UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DE SANTA MARIA

CENTRO DE ARTES E LETRAS

DEPERTAMENTO DE LETRAS ESTRANGEIRAS MODERNAS

Max Flores Figueiredo

Review Paper: Curso English Online 3-D no Moodle: Uma Proposta de Artefato Digital
Para o Ensino de Inglês como Língua Adicional na Modalidade Híbrida

Throughout Brazilian history the process of implementing new technologies and up to

date knowledge in the classroom has been one of the most prominent challenges faced by
educators, barriers of language and economic power delay the spread and implementation of
tools that could improve classroom dynamics. (MARTINS; MOREIRA, 2012). For this reason,
the study of CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning) is relatively new in the country and
is still a work in progress, most research and articles about CALL are written in English and it is
not a mandatory subject in Brazilian universities. (COSTA et al., 2020).
In this context, professor and applied linguistics researcher Susana dos Reis wrote in
2021 the paper here discussed Curso English Online 3-D no Moodle: Uma Proposta de Artefato
Digital Para o Ensino de Inglês como Língua Adicional na Modalidade Híbrida. The paper
describes the creation process of digital teaching materials using eight steps, which are: (1)
Analysis, (2) Plan, (3) Design, (4) Test, (5) Evaluate the Prototype, (6) Re-Design, (7) Apply and
(8) Evaluate. In order to do that, Reis utilizes her own experience working in the construction of
the course English Online 3-D – an online course for teaching basic English, elaborated to be
used in a blended modality. (REIS,2021)
English Online 3-D (E-3D) emerged from a demand detected by a survey applied to
UFSM (Universidade Federal de Santa Maria) students, its first prototype was launched in 2014
and the course is still active and in constant re-design to the present day. Although the course is
managed by Reis, it is a collaborative construction between undergraduate and graduate students
who work at her laboratory of online language learning and teaching (LabEOn). Under those
circumstances, E-3D not only serves the purpose of teaching english to its participants, but it also
creates an environment for future teachers who work at LabEOn to learn by doing.
Despite the organization of the process for creating digital materials in eight steps, I
would argue the author makes a point that is so crucial it deserves a step of its own, throughout
the text she emphasizes the importance of having a concrete conception of language and learning
before elaborating any teaching digital material, as it will dictate the design of the material and
types of interaction it will allow. Whilst this claim is part of step (2) Plan, adding it as a step
could help reinforce its importance for teachers who are revising the model by the title of the
steps, inciting the feeling that this is something one must stop and think about before moving on
to the next step.
A possible choice of conception suggested by Reis, which she used when elaborating E-
3D, is Vygotsky’s sociocultural approach of language, enriched by Kope and Kalantzis’
knowledge processes and pedagogy of genres and multiliteracies (ROSE; MARTIN, 2012;
COPE; KALANTZIS, 2009; 2015). Reis also suggests that a digital material is most effective
when it uses multimodality, thus the teacher as developer of material must have basic knowledge
of graphic design.
Overall, although this paper brings a prolific contribution to online language teaching
studies in Brazil, in the same fashion of CALL as a whole, there is still work to be done. English
3-D is still in construction and doesn’t have a complete arsenal of tools that go in-depth in an
effective way in all the moves proposed by the pedagogy of multiliteracies. The course is
currently in process of re-designed and will soon allow for more interactive activities using
recently made available technology.

REFERENCES:
REIS, S.C. Curso English Online 3-D no Moodle: Uma proposta de artefato digital para
o ensino de Inglês como língua adicional na modalidade híbrida, Ilha do Desterro v. 74, nº 3, p.
415-444, Florianópolis, set/dez 2021
MARTINS, C.B.; MOREIRA, H., O campo CALL (Computer Assisted Language
Learning): definições, escopo e abrangência, Unisinos, Calidoscópio, Vol. 10 n. 3, p. 247-255,
set/dez 2012.
COSTA, R.; FIALHO, V.; BEVILAQUA, A, OLIVEIRA, E. 10 anos de Jornada de
Elaboração de Materiais, Tecnologia e Aprendizagem de Línguas: Estado da Arte.
In:
LEFFA, V.; FIALHO, V.; BEVILAQUA, A; COSTA, R. (Orgs.) Tecnologias e ensino
de línguas: uma década de pesquisa em Linguística Aplicada - 1. ed. – Santa Cruz
do Sul: EDUNISC, 2020.
 ROSE, D.; MARTIN, J. R. Learning to write, reading to learn. UK: Equinox, 2012.
COPE, B.; KALANTZIS, M. Multiliteracies: new literacies, new learning.
Pedagogies:An International Journal, v. 4, n. 3, p. 164-195, 2009.
COPE, B.; KALANTZIS, M. The things you do to know: An Introduction to the
Pedagogy of Multiliteracies. In: COPE, B.; KALANTZIS, M. A Pedagogy of
Multiliteracies. Learning by Design. pp 1-36, 2015.