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Università degli Studi di Firenze Università degli Studi di Firenze Facoltà di Scienze della Formazione Facoltà di Scienze della Formazione Dipartimento di Scienze dell'Educazione e dei Processi Culturali e Formativi Master “Internet costruzione della conoscenza ambienti di apprendimento in rete” Learning Objects: Digital Learning Objects: Digital Methods For Language Methods For Language Acquisition Acquisition Relatore: Mario Rotta candidato: Susan Burg Matricolo: 4320989

Transcript of LEARNING OBJECTS: STRUCTURES AND …mastercasting.pbworks.com/f/LEARNING OBJECTS_thesis... · Web...

Università degli Studi di FirenzeUniversità degli Studi di FirenzeFacoltà di Scienze della FormazioneFacoltà di Scienze della Formazione

Dipartimento di Scienze dell'Educazione e dei Processi Culturali e Formativi

Master “Internet costruzione della conoscenza ambienti di apprendimento in rete”

Learning Objects: Digital Methods ForLearning Objects: Digital Methods For

Language AcquisitionLanguage Acquisition

Relatore: Mario Rotta

candidato: Susan Burg

Matri

colo: 4320989

Anno accademico: 2005/2006

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Collaborative Work

II. Individual Work

1. Introduction

2. List of Figures

3. List of Acronyms

4. Introduction

5. Motivations

6. Historical reference

7. The function of a learning object in CALL

8. Building a learning object

9. Choosing an authoring tool

10.Artefacts: examples of learning objects

11.The advantages and disadvantages of an LO

12.Socio-constructivism

13.Beyond web semantics: flash films and podcasting

14.Example of LOs

15.The future of CALL

16.Conclusion

17.Acknowledgements

18.Bibliography

I. Collaborative Work

Riflessioni sulle dinamiche del gruppo B, “LOLIFE: learning object life”

Iniziamo questa introduzione con una breve riflessione sulle dinamiche del

nostro gruppo, inteso come un nuovo soggetto, nato per esigenze di studio e

di ricerca nell’ottica collaborazionista.

Durante il primo periodo di lavoro individuale, abbiamo privilegiato la

ricerca personale per condividere e confrontare, in un secondo momento, le

nostre diverse esperienze e competenze; in questa prima fase ogni

partecipante ha osservato e letto i messaggi del Forum con maggiore

attenzione, per scrutare gli altri, al fine di individuare gli interessi dei singoli

membri della comunità in via di costituzione e lavorare alla creazione di uno

spazio di lavoro definito, che è successivamente diventato uno spazio di intesa

comune.

L’osservazione non è stata ristretta al nostro gruppo, anzi abbiamo stabilito

numerose relazioni umane “esterne”, scambiando opinioni e informazioni

con i partecipanti delle altre classi virtuali e ricevendo perfino alcune offerte

di aiuto da maschi esterni al gruppo B, che è un insieme tutto al femminile …

(anche nel cyberspazio gli uomini vorrebbero avere la supremazia

imponendo il loro modo di pensare, ma fortunatamente le donne che

navigano online stanno aumentando e quindi gli stereotipi di genere sono

destinati a scomparire).

In concomitanza con i riti di adattamento iniziali, abbiamo sentito la

necessità di fissare un setting per il lavoro in comune, intendo con ciò

l’opportunità di stabilire una serie di regole di socioquette a cui attenersi,

oltre alla stesura di una scaletta del progetto e la definizione dei ruoli, che

sono stati rispettati pur con un margine di tolleranza.

Naturalmente la motivazione di partenza non è stata la stessa per tutte noi,

ma possiamo affermare con certezza che si è creata una rete sufficientemente

solida tra alcune di noi anche a livello affettivo, che ha portato a organizzare

alcuni appuntamenti nel mondo reale, fuori dagli ambienti di apprendimento

istituzionali.

Spesso, nei gruppi nascenti si fatica a trovare un linguaggio comune, anzi si

deve imparare a costruirlo e in tale ottica sono sorte alcune affinità

spontanee, che hanno dato luogo a un tipo di comunicazione alternativa

attraverso numerosi SMS e colloqui telefonici.

Comunque dopo gli incontri in presenza del Master, è stato notato un

maggiore coinvolgimento emotivo da parte di tutte le componenti del gruppo

che ha prodotto un rafforzamento di tutte le attività, pur con un grado di

dispersione, causato da molteplici fattori: distanza fisica, diversa expertise e

talvolta il mancato rispetto dei tempi.

Al di là del risultato prodotto, il valore aggiunto del Master è costituito

dall’accrescimento personale e professionale, che attraverso la dimensione

collaborativa, ha reso possibile la realizzare di un nuovo stile di vita e di

ricerca, basato su una nuova e stimolante modalità progettuale, sostenuta da

tecnologie sempre più innovative.

Riflessioni sul lavoro svolto

Il nostro progetto si proponeva di elaborare alcune “Linee guida sull’uso, il

riutilizzo, la ricerca, l’applicazione e la catalogazione di learning object (LO)

in una cornice pedagogica di tipo costruttivista”.

Siamo partite dalla constatazione che l’uso, il riuso e lo scambio di materiale

didattico non e’ certo una novità nel mondo della scuola:  se pensiamo,

infatti, alle  schede preparate a mano dal docente o ai modelli contenuti

nelle vecchie guide dell'insegnante, ne intravediamo le radici, che

ben   evidenziando  la costante necessità degli educatori di predisporre

materiale adatto alle esigenze di una determinata classe e gruppo di allievi.

La nascita e lo sviluppo dell’e-learning ha fornito nuove opportunità di

apprendimento, creando supporti multimediali più o meno adeguati alla

modalità FAD,  il riuso e lo scambio di tale materiale ha costituito, da molti

anni,  argomento di dibattito teorico, infatti i LO rappresentano i sussidi

pedagogici più diffusi  ma meno riutilizzati praticamente.

Quando parliamo di LO ci riferiamo di solito ai contenuti digitali, non

digitali e didattici, al software e agli strumenti software che in genere si

utilizzano per l’apprendimento online e in senso più generale, includono tutti

gli attori coinvolti in questo processo.

 Analizzando ciclo di vita di un LO abbiamo quasi la sensazione di discutere

di un  "organismo  vivente" che ha un inizio e una fine; in realtà un LO ha

una sua nascita, che a volte e’ un vero e proprio assemblaggio, ma potrebbe

non avere mai una fine, per cui e’ forse più corretto parlare di cicli di vita e

ri-cicli, perché grazie ad alcune caratteristiche possedute,  specie la

granularità e la riusabilità un LO (o qualche parte di esso) potrebbe, in

teoria, durare per sempre.

Secondo le considerazioni emerse in una importante ricerca di Collis e

Strijker dell’ Universita' di Twente in Olanda, stiamo vivendo un momento

di notevole cambiamento, in cui i LO vengono creati al di fuori del contesto

scolastico e gli autori citano specificatamente tre specifici ambiti applicativi:

universitario

militare

aziendale o industriale.

Nel primo campo, la libertà di utilizzo dei LO è abbastanza ampia, in quanto

sono gli insegnanti a possedere la proprietà intellettuale e sono proprio loro

che, in base alle loro ricerche e ai loro progetti, stabiliscono anche

l'organizzazione dei corsi di studio e l'utilizzo di  supporti didattici come

power point, documenti word, appunti, fotocopie, riviste...  

Invece l'ambito militare è abbastanza rigido e la formazione non può

prescindere da una corretta interpretazione dei comandi; conseguentemente i

corsi sono specialistici e differenziati a seconda della loro localizzazione in

uno dei corpi militari interessati. Il materiale didattico  utilizzato consiste in

libri di testo, manuali e supporti multimediali (video e immagini).

Analizzando la  formazione svolta nel settore aziendale o industriale, emerge

che i corsi si attivano sia su specifiche richieste del personale che in seguito a

sopravvenuti cambiamenti organizzativi, desiderano rivedere la loro

preparazione personale. Per acquisire nuove informazioni di natura

generale, l'azienda preferisce servirsi di LO creati da agenzie esterne, mentre

per esigenze relative allo sviluppo e potenziamento di abilità specialistiche, i

LO vengono preparati appositamente e sono proprietà dell'azienda. Esiste,

tuttavia, una tipologia di informal learning che avviene per scambi diretti di

informazione e conoscenza.

Le differenze sostanziali tra i ruoli, la natura e il riutilizzo di LO nei tre

settori appena descritti, emergeranno al momento della scelta dei metadati e

degli standard di catalogazione più adatti alle singole esigenze, anche se

l' integrazione di  energie e risorse ci pongono nelle condizioni migliori per

comunicare, implementando le potenzialità intellettive sia individuali

che collettive.

Attualmente internet si sta dimostrando un ambiente in cui è possibile

insegnare e imparare in forme innovative, più aperte e flessibili, con

implicazioni positive sul piano organizzativo ed economico e i LO

rappresentano  gli strumenti  che, meglio di altri mezzi, soddisfano l’esigenza

e la volontà di imparare  che ci accompagna lungo l'arco della nostra

esistenza e che si applica praticamente negli ambiti legati all’occupabilità

professionale, all’inclusione sociale e all’autorealizzazione.

Per entrare nel merito dei nostri lavori individuali, riportiamo il commento

alla poesia di John G. Saxe che ha rivisitato una metafora presente in

molteplici letterature e religioni “I ciechi e l’elefante”, in cui si narra di sei

uomini ciechi che a causa della loro sete di conoscenza, volevano “vedere” un

elefante, nonostante la loro carenza visiva. Quando furono condotti vicino

all’animale, ognuno di loro toccò una parte diversa del poderoso corpo del

pachiderma e elaborò una propria convinzione sulle caratteristiche

dell’animale.

The blind men and the elephant

Noi abbiamo vissuto un’analoga esperienza e paragonando l’elefante

all’universo dei LO, possiamo dire che ogni componente del gruppo B si è

avvicinata ad un aspetto (o più aspetti) di questo variegato mondo, senza

però perdere mai il contatto con la realtà frutto dell’esperienza collaborativa.

A riprova del nostro vivo interesse, segnaliamo anche che la nostra

produzione individuale è stata molto ricca: diversi power point, documenti

word, pagine web, mappe concettuali, oltre a numerose segnalazioni di link o

riferimenti bibliografici tradizionali, sono stati inseriti in piattaforma e sono

stai riutilizzati individualmente come supporti alla didattica.

Inoltre Susan ha preparato un LO sui Beatles

(http://mastercasting.pbwiki.com/), che è stato presentato il 3 novembre, alla

Convention annuale del TESOL ITALY a Napoli ed alcune di noi hanno

partecipato a questo evento.

Per riassumere il lavoro svolto sul wiki, riportiamo di seguito uno schema,

elaborato da Ester, sui punti di forza e sulle criticità dei LO:

Schema pro e contro

  Vantaggi Svantaggi

Costi di

Produzione

Suddividendo il contenuto dei

learning object, le parti

possono essere conservate ed

aggiornate separamente. Si

puo’ trovare un learning

object adatto,senza crearne

uno nuovo.Cio’ riduce I costi.

Cambiando  un “sistema auto-

contenuto” con un approccio

con learning object coinvolge

ristrutturazione dei contenuti

e dei costi.

 

Flessibilita’ Se vi sono più learning object

basati su specifici standard l’

aumento della scelta si

tradurrà in più flessibilità

per i progettisti.

 

Usando learning object basati

su standard si restringe il

campo di informazioni dello

studente, nonostante

l’interoperabilità dei LO

Pedagogia I learning object si

inseriscono perfettamente in

molte teorie di ISD. I modelli

didattici possono essere

generati con aperture per

tipi specifici di learning

object e incoraggiando i

progettisti a operare in modo

più disciplinato con un effetto

positivo.

Le restrizioni su informazioni

disponibili sugli studenti

potrebbero restringere gli

approcci pedagogici.

Gli approcci che usano

materiale discorsivo di una

certa lunghezza potrebbero non

ottenere benefici dall’uso di

learning object.

Costi finali L’ approccio con learning

object impedisce ai

consumatori di essere

bloccati in sistemi specifici.

Il costo di trasformazione di

contenuto esistente in un LO

puo’ essere significativo.

 

Poiche’ gli standard vengono

mantenuti, il mercato per

accontentare I consumatori

terra’ conto di piu’

proprieta’ abbassando i costi

e aumentando la scelta.

Sostegno

dell’industri

a

Tutti i fornitori principali di

sistema e produttori

soddisfatti stanno sostenendo

SCORM ed altri

standard che sono basati o

che completano un

approccio con learning object

Realisticamente, passano dai 12

ai 18 mesi tra il tempo in cui

la comunità del fornitore adotta

un approccio

ed il tempo in cui si

implementano I prodotti e sono

disponibili.

 

Tra il numeroso materiale che abbiamo consultato, abbiamo incontrato

questo Learning Object Planning Workbook, che abbiamo adottato come linee

guida e che riportiamo quasi integralmente:

Learning Object Planning Workbook

| Find the originals and any updates at www.nmc.org/guidelines/companion/

1

© 2004,2005 Rachel S. Smith ([email protected]). Permission granted to copy,

distribute, use, and repurpose for any noncommercial use.

Planning Your Learning Object

Working Title

Educational Objective

Purpose: Why do this project?

Learners: Who will use this learning object?

Outcomes: What are the specific learning outcomes?

How Will This Learning Object Be Used? List specific activities that

learners might do

Common Uses

Unusual, Innovative Uses

Resource Tracking Worksheet

List people, equipment, and software that you have or need for

each phase of the project:

Cost Estimate

(money and/or time) Have This - Need This

Project Planning: Describing the learning object

Design: Interface design, graphic design, software architecture

Content Development: Creating or gathering the digital assets

Software Development: Creating the actual learning object

Assessment: Developing related learner assessment activities

Hosting/Delivery: Making your learning object available to learners

Other:

Potential Contacts & Resources. List people or other resources,

potential collaborators, etc.

Asset Planning Worksheet

Project Name

Educational Objective: State your educational objective here.

Activity List

Using your lists from “Planning Your Learning Object” (page 1) as a

starting point, describe the activities you would like to

build into your learning object. Note any special features or

characteristics of the activities and briefly list the resources

you will need to create each activity (content/assets, authoring tool

functions, specialized developers, etc.).

Usability Checklist

Project Name

Educational Objective State your educational objective here.

Usability Guidelines

Check your design against these guidelines as you work on it.

Be consistent in the use of design elements, language, formatting,

appearance, and functionality.

Allow learners to control their interactions; give them the freedom to

choose how to complete tasks.

Follow established standards of design and use conventions that are

familiar to learners.

Simplify the design wherever possible, and stick to basic principles of

aesthetics.

Questo lavoro ben rappresenta e sintetizza al meglio la complessità

dell’universo LO, ma nonostante gli studi e le ricerche effettuate molte sono

le risposte ancora da dare, potremmo quindi concludere con un open

riflessivo sulla dimensione sociale dei LO:

quanti repository ci dovrebbero essere: è da privilegiare un macro

portale oppure repository locali collegati insieme in qualche modo?

quanti LO possono essere gestiti da un portale educational?

la comunità dei LO come esiste oggi, è sostenibile?

forse i virtual reference desk (VRD) e i cataloghi delle offerte formative

online possono divenire i nuovi luoghi della conoscenza?

Abbiamo concluso che:

ricercare continuamente innovazioni, anche a livello di tecnologie,

favorendo livelli di integrazione tra risorse che possono e devono

essere vari

facilitare scambio, dialogo e disseminazione dei saperi

non perdere mai di vista la selezione, valutazione e personalizzazione

dei vari LO e dei percorsi didattici in cui vengono inseriti

costruire repository che riflettano nuove idee (es.oltre ai repositiry

tematici, pensiamo a una suddivisione di genere…)

occorre sperimentare e ancora sperimentare per imparare… e noi

continueremo a farlo…

II. Individual Work

1. Introduction

How can we stimulate students to acquire a second language? Although

traditionally, learning takes place in the classroom, the advantages of a

virtual class are numerous: course material is easily accessible, costs are

lower and high quality material can be catologued and shared in a web-based

environment. Perhaps the greatest challenge of teaching a second language

such as English in a computer assisted environment is simply practical:

considering the fact that we initially learn language through intuitive

assimilation in natural surroundings, one may ask how is it possible to learn

in a virtual ambient? Such common elements as conversation, gestures and

vocal imitation (Gaussier P., Moga S. , Quoy M., Banquet J.P., 1998) are

missing in computer assisted language learning (CALL). Hence, what

solutions are there in the creation of stimulating and rewarding digital course

material? What kinds of strategies are available and most advantageous?

Finally, which kinds of software are best at enhancing and promoting the

learning experience?

The objective of my Masters thesis is to explore and evaluate a variety of

authoring tools for CALL in an attempt to determine which ones are most

functional for use in language learning. In some cases I have actually

implemented them by building learning objects. My intent is to examine and

distinguish the best tools presently available for this purpose and determine

if for language acquisition such tools are valuable. Throughout my research

I have found documentation to support my personal experience as a teacher:

learning objects and other electronic resources are useful for second

language learning, thanks to the implementation of text, audio and animated

video which stimulate the learner. These resources can enhance learning.

The research addressed in this paper deals with a demonstration of software

and authoring tools used to create learning objects and other resources such

as flash video and podcasting.

2. List of Figures

1. Downes illustration of an HTML file

2. A screen shot of the .rlo illustrating the icons which “contain contents”

3. Preview of interface, text and image on page two of my LO called “Behind

the Beatles”

4. Resulting page after having saved the.rlo

5. Scene 5: Edgar makes an announcement – choosing a character

6. Details from the D.Film – selecting a background and a sky

7. Some thumbnail photos of podcast videos

8. We can all be radio stations, a Gliffy diagram for podcasting

9. Edison Gold Moulded Cylinder made from black wax, ca. 1904

10. RCA logo with Nipper the RCA/HMV dog

11. Labiophone by ICP Grenoble

3. List of Acronyms

CALL - Computer Assisted Language Learning

CMC – Computer Mediated –Communication

ESL – English as a Second Language

HTML - Hypertext Markup Language

ICT - Information and Communication Technology

LMS - Learning Management System

LO - Learning Object

RLO – Reusable Learning Objects

VLE - Virtual Learning Environments

XML – Extensible Markup Language-

XSL - Extensible Stylesheet Language

4. Motivations

My experience as a teacher of English as a second language has always been

centered on traditional classroom methods. From 1978 to 2002 I taught face-

to-face lessons using the Direct Method, a monolingual teaching method

which became populare at the end of the 19th century. Through this

approach, intuitive assimulation of new structures and meanings of the target

language are significant for improving language skills in the classroom.

(Koller T., 2006)

Language is always evolving as humanity does: if we examine the progression

from Old English to Modern, and Latin to Modern Italian we see clear

evidence of how they have devoloped through the years. Manuals exist for

learning skills such as how to drive a car, but certainly a manual for

acquiring a language, at least to date, does not exist. Therefore, how can we

acquire language skills without having the benefits of situated learning such

as that obtained in natural settings?

Situated learning signifies teaching “knowledge and skills in contexts that

reflect the way the knowledge will be useful in real life. Based on a somewhat

radical model of human cognition, cognitive apprenticeships ground

knowledge in authentic contexts. This is because knowledge and context are

inseparable, they say. We know things through experience in concrete

situations […]”. (Wilson B. G., Jonassen D. H., & Cole, P. 1993).

In 2002, I was asked to teach an online course at the University of Florence

for Progetto Campus One. (http://www.campusone.it/ict/) This first venture

into the virtual classroom was challenging. I had to learn how to guide my

students and my first attempts were merely transfering the standard

techniques used in traditional classes.

CALL can be very effective, however, technical know-how is neccessary to

successfully carry it out. New skills and tools must be learned for this

purpose. In this paper I will present some of the accessible methods such as

learning objects, podcasts and flash film that can aid both teacher and

student, thus proving that CALL has a definite and positive role in acquiring

a second language.

5. Historical reference

In the 1960’s, methodology in language teaching was largely derived from the

work of Skinner in his book Verbal Behavior (1957). He believed that speech

and other forms of communication were behavior per se. (wikipedia, 2006).

Such elements of behaviorism, as response and reinforcement, took on a

significant role in language teaching. Learning came about through

imitation, practise and repition of dialogue and vocabulary (Micheal Levy

1997). Programmed instruction, also introduced by Skinner, was influencial

in providing a set of frames and active responses to guide learners. This kind

of programmed learning was important in early CALL, being that drill and

practice could easily be programmed on computers.

In the past ten to fifteen years a great amount of material for CALL has been

produced. One of the early projects was PLATO (Programmed Logic for

Automatic Teaching Operations) which began at the Univerity of Illinois,

U.S.A. in 1960, offering, after much research, interactive, self-paced

intruction for large groups and supporting an innovative e-mail system.

Student’s records could also be maintained for research and information

exchange. By 1979, according to Hart (1995) PLATO was able to function

like micro-computer networks.

In the 1980’s microcomputers became more accessible and CALICO

(Computer-Assisted Language Instruction Corsortium) was introduced as a

professional organization for CALL. Other courses followed such as those

sponsored by the British Council at Lancaster University and EuroCALL

which began in 1986. In the 1990’s, as internet became more sophisticated

and popular, CALL made language teaching and learning materials very

accessible, and both synchronous and asychronous computer-mediated

communication were made more available. Today, web-based technologies

have much potential: it is an eternally open-ended and innovative medium as

new technology grows. According to Thomas Koller, from the University of

Nottingham, it is useful for global communication and authentic language

material.

The term “learning object” is commonly believed to have been coined in 1990

by Wayne Hodgins, a learning and informant futurist at AutoDesk.

6. The function of a learning object in CALL

Designing adaptable course materiale for CALL requires new technical

knowledge. Interesting, valid material employs both audio and video

alongside text, a multimedia blend that however fascinating and stimulating

it may be for the learner, the author must be skilled enough to build it.

Learning objects present a feasible option, enabling the developers of

learning materials to create reusable ones that can be shared across

institutions, thus saving the cost of many hours of individual development

(Downes 2001). Just as books and films are shared, Downes proposes

designing online course material that is multimedia, using “video clips, audio

clips, commentary from selected sources and pop-up glossaries.” Although

creating such quality resources is expensive, once made, they can be used

again and again thus reducing future costs for school institutions. Having

reusable and easily accessible learning objects are essential for successful e-

learning.

CALL has been widely criticised by language teachers since its first

introduction in the 1960’s (Levy, 1997) however it can be highy effective for

use in CMC. What are the advantages for the participant?

Reading comprehension proficiency

Writing proficiency practice

Opportunity for language exchange through participation in forums,

email, video conferencing with international participants

Opportunity for language exchange through particpation in

communities of practice/learners

Online diagnostic testing and rapid feedback managed by the learners

Interactive quizzes using tools such as Hot Potatoes, Quia or Quizstar,

offering instant feedback on results

Opportunity to practise languages in an environment, free from

embarrassment, working at ones own pace

Downloading and listening to music/ reading lyrics

Dynamic visuals and animation which reinforce learning

Collaborative projects integrated into courseware in the form of

problem-solving

Digital writing and role play in the tradition of MUD

Utilization of LOs, small units of learning content

Utilization of webquests, learning content set in the form of research

What are learning objects? According to Eduworks, an independent

research and development company which organizes and promotes

workshops throughout the world:

“Learning objects are the core concept in an approach to learning content in

which content is broken down into "bite size" chunks. These chunks can be

reused, independently created and maintained, and pulled apart and stuck

together like so many legos.”(Eduworks, 2006)

What constitutes a learning object? Eduworks discussed how “different

vendors have different ways of instantiating the notion of a learning object

and different ways of enabling learning objects to communicate information

about the learner. Online learning content typically contains: Text,

graphics, and movies, a navigation scheme (easily a table of contents and/or

buttons) and assessments.”

Interoperability enables content from multiple sources to work well together

with different systems. Reusablity enables content to be transferable to other

contexts allowing for chunks of information to communicate with learning

systems using a standardized method. These chunks or LOs must have a

description allowing designers to search for and find content as needed.

7. Building a learning object

There are various opinions and standards of learning objects and software.

For example, Phillip Hubbard, professor of Linguistics at Stanford

University in California states pedagogical aspects specific to language

learning that traditional instructional design approaches may overlook”

(Hubbard, P.,1988). He adds that “Courseware development refers to the

process of going from the idea of creating a piece of tutorial software through

the final product. It should be informed by general principles of

instructional design.”

Stephen Downes, an expert in e-learning resources at the Institute for

Information Technology's e-Learning Research Group in Canada discusses

the medium for LO content in his online article about Learning Objects. He

claims that authoring an LO is similar to authoring a puzzle.

“We might think of authoring learning objects as akin to authoring pieces of

a puzzle, in which case the content is the image or picture on the surface of

the piece, while the metadata is the shape of the piece itself which allows it to

fit snugly with the other pieces.”

He verifies that HTML, the most common medium for content, is not suitable

for course material such as LOs. Although it is useful, particularly in

working with Microsoft´s FrontPage or Macromedia´s Dreamweaver, tools

that enable the creation of quite sophisticated pages, it is not adaptable for

LOs. He confirms that “the problem with these […] pages is that they´re not

portable, especially not FrontPage generated files, which must interact with a

Microsoft server. A web page designed for one course at one university will

contain course and university specific information: the name of the course,

the name of the university, and even a colour scheme. To be used or adapted

by another course, the pages need to be redesigned.” (Downes, 2001)

XML is a means of representing documents according to their internal

structure. Thus, a part of the lyrics to the song “Revolution” by the Beatles is

represented in XML as follows:

  <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>

- <transcript>

- <chunk>

  <begin>15515</begin>

  <end>20160</end>

  <speaker>-</speaker>

  <text>You say you want a revolution</text>

  </chunk>

- <chunk>

  <begin>20160</begin>

  <end>23880</end>

  <speaker>-</speaker>

  <text>Well, you know</text>

  </chunk>

- <chunk>

  <begin>23880</begin>

  <end>29734</end>

  <speaker>-</speaker>

  <text>We all want to change the world</text>

  </chunk>

- <chunk>

  <begin>29734</begin>

  <end>37212</end>

  <speaker>-</speaker>

  <text>You tell me that it's evolution</text>

  </chunk>

- <chunk>

  <begin>37212</begin>

Downes confirms that an LO must be “portable” hence, “first, structured,

and second, separated from presentation information.” XML is most

suitable for authoring LOs in that it “uses tags to structure information and

refer presentation information to a separate document entirely.” XSL is a

family of recommendations for defining XML document transformation and

presentation. An XML file and an XSL file merge to create an HTML file.

Downes has provided an interesting illustration:

1. Downes’ illustration of an HTML file

In order to have sytems that are distributed and interoperable they must be

able to communicate, not only about the same things but also in a common

language such as XML. It is this language that has been adopted by database

programmers, librarians and designers around the world and developed by

the World Wide Web Consortium. Courseware, a book or a song can all be

represented in XML (Downes 2002).

<course>

   <block  id="B1">

         <identification>

            <title>Maritime Navigation</title>

            <labels>

               <curricular>UNIT</curricular>

            </labels>

         </identification>

<block id="B2">

            <identification>

               <title>Inland Rules of the Road</title>

               <labels>

                  <curricular>MODULE</curricular>

               </labels>

            </identification>

            <au id="A1">

               <identification>

                  <title>References</title>

               </identification>

               <launch>

<location>/Courses/Course01/Lesson01/au01.html</location>

               </launch>

            </au>

            <block id="B3">

               <identification>

                  <title>Steering &#38; Sailing Rules</title>

                  <labels>

                     <curricular>MODULE</curricular>

                  </labels>

               </identification>

“XML is to structured information what HTML is to structured documents”

which permits learning material to be integrated into a course, as long as the

sematics are the same (Downes, 2001).

An authoring tool ideally should retrieve “lessons” from a local database or

from a central schema resource online. The schema defines a hierarchy of

data elements for the metadata “package”. For example, a film or interactive

display may be presented and the author simply selects the kind of material

to be inserted (Downes, 2001)

8. Choosing an authoring tool

The choice of software and authoring tools is a most important step in

creating content for LOs. Cyberspace offers a vast source of information

that can be overwhelming at first. A common method of reference is a search

engine such as the renowned Google. Another source is web forums of which

there is a multitude. ExtremeTechnoELT is one such learning community

forum (http://www.extremetechnoelt.com/moodle/index.php), which has

posted discussions about ajax, internet conferencing and technology, java

script, markup languages, podcast technology and RSS feeds, just to name a

few of the growing variety. Through this forum I was introduced to Dott.

Thomas Koller, one of the community members and a software programmer

for e-learning at the University of Nottingham in England. He responded to

my query by inviting me to use a learning object editor that is in the process

of being established. I gratefully accepted his invitation and began what was

for me an extremely interesting learning experience which I shall describe.

Learning Objects Editor – Nottingham found at

(http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~cczjrt/Editor/): the Flash-based learning

object editor is called XERTE, “an xml editor and run time engine that

makes it easy to create and deploy interactive learning objects that are highly

accessible and SCORM compliant….helps you focus on interactive design by

providing tools that are fit for purpose and easy to use.”

The editor is presently being developed by a team of programmers at the

University of Nottingham of which Thomas Koller is a member. Their

project has been interesting because I have taken part in its development by

working with them in the initial stages. Through my first experiments of

building an LO, I gave the group feedback on the working efficiency of the

tools and in so doing I learned the beginning steps of creating flash in the

editor.

2. A screen shot of the .rlo illustrating the icons which “contain contents”

The “XML-based file format (.rlo) can describe complex interactive content,

a Flash-based runtime engine that consumes this XML and an intuitive,

visual editor for creating and mainaining the XML files quickly and easily.

These three elements allow the application logic to be completely separated

from the data, and for that data to be created quickly and accurately through

intuitive tools. Content developers can create standards-compliant interactive

content with minimum scripting, and code is easily re-used.”

The engine is flash-based and has a consistant code base “removing the need

to duplicate code with each new project.” Chunks of knowledge can be

shared between projects or developers thanks to the application of XML.

Templates are wizard-driven “allowing developers to create data-driven

Learning Objects that are easily changed and re-purposed through a friendly

wizard. SCORM standards allow content to be reused across different

platforms, and positioned in different contexts.” The editor permits for high

quality interactive material. The impletmented features are: visual icon-

based development, support for popular media formats, customisable

interface and controls, simple deployment, scripting, accessibility, re-

usability, SCORM support, data driven components and extensibility.

Flash is ideal for creating dynamice pages. It is easily downloaded, and

available for a variety of browsers and platforms. It can create frame-based

cartoons, it interacts well with other with a variety of applications and is

resourceful in creating LOs. (Koller T., 2006)

9. Artefacts: examples of learning objects

My project in EXERTE utilizes the song "Revolution" written in 1968 by the

Beatles. My emphasis in the LO was the development of language through

music. The public familiarity of music by the Beatles convinced me to use

their material for my work. I wished to make use not only of the images, text

and video but also, for the benefit of discussion, of the meaning of the song

which deals with, as the title reveals, hope for world peace and revolution. I

have used four digital components in my LO:

1. "Revolution", the Beatles (White Album), 1968, audio format “mp3”

2. "Revolution-live in concert", video format “mpeg”, converted to Flash

format Riva FLV

3. lyrics to the song by EvilLyrics

4. “JPEG” image of the Beatles: www.dcnvc.com

I downloaded my choice of audio, video and images from the web and

dragged and dropped these files - previously saved in documents - into the

proper icons that are set up in the editor. The various contents for LO

building are explained in the help page as seen below. These icons are the

“nuts and bolts” of the LOs.

Communciation between Koller and I took place on a daily basis from 18

July to 23 August 2006 in the form of email. An example of some of our

dialogue is written below. The first one refers to my question about setting

up the editor and loading the icons with content. The second one refers to

Koller’s “survey” in which he requests information and my opinions about

the clarity and usefulness of the Nottingham .rlo. The final email refers to

new features in the editor such as visual editing and visual edit preview

mode.

Dear Thomas,

I am creating a page in the LO editor, have uploaded a musical file to begin and

have a problem: when I click on

PREVIEW there is no song, nothing appears!! Can you help me

with this? I can't seem to find the right answer in the HELP

menu.

Grazie di tutto, Thomas!!!

Susan

**********

Hi Susan,

that's quite easy:

1. open the rlo file

2. select the page you want to add a sound to (sound file must be a mp3 file!) or

create a new page

3. create a sound icon on this page (for example by double-clicking the note in

the icon selector - the vertical thingy which contains all the icons)

4. select the newly created sound icon

5. just drag a mp3 file onto the LO editor

6. do the F5 -> sound file should play

to enhance this:

1. add property 'controls' from the Properties dragdown list (select it and click

'Add')

2. give 'controls' the value 100, 200, 500 (x, y, bar width)

3. change the value of Play from 1 to 0 (do not play automatically)

now you've got full button control over the sound file and see the progress

have a look at the attached file

let me know if this doesn't work

Thomas

**********

Hello Thomas!

>what do you find easy/difficult so far with the LO editor?

What is difficult....let's say what can be improved. Nothing is

difficult - it is rather challanging but I am enjoying the process

especially because I am learning bits of more technical information as I

proceed. What is easy? Hard to say because when I first looked at it I

didn't know which steps to take first.

>is the Help useful for you, what other information would you like to see

>in there?

the HELP pages are very useful but need to be expanded for people who

have not worked previously with similar editors. So in my case I

suggest including

1. how to get started ie. open a new page, add content...

2. the correct format of the sound and video files stated clearly

3. how to add interaction...perhaps an example of a dynamic interactive

page linked to the corresponding HELP ones.

4. a statememt to the user expressing some of the tools necessary in

using the editor...as in a recipe: ingredients + procedure = results.

For example I have ITunes aleady, but someone less experienced may not

know where to get their sound and video, so a little suggestion may not

hurt.

5. more examples of a variety of finished LOs created by the editor so

that the user can have an idea of what kind of result can be produced.

>do you think that the LO editor will be useful for the kind of LOs you'd

>like to create?

Definitely, yes. I am very pleased with the pages I have made

*********

Hi Susan,

there's an updated version of the LO editor online:

http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~cczjrt/Editor/setup.exe

You don't have to uninstall the old version. Just install the new

version in the same place.

The new version has a very useful new feature: visual editing

For example create a text icon on a page and add some text to it.

Before, if you wanted to change some properties like x, y, width or

height, you had to enter those values manually in the Properties panel.

Now: just select the text icon in the tree on the left-hand side and

press CTRL + SHIFT + F5. You will see in the preview mode that the text

has now a yellow rectangle round it. You can drag the content element

around or change its size by dragging the rectangle in the bottom right

corner (where you can see the small filled square). While being in this

"visual edit preview mode", you can also directly select another content

element and move/resize that element (i.e. you don't have to go back to

authoring mode, select the other element in the tree and press CTRL +

SHIFT + F5 again).

The new edit mode should work fine with all visual elements. You can't

only resize VIDEOS like this (but you can move 'em around). To "resize"

a video, you have to convert it again by selecting a different size

before converting it from mpeg to flv. Then import it again to the LO

editor.

Another new feature:

If you are in the "visual edit preview mode", usually you can move the

content element in any direction. If, however, you hold pressed the

SHIFT key and then start dragging the object, it will only move

horizontally or vertically, depending on the start direction of this

move (if you started to move vertically, the content element will be

dragged vertically ...).

Hope that's useful!

Cheers,

Thomas

The editor functions through choosing and loading contents into the various

icons. The Learning Object Icon has properties that define a number of

styles used throughout the Learning Object. Here is a description of the

icons taken from editor’s help page.

“Script Icons allow you to write code that creates complex

interactivity and extends the power of the icons in many ways

Page Icons contain content. Pages are the main unit of construction,

and are added to the Interface, Framework Icons and Decision Icons.

Interaction responses are also a type of Page Icon

Decision Icons allow you to create sequences of content that might

flow in a random order, or limit the user to a number of interactions

from a larger bank.

Framework Icons allow you to create complex structures of nested

content. Pages are added to framework icons to create sequences of

content that the user can page through, or that can be controlled

through scripting. Frameworks can have an

Entry Frame - a special type of page that does not turn

Interaction Responses allow you to configure the interactive elements

of your learning object.

Interaction Icons are used to set up interactivity. Interaction icons can

have a range of 'Interaction Responses' added to them so you an

easily create complex interactivity

Sound Icons have properties that define the url of sound files to play,

whether to loop the sound, and whether to play the sound immediately

or not

Graphic Icons have properties that define the position on the screen of

visual media, such as graphics, flash animations and videos. Graphic

icons can automatically present the user with a set of controls for

controlling the playback of animations and videos. Text can be

entered into the text panel and used in the transcript of movies

Text Icons have properties that define the size and position of blocks

of text. Text can be entered into the text panel, or set through

scripting.The

Interface Icon has properties that define the type of interface used,

and its size and position.”

3. Preview of

interface, text

and image on

page two of my

LO called

“Behind the

Beatles”

4. Resulting

page after

having saved the

.rlo

10.The advantages and disadvantages of an LO

We have observed the LO from different perspectives, but how useful is such

an object for language acquisition? What problems for both teacher and

student may arise in its implementation? What are the advantages?

Susan Smith Nash, in her article about LO use in the military, maintains that

due to the varying classification schemes and neccessary cataloging

procedures, individuals and organizations have difficulty in archiving and

thus finding them. Conflict between html, flash, java, java-script can be an

obstacle for possible web reusabilty. The standards for LOs also vary from

place to place. (Smith Nash S., 2005)

On the other hand, the use of an LO in a virtual language class has the

advantage of being easily retrieved once it has been put in a VLE. Students

can easily find it, do their research and leave their written solutions in the

VLE when they want, as they would with a book. If the course has a time

period of five months then the resources can be viewed by students anytime

during that period.

One disadvantage to an LO is the lack of collaborative work in a social

setting. Teamwork, knowledge-sharing and thus scaffolding (Burton, R. R.,

Brown, J. S., & Fischer, G. 1984) do not take part in the learning process.

An LO deals with the participant and the resources alone.

11.Socio-constructivism

E-learning, when designed in a knowledge-sharing context, is unique because

the particpant becomes both learner and teacher through scaffolding. Many

studies have been made about the inherent socio-constructive process which

is found in a collaborative scenario (Burton, R. R., Brown, J. S., & Fischer,

G. (1984). Vygotskij was one of the first to discuss how social interaction is

the basis for cognitive development, arguing that social rather than biological

factors, as disclosed by Piaget, are significant in the development of the

learning process.

Piaget spoke of four developmental stages:

the sensormotor (birth to 2 years)

the preoperational stage (from ages 2 to 7)

the concrete operational stage (from 7 to 11)

the final operational stage (eleven and up).

These chronological stages depend on one’s domain of knowledge. A socio-

constructivist point of view differs from Piaget’s beliefs in that it claims that

knowledge is not learned from the external world but is also constructed

from within.

Learning is further enhanced in an atmosphere in which the teacher’s

informal conversation style, prevalent in CMC, nurtures a higher level of

student participation, thus permitting a spontaneous spirit in the virtual

classroom (Ranieri M. (2005). As a result, student willingness to learn and

share knowledge collaborately becomes evident.

However, the effect of peer-to-peer interaction is not inherent in an LO.

Perhaps the best strategy is to combine LOs with other sources such as

interaction in forums or group projects. For example, through blended

learning, participants might work at first individually to later bring results

and newly acquired knowledge into the group for a class demonstration and

discussion. In this way the entire group would receive feedback on their

individual LO projects.

12.Beyond web semantics: flash films and podcasting

Virtual tools are continually being published and keeping abreast to new

ones can become a great challenge in itself. Perhaps we can observe a few of

them which are more stimulating and innovative for CALL.

FILMS IN FLASH

Two sites that create, visual communicative software for the young market

permit the user to easily make small cartoons by choosing characters and

music from the pre-designed templates. They require no knowledge of Flash,

Action script, Authorware, programming languages such as PHP, Perl, Java,

XML, HTML, JavaScript or multimedia production in audi/video. The

screenshot below illustrates the interface of the Zimmertwins. The small

screens on the right display the possible scenes to choose from. There are

images of the twins, Edgar, his twin sister and their cat. Background scenes

can be also be changed from alley, garden, house or party. Characters can

appear alone or in varying groups. There is little audio outside of crashing

sounds or guitar music which are incorporated into some of the scenes. Once

all the scenes, background and various images have been chosen and written,

the film is ready to be saved and published for viewing and sharing.

Comments can also be left.

5. Scene 5: Edgar makes an announcement - choosing a character

http://www.zimmertwins.com

http://www.dfilm.com/index_moviemaker.html

D.Film is very similar to the Zimmertwins. Audio can be activated through a

choice of background music. Characters can be chosen from the templates

and backgrounds are limited to combing two at a time. D.Film is more

limited than the Zimmertwins because there are fewer templates to choose

from.

6. Details from D.Film – selecting a background and a sky

Click to see an example of one of my films made in D.Film

http://mm.dfilm.com/mm2s/mm_route.php?id=2992099

PODCASTING

This new media permits anyone with a webcam and microphone to create

mutlimedia files such as music videos or audio programs for playback on

mobile devices and personal computers. The possibilities for web-based

lessons of this kind are vast. Some examples of excellent home-produced

video podcasts are those created by Sarah in her blog, The Daily English

Show EFL video podcast, Sarah, an English teacher working in Japan has

posted a series of interesting and well-made films which she makes on almost

a daily basis. The educational value of such work is clear: one could provide

a quiz, glossaries and follow-up reading on the topic for students to use as

courseware alongside the videos.

http://thedailyenglishshow.blogspot.com,

http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=thedailyenglishshow

http://grouper.com/globalmedia/search.aspx?s=0&q=304436

Below I have illustrated a few thumbnail images and details that are part of

Sarah’s collection of videos. (grouper.com)

Tell Your Friends

Show 214 Sunday 3 DecemberSunday Kitchen #26 So Yu Mon Penne This was filmed in the apartment we stayed in for two nights in Hirafu. Nice

kitchen aye... looks kind of like a studio kitchen.

Shared by thedailyenglishshow five days ago

Views: 15

Channels: Instructional and Hobbies, Blogs Podcasts and Reviews

Duration: 3:24

Tell Your Friends

Show 213 Saturday 2 DecemberHow to have a bath. I made a mistake. The cover is on the wrong way around. Who would have thought having a

bath could be so complicated...

Shared by thedailyenglishshow five days ago

Views: 559

Channels: Blogs Podcasts and Reviews,

Duration: 1:37

Tags: around bath complicated cover December having made mistake Saturday show THOUGHT wrong

Tell Your Friends

Show 212 Friday 1 DecemberToday the mountain opened and so did tdes studio! Someone even came in to say hello : ) He was posting a letter at

the post office across the street and wondered what we were doing.

Shared by thedailyenglishshow five days ago

Views: 4

Channels: Instructional and Hobbies, Blogs Podcasts and Reviews

Duration: 5:10

Tags: across December doing even friday hello Hirafu letter mountain niseko office opened post posting say show

Snowboarding someone street Studio tdes today wondered

Tell Your Friends

Show 211 Thursday 30 NovemberWe have the internet!!

Shared by thedailyenglishshow five days ago

Views: 3

Channels: Instructional and Hobbies, Blogs Podcasts and Reviews

Duration: 5:56

7. Some thumbnail photos of podcast videos

The Podcast Directory (http://www.podcastdirectory.org.uk/) lists many

kinds of education podcasts. The database is maintained by David Noble.

Some of the categories listed concern art, computers, English, French,

Italian, healthcare, philosophy, learning difficlties and maths.

In August, 2006 Alan Levine, director of technology resources and member

services of the New Media Consortium, wrote in his blog, “there are free/low

cost software programs you can install on a computer that allow you to

“broadcast” audio from your computer out to the net.” He explains, “What

we are doing involves connecting audio sources (teleconference calls, Skype

conference calls, pre-recorded audio, spoken word) into a computer, using

said software to send one stream to a content delivery network (someone we

pay that provides the connectivity to many connected listeners).” Here is his

Gliffy diagram to illustrate how it works:

8. We Can All Be Radio Stations, a Gliffy diagram for podcasting

http://cogdogblog.com/2006/08/20/we-can-all-be-radio-stations/

13.Example of LOs

Here is a list of a few suggested LOs for English language:

Journey to a New Land

http://www.sfu.museum/journey/

The Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology and the Media Production

Group, Simon Fraser University created a web site on the first

peopling of the New World . This multi level educational resource was

designed as a series of reusable learning objects. The site targets

multiple learning styles as well as cognitive, affective and other

domains to present complex current research in a public forum 

http://www.thewclc.ca/edge/issue1/index.html video and quiz in an

interesting combination

http://www.eduweb.com/portfolio/gradesCollege.php Educational

Web Adventures present LOs for children in subjects such as science

and biology

14.The future of CALL

When we consider the innovation in computer technology we may ask: what

is the future of textbooks, and materials distributed through CD-ROM and

floppy disks? Will they become obsolete? Let’s not forget Thomas Edison’s

invention of the first working phonograph in 1878. Intially created as a

tinfoil cylinder machine, the grammophone was used to play, first cylinders,

then lateral-cut disc records which later evolved into modern disc records,

lasting until the 1980’s. For one hundred and twenty-eight years we were

listening to records and yet now our favorite LPs and 45s have almost

become antique relics of the past. (Millard A., 2005)

9. Edison Gold Moulded Cylinder made from black wax, ca. 1904 (wikipedia)

10. RCA logo with Nipper the RCA/HMV dog (wikipedia)

One of my dearest books, the dictionary has now become of secondary use

because http://www.wordreference.com/ and http://thesaurus.reference.com/

have become so much easier to use that an actual, heavy book.

What is the future of education? How will future courses be structured and

shared? Downes poses the question: “authors will simply access a form into

which they enter the appropriate metadata information. The form –

generated either by a web page or by a specific piece of application software

– will send field information to a metadata page editor.” He forsees the

foundation of Applications Service Providers (ASP) which will overtake the

distribution of software via CD-ROM and floppy disk. ASP provides online

services that automatically deliver and install software as needed to

computers. (Downes, 2001)

Keri Facer and Martin Owen, directors of learning at Futurlab discuss the

future of education (Facer K., Owen M., 2006). “Within the next five years,

it is possible that broadband connectivity will enable the sharing and use of

rich media resources via the internet, which again should enable teachers to

develop banks of resources that can be manipulated and personalised to meet

the needs of particular classrooms and children.” There will likely be “play-

based resources that enable children to input through voice as well as

through written text, and which will document children's progress providing

adaptive responses to their progress.” The authors maintain that once robust

technology is globally made available, video-conferencing in schools will

become routine activities.

In Wlodzimierz Sobkowiak’s online article, PRONUNCIATION IN EFL

CALL (2005), the future of CALL is discussed at length with reference to

digital tools for pronounciation. The author makes some interesting

observations: “Grammar-translation supporters may use (computers) to

expedite translation practice from L2 to L1, for example, with machine-

translation software. Audio-lingualists will be able to control their students'

structure drilling with the computer in much more sophisticated ways than

they could in the traditional language laboratory. Cognitivists will sit their

learners in front of adventure games, where they will have to navigate an

unknown territory using their linguistic competence.” CALL’s full-colour

video and good quality sound appeals to young learners. The author has

commented on a series of tools which are the following:

Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) - Pronounciation training using

a variety of tools and activities. For example, connected speech, text

to speech. An example: Pronunciation Power

(www.englishelearning.com)

Multimodal man-machine communication - automatic recognition of

audiovisual speech, it is able to recognize and act upon the facial

expressions of the computer user.

Machine Translation (MT) - Ectaco's web pages

(http://www.ectaco.com/) translates speech to speech in real time. The

author ponders as to “whether people will be bothered to learn

foreign language at all”.

Sobkowiak predicts that phonetics will be learned using CALL software and

tasks such as language drilling will be all computer-based work. The

authors’s glimpse into the future is revealing. (Sobkowiak S., 2006)

11. Labiophone by ICP

Grenoble (sobkow/Szczecin, 2005)

15.Conclusion

English is the most widely taught foreign language in the world and it has

been successfully carried out in CALL since the 1960’s when computers

began to be used in schools. In my thesis I have researched some of the

electronic resources available to date that are advantageous for second

language acquistion. In the last decade, due to the rapid development of ICT,

language teaching has greatly profitted.

Learning objects and learning activities such as locating and using

educational content, tracking learner progress, reporting performance, and

exchanging student records are all advantageous for acquiring a second

language. The future of CALL may open the doors to automatic translating

machines useful for telephone conversations. Other tools such as multimodal

man-machine communications can read one’s facial expressions and might

further aid in virtual dialogue.

Observing the invention of the gramophone we can see how our world has

technologically progressed; as a result, records and phonographs are

obsolete. Will the future be a world without books? In my research I have

explored fascinating ideas in a field that is rapidly changing. CMC is due to

grow and continue to present innovative resources in the field of language

acquisition.

16. Acknowledgements

I wish to thank the professors at the University of Florence who have

inspired and motivated me throughout the years of my work there: Antonio

Calvani, Mario Rotta, Maria Ranieri and Giovanni Bonaiuti.

Thanks to everyone in my collaborative group, Ester La Torre, Patrizia

Luperi, Maria Celauro and Rosa Iosue who have all been supportive, helpful

and united as a group. Working with them has been a very positive

experience for me.

Special thanks to the community of practice, the Webheads, a group of

international ESL teachers which has inspired me since 2002 when I became

one of its members. In particular, thanks to Vance Stevens, Dafne Gonzales

and Teresa Almeida d'Eca who have been truly generous and knowledgeable

in the community. The members of this group have inspired me to continue

my education and explore new technological tools in CALL.

Finally, I would like to thank my son, Daniel Zanchi for his great technical

ability. His help in making and converting video and audio files, creating

dynamic pages and slideshows has been invaluable in setting up my LO.

Thanks to Vanessa Zanchi, my daughter, who is my technical aid in Italian.

16.Bibliography

Adobe (2006): Flash MX 2004 Professional and Flash Professional 8.

Retrieved 8 December from the World Wide Web

http://www.adobe.com/products/flash/

Biolghini D. (2001): COMUNITA’ IN RETE E NET LEARNING, Etas

Bonk C. J., Cunningham D. J. (2002): Searching for Learner-

Centered, Constructivist, and Sociocultural Components of

Collaborative Educational Learning Tools. Retrieved 3

December from the World Wide Web

http://www.publicationshare.com/docs/Bon02.pdf

Burg, S. (2006): Learning Objects: Methods and Discovery.

PowerPoint. Retrieved 8 December from the World Wide Web

http://mastercasting.pbwiki.com/FrontPage

Burton, Brown, and Fischer (1984): Skiing as a model mof

instruction. In Rogogg B: and Lave J. (EDS), Everyday

cognition: Its development in social context. Cambridge MA:

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http://carbon.cudenver.edu/~bwilson/training.html

CALICO (2006): the Computer Assisted Language Instruction

Consortium, a professional organization that serves a

membership involved in both education and technology, with

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