s11072

11072

Student Presentation

Online Synchronous Video Conferences in an International English Learning Project
Hui-Wen Huang, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA, huan6826@vandals.uidaho.edu Yanyan Chen, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA, chen0747@vandals.uidaho.edu

This case study aimed to explore elementary school students’ attitudes towards English learning in online synchronous video conferences. Twelve elementary school students from rural Taiwan participated in this project in the fall of 2010. Two native English speakers had synchronous communication with Taiwanese students in video conferences. Three learning activities were conducted over a two-month period. The three learning activities were Getting to Know You, Group Presentation, and Storytelling Time. Each activity allowed participants to have authentic, interactive communications with two native English speakers via Elluminate. Data were collected from an end-of-session online survey and two open-ended questions. The results revealed that participants enjoyed the innovative learning environment in English learning, compared to the traditional language learning contexts in schools. Also, this study provides the pedagogical foundation for conducting online cross-cultural language learning projects in the 21st century classroom. Finally, suggestions for improving future international synchronous video conferences will be addressed.

All Audiences synchronous video conferences