The Week at a Glance

Monday: Collaborative learning, sociocultural theory and technology.
Tuesday: Web 2.0: chat and discussion in and outside of class. (virtual class)
Wednesday: Web 2.0: blogs and wikis in language instruction.
Thursday: Web 2.0: the potential of social networking in language learning
Friday: Other forms of interactive online media: Skype and beyond.
We will also use some time Friday to review the class projects and set deadlines for turning them in.

Skills for this week

1. Explore key concepts in collaborative learning, sociocultural theory, and the applications of these theories to learning with technology.
2. Learn how interactive online technologies like chat and instant messaging can promote social learning.
3. Learn how interactive online technologies such as wikis can promote collaborative learning.
4. Learn about social networking and the pros and cons of its use in education
5. Explore the educational possibilities of programs such as Skype and Google Voice.

Readings (Please note that due to copyright issues, those readings marked with [APP] can only be accessed from an App State computer or through a proxy connection)

For Monday: Schneider, S. and Evans, M. 2008. Transforming e-Learning into ee-Learning: The Centrality of Sociocultural Participation. Innovate 5:1. [AsULearn]
For Tuesday: Dekhinet, R. et al. 2008. Let me Learn with my Peers Online! Foreign Language Learning through Reciprocal Peer Tutoring. Innovate 4:3. [AsULearn]
For Wednesday: The Chronicle of Higher Education - Blogs as a Tool for Teaching , Blog Overload , A Better Blogging Assignment, Wikis (Part 1), Wikis (Part 2) [APP]
For Thursday: Schroeder, J. and Greenbowe, T. 2009. The Chemistry of Facebook: Using Social Networking to Create an Online Community for the Organic Chemistry Laboratory. Innovate 5:4 [AsULearn]
For Friday: Tian, J. and Wang, Y. 2010. Taking Language Learning outside the Classroom. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching 4:3[AsULearn]

Goals and assignments

For Tuesday: Look for information about "text talk" in the language you teach and come to class prepared to discuss IM/SMS culture.
For Wednesday: Think about whether or not you would consider using blogs and/or wikis in instruction. If so, how could you use them? If not, why not?
For Thursday: Come to class prepared to talk about the usefulness and appropriateness of social networking in education.
For Friday: Take stock of your progress on the three class projects (your web site, web activity, and proposal for an audio/video project) and make a timeline for completion.