences foreign language learners acquire in a blended learning environment? The BBC has a website with an interactive video drama in 22 different episodes called Mi Vida Loca to learn Spanish (Image 13). The activity includes the full details of the program, a user guide, the syllabus, the print outs and a comprehensive teacher’s guide with all the relevant details. Students can complete Mi Vida Loca in twelve weeks with or without the help of the teacher and it is recommended for beginners. The videos take the student on an intrigue mystery adventure to Madrid so that they are curious about what is going to happen next and why. The creators of My Vida Loca make use of the cliffhanger resource so that there is a mixture of TV entertainment taken from the idea of the sitcoms and language learning activities. Students learn the vocabulary and grammar in each episode at their own pace, they can repeat the videos, listen to the dialogues again and complete the activities for practice. 25 
  • 36. Image 13: ¨Mi Vida Loca¨ online exercises. Students can choose their gender since they can interact with the videos at any point and the videos are focused on the pronunciation and the translation of words and sentences with a very clear and user friendly interface (Image 14). 26 
  • 37. Image 14: Video exercise ¨Mi Vida Loca¨. Within each episode the action is stopped with an explanation of all the new words that have been used by the main characters. The students are then able to listen to them again in Spanish, listen to the translation in English and see how they are written. The reading and listening skills are practised step by step in a very detailed way so that the student has a thorough understanding of the text, the environment and plot behind the story. Since it happens in Madrid, there is a window to the streets of the capital city of Spain, their people and the places, architecture and objects of the country such as restaurants or taxis (Image 15) . The teacher can introduce areas of the Spanish society to the students so that they are aware of the differences and similarities with their own countries. The vocabulary can also be introduced and then practised with the program 27 
  • 38. and then, individually or in groups, prepare a presentation about some characteristics of a Spanish city, the food or the architecture. The videos can also be a good starting point to prepare similar scenes for a video that can be filmed in class and the presented to other students so that the vocabulary, intonation and pronunciation is actively practised in a constructive way. Image 15: ¨Mi Vida Loca¨ Video Mi Vida Loca uses in most videos the voice of the narrator translating every single word and expression in English. This can be regarded as negative when learning a foreign language since the students are not impregnated by it. On the other hand, El Instituto Cervantes offers a free program in flash to learn Spanish called Mi Mundo en Palabras. Mi Mundo en Palabras is constructed entirely in Spanish in order to improve the intonation, the pronunciation and the vocabulary of the foreign language learners. It is based on the life of Carlos, his family, hobbies and everyday life, 28 
  • 39. introducing new structures and vocabulary that have to be practised by the students through interactive exercises where writing, reading and oral skills are a must. The words are written and pronounced mostly by Carlos and the student can repeat them as many times as he or she wants in order to imitate the pronunciation ( Image 16). Image 16: ¨Una foto de mi familia¨ exercise. Students can also record their own voice by answering directly the questions posed by Carlos and his friend on the videos. This helps them pronounce and use the Spanish in an active way (Image 17). 29 
  • 40. Image 17: ¨Mi Familia¨ oral exercise. Other exercises include explaining the ending of a story, summarizing a certain idea, recognizing the structure of a text and describing landscapes and characters with a wide use of adjectives. Escrilandia is a similar program to ¨Mi Mundo en Palabras¨ in a way that it uses a flash program with colorful characters and clear text. Its focus this time is on writing so that students can practice a variety of reading and writing activities that can be done online. The website has a complete detailed guide and a didactic guide with numerous examples and activities (Image 18). 30 
  • 41. Image 18: ¨Escrilandia. El Mundo de los Escritores¨. Whereas the introductory character on ¨Mi Mundo en Palabras¨ was Carlos here it is ¨La Cigüeña¨ or the storch. It is followed by four sections with many activities that can be printed off and used in the classroom. The students can modify online a character using most parts of the body according to a given description in the original language or write about its common characteristics. In a blended learning environment the teacher can set a task to the students by creating the character of their choice and then present it to the rest of the classroom. 31 
  • 42. Apart from character descriptions “Escrilandia” , students can also follow the instructions written in Spanish to construct a landscape with rivers, mountains, lakes, shapes and colors. The vocabulary can be previously introduced in the classroom by the teacher so that the students are familiarized with the pronunciation and the meaning. In “Escrilandia” students can also write in a constructive way their own story illustrating it with the images given by the program. The final result can be very attractive and compelling and it can be sent as a gift to parents, friends of even the classmates. An oline postcard (Image 19 and 20), similar to the one in “ Mi Mundo en Palabras” is offered by the program with the particularity that the student can travel online to a certain place and describe it. It can be sent online or printed off and the students can use it as a reference for future writing exercises. Image 19: ¨Aprende a escribir una postal¨. 32 
  • 43. Image 20: ¨Instrucciones aprende a escribir una postal¨. In order to practise the listening comprehension students can use online story telling websites. Clic Clic Clic Cuentos Interactivos offers stories in Spanish with a the peculiarity that the voice of the narrator is combined with the text of the plot that appears on captions and bubbles as he speaks. The vocabulary is simple enough to be understood by average Spanish learners and the grammar combines the simple past and the present perfect with dialogues between the characters in simple present. Although it is aimed at children who are native speakers in order to enhance their reading and writing skills, Clic Clic Clic Cuentos Interactivos is a good tool to be used with non-native Spanish learners in a blended learning classroom when the teacher has previously introduced some of the most complicated vocabulary and when the students are familiarized with simple past and present perfect structures. Clic Clic Clic Cuentos 33 
  • 44. Interactivos has no exercises, grammar games or a bank of vocabulary. The teacher can then generate content by creating activities based on the stories in order to practise the words and structures learned from the website (Image 21) Fig 21: Clic clic clic cuentos interactivos. Online foreign language games are also a good tool for the students and teachers to use in a blended learning environment. Edu 365 has created a great number of games to improve the spelling and grammar of Spanish students. They are based on particular objectives such as getting into the pool if the complete an exercise with success or having a digital watch in order to see how much time the students need to finish an exercise (Image 22 and 23). Although it is aimed to improve the spelling skills of the 34 
  • 45. students, in a foreign language classroom new words from the program can be introduced so that the vocabulary can be enlarged and practised to a great extent. Fig 22: Online exercise. Palabras con mb y mp 35 
  • 46. Fig 23: Online exercise. Palabras y significados. The possibilities are endless but it is important for the teacher to be familiarized with the programs on Iskoodle. A structured pedagogical plan before using the websites with its objectives within the lesson are important for the success of the international learning platform. 36 
  • 47. 5. THE HEURISTICS APPROACH OF ISKOODLE In order to validate the usability of the resources on Iskoodle we are going to follow Jakob Nielsen’s ten principles for used interface design called heuristics. Two foreign language teachers have been using a blended learning approach in their language lessons throughout 2011 with students from grade 8 and 9. Their experience and practice with the students coincide in both cases and the resultant feedback has been positive. The shift from a traditional foreign language learning approach to a more blended and constructivist goal has helped to improve not only the performance of the students when using Spanish (reading, writing, speaking and listening) but also the confidence of the teachers and their creativity. The students have changed their passivity in a centered teacher classroom into an active role where the construction of knowledge has been manifested by the constant production of activities done by the students with web 2.0 tools and the digital world. Taking into account Jacob Nielsen heuristic approach, we will comment on each of the points he tackles from the point of view of the two foreign language teachers. 1. Visibility of system status: Is Iskoodle keeping users informed through appropriate feedback within reasonable time? According to the teachers interviewed, Iskoodle sends feedback from all the messages posted by foreign language teachers. The updated websites are not known by the users. 37 
  • 48. They have to log on in order to see what’s new on the Foreign Language Section. In order to keep teachers and students informed the Foreign Language Committee has decided to launch a blog with all the new websites, presentations and articles posted on Iskoodle. The blog will be linked on a facebook fan page of the Foreign Language Committee. 2. Match between system and the real world: Is the system speaking the users’ language with words, phrases and concepts familiar to the user? Does the information appear in a natural and logical order? Both teachers have agreed that the information given is simple and direct. The words and expressions used are functional. The division website, description, audience, type of resources is clear enough for international teachers an no more is needed in order to browse the websites. 3. User control and freedom: Users have control and freedom throughout the platform so they have the chance to leave those places that are considered unwanted states 4. Consistency and standards: According to both teachers interviewed the consistency and standards throughout Iskoodle are present so that all users know beforehand what they will expect. The 38 
  • 49. layout and the amount of information is sufficiently clear to be followed within the same platform conventions. 5. Error prevention: Although all the links and the information posted on the Iskoodle platform work, the teachers have not found an error prevention structure when a URL doesn’t work. This should be improved from the moodle platform. 6. Recognition rather than recall: Objects, actions and options are all perceived as clearly visible by the user. All the chosen activities and instructions are also easily retrievable. 7. Flexibility and efficiency of use: The teachers have not seen any use of accelerators on Iskoodle in order to speed up the interaction for the experienced user. One of the teachers commented that the layout was simple enough for both inexperienced and expert users to use fast. 8. Aesthetic and Minimalist Design 39 
  • 50. The Iskoodle design is seen as minimalist and aesthetic by both teachers although one argues that the combination of the colors are too plain. The units of information are simple enough to find,       10. Help and documentation The teachers have not found any help or documentation. Both should be developed on Iskoodle in order to provide more information about the pedagogical goals of the links provided. The overall impression of Iskoodle is positive. Teachers have commented they are willing to use the platform although there are still many things it needs to be done. Both of them discussed the fact that there should be an extra section with detailed explanations of how to use the online activities. Guidance with a constructive approach can help teachers to prepare and set goals to the activities presented on Iskoodle. 40 
  • 51. As far as traditional learning versus blended learning is concerned, both teachers agree there has to be a steady change towards blending. In order to do that, software and hardware have work well in the schools with good technological advisors and pedagogical councelors. Without their support, the support of the parents and the heads of the schools teachers can face difficulties that would hindrance the development of blended learning in the schools. Another important point tackled is training. Both teachers stated that a good pedagogical training aimed at the subjects they are teaching is a must. A good software/hardware environment is not enough when teachers don’t know how to create blended language activities with specific learning objectives in the classrooms. Last but not least, discovering a new world of teacher creativity through technology is an advantage posted by both teachers. This does not mean that the figure of the educator is left behind, on the contrary, blending means having control of the technological devices that allow students get connected to the outside world in order to learn a language more effectively. Avoiding the chaos of the net by following certain patterns of order within a constructive approach can only lead to success in the process of language learning. 41 
  • 52. 6. CONCLUSION Blended learning is more effective than traditional learning in classrooms where foreign language is taught when teachers are aware of the implications and the constructivist theory behind it. With the amount of web 2.0 tools available to be used for free form the online world, reading, writing, listening and the oral skills of the students can be improved when they take active part in the construction of their main knowledge. Brand new learning generated scenarios have appeared with user generated content where the spread of collaboration and a constant activity of expression have led to a more democratic and interconnected worlds of users. Innovative approaches towards education in flexible learning environments requires a vision of change, time, resources, teamwork and a lot of supports from parents, teachers, the heads of the schools and the whole educational community. Hardware and software, together with concrete pedagogical goals and a good training for teachers and education are components that cannot be left behind in order to lead the blended learning approach to a successful terrain. This vision of the future responds to the need to a new marketplace where workers have to be able to multitask and do their jobs in different environments and situations including the digital world. Iskoodle wants to be the online link for all teachers from international schools, a place where discussions, thoughts, files, course materials, conference information and speaker notes can be shared on its moodle platform. A fully networked teacher will be 42 
  • 53. able to use the platform in order to facilitate knowledge to the students and help them find their own learning styles with interaction in a community of practice. The philosophical approach behind it is constructivism so a dynamic teacher will play the role of supervisor letting students have control of their own knowledge. In this way, worldwide information has to be shared and used in the classroom for both students and teachers. A blended learning approach also permits teachers to find new information to enhance a myriad of diverse hybrid working strategies, an approach that cannot be done in a traditional learning environment. Up-to-date competencies are also key for the success and development of 21st century learners in the new economies so the digital world has to impregnate every pore of the classroom, Web 2.0 tools permit learners practise their listening, reading, writing and oral skills by being in constant contact with students and teachers all over the world. With programs like Xtranormal students not only create an online film but they also have the chance to listen to the characters’ speech, a feat that could not have been done by drawing the comic on a piece of paper. Sharing their work make students more confident because they see that the result of their creativity can be seen by anyone boosting their confidence and interest. We have also seen how powerpoint, keynote or prezi presentations can be used in a variety of ways (like creating a poem or a presentation about a given country) in which all students can benefit from them. Bighugelabs can be very helpful to create professional like posters of a film, a book or a certain event. All of them can be analyzed and shared by teachers and students building up a truly bank of resources that can always be used by teachers around the world. 43 
  • 54. The organization of Iskoodle is mainly focused on how international teachers work with content for primary and secondary students. All areas of language learning are tackled in a creative and interactive way with videos, text, flash animations and sounds so that educators can use the resources within a fully blended learning environment. The division between Spanish, French and Germany has been enlarged by adding other links such as Digital Advanced Resources or the Foreign Language Committee blog together with connections to Youtube, Flickr and Slideshare. The resources on Iskoodle exploit actively all types of activities with videos that can be reviewed a practised over and over again such as in La Vida Loca or the possibility of recording students´ own voices such as in Mi Mundo en Palabras where users can listen and compare their own pronunciation with the native pronunciation of the native speakers. Revision and comparison using all formats outside the walls of the classroom is possible with a good internet connection at home so that students are able to go back to their lessons and work with their vocabulary and grammar tackling all the relevant points of grammar, listening and writing. As stated before, publishing a good piece of writing has never been so attractive as before. With Escrilandia for example the creation of a digital postcard can be very appealing to both parents and students since it gives them a tool that can be digitally manipulated and then sent to anyone in a matter of seconds. Blended learning is not only more pedagogically rich but it also makes students and teachers aware that with the new technologies they can be creators, producers and distributors of their own knowledge. The use of language games or digital stories amongst other digital activities open the doors to dynamism, entrepreneurship 44 
  • 55. and a truly architecture of participation. It is multitasking critical thinking and constant adaptation in mixed environments, a road that has to be taken by the teachers of the 21st century. The performance of the use of the language inside and outside the classroom is enhanced with the new technologies. We have seen how, from Jacob Nielsen´s heuristics point of view, Iskoodle matches its system with the real world with the information arranged in a natural and logical order with simple language and short sentences. The user has control over all the information with the necessary freedom and flexibility to roam about its platform in an efficient way. Consistency and standards are also met with no errors found and objects actions and options have been perceived as clearly visible with retrievable activities. It is important to stress out the aesthetics of Iskoodle with its simple design, sometimes regarded as plain, since it helps its users to easily find the units of information and understand at every level what they have to do and how they have to do it. Help and documentation is still an area that should be developed so that teachers can make use of extra pedagogical resources for the development of their lessons. Traditional learning versus blended learning. At the beginning of this article we stressed out the importance of the vision of change. 21st century teachers should gradually move towards technological centered classrooms presented the information in multifaceted ways. . Communication in ICT-enhanced lessons permits to take the leap from static 45 
  • 56. text books to the fluidity of web 2.0 boosting students confidence through constant updating, self-development and participation in society (Gonzalez, 2010). Expanding connections through different learning resources in a society that demands up-to-date competencies is a key element for the success of the students. Blended language learning, with sturdy pedagogical goals behind it, is the answer for students’ performance both inside and outside the classroom. Blended language learning is a fascinating field to be discovered. Experimenting with new activities, from the constructive approach, can be regarded as a leap towards the improvement of good pedagogical practices. More research should be done in order to compare, contrast and show real teaching experiences to the educative community. The road ahead looks, by all means, fascinating. 46 
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