Jing: get rid of language anxiety

1) What is the technology/ What does it do?

what: Jing is a basic tool to capture your screen for up to 5 minutes. It allows you to upload your video to a video e-portfolio screencast.com. Via this website, you got a link that can be sent to anywhere and also got a code used for embedding to web page or blog.

how: go to Jing, download it for free. After installing, it will appear at the central top of your screen. What you should do afterwards is choosing a scale you want and select capture image or video. Done!


2) Why is this particular tool or technology relevant to language learning? What approaches to language learning or research underpin the use of this technology?

As far as I am concerned, if this tool is used in a connected classroom (first raised by my tutor Russell Stannard), it is really a good 'shot' to lower anxiety. In detail, Ss can use it at home either receiving tutor's video feedback (assume it's negative), being less face-threatening, compared with receiving it in person;  or pointed to the given feedback, Ss can record their own reflections and practice before sending, to their tutors without worrying about e.g. ineffective retrieval of vocabulary.

You might argue if your students is a group of people with high language proficiency, then there is no need for anxiety reduction. Might be WRONG. A study conduced by Onwuegbuzie et al (1999), found that there is no considerable relationship between the anxiety and language level. However, there is a negative correlation between anxiety and L2 performance. That is to say, all L2 learners are more or less influenced by language anxiety, from perspectives of input, processing and output (MacIntypre and Gurdner, 1991).

As with input, high anxiety will lead to problems of TL (Target Language) receiving and encoding. Krashen's effective filter (1982) can explain this idea. some of the information fails to entre the cognitive processing system, with high effective filter. In terms of processing, understanding L2 could be problematic, due to disorder of storing, organizing and assimilating  L2. As to output, learners might use inappropriate vocabulary, wrong grammar or even can't respond when writing or speaking the L2.

BACK TO OUR JING, therefore, Jing is a great facilitator, which helps Ss charge themselves in the greenroom e.g. at home and facilitate them to performing well in the front-stage e.g. classroom.



3) How might you use it to foster language learning in class/outside class?

You can use it to give feedback on writing. You can send your feedback of a particular piece of Ss' work and send it via email to your Ss. Then, your students can also give their views about your feedback via the same way. This is really good form of feedback delivery that is friendly to Ss.

Firstly, by watching your video, they can look back and forth and repeatedly review the point they want. In that case, it avoids the embarrassment that Ss ask tutors for repetition more than once in face-to-face feedback tutorial. Secondly, Ss can mediate their language and organize their thoughts before sending tutors their opinions. On the one hand, this is a good way for students to get rid of anxiety. On the other hand, it is also a good chance to practicing speaking.



4) What limitations can you see with the use of this technology?

The time limit could be a big concern (5 mins)


References:

Kranshen, S. D. 1982. Principles and practice in second language acquisition. New York: Pergamon.

MacIntypre, P. D., and Gurdner, R. C. 1991.  'Language anxiety: Its relationship to other anxieties and to processing in native and second languages'. Language Learning 41: 513-534.

Onwuegbuzie, A. J., Bailey, P., and Daley, C. E. 1999. 'Factors associated with foreign language anxiety'. Applied Linguistics 20: 217-239.


If you like, you can check my JING Video, talking about my writing plans before the deadline:
http://www.screencast.com/t/tXmB2b4m2PR

Teachers, why not Dvolver?

Have you ever thought about being a director? Look at this fabulous movie, can't wait to have a try, right?


1) What is the technology/ What does it do?

Dvolver is a movie-making tool. The procedure is very simple. Just follow the instruction of the website. Firstly, select backgrounds and sky followed by choosing characters. Then you choose a plot among the provided four kinds. Throw out dialogues. Of course, add your favorite music and don't forget to name your title and leave your NAME. OK, that is all! You are a director now. Notice! you can send links of your movies via email OR copy the code and embed them to your personal virtual space like blogs here ^^


2) Why is this particular tool or technology relevant to language learning? What approaches to language learning or research underpin the use of this technology?

This tool is a fantastic facilitator of language learning. Firstly, it is a good resource for writing, which requires higher language mastery, compared with reading. In detail, learners are trained to use the language coherently, precisely and appropriately when making up dialgues. Swain (1985) explains this in his Output Hypothesis, stating that output such as writing pushes learners step from semantic processing to syntactic processing, compared with input such as reading. Secondly, this tool provides meaningful tasks which is an essential of learning, supported by H. Jonassen and Rohrer-Murphy (1999). 'Being meanful' here means that the acitivity should have goals, rules and larger community. Pointed this tool, it got a goal of making a movie. The rule is its procodures including adding background and music. The larger community is the potential audience. They can be teachers and peers. They can also be the online larger audience if movies are emebeded in for example blogs.


3) How might you use it to foster language learning in class/outside class?

Teachers could use it as a warm-up and post-activity. Based on the topic of current chapter, invite students to make up their own dialogues as a group activity at the beginning of a class. By this means, teachers could have an overall understanding of Ss prior knowledge both in the content and in the language such as vocabulary. Based on the existed knowledge, teachers could scaffold them by add "1" to their 'i' (refer to 'i+1' in socio-cultural theory by Vygostky). At the end of a class, students could be asked to make another movie, but this time use language point that teachers present in the class for example past tense. The whole class can vote the best movie then!


4) What limitations can you see with the use of this technology?

A limitation of this tool is that the provided scenes are too limited, especially the plot (only 4!). Ss might soon get bored.


References

H. Jonassen, D. , L. Rohrer-Murphy. 1999. 'Activity theory as a framework for designing constructivist learning environments'. Educational Technology Research and Development 47/1: 61-79. 


Swain, M. 1985. 'Communicative competence: Some roles of comprehensive input and comprehensible output in its development' in Susan M. Gass, and C. Madden (eds.). Input in second language acquisition . Cambridge, MA: Newbury House Publishers.