VM curriculum designing

Which tools are most suitable in your situation depends on a lot of different factors. The most important factor here is the reason why you want to use technology (what do students need to do?). Based on their goal we can make a rough distinction between the different tools:  

• Tools for instruction (non-interactive)
• Tools for communication
• Tools for collaboration
• Tools for reflection

Some tools can of course be used to serve different ends at the same time. An (institutional) learning platform (Blackboard or Moodle) will combine different tools to different ends. 

After determining what the students need to do, the next step is to ask yourself how you want students to communicate. In all categories described above we can use synchronous and asynchronous tools.

• Synchronous tools facilitate communication in real time. The attractiveness of these tools lies in the direct contact between users, decreasing the feeling of distance between the users. Synchronous communication is of course also very important when language learning is an important goal.
• Asynchronous tools facilitate communication independent of time. Asynchronous tools tend to be more reflective, since there is time to formulate opinions and other information in a good and structured way; especially when not all students master the “lingua franca” deeply. Sometimes the use of asynchronous tools is also preferable because of practical matters: when the members of a group are located in very different time zones or in a country where bandwidth is not sufficient to support tools like video and web conferencing. Another advantage of asynchronous tools is the fact that all student communication is archived and can be used as a basis for assessment.

Asynchronous communication tools in general do not suffice in a online international group work. A mix of communication channels is advised. There is a need for the integration of synchronous communication with close resemblance to face-to-face communication, e.g. web conferencing or video conferencing, because it makes the communication feel more personal.

The matrix below provides descriptions of different tool categories. It focuses in first instance on the use of tools and less on the different specific tools out there (which is also a quickly changing market). The overview of concrete tools below is not exhaustive, but indicative and exemplary.

	Synchronous	Asynchronous
Instruction	Tools to support a once-only online instruction , for instance via web or video conference	Tools to provide instruction which is accessible anytime, anywhere.
	Examples of web conferencing tools:  Skype, Adobe Connect, Microsoft Lync, Google Hangout	Example: instructional videos, accessible via an online platform
Communication	Tools to support online synchronous communication. Most often these tools would be web or video conferencing tools. Video conferencing is mostly used for shared lectures and live discussions between larger groups. Web conferencing is mostly used for 1on1 communication or communication between small groups. Chat is also  an option but is generally used less. Using synchronous communication setups that resemble F2F situations as much as possible has proven to be beneficial to the success of the collaboration.	Tools to support online asynchronous communication. Allthough it is allready an “ancient” tool, email-use is still very widespread and effective. Students like to use social networking platforms for a more informal coordination of their joint work. To complete academic tasks they seem to prefer more “official” tools in a LMS. The use of social networking tools can contribute to establish feelings of trust and familiarity between the international group members
	Examples: Skype, Adobe Connect, Lync, Google Hangout, chat	Examples: email, discussion fora, facebook
Collaboration	Collaborative tools are tools which allow students to work together on a product (a paper, a presentation etc.). Some of the tools will also keep track of the collaborative process (e.g. a wiki). These tools are particularly of interest when you want to assess not only the product but also everybody’s contribution to this process. Assesment.
	Examples: voicethread, wiki technology, prezi, Google docs, Sharepoint, Dropbox
Reflection		Reflection is closely linked with assessment and the issue of developing intercultural awareness and collaborative skills. To stimulate this in students, it is important to provoke regular reflection on their learning process. Use tools like blogging and portfolio to help students reflect and provide examples of their learning. Example: the personal reflection diary (Accessed 2013).
		Tools: Blogger, wordpress

 

Task

• Define which tools would be most suitable in your context. Check accessibility for all involved students.