Seamless Language Learning: Second Language Learning with Social Media

This conceptual paper describes a language learning model that applies social media to foster contextualized and connected language learning in communities. The model emphasizes weaving together different forms of language learning activities that take place in different learning contexts to achieve seamless language learning. It promotes social interactions with social media about the learners’ day-to-day life using the targeted second or foreign language. The paper first identifies three key features of the language learning approach, namely, authenticity, contextualization and socialization. How these features are related to the communicative approach of language learning are subsequently explicated. This is followed by further explication on how the notion of seamless language learning could inform learning designers and learners in synergizing the desired characteristics of language learning together. Eventually, we propose the SMILLA (Social MedIa as Language Learning Artifacts) Framework to operationalize seamless language learning with the use of social media. A case of seamless language learning environment design known as MyCloud will be described to illustrate the practicality of the SMILLA Framework

Seamless Language Learning: Second Language Learning with Social Media

This conceptual paper describes a language learning model that applies social media to foster contextualized and connected language learning in communities. The model emphasizes weaving together different forms of language learning activities that take place in different learning contexts to achieve seamless language learning. It promotes social interactions with social media about the learners’ day-to-day life using the targeted second or foreign language. The paper first identifies three key features of the language learning approach, namely, authenticity, contextualization and socialization. How these features are related to the communicative approach of language learning are subsequently explicated. This is followed by further explication on how the notion of seamless language learning could inform learning designers and learners in synergizing the desired characteristics of language learning together. Eventually, we propose the SMILLA (Social MedIa as Language Learning Artifacts) Framework to operationalize seamless language learning with the use of social media. A case of seamless language learning environment design known as MyCloud will be described to illustrate the practicality of the SMILLA Framework

IDC theory: habit and the habit loop

Interest-driven creator (IDC) theory is a design theory that intends to inform the design of future education in Asia. It consists of three anchored concepts, namely, interest, creation, and habit. This paper presents the third anchored concept habit as well as the habit loop. IDC theory assumes that learners, when driven by interest, can be engaged in knowledge creation. Furthermore, by repeating such process in their daily learning routines, learners will form interest-driven creation habits. The habit loop, the process of building such a habit, consists of three component concepts— cuing environment, routine, and harmony. The cuing environment is a habit trigger that tells the students’ brain to get prepared and go into an automatic mode, letting learning behavior unfold. Routine refers to the behavioral patterns the students repeat most often, literally etched into their neural pathways. Harmony refers to the affective outcome of the routine activity as well as the integration or stabilization of habits; that is, through the routine behavior and action, students may feel that their needs get fulfilled, feel satisfied, and experience inner peace. It is our hope that such habitual behavior of creating knowledge can be sustained so long that students ultimately become lifelong interest-driven creators. This paper focuses on the description of the three components of the habit loop and discusses how these components are related to the interest loop and the creation loop in supporting learners in developing their interest-driven creation capability

Interest-driven creator theory: towards a theory of learning design for Asia in the twenty-first century

Asian education is known for its examination-driven orientation, with the downsides of distorting the processes of learning and teaching, diminishing students’ interest in learning, and failing to nurture twenty-first century competencies among students. As a group of Asian researchers, we have been developing Interest-Driven Creator (IDC) Theory, a design theory based on three anchored concepts, namely interest, creation, and habit. Each of these anchored concepts is represented by a loop composed of three components. In the interest loop, the three components are triggering, immersing, and extending. The components of the creation loop are imitating, combining, and staging. The habit loop consists of cuing environment, routine, and harmony. These three loops are interconnected in various ways, with their characteristics revealed by the design process. We hypothesize that technology-supported learning activities that are designed with reference to IDC Theory will enable students to develop interest in learning, be immersed in the creation process, and, by repeating this process in their daily routines, strengthen habits of creation. Furthermore, students will excel in learning performance, develop twenty-first century competencies, and become lifelong interest-driven creators. To sharpen our understanding and further the development of the theory, we need more discussion and collaborative efforts in the community. Hypotheses arising from this theory can be tested, revised, or refined by setting up and investigating IDC Theory-based experimental sites. By disseminating the framework, foundations, and practices to the various countries and regions of Asia, we hope that it will bring about compelling examples and hence a form of quality education for the twenty-first century, which is an alternative to the examination-driven education system. In this paper, we present an overall introduction to IDC Theory and its history, and discuss some of the steps for advancing it in the future

A structured system's view of an intelligent tutoring system based on inquiry teaching approach

This thesis describes a research effort that has been motivated by a keen desire to bridge the gap between educational research and computational science research. It consists of three portions: (1)To study the feasibility of computerizing the inquiry teaching method of [Collins and Stevens, 1982a]; (2)To re-interpret the ITS architecture in general, and the TAP architecture in particular, in terms of control theory; (3)To propose a new version of TAP architecture whose instructional planning mechanism strictly adheres to the definition of "adaptive control".Doctor of Philosoph

Primary School Students' Perceptions on Using IT Tools for Chinese Compositions

Abstract: Recent advances in computer technology have made the input of Chinese characters more users friendly. These advances, when considered from a pedagogical point of view, may afford new opportunities for students to enhance their learning of Chinese language in general and composition writing in particular. In this exploratory study, we engaged six primary school students in using Chinese software and hardware, namely, Chinese input tools (with both the input modes of pinyin and handwriting) and Chinese edictionary, in hope that they would enhance their Chinese compositions. Qualitative analysis of the observation, video recordings and interview data collected reveals that while the affordances of the technology may be logically conducive for pedagogical purposes, a careful match between the students' language entry level skills and thoughtfully designed pedagogical support are necessary for the affordances of these new tools to be exploited. The input systems and the user interface may also need redesign from an education standpoint if they are to support learning for primary school students

Aprendizaje de idiomas «sin costuras»: Aprendizaje de segundas lenguas y redes sociales

This conceptual paper describes a language learning model that applies social media to foster contextualized and connected language learning in communities. The model emphasizes weaving together different forms of language learning activities that take place in different learning contexts to achieve seamless language learning. It promotes social interactions with social media about the learners’ day-to-day life using the targeted second or foreign language. The paper first identifies three key features of the language learning approach, namely, authenticity, contextualization and socialization. How these features are related to the communicative approach of language learning are subsequently explicated. This is followed by further explication on how the notion of seamless language learning could inform learning designers and learners in synergizing the desired characteristics of language learning together. Eventually, we propose the SMILLA (Social MedIa as Language Learning Artifacts) Framework to operationalize seamless language learning with the use of social media. A case of seamless language learning environment design known as MyCloud will be described to illustrate the practicality of the SMILLA Framework.Este artículo describe un modelo de aprendizaje de lenguas que se sirve de las redes sociales para promover un aprendizaje contextualizado y conectado en comunidades. El modelo propone la interconexión entre diferentes tipos de actividades de aprendizaje en contextos diversos con el objetivo de lograr un aprendizaje discontinuo. Promueve las interacciones sociales a través de los medios compartiendo aspectos de la vida cotidiana en la lengua meta. Este trabajo identifica en primer lugar aspectos clave del enfoque de aprendizaje tales como la autenticidad, la contextualización y la socialización, al tiempo que explica cómo se relacionan estos aspectos con el enfoque comunicativo en el aprendizaje de lenguas. A continuación se presenta una discusión acerca de cómo la noción de aprendizaje discontinuo puede orientar a los creadores de materiales, docentes y aprendientes en la sinergia de todas las características del aprendizaje de lenguas. Para concluir, se propone el modelo SMILLA (Redes sociales como instrumentos para el aprendizaje de lenguas) para poner en práctica la noción de aprendizaje discontinuo con la ayuda de las redes sociales. Los resultados de su aplicación sugieren un potencial efecto sobre los aprendientes, generando usuarios más activos en contextos socialmente significativos, preparados para la autorreflexión sobre el uso que hacen de esa lengua, y con una menor necesidad de intervención del docente

Improving the design of a mCSCL Chinese character forming game with a distributed scaffolding design framework

Abstract Appropriate design of collaborative learning activities for students using mobile devices can be supported by different forms of scaffolding provided by peers, by the teacher or by the technology. Building on prior studies in mCSCL (mobile computer-supported collaborative learning), we developed Chinese-PP, a novel in-class mobile synchronous collaborative learning game for constructing Chinese characters from components, with the unique characteristic of spontaneous small group formations. In this paper, we propose a distributed scaffolding design framework to guide us in examining and refining/revising the interplay among various forms of scaffolding in the learning model across various design-based research (DBR) cycles of our study on Chinese-PP in a primary school in Singapore. We believe a generalized scaffolding design framework has the potential to inform technology-enhanced learning research with a structure to support the iterative process of enacting and redesigning the socio-techno-pedagogical frameworks developed by individual research projects