Technologies for ELT learning in Venezuela: Benefits of Screencasting IATEFL 2012 Glasgow Miguel Mendoza British Council Venezuela

a Universidad Central de Venezuela

Moderating computer mediated conferencing courses requires expertise to encourage interaction and help build up knowledge among their members (Salmon, 2005). To achieve this, the e-moderator can make use of platforms like Moodle (Learning Management System), Groups (Yahoo, Google) or even blogs and wikis. Also, he/she uses resources offered by the platform itself or external ones to guarantee connectedness (immediacy), support, fluent and friendly communication, and sharing among other things. As an e-moderator one of my main concerns has been the one related with immediacy. Which web tools help create connectedness in online courses or sessions? Platforms like Moodle sometimes offers tools the e-moderator can use to guarantee immediacy like chats, forums and mail services. The e-moderator can also make use of other web tools (external ones) like voice mail (Mailvu), blogs (Blogger), virtual classroom (WizIQ), SMS, tutorials (screencasting). In Venezuela, I have been moderating the Learning Technologies for the Classroom course for the British Council under the Moodle platform and co-moderated sessions in the Electronic Village Online (EVO) using Yahoo Groups and Blogger. At the university, I teach English IV as a blended-learning course using Wordpress for the online part. For these courses or sessions, I have been using a web tool that has shown to be efficient and effective for the participants learning process: screencasting. Their positive feedback has encouraged me to explore its benefits in the teaching of English as a foreign language. Whats screencasting? It is like recording what you do on your computer screen. To do this, you can download software to your computer (Camtasia Studio, Jing) or use a web-based recorders (Screencast-O-Matic, Screenr). Some of them are free (Screenr). Some others are both free or paid (Jing, Screencast-O-Matic). Currently screencasts can be easily recorded and distribute through blogs, wikis and websites. Screencasting can be used to: 1. show how to use web tools or software; 2. provide feedback; 3. Explain / describe concepts / notions (video lectures). Screencasting in online courses in Venezuela
Learning Technologies for the Classroom (British Council) Electronic Village Online (2011-2012) Universidad Central de Venezuela EAP course. English IV

To show how to: 1. use web tools 2. solve technical problems 3. offer a course walkthrough

A.

B. Example: Writing post in Blogger

To show how to: 1. use web tools 2. solve technical problems 3. offer course walkthrough Give feedback

To show how to: 1. do tasks from class material 2. use reading strategies 3. understand concepts/notions Example: Video lecture

Example: Feedback

http://tinyurl.com/88wo6r9

http://tinyurl.com/7f2qr6v

http://tinyurl.com/828csz6

Benefits of screencasting 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) helps support materials allows content repetition anywhere, any time. offers a sense of connection with e-moderator allows self-directed learning (agency) is convenient

Technologies for ELT learning in Venezuela: Benefits of Screencasting IATEFL 2012 Glasgow Miguel Mendoza British Council Venezuela Universidad Central de Venezuela

References:

7 Things you Should Know about Screencasting. Educase. http://tinyurl.com/87xxec9. [Last accessed 10th February 2012]

Cullen, R. Screencast Feedback. http://tinyurl.com/8y82jpj. [Last accessed 18th February 2012]

Russell, S. (2012). Talking Feedback. The Guardian. http://tinyurl.com/7a9kpbw [Last accessed 1st March 2012]

Russell, S. Screen Capture for Feedback. http://tinyurl.com/75to6et. [Last accessed 1st March 2012]

Richardson, W (2006). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and ther Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. Corwin Press.

Salmon, G. (2005). E-moderating: The Key to teaching & Learning Online. RoutledgeFalmer.

Miguel Mendoza (Caracas, Venezuela) Blog: MiguelMendozaEFL http://miguelmendozaefl.blogspot.com/ Twitter: mike08

Technologies for ELT learning in Venezuela: Benefits of Screencasting by Miguel Mendoza is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.