Download - Email and chat (Dudeney & Hockly)
Email & Chat
Neny Isharyanti
Benefits
• Simple and familiar
Teachers -- Mailing lists, discussion groups
Students – exposure to target language in real situation
Basic Email Skills
• Communication skills
Discourse
Netiquette
Writing review
Basic Email Skills (con’t)
• Technical skills
Email account management
Privacy and protection
Inquire their technical skill level first!
Some Ideas for Learning Activities
• Course management Communication and discussion Course mailing list Assignment submission
• Collaborative writing tool• Data collection projects• Keypal projects
Let’s try!
• Data Collection Project: Endangered Animals
• Theme: endangered species, ecology
• Aim: to find out about endangered species
• Learners: junior high school, adult, intermediate or high level
• Time frame: 2-3 lessons @ 60-90 minutes
• Procedure: Lesson 1
o Teacher (T) provides the pair with one website about endangered animals
o The pair visits the website, read the information, find a contact email of the website, and write a series of questions to email
o The pair writes an email containing the questions,o The email draft can be checked by another pair or the teacher
before being sento The pair send the email to the organization in the website
Lesson 2
o After receiving a reply email from the organization, the pair prepare a written or oral presentation to share what they have found about the endangered animals
o The pair present their findings
Lesson 3
o Follow up activities such as publishing the findings for the public through blog, wiki, or podcast or through posters
Chat
Types of Chat -- platforms
• Text chat
• Audio or voice chat
• Public chat
• Private chat
Types of Chat – educational based
• Free topic chats
• Collaborative, task-oriented chats
• Informative or academic chats
• Practice chats
Why using chat in language learning?
• Some questions to ponder before deciding to use chat in language learning: Does using text or voice chat with learners improve their
English? What kind of English should learners use in chat? What technical skills do teachers and learners need to be able
to use chat? What benefits does the use of chat bring to the classroom? Is it better to use text or voice chat with learners?
Does using text or voice chat with learners improve their English?
Opportunities for negotiating meaning
Discourse familiarization
Improving fluency
What kind of English should learners use in chat?
• Standard written English conventions, please
• But, worth teaching:
Common abbreviations are OK
Netiquettes
Turn-taking conventions
What technical skills do teachers and learners need to be able to use chat?
• Installation of chat platforms and usage
• Typing skills
• Connection?
What benefits does the use of chat bring to the classroom?
• Novelty factor
• Connecting learners and teachers
Is it better to use text or voice chat with learners? -- Advantages
Text• Familiarity• Novelty• Collaborative learning• Non-threatening & easy
to use• Chat transcripts can be
used later for language analysis
Voice• Familiarity• Novelty• Collaborative learning• real oral practice of
language• Internet connection is
getting faster, making it easier to do voice chat
Is it better to use text or voice chat with learners? – Disadvantages
Text• Chaotic (overlapping turns,
disjointed topic delay)• Unclear improvements• Need for teaching ‘chat
speak’?• Difficult to identify errors vs.
typos vs. non-standard chat speak
• Weak typists
Voice
• Suitable for very small groups only
• Need reliable internet connection
• Recording chat may be difficult and need other software
How to Structure a Text or Voice Chat Lesson
• Objective(s)
Contact with other learners/cultures, and the motivation that this brings
‘real’ communication with a real purpose
Use of a new medium in the classroom
A chance to practice written and/or spoken English
How to Structure a Text or Voice Chat Lesson (con’t)
• Groupings the class
Individual computers – pair work
Some computers – group work
One computer – entire class turn taking
How to Structure a Text or Voice Chat Lesson (con’t)
• Stages An introductory/warmer phase
o Personal detailso Skill checko Netiquetteo Other introduction
The main content of the chato The task(s) – worksheet to complete
A closing stageo Summaryo Lesson learnt
Caveats for Chat
• Try the software out• Two classes? Initial contact via email or blog• Set a clear task• Set a clear purpose/objective and tell the learners• Only for small groups!• Record the chat• Prepare a contingency plan
Let’s try!
• Objectives: to ask about personal details
• Level: beginner to intermediate
• Time: 1 meeting @ 90 minutes
• Procedures Introduction/Warmer
o Ask students how they greet and introduce themselves in real life
o Inform students the structure of an introductiono Elicit from students some questions and answers
to greet and introduce themselves to otherso Establish netiquettes with the students
Task 1o Ask students to create questions for personal
details and what is the unusual habit that a person has
o Ask students to make a pair
o Ask them to open facebook chat
o Students chat with their partner enacting the greeting and introduction
Task 2
o Ask students to make a group of 4
o Ask them to open facebook chat and create a chat room for the group members
o Students chat with their group mates enacting the greeting and introduction
• Closing
Ask the students to present their findings about their pair/mates
Discuss the difficulties they encounter during the chat