Multimodal challenges?
In one of the final presentations last night, Fernando Rosell-Aguidar talked about tutor roles in the audio-graphic conferencing system Lyceum, used at the Open university. As an aside, he pointed out that traditionally the multimodal features of this environment have been viewed as a challenge, but that neither tutors nor students in his material seem to view it this way – multimodality is not such a big issue anymore, since we’re used to being bombarded with information via different modes simultaneously. I would argue that there in fact are many advantages with multimodal platforms. For example, participant roles can change, in that normally shy students might be able to express themselves in the less intrusive text chat, and thus take a more active part than they would in a traditional classroom.
posted by Therese at 10:24 am
4 Comments:
Fernando raised the very valid issue of the teacher´s capacity to create a warm, inviting, collaborative environment...I think it´s very important for us as language teachers to reflect on this and also to remember how we felt when we were learning languages and to draw on this as a resource in forging a good learning environment...
I agree with Fernando that multimodality as such is not the issue and with teres that is allows those whowould otherwise be less present to have a ´voice´too, but I think that there is an interdependence between someone´s multimodal communicative competence and, for example, there intercultural communicative competence - in the context of telecollaboration, for example - and that with the increasing convergence of technologies, being or becoming more ´multimodally´competent remains a challenge!
Three new comments! How fun!
Matthew, what you're bringing up was the other thing I found particularly interesting with Fernando's presentation. No matter how rich the environment, if the teacher is cold, so the environment will feel cold.
Mirjam, your point is good too. There is a difference between being able to handle different streams of information, and being able to actively contribute via the same and also learn something in the process.
And Jonathan, the cultural preferences perspective adds a perspective which I haven't considered before.
Is this the new role of the teacher in a synchronous classroom? To be a warm and inviting host who fosters collaboration? Quoting Jonathan Finckelstein's book: 'Learning in Real-Time' seems to confirm this thought.
I would however go a bit beyond that and would like to comment on Fernando's video clip he streamed for us, which seemed to focus on the question: whether a virtual classroom is cold or not (we all know that it is multimodal alright.. :)
I thought is was interesting to hear about this question: 'cold or not' having been part of the questionnaire.
At the same time I glanced at the classroom we were sitting in, in Grenada, listening to Fernando. No fresh air, closed curtains, artificial lightening, hard wooden chairs ... but I don't think anybody of us would have minded this 'un-inviting' venue, because we listened intently to his presentation.
And, it was neither Fernando's enthusiasm and his warm Spanish personality, which motivated me to want to listen to him. Even though I could have imagined him to be a great and funny host.
Instead it was his experience with Lyceum, his know-how, his studies and observations, his experience with creating the teaching material and and and, which made me stay.
The only thought that crossed my mind was: wouldn't it be great for others too to be able to listen to this? Others who could not journey across Europe to Grenada, to hear his presentation?
And this is where the real key in using virtual classrooms lies: make knowledge go further, let it cross country borders.
For language learning in virtual classroom this could mean: Have a language teacher in Britain connect with students in China, where many Chinese would love to study English but will never get a chance to talk to a native speaker.
This is where the true value of this venue lies.
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