Developing Collaborative Cyber Communities to Prepare Tomorrow's Teachers

Abstract: Computer-mediated exchange and interaction have become topics of debate and discussion in the past several years due to the growing interest in synchronous and asynchronous communication and their role in language acquisition, learning, and teaching (Liu, Moore, Graham, & Lee, 2002). This article offers a model for a collaborative course on Technology in Foreign Language Education (TIFLE) that is built around computer-mediated discussion. The graduate seminar, designed and taught collaboratively at the University of South Carolina and the University of Florida, allows students to experience the benefits and challenges of virtual communication as they engage in discussions about the theoretical and practical interface of pedagogy and technology in language teaching. Course components, such as chat, e-portfolios, multi-user object oriented domains (MOOs), an electronic discussion board, and virtual guests are discussed and the outcomes of the seminar are highlighted in terms of student gains. Introduction In recent years, the focus on communication and interaction in the language classroom has caused educators to question the roles of language learners and teachers and has generated discussion of issues, social interaction, negotiation of meaning, and communities of learners. Communication in virtual environments has sparked interest in and given increased attention to the role of meaningful interaction mediated by computers. The importance of communication and negotiation in network interaction, specifically as part of chat room discussion, has been a topic of several reports in the field of technology-enhanced language learning (Lee, 2001a, 2001b; Pelletieri, 2000; Peyton, 1999). Despite the recent surge in computer-mediated interaction and the growing pressures from administrators to include technological advances in our language classrooms, language teacher education and training in these new technological directions have been scant. In fact, Cuban (2001) posited that computers have generally been oversold and underused in academic institutions and that their impact in college classrooms remains minimal. Although the need for training in new technologies is recognized and reinforced by nationally published documents such as the National Standards for Language Learning, the National Educational Technology Standards, and the ACTFL/NCATE Program Standards for the Preparation of Foreign Language Teachers, technology has not yet significantly affected the classrooms in which we teach (Cuban, 2001). In order to assist educators in meeting these goals and standards, teachers must be equipped with regular technological training, support (technical but also release time and/or other compensation), and most importantly opportunities for practice and interaction. Various types of instruction and training may be available to teachers, such as weekend or in-service workshops, intensive summer programs, and general technology education courses that are often not language specific. Future teachers, whether undergraduates or graduate/teaching assistants, may be presented with brief introductions to technology in language teaching during orientation; however, they seldom have the opportunity to explore in depth by learning how to use and apply technology in the language classroom. Still, experienced technology users are often sought after in Modern Language Association (MLA) position descriptions. To remedy this mismatch between demand and availability, a graduate seminar was developed that would allow students to work collaboratively at two research universities in order to experience first-hand communicative tools used for virtual interaction. Technology in Foreign Language Education (TIFLE)2 integrates new technologies in ways that facilitate multiple types of virtual communication and dialogue in order to engage students in intellectual discussion and meaningful interaction. Approximately 30 students from two research universities participated collaboratively in the seminar, which met on the same day and time during a 16-week academic semester. …