learning languages on the web

1. learning languages on the web challenges and rewards

2. goals • survey existing web-based language courses • draw conclusions for future courses • present the project Germania X

3. reasons • convenient (learning from home or office) • at the learner’s own pace • at a distance • integration into existing curricula • market demand • financial constraint, decrease of public funding • lifelong learning, learning on demand

4. but honestly ... ... does it work for language learning ?

5. www as a tool for language learning • extension of the language classroom  • supplementary material  • language courses • advanced  • special purposes  • beginners ?

6. definition web-based language courses are hypermedia-based learning programs that utilize the attributes and resources of the world wide web to create learning environments. they follow a syllabus and lead to defined learning goals.

7. courses on the web http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/Opera/9904/index.htm

8. selling points

9. course structure • introduction • input (text, audio etc.) • activities (tasks & exercises) • presentation of grammatical items • drills • often: writing assignments • tests, quizzes

10. introduction Aspera Privateacher: Level 1, Chapter 2

11. introduction EnglishLive: GE Beginners, Lesson 1

12. input Aspera Privateacher: Level 1, Chapter 2

13. input EnglishLive: GE Beginners, Lesson 1

14. input LearnPlus Trial Lesson

15. input Lina und Leo (Goethe-Institut)

16. activities Aspera Privateacher: Level 1, Chapter2

17. activities EnglishLive: GE Beginners, Lesson 1

18. activities Lina und Leo: Lesson 1

19. grammar & structure EnglishLive: GE Beginners, Lesson 1

20. grammar & structure Aspera Privateacher: Level 1, Chapter 2

21. grammar & structure Lina und Leo: Lesson 1

22. additional features • more drills • writing assignments (email) • synchronous tuition (chat) • games • students notebook • online grammar, glossary, dictionary

23. so... do wbi-courses fulfill their promises? -

24. learner activities: quantity activities very limited (1 item : 1 drill)

25. learner activities: quality • true / false • “almost MC” • MC • fill-in-the-gap • put in the correct order (drag & drop) • writing assignments • stimulus - response type prevailing

26. cognition presentation of (grammatical) items • tables, texts • instructions e.g. ”study this text” • no explorative tasks

27. www merely as a tool of distribution • almost no real world tasks / living language links • multimedia still in its infancy (bandwidth) • interactivity still underdeveloped

28. distance learning self-access & autonomy

29. self-access & learner autonomy? • self-instructional learning: key decisions about what and how it will be learned made by teacher or program. • self-direction: learners accept responsibility for all decisions concerned with their learning. • autonomy: learner is responsible for all decisions and for the implementation of those decisions. Dickinson (1987)

30. levels of autonomy • awareness (pedagogical goals) • involvement • intervention • creation • transcendence D. Nuan (1997)

31. existing wbi • closed systems • learners in a reactive, disempowered position • behavioristic paradigm, CALL • learner attrition, frustration

32. the vision a full-fledged interactive multimedia language course on the internet should...

33. make the most of the internet • “authentic” resources • authentic tasks, i.e. tasks that can only be done by means of the www • use the internet as a communication tool • a rich learning environment

34. Goethe Interaktiv

35. jetzt online

36. taking full advantage of multimedia and interactivity • integrating different media and kinds of coded information • creating a situation, virtual reality • allotting a role to the learner • effective learning • motivation

37. Dummy: Germania X

39. cognitive approach assumption: knowledge is always constructed by the learner in an active process of coming to terms with reality.

42. why all that ? • internet, multimedia, interactivity are no pedagogical values of their own right • technical implementations • objectives: • facilitate learning, distance learning • usage of language in different contexts • allow transfer • depth of cognition • language and language learning awareness

43. An interactive multimedia language course for German on the internet Germania X

44. Germania X • beginners • stand alone, or • supplement • edutainment • constructivist approach

45. Germania X • young adults, employed or in career training • CEOs, employees in leading positions • students at the Goethe Institutes world-wide • students at universities and elsewhere

46. Germania X • based on an interactive movie • rich learning environment • exercises, tasks • writing and explorative assignments • asynchronous tuition (email, fora) • synchronous tuition (chat)

47. Germania X • movie: piece of art of its own right • natural, spoken German • understanding through visualization • everything that is not an obstacle to comprehension is O.K.

48. Germania X • You are invited to share the experience: • test run in the fall 2000 • tutors • students

49. thank you Majari@goethe.de http://www.goethe.de