Enriching Formal Language Learning with an Informal Social Component

Autor/inn/en	Dettori, Giuliana; Torsani, Simone
Titel	Enriching Formal Language Learning with an Informal Social Component
Quelle	In: Educational Technology & Society, 16 (2013) 1, S.93-103 (11 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1436-4522
Schlagwörter	Online Courses; Social Networks; Web Sites; Informal Education; Second Language Learning; Student Attitudes; Pilot Projects; Foreign Countries; Second Language Instruction; Units of Study; English (Second Language); French; German; Italian; Spanish; Cost Effectiveness; Student Motivation; Student Interests; Search Strategies; Information Retrieval; Online Searching; Italy + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Online course; Online-Kurs; Social network; Soziales Netzwerk; Web-Design; Informelle Bildung; Nichtformale Bildung; Zweitsprachenerwerb; Schülerverhalten; Pilot project; Modellversuch; Pilotprojekt; Ausland; Fremdsprachenunterricht; Lerneinheit; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Französisch; Deutscher; Italienisch; Spanisch; Kosten-Nutzen-Analyse; Kosten-Nutzen-Denken; Schulische Motivation; Studieninteresse; Suchstrategie; Online-Recherche; Italien
Abstract	This paper describes an informal component that we added to an online formal language learning environment in order to help the learners reach relevant Internet pages they can freely use to complement their learning activity. Thanks to this facility, each lesson is enriched, at run time, with a number of links automatically retrieved from social bookmarking sites. The learners also have at disposal a micro-evaluation system allowing them to share within the environment their like or dislike of the visited web sites, giving their fellow learners indirect guidance for fruitful web exploitation. Our analysis of the retrieved bookmarks for different kinds of learning contents shows that suitable links are actually retrieved by this facility. Moreover, a pilot experimentation revealed that students actually feel inclined to make use of this facility and appreciate both the proposed links and the possibility to receive advice from their peers by means of the micro-evaluation system. This suggests that the added facility actually constitutes an opportunity of informal learning suitably connected with formal one. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	International Forum of Educational Technology & Society. Athabasca University, School of Computing & Information Systems, 1 University Drive, Athabasca, AB T9S 3A3, Canada. Tel: 780-675-6812; Fax: 780-675-6973; Web site: http://www.ifets.info
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10