1. Practising Discussion & Interview Skills with EFL learners using Web2.0 tools Adam Forrester English Language Centre The Hong Kong Polytechnic University eLearning 2.0 Conference 2011
4. Online Voice Discussion Tools Voicethread voice discussions based around video, pictures, text 3 free discussions Voxopop voice discussions around text unlimited discussions
6. Results (1) 78 participants 17 different discussions Total length 288 minutes Average length 17 minutes Most popular discussions University exchange Role of men and women Least popular Health insurance
7. Results Use of discussion language 75% of postings More in early part of discussion Content New Views generally supported by good examples / good arguments
8. Student Feedback Online Voice Discussions Survey Results “it’s very convenient to use and it works well” “quite easy to use” “it’s easier to talk to a computer” “it’s not the same as a face to face discussion”
9. Added Benefits Student Listening Time Listen to a range of abilities / non native speakers Similarity to real life
10. Issues Asynchronous discussion Not face to face practice Non verbal clues Length of responses Lack of student use ‘out of class’ Teacher workload
11. Interview Practice (1) Authentic Job Adverts copy as a jpg uploaded on to Flickr saved in a set create a slideshow embed in webpage / blog
12. Interview Practice (2) Job Interview Questions recorded record using audacity on computer upload to podbean create playlist embed on webpage / blog Online voice recording embed vocaroo voice recorder on webpage / blog
13. Recommendations Don’t let the technology replace the teaching Get the students to do more Discussions – create their own, summarising, weaving and moderating Self-reflection Peer marking Integrate into courses
14. Tools Used Moodle (hosted on University servers) Online voice discussions http://voicethread.com/ http://www.voxopop.com/ Online Voice Recording http://vocaroo.com/ Podcasting http://www.podbean.com/ Photo sharing http://www.flickr.com/
