Tongues untied: A bridge over “interlanguage” for learning online

1Katherine Watson, Coastline DL

Tongues untied

• What is “live chat”? • Who uses live chat?• Why use live chat?

2Katherine Watson, Coastline DL

Untying the tongue

• Live chat and learning…what?– Linguistic pragmatics – Chatiquette – Unrestricted context

3Katherine Watson, Coastline DL

Untying the tongue

• Live chat in the language classroom– CALL computer assisted – Integrating the sociolinguistic– Engaging the communicative– Acquiring fluency

4Katherine Watson, Coastline DL

Untying the tongue• Live chat’s eight C’s

– Convenience – Cost– Currency– Context– Creativity– Communicative competence– Cognition– Computer skills

– c5Katherine Watson, Coastline DL

Untying the tongue: Eight “C”s for ease

• Live chat’s ease: First of 8 C’s

• Convenience– To the institution– To the instructor– To students

6Katherine Watson, Coastline DL

Untying the tongue• Live chat: 8 C’s• Cost

– Institutional– Instructional– Material

7Katherine Watson, Coastline DL

Untying the tongue

• Live chat: 8 C’s• Currency

– Of subject matter– Of interaction– Of teachable/learnable moments

8Katherine Watson, Coastline DL

Untying the tongue

• Live chat: 8 C’s• Context

– Unrestricted– Relaxed– Timely– Relevant

9Katherine Watson, Coastline DL

Untying the tongue

• Live chat: 8 C’s • Creativity

– Comfort breeds the creative• In teaching • In collaborating• In learning

10Katherine Watson, Coastline DL

Untying the tongue• Live chat: 8 C’s• Communicative competence

– Linguistically speaking• Phonology, morphology/syntax, vocabulary, discourse

– Pragmatically speaking• Functions, variations, interactions, cultures

11Katherine Watson, Coastline DL

Untying the tongue• Live chat: 8 C’s• Cognition

– Recognizing the meaningful v. the meaningless• the notions of “possible words”, “possible sounds”,

possible structures”

– Making conscious and then automatic choices– Noticing context

• Linguistic, social, cultural

– Evaluating, assessing

12Katherine Watson, Coastline DL

Untying the tongue

• Live chat: 8 C’s • Computer skills

– Keyboarding– ‘net surfing– Evaluation of sources and resources

13Katherine Watson, Coastline DL

Unfettered freedom: Online chat

• Easy to use for students and teachers• Free of cost • Free of limits

– Time– Place– Subject matter

• Rich in rewards

Katherine Watson, Coastline DL 14