ESADE Video-Conferencing: Effective Communication Strategies in Language Learning Jason Firestone IATEFL 2001 Brighton

What do you need to videoconference? ESADE  Hardware –A PC with video and sound cards –A monitor –A video capture camera –A microphone –Loudspeakers or headset –Video and audio codec*

What do you need to videoconference? ESADE  Software –e.g. Microsoft NetMeeting  Transmission channel –Cable (copper wire: ISDN, POTS, Mbone, XDSL; fibre optic) –Satellite –Microwave

Connecting people  One way video  Two way audio  Two way video and audio rPoint-to-point r Multipoint ESADE

What media can you use? ESADE  Video images  Audio  Text “chat”  Document sharing  Application sharing  Still images  Whiteboard

Why videoconference?  Geographical factors  Cost effective delivery of same content  Students can take classes not offered at their school & 24/7  Enables connection with external resources  Distance learning: establishes a virtual connection among participants  Add value: meet needs & expectations ESADE

Critical success factors  Critical preparation  Site logistics  Interpersonal skills  Instructor control  Information dissemination  Training needs / requirements  Teaching skills / strategies ESADE

Videoconference protocols (1) Who is and where is the host / teacher? Camera and lighting The camera is your audience Identify yourself Mute! Mute! Mute! Speech control Direct questions to individuals Allow for time delay ESADE

Videoconference protocols (2) Remember everyone sees the speaker, except the speaker Keep the camera on you when you are speaking Pause occasionally to allow for questions and comments Clothes and makeup Avoid too much body motion ESADE

5 Aspects of verbal communication 1. Syntax: Grammatical completion of a clause is an important cue 2. Intonation: Changes in pitch are associated with turn endings 3. Loudness: Drop in loudness occurs with turn endings 4. Drawl: Final syllable of a turn often lengthend 5. Stereotyped tags: “but ah”; “you know” tagged on to the end of turns ESADE

6 Aspects of CMC 1. The sender may make a 2nd move before receiving a response to a first 2. A recipient may not respond to an utterance 3. A message may interrupt a turn or move 4. Absence of opening and closing adjacency pairs 5. Naming addressees does not operate as a turn allocation technique ESADE

Non-verbal communication  Cognitive cues  Turn-taking cues  Social and affective cues ESADE Gesture Proxemics Body contact Posture and body orientation Facial expression Gaze

3 Conditions 1. “Free-for-all”: no turn-taking restrictions applied 2. “Request and grant”: users signal their intent to the ‘current holder’ who can relinquish turn 3. “Request and capture”: anyone can interrupt a current ‘turn holder’ “Free-for-all” no conditions imposed: write / read messages, post simulataneously ESADE

Guidelines for visual aids The backdrop The presenter / participants The information presented Screen aspect ratio Use large or bold text Use of colours  Distribute your slides in advance  Don't keep moving your slides around ESADE

Tips for humanising teaching Make a seating plan of the group Learn student names at remote site Use student names Be yourself - same person as in FTF Start with an informal roll call Look at the camera - gain eye contact with the camera lens and with the students at remote location ESADE

Variety in instructional activities Brain storming Breakout session Case study Debate Demonstration Group discussions Group work sessions Individual practice exercises ESADE Guest speaker Interview Lecture Panel discussion Role playing Question and answer Video clips

Student interaction Initiate interaction asap Pre-determine time for student interaction Integrate on-air interaction with on-site activities Prime participant for interaction Motivate interaction Clearly define topics or questions Vary timing of interactive segments Encourage student-to-student interaction ESADE

Questioning strategies Establish ground rules for questions Use distant student’s name when asking question Ask a student by name to survey his or her group Pre-plan instructor questions Pre-determine cognitive level of a question: recall, comprehension, application, or critical thinking ESADE

Questioning strategies Match the questions with class session objectives Repeat the question slowly Ask one question at a time ESADE

The future... Students will expect some kind of electronic classroom Amount of time grossly underestimated Training needs of teachers and students Justification for costs Free bandwidth / processing power Psychological limitations / implications for learning Further research ESADE

Video-Conferencing: Effective Communication Strategies in Language Learning Jason Firestone