1. Blogging in the Foreign Language Classroom Lina Lee University of New Hampshire llee@unh.edu

2. “I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.” --Albert Einstein 21st Century Learning

3. Transform your classroom into a creative learning space and provide the opportunity for students to collaborate.

4. Welcome to the 21st Century Learning

6. Web 1.0 vs. Web 2.0 Web 1.0 (website) One way Authoritarian Passive Static Closed Web 2.0 (blog) Two way Democratic Active Dynamic Collaborative

7. What is a blog?  Weblog (website) – online diary/journal  Single or multiple authors  Postings in a reverse chronological order  Read postings and make comments  Link to other sources  Instant publishing  Social networking http://www.youtube.com/watch v=NN2I1pWXjXI&feature=user

8. Blogging Cycle 1. Read 2. Reflect 3. Write 4. Repeat

9. Free Blog Hosts Blogger Wordpress Edublogs LiveJournal

10. How to start a blog?

13. 3 3

14. Write an entry here!

15.  Embed multimedia  Images from  Videos from  Presentations from  Add your own voice to a blog  Audacity, iMovie, Movie Maker  Speaking Avatars Dress Up …

19. Why Blog?  Learner autonomy  Decision-making; accountability  Critical thinking  Asynchronous CMC; more time to reflect  Sense of community through interaction  Broad audience; not just for the instructor  Feedback through multiple viewpoints  Track progress and keep motivation

20. Part 1: Blogs

23. Types?  Personal blogs – reflective writing, interactive exchange  Audio blogs – listening and speaking skillshttp://languageaudioblog.blogspot.com/ http://juandialogue.podomatic.com/ http://lisharrypotter.canalblog.com/http://languageaudioblog.blogspot.com/ http://juandialogue.podomatic.com/ http://lisharrypotter.canalblog.com/  Class /group blogs – idea exchange, out-of-class discussions  Exchange blogs – intercultural learning, cross- cultural awareness and understandinghttp://afsblog.org/http://afsblog.org/

24. Key Questions  What do I want my students to benefit from using Web tools?  What types of tasks promote meaningful communication and interaction in L2?  How should feedback be provided? Who does it?

25. Keep in Mind … “Technology itself does not guarantee the success of learning outcomes. Tasks that are linguistically and cognitively suitable for the target learners are essential because they affect significantly the quality of writing and the degree of interaction among students.” Lee, L. (2010). Fostering reflective writing and interactive exchange Through blogging in an advanced language course. ReCALL, 22(2), 212-227.

26. Some Thoughts …  Intercultural Exchange  Overgeneralizations and stereotypes  BIG-C vs. small-c  Cross-cultural awareness and understanding  Reflective writing  Traditional compositions  Writing for fluency; process as product  Critical thinking

27. Graduate Seminar http://pekepeki.blogspot.com/http://pekepeki.blogspot.com/ (Spanish) http://ourleon.blogspot.com/http://ourleon.blogspot.com/ (English) Intercultural Exchange Blogs

28. With native speakers Telecollaboration

29. According to O ‟ Dowd (2006), “Telecollaboration is the use of network-based language teaching to connect language learners in different countries for the development of collaborative project work and intercultural exchange” (p. 9). Web tools: e-mail, discussion board, text/real- blog time chat, video conferencing, blog, etc.

30. León - UNH Online Exchange  Participants (Spring 2008)  10 graduate students from UNH, USA  23 undergraduate students from University of León, Spain  Various Web tools  Bloggers for group blogs  iMovie or Audacity for podcasts  Message board for ethnographic interviews, feedback and comments  Three different types of tasks

31. Task #1: Group Blogs Topics Chosen by American Students Topics Chosen by Spanish Students Blog #1: University Life; Stereotypes; Global Warming Blog #1: A City Tour of León; University of León and Technology Blog #2: Super Bowl; Crossword Puzzles; Cyberlanguage Blog #2: Night Life in León University Life; Brief Guide to Spanish Music Blog #3: Political Figures-Obama and Romney; Economics in USA Blog #3: Spanish Films; A Famous Place in León; Spanish Music Blog #4: University Life in USA; Presidential Debates Blog #4: University Festivals; Smoking; Interviews with University Professors

32. Task #2: Podcasting Controversial issues  Global warming  Euthanasia  Same sex parents  Capital punishment  Drug related issues  Immigration

33. Task #3: Ethnographic Interviews Topics Chosen by American Students Topics Chosen by Spanish Students Flattering (“Piropos”)Capital Punishment Educational System in SpainCinema University Student LifeFree Time Politics in SpainLife in New Hampshire Student Exchange and TravelWeapons in the USA Farewell to Students from LeónIraq War

34. Moodle site in Blackboard

35. Super Bowl from NH BLOG - UNH

36. Road to Presidency from UH BLOG - UNH

37. Vodcast in Blog from NH

38. Vodcast: Capital Punishment

40. BLOG - León

41. Blog from León BLOG – León

42. About Old Part of León BLOG – León

43. Tapas and Nightlife BLOG – León

45. Interviews with León Students

46. Podcasts from León in Moodle

47. Post-Task: Peer Feedback  Read blogs and listen to podcasts  No specific instructions on “how” to provide feedback  Peer feedback by  Written comments or voice recordings  Use of English and Spanish  Focus-on-form  Linguistic issues and problems

48. Feedback in Message Board

49. Direct Feedback from NH

50. Direct Feedback from León

51. Feedback with explanations to NH

52. Lexical Comment from León “By the way,"mirar la tele" it is not use in Spain, we say "ver la tele". Why is that? I don’t know and besides, I think you’ll never find a logical answer because it should be "mirar la tele" because you are paying attention while you are watching the TV, isn’t it?”

53. Lexical Comment from León “One interesting thing about your spanish is that sometimes (not often, I must say) it seems more "mexican" than "spanish" due of the use of the diminutives and because words like "ahorita” "linda" or "usted/es" (we spanish people are not so polite as latinoamerican peolple, actually). Don’t get me wrong, I find this pretty cool.”

54. Lexical Comments from NH --It was the School of Agrarian Engineering, in the decade of the 80’s. ** normally we would just say in the 80's --you have a free day to spend ** instead of free day, use day off --cultural activities during all the day ** the entire day is how we usually express this thought (focus on form by comparing the original against the “more native-sounding” rephrasing)

55. Pedagogical Implications  Blogging using topic-based tasks for authentic communication and cross-cultural learning  Podcasting or voice recordings to build oral skills  Expert speakers for linguistic scaffolding  Balance between “meaning” and “form”  Sufficient training and teacher’s monitoring Lee, L. (2009). Promoting intercultural exchanges with blogs and podcasting: A study of Spanish-American telecollaboration. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 22(5), 425-443.

56. Places to Find E-partners  eLanguages http://www.elanguages.org/  ePals Global Community http://www.epals.com/  My Language Exchange http://www.mylanguageexchange.com/  EXCHANGE A LANGUAGE http://exchangealanguage.com/  Other options  Native speakers from other universities in the U.S.

57. References O’Dowd, R. (Ed.) (2007). Online Intercultural Exchange: An Introduction for Foreign Language Teachers. Multilingual Matters, Clevedon, UK. Lomicka, L. (2009). An Intercultural Approach to Teaching and Learning French. The French Review, 82(6): 1227-1243.

58. Personalized Learning Online Journal – Personal Reflection

59. Reflective Blogs  Personal blogs over a 14 week period  SPAN 631-Advanced Composition and Conversation  17 students (freshmen and sophomores)  A four-skill integrated approach to task-based activities  Course syllabus  Two 150-200 word entries per week  Read and comment on others’ blogs  Web 2.0 technology  Blogger and iMovie

60. Four-Skill-Integrative Approach  Assigned readings from Revista textbook  Free topics  Listening to podcasts  Notes in Spanish http://www.notesinspanish.com  Cody’s Cuentos http://www.codyscuentos.com/  3-4 minute oral recordings for “Tertulia”  Ideal personality, media/TV, globalization

61. Other Options …  Listening skills  BBC in your language  CNN in your language  Fairy tales/short stories  Speaking skills  Voice boards from Wimba (textbooks)  Interviews with native speakers (YouTube)

62. Topics For Each Type of Task Assigned Readings “Another circle” “Four scientific formulas for happiness” “ TV garbage” “I was my own path” “Ten minutes” Free Topics Women’s rights Red Sox in Boston Country music Swine influenza A (H1N1) in Mexico Listening to Podcastings Energy saving Facebook Eating out and fast food Adoption Smuggling iMovie: Oral Recordings Ideal personality Imagination Immigration Euthanasia Globalization

64. Free topic

65. Free Topic

66. Assigned Reading

67. Listen to Podcasting

68. Oral Recording via iMovie Oral Recording via iMovie

70. Ratings of Task Types

71. Role of Feedback  Linguistic feedback from the instructor  Fluency vs. accuracy  Focus-on-form  Error correction  Peer feedback on the content  Reflective thinking  Affective support

72. Podcasting: Spanish Food “Tapas” Podcasting: Spanish Food “Tapas”

73. Assigned Reading

74. Ratings of Feedback

75. Reflective Thinking: Facebook “Your point was interesting. I have never thought about the parents. My mom has a facebook but she only uses it to post family pictures. I agree that facebook is a wonderful tool for us to connect with people. However, I think people spend too much time online. Also there is not much privacy. I actually prefer e- mail.” (translated to English –podcasting)

76. Comments on Readings “Most people made similar observations about the readings and some of comments were repetitive. I did not find this assignment engaging and useful.” Teacher’s role: Commenting on their entries and asking questions that promote critical thinking.

77. Comments on iMovie #1 “Making voice recordings was time consuming because it took a lot of time to upload a video to Blogger.” Other options: Voice board by Wimba; #2 “I did not feel comfortable making voice recordings in the language lab and the quality of my recordings was not very good.”

78. Preterit vs. Imperfect “El año pasado mi familia hizo un viaje a europa. Este fue mi primer viaje afuera de los estados unidos y mi primera vez en un avión. *Estuve muy emocionada y *tuve miedo también. Cuando llegamos en Barcelona, *fueron casi las once de la tarde. Nos quedamos en Barcelona tres días y …. Al final, *era muy contenta con la experiencia.” (Third Week)

79. Preterit vs. Imperfect “Me gustaban estos podcasts mucho. Recientemente empecé a mirar la tele española y a veces, es muy difícil comprender. La historia que Mariana y Ben hablaron [era] muy interesante. Un hombre [robó] muchos bancos y la policía no [pudo] cogerlo por 15 años. El hombre [llevaba] una peluca y [tenía] armas. La polícia descubrió que robó casi 600,000 euros y mató dos guardias civiles.” (Eighth Week)

80. Students’ Reactions … “Writing has become easier for me. I’m now more confident in expressing myself after having posted more than 20 entries. Not only did I improve my writing skills but also gained different perspectives that I had never thought about before.”

81. Evaluating Blogs/ Rubrics  Elements to consider:  Content (fully covered with supported resources)  Organization (coherent, easy to follow)  Accuracy (vocabulary, grammar, spelling)  Comments (how many and often? quality?)  Examples:  University of Wisconsin http://www2.uwstout.edu/content/profdev/rubrics blogrubric.html  Teacher Planet http://www.rubrics4teachers.com/Blog_Rubrics.php

82. Personal Blogs Advanced Comp and Conversation http://www.rosabella0517.blogspot.com/ Study Abroad: Granada http:/vrichardsgranadaspain.blogspot.com/

83. Collaborative Blogs

84. A Little Background …  Director of UNH study abroad program in Granada, Spain (Fall 2009)  16 students; sophomores and juniors  Blogging as part of coursework  PERSONAL blog (student-chosen topics)  CLASS blog  CLASS blog (teacher-selected topics)  PROJECT blog (personal interest)  Ethnographic interviews  Real-time conversations with native speakers (NSs)  26 NSs from local communities and the University of Granada

85. Prior to the Blog Project  Training of how to use Blogger  Schedule  PERSONAL blog (September 2 nd to October 29 th )  CLASS blog (September 3 rd to November 24 th )  PROJECT blog (November 10 th to December 8 th )  Face-to-face interviews  Audio/video recordings  Upload them to the class blog for viewing iMovie

86. Topics for Each Blog Type Personal Blog/Student-chosen Topic s  Schedule, meals and nap  Streets, garbage and recycling  Family life and school  Social behavior and manners  Mediterranean diet, finger food and tip Class Blog/Teacher selected Topics  Animal rights (e.g., bullfighting)  Mass communication, TV programs and press  Immigration, ethnic groups and racism  Life style and expressions (e.g., “no pasa nada”)  Food and thoughts Project Blog/Topics of interest  University system and scholarships  Healthcare system and flue  Economic and political issues  Immigration in Spain and in the U.S.  Living environment and recycling

87. Class Blog

88. Spain: Immigrantes

89. La Inmigración Y los Inmigrnates en España Interviewing the Housing Director in Granada

91. Free Free topic Ethnographic Interview: Holidays

94. Interview: Food

95. Ethnographic Interview: Food/Cooking

97. Comments on Class Blog “The discussion about the immigration issues in Spain, especially in the southern region of Andalusia was very informative. Blogs gave everyone a voice to express opinions and concerns. I’ve learned so much from reading others’ comments about this debatable topic.”

98. Ethnographic Interviews “It was so interesting to learn about the host culture from personal views shared by real people not from a textbook. I became more aware of how I feel about my own culture by listening to and analyzing the information that emerged from the interviews. For me, it is the best way to get to know people from other cultures.”

99. Ethnographic Interviews “In my view, interviews created optimal conditions for me to interact socially with native speakers from whom I learned about their everyday lives, words and expressions that I would never have learned from sitting in a regular class.”

100. Ethnographic Interviews “I would not have gained a deeper understanding of certain aspects of the Spanish culture had I not had the opportunity to interviewing my host father. It was interesting to learn about the host culture from personal views shared by real people not from a textbook. I became more aware of how I feel about my own culture by listening to and analyzing the information that emerged from the interviews. For me, it is the best way to get to know people from other cultures.”

101. Compare/Contrast Two Cultures #1 – “It is weird that my host mom often gives me cookies for breakfast and we eat a fresh piece of fruit or yogurt after lunch. In the United States we would have pies or cakes for dessert. I do miss fresh baked bagels and donuts in Dunkin Donuts.” #2 – “I‘m surprised that here in Spain it‘s perfectly fine not to leave tips in restaurants or tip taxi drivers. I still don‘t like the idea of not tipping people for the service. I work as a waitress in the US and I would want people to tip me.”

102. Cultural Perspectives/Stereotypes NS: The truth is that not everyone watches or goes to bullfighting shows. I have never seen one and I am against the idea of killing animals. The same thing can be said about flamenco. Some Spaniards cannot stand flamenco music. I grew up listening to Paco de Lucia and Moraito. I am passionate about flamenco. In fact, my friends and I play in a small bar near the Elvira street. You are welcome to come …

103. Cultural Perspectives/Stereotypes NNS: Thank you for the invitation. I would like to come. It is interesting to hear what you have just said. I thought all Spaniards were passionate about this sport. It seems to be an important tradition and central to the cultural identify. Now I see that what I think as an American about bullfighting is just an example of many stereotypes.

104. Small c Perspective “Una de mis frases favoritas es ‘no pasa nada’ Es una expresión muy interesante que me explicó mi compañero de entrevista. El me dijo que en España la gente trata disfrutar la vida lo mas posible. No preocupa mucho para la vida. Me gusta esta actitud mucho. Obseciono mucho para vivir ‘perfectamente’ que he perdido cosas que me hacen alegres y saludables, como amigos, comida y diversion – y tapas en Granada, por supuerto. España me ha enseñado relajarse más.”

105. Formality- You (Tú vs. Usted) “ Today I interviewed my political science asked me to address him using tú. I really did not feel comfortable doing that. In my Spanish classes, I learned that the informal tú is used when speaking to family members or close acquaintances. I got confused. He jokingly said to me that it would make him feel younger … and of course we laughed. I guess it all depends on the person not the rule.”

106. Conclusion (1) Blogging as a mediated tool for reflective writing and intercultural learning (2) Incorporation of different skills and tools (3) Design of meaningful and interesting tasks (4) Building community of practice through interaction and collaboration (5) Instructor and peer feedback for focus on form

107. Why Not? Si la vida te da limones !Haz limonada!

108. Your Ideas … Your goals? Tasks? What skills? What level? Feedback? Where?

109. More … Group/class blogs – collaborative writing http://granadaotono09.blogspot.com/ http://riquezadecuentos.blogspot.com/ Exchange blogs – intercultural learning http://ourleon.blogspot.com/ (English) http://ourleon.blogspot.com/ http://kaneycourtney.blogspot.com/ (Spanish) http://kaneycourtney.blogspot.com/

110. Native Speakers’ Blogs http://www.patpelomundo.blogspot.com/ http://jalusalopes.blogspot.com/ http://romthefrog.blogspot.com/ http://erasmusenrennes.blogspot.com/ http://turchia2007.blog.lastampa.it/ http://en.bab.la/news/top-100-international- exchange-experience-blogs-2009.html http://www.slideshare.net/juanfrance/aplicaciones- de-los-blogs-a-la-clase-de-francs