you needn't commute 1,300 km
TRANSCRIPT
YOU NEEDN’T COMMUTE 1,300 KM:
TEACHING WRITING SKILLS IN
Vedrana Vojković EstatievBrussels, BELTA Day, March 2014
Who’s this?
photo by @mandakelly4884
OverviewBasic information on the course / instructor
What is Moodle?
Teaching writing skills online
Giving feedback in an online environment
Sustaining motivation online
Questions?
Writing in EnglishCenter for Croatian Studies, University of Zagreb, CroatiaUndergraduate Communication Sciences program
1 semester (4 months)Cca 15 students (Croatian + Erasmus)
B2-C1 according to CEFR
Borongaj Campus, photo from www.srce.hr
InstructorLecturer, 6 years
Teach EAP & Writing in English
Certified course designer & did Moodle MOOCTeaching online since moving to Belgium
Croatian Studies library photo from www.srce.hr
Background on MoodleOpen-source LMS
In use 10+ years
65 million users worldwide
Based on social constructionist pedagogy
“Learner-centric and collaborative”
Moodle 2.4 resources
Moodle 2.4 activities
Teaching writing skills F2FRelatively quiet
Time-consuming
Everyone finishes at a different time
Limited interaction
Small audience
Availability of reference materials
Teaching writing skills onlineRelatively quiet
Activity duration not an issue
Everyone finishes at a different time
Larger audience
Greater interaction
Availability of reference materials
Higher quality of writing
Greater engagement
Greater accuracy
Greater range of vocabulary employed
Increase in written communicative competence
Sample unit
Book – Chapter 1
Choice activity
Q & A forum
Book – use of multimedia
Mind map activity
Simple discussion forum
Workshop activity - setup
Workshop activity - assessment
Portfolio - reflection
Portfolio – feedback
Giving feedback onlineGreater personalization than f2f
Prioritize – don’t address every contribution
Error correction ≠ feedback
Be as quick as possible
Enlist student help
Sustaining motivation onlinePost regular updates on course noticeboard
Comment on students’ reflections
Have students comment on others’ reflections
Encourage those who have fallen behind
Add links to fun activities
Thanks very much for your attention!
I’ll also be happy to answer any additional questions at: