This online profile creation task is the opening task once our students arrive in the shared online area, EWC. It is a useful initial language activity as students have to draft and upload the information and also discuss in class the nature of their online identity for this virtual exchange.
Students have the option of adding a video recorded presentation or audio recording to introduce themselves using the integrated audio/video tools. They can also contribute to fora that are of interest to them (multiple fora are available on a range of topics e.g. music, film, politics, sport.
Institution reporting the task:
University of Warwick home page
Language of task instructions:
English
Target Group:
Foreign languages
Level:
Any
References and acknowledgements:
None
Type:
Information exchange
Estimated Duration:
2 sessions
Topic:
identity
Tags:
| identity |
|---|
| presence |
Acknowledgements:
None
Language Configurations:
Bilingual
Language(s) that the task can be used in:
Any
Dominant language production:
Writing/reading asynchronous
Target Competences:
| Language competence |
|---|
| Media literacy |
Specific pedagogical objectives:
| Development of students understanding of the role of different contexts |
|---|
| Creation of a friendly, non-threatening atmosphere in the groups |
| Development of online navigation skills |
Suggested Communication Tools:
| Asynchronous text |
|---|
| Moodle-like |
| Social Networks |
Suggested Resources:
Students can be encouraged to use the many available functions of the html editor in the VLE including audio and video.
A tag cloud is created in the EWC course providing quick ways of finding those with similar interests.
Instructions:
Students follow the tutorial instructions for how to create and edit their profile once they have access to our Languages@Warwick VLE and the EWC course. They add to their profile hastags according to thier interests in order to make it easier to find students with similar interests, they are told:
You can find others with similar interests to you using our new hashtags #. You can see them in the right hand margin.Check the current listhere to see what they mean.Click on a tag to add it to your profile.You will then be shown the profile of others with the same interest. If you don' t see a tag for your interest, you canrequest one here.
Learner Texts:
EWC connections from Teresa MacKinnon on Vimeo.
Document related to the task:
Criteria for Completion:
Profile complete, image uploaded.
Comments and suggestions:
This year we did not allocate open badges against this activity as we were not ready. Next year I would certainly do so as it is the first activity and contributes significantly to student engagement in virtual exchange.
Author/copyright:
Teresa MacKinnon (CC BY)