Videoconferencing for language learning in primary schools

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Videoconferencing for language learning in
primary schools

• Nathalie Terrades, Ministry of Education, France,
  subdirectorate of ICT

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The project

• September 2007 the Minister of Education
  announced the project. Launched in November.
• Videoconferencing with anglophone native speakers
  to support the early learning of english

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Principles

• In addition to the english class, should not
  replace it
• Language learning is in the curriculum in
  elementary school

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So far

• Letters or emails
• With the internet tools new opportunities
• Real communication, synchronous, interactive,
  more dynamic

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Technical requirements

• Computer / internet
• Headphones
• Microphone
• Webcam
• Little groups
• can communicate

Lavoisier elementary school, Tourcoing
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Let us add

• a camcorder
• an IWB

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And

• loudspeakers

gt the whole class can communicate with
another class
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The steering committee

• Subdirectorate of ICT
• Schools directorate
• General Inspectorate
• Local inspectorate
• ICT advisors
• Language advisors

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The two stages of the project

• Select 20 schools in the first stage (nov 2007
  jan 2008)
• 980 schools in the second stage
• (may 2008)

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First stage

• A call for project was published on the Ministry
  website, and sent to rectors and local
  inspectors,
• Pedagogical and technical specifications were
  also published

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First stage (2)

• The schools that were interested had to fill an
  application form to describe their project, and
  sent it to their local education authority.
• Each local education authority could send up to 5
  projects to the Ministry

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The criteria

• The french teacher already teaching english, and
  preferably with an experience of
  videoconferencing
• The technical diversity it was interesting to
  see different technical solutions being
  experimented. Both solutions (French school and
  partner school) had to interoperate

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The criteria pedagogical project

• The French school finds another school, in any
  Anglophone country. Can be based on an existing
  partnership (etwinning)
• Or, the French school works with an anglophone
  teacher. Some private businesses have released a
  complete offer the software for
  videoconference, the teacher who is an Anglophone
  native speaker, and the pedagogical material
  (exercises and so on)

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Financing the project

• 40 projects were selected (instead of 20
  initially)
• The Ministry payed for
• the videoconferencing equipment
• The software
• A subscription with a private company sometimes.
• Budget 300 000 euros

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Second stage (may 2008)

• 960 schools should be equipped
• Languages to be used English, German, Spanish,
  Italian
• The municipalities provide the equipment

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The local education authorities

• They manage the project
• They choose the schools
• One person in charge

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Evaluation

• The french teachers said that
• Partnering with a class takes more time to
  prepare the sessions, but its more rewarding and
  the pupils learn more about the culture
• Partnering with a teacher the pupils learn more
  about the language, but less cultural openness.

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Evaluation (2)

• In both cases, their accent improved
• The pupils are more motivated when partnering
  with a class

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Additional budget

• An additional budget has recently been
  allocated by the Ministry (1 500 000 euros) for
  500 new schools to become part of the project

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Technical advice

• Its much better for the teacher is somebody can
  assist him/her with the technical aspects, so
  that he/she can concentrate fully on the
  pedagogy.
• its better to use the same device for all the
  schools of the local education authority, for ex.
  on a same web portal.

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Activities

• presenting oneself, the school, the city
• teaching songs to the other class
• playing Simon Says, bingo, pictionary
• celebrations (christmas ...)
• ordering in a restaurant
• describing someone or something
• debating on a subject ....

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In the papers
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(No Transcript)
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Learning a song using videoconference
Miannay elementary School, Abbeville
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Contact

• Project manager
• dorothee.danielewski_at_education.gouv.fr
• Contact EUN France
• nathalie.terrades_at_education.gouv.fr