Robert Godwin-Jones

Abstract

Language teachers have used a variety of means to make the target culture more accessible to students and to make the target language more real, not just an artificial classroom experience. One of the rich opportunities today to move in these directions is to have students participate in online exchanges with others, whether they be peers, native speakers/informants, or teachers/tutors. The benefits include improvements in L2 skills, the development of intercultural competence, an increase in student motivation, and the enhancement of learner autonomy. There are a number of different approaches/tools to implementing language telecollaboration. This session will explore the variety of models that are available and discuss their respective advantages and disadvantages.

Bio

Robert Godwin-Jones is Professor of World Languages and International Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. His research is principally in applied linguistics, in the areas of language learning and technology, and intercultural communication. He has published 4 books, multiple articles and book chapters, and writes a regular column for Language Learning & Technology on emerging technologies.