n Volume 23 n Issue 3 www.modernenglishteacher.com 41

TECHNOLOGY MATTERS

A few years ago, the idea of attending an online course, be it a language,

professional development, or academic course may have seemed hard to believe. The whole concept of distance learning had already been in place for some time then but in most cases students had heard of, but not really personally engaged in, this method of learning. Most e-courses had the form of blended learning instruction, with the online element being a component of more extensive face-to-face teaching. Yet with all the recent innovations in the area of distance learning and computer mediated communication (CMC) – webinars, synchronous videoconferencing, MOOCs, Khan Academy or Google Hangouts – and a whole array of CMC tools easily available (to a large extent free of charge), for many the futuristic vision of learning in the convenience of one’s own home has become a highly plausible reality.

As a language instructor I have been involved in conducting one-to-one English lessons via Skype for three years now. My journey in this ‘teaching realm’ encompassed the initial scepticism and anxious beginnings, then a gradual interest boost, followed by independent exploration of new functionalities and finally a full acceptance of Skype’s learning and teaching potential. Therefore, the aim of this article is to share my experience of being an online teacher with fellow practitioners and offer a set of tried and tested online teaching techniques I have developed over the last few years of working in an online environment.

Why Skype?

The videoconferencing software necessary for delivering distance courses is increasingly becoming available (eg. Google Talk, MSN) yet the choice for my teaching context was Skype for several reasons. Firstly, some of my students were already familiar with the service, having used it for their private communication purposes. Others admittedly lacked practical experience yet had some prior knowledge of the whole idea of Skyping, which helped me convince them this communication option was equally effective for course instruction.

Secondly, the functionalities provided in the basic version are perfectly satisfactory for conducting effective language courses. These include:

n audio and videoconferencing facilities – which allow teachers and students to see each other through the whole session (provided the connection is strong enough, which is the case for my students but still might be an issue in other teaching contexts)

n clear and compact chat window – whose placement under the video window allows for simultaneous tracing of speaking and writing

n straightforward editing and archiving of the chat content – which provides a convenient storage for classroom language and other relevant information

n easy file exchange – which enables quick and efficient content share

n video messages – a potent tool which allows leaving video messages in-between meetings

n screen share – giving Skype conversation participants direct access to each others’ desktop content

Skype classes – the old

Skype-based language courses do not need to revolutionise the whole idea of conducting a language course. A typical English-via-Skype class can start with the teacher calling the student at a prearranged time. The cameras on both sides should be on, yet if connection issues appear, the student could switch off his camera as it seems more important for the student to see the teacher (notice the body language, coursebook content, etc.) than the other way round. The class introduction procedures follow the pattern of a regular face-to-face meeting: greetings, warm-ups, material revision, homework check, etc.

The courses I have been delivering make use of all the regularly applied teaching aids: a coursebook with supplementary handouts, audio and video recordings (from CDs accompanying the book or other sources) or authentic materials in the form of documents, videos or audio files. Students can have their paper notebooks or keep electronic records of the language input. They are assigned homework and do progress tests at regular intervals. All these factors guarantee that students have a feeling of ‘attending’ a course, not just spending time online with their teacher.

How to Skype up your English classesAnna Kamont

42 www.modernenglishteacher.com n Volume 23 n Issue 3

TECHNOLOGY MATTERS

However, in spite of numerous similarities between Skype and face-to-face language classes, there are still obvious significant differences. These, to my mind, are responsible for inducing a certain degree of anxiety and thus prevent some instructors who might benefit from this mode of course delivery from including audio and videoconferencing technology in their teaching repertoire.

Skype classes – the new

Faced with the challenge of teaching English via Skype, a language instructor might, quite understandably, initially meet the idea with a prejudiced attitude. As any novelty in life, the transformation from face-to-face to online teaching requires stepping out of one’s comfort zone and treading into an unknown territory, a territory which at first sight might seem not as conducive to learning and teaching as the old model. Lack of a regular classroom with a board, no paper handout distribution, reservations about handling audio materials, a tricky issue of distance testing as well as sheer worry about lack of natural face-to-face contact are just a few issues that teachers raise when faced with the dilemma of delivering an online course.

How to handle the lack of a board?

As there is no physical classroom, some teachers worry that the relevant language content which usually finds itself on the board will be lost. It might have been true some time ago yet nowadays a whole array of tools is there at teachers’ disposal to substitute a conventional board and board writing, for example:

n applications and software that allow users to share board space online in real-time (such as www.baiboard.com, www.qrayon.com/home/airsketch/, www.webwhiteboard.com, www.scriblink.com)

n Skype chat window

n Google documents

I personally use the last two tools, thus diminishing the amount of additional technology used in the lessons (the course is basically about

learning a language not learning about technologies so students, especially adult ones, should not be overwhelmed with tech solutions).

The shortcomings of these solutions are undoubtedly limited options for drawing or putting unusual signs like phonemic transcription (which with the use of extra tools could be possible though). Yet Skype teachers still have access to these techniques as they could make use of some basic drawing software (eg. Paint) and then share the screen; prepare photo images of things they have intended to draw; or simply scan paper drawings or graphs they have made by hand.

The above limitations are perfectly compensated for by the new scope of possibilities that using a chat- or Google doc-based ‘board’ involves, some of which may include:

n pasting revision activities (first prepared in a word processor) – which eliminates the need for copying or printing a paper handout. Students perform the exercises by editing the content (Google docs), typing the answers below the body of the exercise (Skype chat) or answer verbally, in which case the teacher might decide to write down the answers themselves

n systematic recording of new lexical/grammatical items that appear in the course of the lesson (accompanied by translation into L1, English definition, exemplary collocations, or left without any explanation, especially in the case where the word has already appeared in the previous classes). Such an easily editable list of items could be later copied to notebooks, e-notebooks, doc files or any other forms of language organisers by both teachers and students. It could also constitute (especially when the items are devoid of any explanation) a very convenient revision material for future classes

n recurrent writing down of words which although taught previously still pose a challenge (thanks to the repeated visual stimulus – hearing and simultaneously seeing the written form of the word in the chat window – the chance for the next recall is greater)

n instant recording of correct or reformulated versions of words or sentences during the student’s talking time – which is a highly effective feedback, as the improved version is offered in a discrete voiceless manner and thus does not interrupt the flow of thoughts or disturb the student’s utterance (for this feedback technique to be effective though, students need to be informed about the procedure beforehand to understand that the words appearing in the screen during their talk are there to guide and improve their speaking)

How to handle handout distribution?

As handing out papers is not an option for distance courses, new solutions for content distribution have to be applied. Below are just a few alternatives, which facilitate e-friendly extra material distribution:

n creating Google documents (ideally with individual links for each student) with the handout content – students have the option to print them out, save them in a preferred text format or work on them online, typing in their answers

n sending scanned handouts or selected pdf pages (in the case of photocopiable materials). The materials could be sent by email or using the Skype file-sharing option, which is especially convenient when the transfer takes place during the class

n sharing the screen content – the teacher opens the file with the class material in their computer and shares the screen with the student (through the screen-share option)

n sharing links to authentic web-based material (a newspaper article, a video, a podcast, an image, etc) instead of creating extra handouts based on these online sources

Lack of paper-based material distribution might deter some teachers who perceive it as a limited opportunity to supplement their courses while teaching through Skype. Yet, as can be seen from above, there are new, equally effective, and additionally more eco-friendly,

n Volume 23 n Issue 3 www.modernenglishteacher.com 43

TECHNOLOGY MATTERS

distribution channels which ensure that distance courses are as material rich as classroom-based meetings.

How to handle listening tasks?Those instructors who fear that they will not be able to make full use of CD recordings accompanying their courses should be aware that audio or video recordings do not pose any difficulties in the context of teaching via Skype, unless there are general problems with the internet connection, in which case any online-based course might seem daunting.

If the teacher’s computer has a CD or DVD-rom and reasonably good speakers, the tracks are played in the same manner as during a regular class. To ensure minimal external disturbances, students should ideally be wearing headphones (which is preferable not only for the listening part of the class but the whole of the lesson), whereas the teacher should adjust their computer system’s sound levels (completely switching off Skype speakers during the audio play to eliminate any background noises).

If teachers use their own, or copyright-free audio or video material, they can send files directly to students’ computers – during or before the class – and ask them, when the time comes, to play the recording on their own device, especially when the internet connection is weak or overloaded.

How to handle testing?

Distance education is often resisted due to the supposed lack of reliable methods of assessing students. The fact that the learner is not in the teacher’s direct vicinity gives an impression that tests are insecure and are thus not taken seriously by students. I admit that online testing places a great deal of trust in students but if teachers value learner autonomy and collaborative learning then they should empower their students by persuading them that the aim of the test is to help them accomplish a new learning goal, take a new step and help them notice the progress they are making rather than impress the teacher with the final result. With such attitudes on both sides, online testing can turn into a meaningful and convenient routine, accompanied by a great degree of reliability.

In Skype courses the following tools could be employed to test students:

n special test generating applications, enabling the creation of online tests, eg. www.testmoz.com

n Google docs – which offer a more traditional approach, ie. the teacher prepares a regular test in a word processing software, pastes it into a Google doc and then enables access to the file for the duration of the test (each student could be assigned one link designated especially for the course tests, so that all the tests done throughout the course are accessible in one single file and under one link). The student follows the link and answers the test questions, by editing the Google doc. When the test is done, the teacher could block the access to editing the content, mark the answers and then provide the student with the feedback. The additional advantage of testing using Google docs is the possibility to trace the student’s answers while they are being written in the file, which combined with the camera on, considerably limits the possibility of copying and increases a sense of supervision so inherent in the norms of test taking.

How to handle lack of face-to-face contact?

Lack of face-to-face contact could pose a genuine problem not only for teachers but for students as well. No physical vicinity in the case of learning a language, which in itself implies communication, contact and access to people, might appear as slightly dehumanised or artificial.

Most of my students prior to starting the course shared these reservations. The psychological barrier, especially for adults, seems highly potent; yet as with all novelties and change, time and patience is the best cure. In my teaching practice I encourage students to try out English-via-Skype instruction at the same time offering a blended learning period, where the face-to-face and Skype interactions are intertwined. Once they are familiar and comfortable with the technology, and actually see that the tools such as video and audio streaming, screen share,

Google docs, chat etc give them a sense of being engaged in ‘regular’ learning then they open up to the concept and embrace the new experience. Skype will never substitute real-life communication and human contact but at the same time it is no obstacle to effective conveying of information and exchanging of thoughts, opinions, ideas or messages making use of speech, visuals, gestures, writing or body language. I would even venture to say that Skype greatly facilitates natural communication as students feel more comfortable and open in the cosiness of their own home rather than in a formalised classroom.

Conclusion

Alvin Toffler – a famous American writer and futurist – once said that ‘the illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn’ (Toffler, 1970:414). Including online teaching in one’s teaching practice undoubtedly requires a great amount of unlearning and relearning: opening up to new technologies, getting familiar with frequently obscure technicalities and functionalities, trusting that the unknown does not mean inherently bad and believing that, once the initial fearful stages are overcome, the sense of achievement and professional stretching will compensate for all the time and effort invested.

ReferencesToffler A (1970) Future Shock. New York: Random House.

Anna Kamont is an EFL teacher, lecturer and teacher-trainer based in Warsaw, Poland. She holds an MA in English language teaching from Warsaw University. She has had extensive teaching experience with adult learners, in the academic, business and general-English environment. She has published several articles on ELT, mainly on the topics of her personal interests, ie. memory in ELT, boosting students’ vocabulary and psychology of foreign language learning. Email: aniap2401@poczta.onet.pl