Using Web-based Tools to Promote Active Learning

Using Web-based Tools to Promote Active Learning

Mari YAMAUCHIA

Learner Diversity, Intrinsic Motivation, Teaching with Technology

1. Background

I teach a university course entitled Computer Communication in which students are supposed to learn research and presentation skills by using English in conjunction with computers and the Internet. This is a 15-week elective course which meets once a week in a computer lab.

Students taking this course tend to have only limited experience with computers and the Internet, and often vary greatly in English proficiency. There are some who have not been very successful in learning in general, only a few are acquainted with low-context communication, and many have difficulty organizing information.

2. Active Engagement in Learning

My goals in teaching this course are (a) to familiarize them with computers and the Internet, (b) to lower reluctance to using English, (c) to scaffold them in organizing and information, and (d) encourage them to look for better ways to express their meaning.

As it would not be feasible to expect every learner to reach the same level of achievement in all those skill areas in the same period of time, in the last semester I attempted instead to help each student feel more comfortable practicing those skills.

My focus was on helping all students enjoy learning something new and surpassing them- selves, expecting that such active engagement in learning activities could help each student gain individual satisfaction.

3. Utilizing Web-based Tools
3.1 Expected Benefits
To achieve these goals, I integrated other web-based tools, such as online dictionaries, YouTube, Google, Blogger and Google Docs, into activities.

Their novelty, convenience, and seeming complexity were expected to raise intrinsic motivation: they were "cool" enough to attract all students and convenient enough for them to use outside the classroom, and their seeming complexity, though manageable, could bring them a sense of competence and achievement.

Activities utilizing these tools were intended to encourage the students to search for interesting and useful information for themselves, and facilitate them to keep logs of what they have found and publish their work effectively.

Also, sub-skills necessary to use web-based publishing tools (e.g. uploading files, inserting images, and embedding codes) are transferable across different tools, and hence easy to arrange activities in a step-by-step manner.

3.2 Activity Examples
3.2.1. POP Jisyo & Google Search
POP Jisyo is a great online dictionary for Japanese students. I introduced this dictionary, combining a listening activity and Google search: (1) students did a song gap-fill exercise; (2) they used Google to find the lyrics and check the answers; (3) they went to POP Jisyo (again using Google search), and checked vocabulary while listening again. They liked this activity and never got bored.

Even those who did not usually want to use dictionaries liked POP Jisyo, and became willing to use it in other activities. Some stronger students enjoyed translating the lyrics of their favorite songs and posted their work to their blogs.

3.2.2. Blogger
Blogger (a blog publishing system integrated as part of Google services) was used in various activities. To name just a few, students posted photos directly from their cell phones; they created nice pieces of work by adding short sentences to images to express their meaning; its labeling system helped them to learn to organize (categorize) their posts, including their free writing (diary), favorite things they wanted to share, and pieces of information gathered as part of a research project.

Besides, a new gadget called Blog List, which displays the list of selected blogs along with the title and date of the most recent post of each blog, made it easier for students to track and share each other's posts, which further promoted students to improve their own posts. Some willing students also enjoyed keeping diary in English or trying various gadgets offered by Blogger.

3.2.3. Power Point + Google Docs + Blogger
Although Power Point, not web-based, can help students to learn to organize information, few students had Office Professional at home. This inconvenience was addressed by using Google Docs (a web-based program for word-processing, spreadsheets and presentations offered by Google) which enabled them to save and edit their presentation slides online.

Google Docs also allowed them to easily embed a presentation into their blogs as a slide show. Publishing their own work this way gave a great satisfaction to the creators. Stronger students further enjoyed displaying impressive slide shows created by others in their own blogs and making comments.

4. Conclusion

To summarize, incorporating these web- based tools into activities helped keep students actively engaged throughout the course in several ways: (a) online dictionaries helped lower re- luctance to reading and writing in English; (b) looking for ESL materials or English songs pub- lished on YouTube was a fun way of familiarizing them with English; (c) sharing favorite videos along with personal comments using Blogger was a "cool" way of expressing their own interests; (d) making blog posts containing links to resources, comments and appropriate labels was a convenient first step to organizing and interpreting information they have gathered; (e) adding photos from cell phones and links to related web pages to a message helped encourage them to look for better ways to express their meaning; and (f) sharing their work, favorite things and useful information using Blogger and Google Docs further promoted them to use computers and the Internet.

The students' responses were mostly positive, and I am really glad that they were proud of themselves for learning something new, coping with challenges, and creating nice pieces of work.

References
1) Dörnyei, Z. (2001). Teaching and Researching Motivation. London: Longman.

2) Littlewood, W. (1997). Self-access: why do we want it and what can it do? In P. Benson, & P. Voller, (Eds.), Autonomy and Independence in Language Learning (pp.79-91). London: Longman.

3) Scharle, Á. & Szabó, A. (2000). Learner Autonomy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.