What Potential Do Weblogs Have and What Skills May Foreign Language Learners Acquire in the EFLC?

Term Paper (Advanced seminar) , 2016 , 21 Pages , Grade: 1,7

Didactics for the subject English - Pedagogy, Literature Studies

In this term paper I am going to describe the expansion of digital media and why digital media are suitable for learning and teaching in the foreign language classroom in general. Afterwards I am going to specify this extensive subject of digital media and to focus on weblogs; I am going to define and examine weblogs concerning their potential and skills that the foreign language learners may acquire by using this kind of communication platform. Finally, I am going to implement these competencies into practice and introduce a teaching unit which I created with my fellow students within the seminar “Digital Media in the EFLC” at Justus-Liebig-University. This teaching unit focusses on countering stereotypical thinking by using weblogs. Thus, it is necessary to examine why weblogs can be a helpful tool to confront foreign language learners with stereotypical thinking.

Over the past decades, the personal computer has become an integral part of modern life in Western society and has entered various sectors of life. Even the rise of the internet and online communication technologies has undoubtedly impacted the way people work and communicate and has become an essential tool for improving the learning process in various fields. Furthermore, Web 2.0 applications such as weblogs are rapidly achieving mainstream adoption in our media culture and have become source of information and reference.

Table of Contents

List of Figures

1. Introduction

2. Why Teaching with Digital Media in the Foreign Language Classroom?

3. Why Teaching with Weblogs?
3.1 A General Overview of the Features of Weblogs
3.2 Skills That Foreign Language Learners May Acquire by Using Weblogs
3.2.1 Communicative Skills
3.2.2 Text Competence and Media Literacy
3.2.3 Language Awareness
3.2.4 Cultural Awareness through Weblogs

4. Practical Implementation
4.1 Presentation of the Weblog „My Life as a Canadian”
4.2 Stereotypes as the Main Topic of This Teaching Unit
4.3 A Teaching Unit with the Weblog „My Life as a Canadian”
4.3.1 First Teaching Unit
4.3.2 Second Teaching Lesson
4.3.3 Learning Targets

5. Conclusion

Works Cited

• College: Justus-Liebig-University Giessen
• Grade: 1,7
• Author: Olesja Yaniv (Author)
• Publication Year: 2016
• Pages: 21
• Catalog Number: V354485
• ISBN (eBook): 9783668424685
• ISBN (Book): 9783668424692
• Language: English
• Tags: tefl, digital media, weblog, blog, skills, foreign language, foreign language learners, teaching english as a foreign language, media