Socializing and learning languages in web 2.0 communities

Submitted by Katerina Zourou on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 16:07

Socializing and learning languages in web 2.0 communities

 

Composition of the team (last update: May 2012)

 

  • LS6 Network partners: a) University of Luxembourg (Katerina Zourou) b) University of Grenoble (Mathieu Loiseau, François Mangenot) and c) University of Turku (Fred Dervin)

together with

  • Non-network partners: a) Open University (Professor Marie-Noëlle Lamy) and b) INALCO Paris (Anthippi Potolia).

Team leader: Dr. Katerina Zourou

 

Contact

If you are interested to join the team or to learn more about our publications, email ls6-info@uni.lu

 

Rationale

The initiative is inspired by previous work done in WP4 (language learning, social media and the development of language resources), and especially the webinar “Language resources and Web 2.0: the latest hype or new perspectives?” held at the University of Luxembourg on Oct.1st, 2010 and broadcast live http://www.elearningeuropa.info/main/index.php?page=fix&id=47

At this webinar, which  also marked the end of WP4 activities, we had the opportunity to discuss web 2.0 language learning communities (one of the guest speakers was a representative of Palabea, a European web 2.0 language learning community, and another was Professor Marie-Noëlle Lamy, who has over 20 years experience in e-language learning). Previous interviews with massive web 2.0 language learning communities such as Livemocha, Busuu, Palabea and Babbel were carried out for the publication language learning: resources and networks

A second important and determining moment for the initiative came with the preparation of the special issue of the “Social media and language learning: (r)evolution?”, an activity of the WP7 “teaching practice” involving UL and Adalsic for this activity only. Also on the scientific committee for preparation of the special issue were François Mangenot and Marie-Noëlle Lamy, with whom opportunities were created to discuss web 2.0 language learning communities together with Françoise Demaizière and Katerina Zourou, editors of the special issue.

Based on these first steps in exploration of this field, a publication by three network researchers (Mathieu Loiseau, Anthippi Potolia and Katerina Zourou) in December 2010 in Cyprus  (see details below) made us eager to pursue this path and to further investigate this under-explored area, while opening up new possibilities of collaboration for the team.

 

Objective of this new key dialogue

The new initiative further explores the web 2.0 landscape and particularly web 2.0 language learning communities that are located in two categories of artifacts: communities (Livemocha, Palabea, Busuu, Babbel, etc.) and social networking tools (mainly Facebook  and Twitter).

Our activities are focused on devising analysis tools, in order to be able to assess the advantages and pitfalls of this new type of learning and its potential for bridging formal and informal language learning practices.

 

Content of the new key dialogue and activities

 

Books

Dervin, F. Lamy, M.-N., Zourou, K. (Eds.) (to appear in autumn 2012). Social networking for language education.Palgrave Macmillan.

 

Research papers

1.    Zourou, K., Loiseau, M., Potolia, A. 2012, accepted. Exploring The Role Of Social Dynamics In OER Reuse: The Case Of Structured Web 2.0 Language Learning Communities.

2.    Zourou, K. 2012. On the attractiveness of social media for language learning: a look at the state of the art. In F. Demaizière & K. Zourou, (coord.) Special issue “language learning and social media: (r)evolution?” ALSIC. vol. 15, No 1.

3.     Loiseau, M., Potolia, A., and Zourou, K. 2011. « Communautés web 2.0 d’apprenants de langue avec parcours d’apprentissage : rôles, pédagogie et rapports au contenu ». Proceedings of  EIAH’2011 : A la recherche des convergences entre les acteurs des EIAH. Université de Mons- Hainaut. Download.

4.     Chotel, L., Mangenot, F. 2011 « Autoformation et sites d’apprentissage et de réseautage en langues ». Proceedings of the EPAL 2011 conference, University Stendhal Grenoble II, France. Download.

5.     Lamy, M.-N. 2011. « Entre les 'murs' de Facebook et le forum institutionnel: nouveaux espaces d'expression en langue cible ». Proceedings of the EPAL 2011 conference, University Stendhal Grenoble II, France. Download.

6.     Potolia, A., Loiseau, M., Zourou, K. 2011 : « Quelle(s) pédagogie(s) voi(en)t le jour dans les (grandes) communautés Web 2.0 d’apprenants de langue ? »  Proceedings of the EPAL 2011 conference, University Stendhal Grenoble II, France. Download.

 

Conference presentations

1.     Potolia, A., Loiseau, M., Zourou, K. 2011. « Quelle(s) pédagogie(s) voi(en)t le jour dans les (grandes) communautés Web 2.0 d’apprenants de langue ? »  Symposium “Web social et communautés autour des langues étrangères : la part de l’informel et du formel”. EPAL 2011 conference, University Stendhal Grenoble III, 19-22  June 2011. Video of the presentation available.

2.    Mangenot, F.  2011. « Apprentissages formels et informels, autonomie et guidage ». Symposium “Web social et communautés autour des langues étrangères : la part de l’informel et du formel”. EPAL 2011 conference, University Stendhal Grenoble III, 19-22  June 2011. (video available)

3.    Lamy, M.-N. 2011. « Entre les 'murs' de Facebook et le forum institutionnel: nouveaux espaces d'expression en langue cible » (video available)

4.. Potolia, A. 2011. « Le web social au service de l’apprentissage des langues : enjeux et perspectives », Colloque international “Apprendre les langues à l’université au 21e siècle”, Universités Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris 6) et Sorbonne nouvelle (Paris 3), 9-11 juin 2011.

5.     Loiseau, M., Potolia, A., Zourou, K. 2011. « Communautés web 2.0 d’apprenants de langue avec parcours d’apprentissage: rôles, pédagogie et rapports au contenu ». Conférence EIAH 2011 (Environnements Informatiques pour l’Apprentissage Humain), Mons, 25-27.05.2011.

6.     Loiseau, M., Potolia, A., Zourou, K. 2010. « Communautés web 2.0 d’apprenants de langue: types, démarches et rapports au contenu ». 2010. FLiT conference, University of Cyprus, 3-5 Dec. 2010 (slides available)

7. Lamy, M-N, 2011, in preparation, « A new learning space between the course forum and the ‘walls’ of Facebook: a case study of a community of learners of Italian» . GloCALL Conference, 27-29.10.2011, Manila, the Philippines.

 

Symposia

Organisation of the symposium “collectifs informels d’apprentissage de langues et médias sociaux” au colloque EPAL 2011, University of Grenoble, June 2011. See above for video presentations.

 

 

Presentations to research seminars

 

1. Potolia, A. 2011. « Typologie des ressources Web 2.0 pour l’apprentissage des langues ». Doctoral seminar of Prof. Geneviève Zarate Frontières culturelles, diffusion des langues et didactique (research team PLIDAM, EA 4514), INALCO, May 7.

 

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