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Modern Languages Commons

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Technological University Dublin

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Language learning

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Full-Text Articles in Modern Languages

Understanding Presence, Affordance And The Time/Space Dimensions For Language Learning In Virtual Worlds, Susanna Nocchi, Françoise Blin Jan 2013

Understanding Presence, Affordance And The Time/Space Dimensions For Language Learning In Virtual Worlds, Susanna Nocchi, Françoise Blin

Articles

Notwithstanding their potential for novel approaches to language teaching and learning, Virtual Worlds (VWs) present numerous technological and pedagogical challenges that require new paradigms if the language learning experience and outcomes are to be successful. In this presentation, we argue that the notions of presence and affordance, together with the time/space dimensions of interactions in virtual worlds (e.g. Bakhtin’s (1981) chronotope, Foucault’s (1984) heteropia, and Lemke’s (2000) heterochrony), provide new insights into language learners’ trajectories as they attempt to carry out tasks that are designed to make use of virtual worlds’ characteristics and potentialities. We explore and analyse a critical …


"Listen And Click": Enhancing Listening Comprehension Skills In The Language Classroom Through The Use Of Clickers, Valerie Hascoet Jun 2012

"Listen And Click": Enhancing Listening Comprehension Skills In The Language Classroom Through The Use Of Clickers, Valerie Hascoet

Conference Papers

The following article relates to an experiment with a group of second year students learning an applied language as a minor subject of their degree. Personal Response Devices were introduced to improve the students’ listening skills by creating more engagement with the course material. It led to 100% participation in class activities run through clickers, facilitated the students in self-evaluating their performance at the tasks and was fun, despite some technical issues occasionally. The experiment fell short however on the reflective aspect. Students were either incapable of or unwilling to reflect on the questions they found difficult. The lecturer was …