Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia

Academic and Research Vice-rector

Task 4 – Speaking Assignment-Synchronous meeting

1. General description of the course

Faculty or Vicerrectoría de Relaciones Internacionales

Academic Unit
Academic Level Professional, specialization, master
Academic Field Common basic interdisciplinary training
Course Name English IV
Course Code 90170
Course Type Methodological Can be re- yes ☐ No ☒
opened
Number of Credits 2

2. Description of the activity

Type of the Individu Collaborativ Number

☒ ☐ 5
activity: al e of weeks
Intermediat
Moment of e, Unit: 2 -
Initial ☐ ☒ Final ☐
evaluation: Hypothetica
l situations
Delivery Environment:
Evaluative score: 90
Collaborative Learning
Starting date: September
Closing date: October 27th, 2019
16th, 2019
Competence to develop:
Talk about the “Effects of technology on the environment” from
your point of view. Give advice and recommendations.
Topics to develop:
Past events, conditionals, recommendations with “wish” and “hope”.
Steps, phases of the learning strategy to develop:
Task based learning. The student uses his/her English in a particular
communicative context, in order to carry out a task: planning,
describing, inviting, giving advice, etc.
Activities to carry out:

Interaction practice:

 Your tutor will send you a link containing a time table for you to
register in the established days and hours.
 Register on the schedule your ID number, full name, group
number, email and Skype username.
 Log in to the Skype at least 10 minutes before the interview.
 Remember to have from 10 to 15 minutes and guarantee the
headset, microphone and camera work fine to carry out the
interview.

 Self-evaluation descriptor according to the Common European

Framework of Reference for oral production:

- I can explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the

advantages and disadvantages of various options.

Video recording:
You will develop this task in the Speaking forum.
 At the end of this task, you will record a video through the tool
Screencast-O-Matic.
 Expose your point of view about the “Effects of technology on
the environment”, as you did it in the writing activity.
 Get feedback from your partners and tutor.
 The final product must be sent individually. You create your
final product through the process you develop collaboratively.
 Stage 1: Interaction practice

Practice how to present your final product developed in the Writing

forum.
Practice your presentation with your tutor through Skype.
Your tutor will send you a link for the registration.

 Practice how to talk about:

- Your opinion about positive and negative effects of technology
on the environment.
- How do you see the future of our planet?
- How to mitigate the environmental damage?

 You can use the following expressions as an example:

According to… from my point of view… I consider… global
warming… environmental damage… combat increasing rate of…
environmental pollution… the impact of… degradation of lands…
economic growth… poverty… developing countries… population
growth… rapid urbanization… natural resources scarcity… if people
don’t change their habits… If current trends continue… rising levels
of consumption… Governments… United Nations (UN)… measures…
take actions… sustainable development… policies… climate policy…
eco-friendly technology… it is necessary… I recommend… I would…
etc…

Stage 2: Record the video-message through Screencast-O-Matic

Record your presentation. For this purpose it is necessary that you use
the tool SCREENCAST O’MATIC1. You have to record your screen and
your face at the same time.

Remember:

1
You can use another similar tool.
 Pronunciation exercises you did in the 1st stage;
 Make pauses;
 Speak up;
 You must not read;
 Length of the video: 3 to 5 minutes.

Stage 3: Publish your video in the forum

 Upload your video on YouTube. Then, share the link in the forum.

END OF THE TASK!

Environme
nt for the
Collaborative Learning
developme
nt
Individual:
Record the video after doing the practice session with
Products to your tutor.
deliver by
student Collaborative:
Give feedback to your partners and improve your
presentation for recording the video.

3. General guidelines for the collaborative work

Planning of
activities for
the
Each student has to develop each step of the task and
development
post the evidence in the forum.
of
collaborative
work
Roles to
perform by Each student must give feedback to one of his/her
the student partners.
in the Each student is responsible for his/her process.
collaborative
group
Roles and
responsibiliti The final product must be sent individually in the
es for the Evaluation and Monitoring Environment in a PDF or
delivery of Word document.
products
It is necessary to use the APA standards in order to
Use of
provide a bibliography of the sources cited in the
references
document.
According to Diccionario de la Real Academia Española
“Plagiarism is the action of substantially copying other
people's works, presenting them as own creation."
Therefore, plagiarism is a serious offense; academically
speaking it is equivalent to theft. A student who
plagiarizes does not take his education seriously, and
does not respect the intellectual work of others.

There is no small plagiarism. Using any portion of

another person's work, without acknowledging the
author or source is plagiarism. Now, it is evident that
we all take some ideas from others when it comes to
presenting ours, and that our knowledge is based on
Plagiarism someone else’s knowledge. But when we rely on the
policy work of others, academic honesty requires that we
explicitly announce the fact that we are using an
external source, either by citing or by paraphrasing
(these terms will be defined below). When we cite or
paraphrase, we clearly identify our source, not only to
give recognition to its author, but also to allow the
reader to look up in a reference text.

There are certain academic events in which it is not

acceptable to quote or paraphrase the work of others.
For instance, if a teacher assigns his or her students a
task in which they are clearly required to answer using
their own ideas and words, then the student should not
consider external sources regardless if they are
properly referenced.
4. Evaluation rubric

Evaluation rubric
Activity type: Individual ☒ Collaborative ☐
Intermediate,
Moment of Unit: 2 -
Initial ☒ ☒ Final ☐
evaluation Hypothetical
situations
Items to Levels of performance of individual activity Scor
evaluate Highest score Medium score Lowest score e
The student The student
records the records the video There is no
Video video making but doesn’t make evidence of
recordin reflection and any reflection video recording. 70
g analysis. and analysis.
(up to 70 (up to 40 (up to 0
points) points) points)
The
There are some
pronunciation is The student
mistakes in the
fluent, with makes many
pronunciation,
good intonation pronunciation
but it doesn’t
Pronunci and appropriate mistakes and
affect the 10
ation intervals the message is
understanding of
between not clear.
sentences. the message.
(up to 10 (up to 5 (up to 0
points) points) points)
The student
The student
uses a
uses a
vocabulary The used
vocabulary in an
suggested in vocabulary is
incorrect way,
Vocabula the units. The scarce and not
beside there is 10
ry message is always correct.
no cohesion in
clear and
the speech.
understandable.
(up to 10 (up to 5 (up to 0
points) points) points)
Final score 90