M4 – Ideation & Design Rationale

Posted on July 9, 2018 by

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Design Analysis

Heidi

Nicolas

Learners
  • ~70 American high school students
  • French 1-5
  • Varying abilities/motivation within a course and between sections of the same course
  • ~20 French high school students

Content
  • 6 units per course
  • French 1 redone to align with ACTFL standards; Others coming soon
  • American culture
  • Some English practice
  • Some math/science integration

Instructor Goals
  • Add more projects rather than testing
  • Aim for portfolio building
  • Improve speaking assessment, both frequency and means; Working on rubrics, but currently not standardized

Assessment
  • District exams – multiple choice, required
  • Language: Unit test is required, but supplemented with projects
  • ICC: Still trying to figure out; Mostly fact checking

Opportunities
  • 1-to-1 Chromebooks
  • Most students have smartphones
  • Cardboard headsets
  • Most students have smartphones
  • Cardboard headsets (maybe)
  • Projects that focus on intercultural exchange (speaking, interpersonal)
  • ICC assessed through reflection and interlanguage pragmatics
  • Some students interact outside of class

Constraints
  • Courses to be taught this fall will be unknown until mid-late August
  • Laptops are available, but technically limited
  • Wifi is limited; Student phones often work better
  • Telecollaborative activities and topics need to be general and adaptable since the curricula are very difficult to align
  • Both synchronous and asynchronous interactions occur in bursts with about one week to prepare
  • Not all of Heidi’s students participate in every exchange due to logistical issues; Done more on a alternating basis
  • Synchronous activities are done as whole group video chat and are very difficult to arrange due to the 6 hour time difference and school day schedules

Ideation

Exchange of 360°/VR Panoramas
Students take a panoramic photo to be exchanged with the partner class.
Speaking can be incorporated through:

  • the audio recording function when creating the panorama
  • adding an accompanying recording afterwards
  • presenting “live” to a partner in person or during teleconference session

Students could record in L1 and/or L2, depending on the learning goal of the receiving class.
Students discuss received panoramas:

  • as a whole class
  • with the exchange partner who created the panorama
  • class-to-class

Students compare, contrast, and reflect in a journal/portfolio.

Content Examples

 Skills Developed

Required Technology
Description

  • Classroom, bedroom, famous local place, place visited on vacation, etc.

Narration

  • Activities done in a place, on vacation, etc.
Language

Presentational Speaking

Interpretive Listening

ICC

Investigate (Products & Practices)

Smartphone

Google Cardboard

Cardboard Camera (App)

Exchange of 360°/VR Videos
Students record a 360° video to be exchanged with the partner class.
Speaking is immediately and automatically incorporated when creating the video. Students could record in L1 and/or L2, depending on the learning goal of the receiving class.
Students discuss received videos:

  • as a whole class
  • with the exchange partner who created the panorama
  • class-to-class

Students compare, contrast, and reflect in a journal/portfolio.
Content Examples

Skills Developed

Required Technology
Description / Narration

  • Guided tour of a place
  • Activities being done
  • Cultural events/practices
Language

Presentational Speaking

Interpretive Listening

ICC

Investigate (Products & Practices)

Smartphone

360° Camera

Google Cardboard

VR Video Viewing App (TBD)

Exchange of 360°/VR Videos for Listening Practice
Students record a 360° video to be exchanged with the partner class. Unlike the prior activity, these videos focus on capturing social/cultural interactions and conversations. Students record in L1 and video serves as linguistic and cultural artifact for receiving class.
When recording videos, students:

  • Plan a scenario to act out, considering location, props, etc.
  • Write a level-appropriate L1 script

When viewing received videos, students:

  • Observe the interactions
  • Listen to the conversation(s)

Students discuss received videos:

  • as a whole class
  • with the exchange partner who created the panorama
  • class-to-class

Students compare, contrast, and reflect in a journal/portfolio.
For more advanced learners, students may create scenarios with multiple overlapping conversations, requiring observers to focus their attention on one conversation at a time. Multiple viewings are therefore necessary.
Content Examples

Skills Developed

Required Technology
Observation

  • Conversation
  • Cultural events/practices
Language

Interpretive Listening

ICC

Investigate (Products & Practices)

Smartphone

360° Camera

Google Cardboard

VR Video Viewing App (TBD)

360°/VR Video Livestream
During a synchronous session, one class livestreams an event or activity while the other observes and submits questions/directions.
Streaming class:

  • Choose an event or activity to broadcast
  • Set up 360° camera as either stationary or mobile
  • During stream, monitor and respond to incoming comments from observing class

Observing class:

  • Use cardboard headsets to view livestream
  • Submit questions/directions via text/voice

Students discuss the experience:

  • as a whole class
  • in small groups or with a partner
  • class-to-class

Students compare, contrast, and reflect in a journal/portfolio.

Potential small group design, technology allowing:

  • Rather than class-to-class streaming, students could work in groups/pairs

Due to the high network demands, non-VR alternatives could be:

  • YouTube 360: Using the existing architecture to view streaming 360 videos non-immersively with 1-to-1 devices and submitting comments. Could be done class-to-class or in small groups/pairs.
  • YouTube/Twitch/etc.: The same activity but with standard video.
Content Examples

Skills Developed

Required Technology
Observation / (Vicarious) Participation

  • Cultural events/practices
  • Activities where observers direct streamers’ actions
Language

Presentational Speaking

Interpretive Listening

Interpersonal Communication

ICC

Investigate (Products & Practices)

Interact (Language & Behavior)

Robust WiFi / 5G Cell Network

Streaming 360° Camera

Smartphone

Google Cardboard

Streaming VR Video Viewing App (TBD)

VR Teleconference
During a synchronous session (or potentially outside of class through student coordination), students interact and converse in pairs or small groups using the avatar-based VR teleconferencing app vTime.
Prior to the first session, students:

  • Download the app and create an account
  • Customize their avatar
  • Adjust privacy settings
  • Add classmates as “friends”

Students can upload their own content (images, panoramas, etc.) to the app to serve as the immersive environment. This could be used for both conversation (e.g. group discussion of exchanged artifacts) and presentations (e.g. sharing a new image with the group). Furthermore, using the record feature, anything done within a session can be shared with the instructor or classmates. This allows further options for collaborative activities (e.g. paired presentations) as well as assessment.
(Optional) Students discuss the experience as a whole class.
Students compare, contrast, and reflect in a journal/portfolio.
Content Examples

Skills Developed

Required Technology
Conversation

  • Topics chosen by instructors/students
  • Student-generated content (e.g. images, panoramas)

Presentations

  • Student-generated content (e.g. images, panoramas)
  • Collaboratively generated content
Language

Interpersonal Communication

Presentational Speaking

ICC

Interact (Language & Behavior)

Smartphone

Google Cardboard

Wired Headset w/ Mic

vTime (App)

Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Videos
Students design an interactive narrative for their exchange partners by creating and integrating VR content (panoramas, 360 videos, etc.) within a website or other delivery platform.
Content Examples

Skills Developed

Required Technology
Observation / (Simulated) Participation

  • Cultural events/practices
Language

Interpretive Listening

ICC

Investigate (Products & Practices)

Host Web Platform (TBD)

Smartphone

360° Camera

Google Cardboard

Cardboard Camera

VR Video Viewing App (TBD)

Telepresence Robot
Using a remote controlled robot equipped with a 360° camera, students interact and participate in activities virtually with their exchange partners.
Content Examples

Skills Developed

Required Technology
Observation / (Virtual) Participation

  • Cultural events/practices
  • Activities where observers can participate remotely
Language

Interpersonal Communication

ICC

Interact (Language & Behavior)

Robust WiFi / 5G Cell Network

Streaming 360° Camera

Remote-Controlled Robot

Smartphone

Google Cardboard

Streaming VR Video Viewing App (TBD)

Design Rationale
Rather than write out a detailed design rationale, I chose to represent it as a flow chart based on Backwards Design. (References coming with semester paper.)

Thesis_ Design Rationale

Category: DMDL Thesis

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