Fences and Fatalism: Developing Intercultural Communicative Competence in a Digital Age

Pete Smith and Konstantin ShestakovTCC 2011 Worldwide Online ConferenceArlington, Texas & Omsk, RussiaApril, 2011

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

communicative language practice:

4 students & native speaker

communicative language practice:

4 students & native speaker

communicative language practice:

4 students & native speaker

language learning

strategies: 12 students

& faculty mentor

interactive language seminar:

12 students & professor

VLS Beginning Russian: Schedule

MWF: classes with native

speakerThurs: faculty seminar

Tues class: becoming a reflective networked

learner

Cultural Blog: Russian for the

Internet AgeSyllabus

Virtual Language Studies Beginning Russian

VLS Beginning Russian: Russia And Russian Today

Drake University Virtual Language Studies

Communicating Abroad Project

9

VLS Beginning Russian: Communicating Abroad Project

10

VLS Beginning Russian: Communicating Abroad Project

Cultural Theme: Uncertainty

Avoidance

12

Plan: Communicating Abroad Project

13

Questionnaire: “Power Distance”

14

Questionnaire: “Power Distance”

15

Participant Email Exchange

16

Student Chat

Student-Prepared Slides Support Interaction

Student-Prepared Slides (con’t.)

Video Presentation in Student Exchange

VLS-Omsk Law“Communicating Abroad

Project”

21

Student Reports

22

Compensating Strategies in Virtual Exchanges

23

Causes of Communication Breakdown

24

Strategies for Language Learners to Co-Create Meaning

25

Student Attitudes

U.S. ContactPete SmithUniversity of Texas—Arlington psmith@uta.edu

Russia ContactKonstantin ShestakovOmsk Law University konstantin73@yandex.ru