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Abstracts |
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CREATING AN ONLINE ORAL LANGUAGE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT: SPEAKAPPS
Mairéad Nic Giolla Mhichíl, Colm Ó Ciardúbháin, Oisín Ó Doinn Dublin City University Ireland Learning to
speak a language presents a major challenge for language learners in
face-to-face, blended and distance education. Ongoing challenges
include practical concerns of providing adequate time for practice
and feedback to learners who are engaged in oral language production
and interaction in formal acquisition settings. These issues are
further exacerbated when trying to facilitate authentic language
interaction by the ephemeral nature of speaking and the situatedness
of language and language practices as a complex dynamic system. A
major collaborative CALL (computer assisted language learning)
project, SpeakApps aimed to develop an open source
techno-pedagogical solution to facilitate online oral language
production and interaction. This paper presents and discusses the
outcomes of this project. Results from a survey of learners
undertaken as part of the project as well as insights from teachers
are provided. These findings informed both technical and pedagogical
development within the project. The paper concludes by considering
the wider implications of the project in the development of language
learning environments. |
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