This document discusses using web 2.0 tools to practice discussion and interview skills with English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. It describes two online voice discussion tools, Voicethread and Voxopop, that were used in a study with 78 business students. The discussions averaged 17 minutes and covered topics like university exchange and gender roles. Students provided feedback that the tools were convenient but not as good as face-to-face discussions. Recommendations include having students create their own discussions and materials to integrate the tools more fully into courses.

1. Practising Discussion & Interview Skills with EFL learners using Web2.0 toolsAdam ForresterEnglish Language Centre The Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityeLearning 2.0 Conference 2011

2. BackgroundWorkplace English for Business StudentsStudentsAssessments

3. Student ProblemsLanguage issuesContent issuesOut of class practice?

4. Online Voice Discussion ToolsVoicethreadvoice discussions based around video, pictures, text 3 free discussionsVoxopop voice discussions around text unlimited discussions

5. InstructionsTimeSay nameListen and replyUse “discussion language”

6. Results (1)78 participants17 different discussionsTotal length 288 minutesAverage length 17 minutesMost popular discussionsUniversity exchangeRole of men and womenLeast popularHealth insurance

7. ResultsUse of discussion language 75% of postings More in early part of discussionContent New Views generally supported by good examples / good arguments

8. Student FeedbackOnline Voice Discussions Survey Results “it’s very convenient to use and it works well” “quite easy to use” “it’s easier to talk to a computer”“it’s not the same as a face to face discussion”

9. Added BenefitsStudent Listening TimeListen to a range of abilities / non native speakersSimilarity to real life

10. IssuesAsynchronous discussion Not face to face practice Non verbal clues Length of responses Lack of student use ‘out of class’Teacher workload

11. Interview Practice (1)Authentic Job Adverts copy as a jpg uploaded on to Flickr saved in a set create a slideshow embed in webpage / blog

12. Interview Practice (2)Job Interview Questions recorded record using audacity on computer upload to podbean create playlist embed on webpage / blogOnline voice recording embed vocaroo voice recorder on webpage / blog

13. RecommendationsDon’t let the technology replace the teachingGet the students to do more Discussions – create their own, summarising, weaving and moderating Self-reflection Peer markingIntegrate into courses

14. Tools UsedMoodle (hosted on University servers)Online voice discussionshttp://voicethread.com/http://www.voxopop.com/Online Voice Recordinghttp://vocaroo.com/Podcastinghttp://www.podbean.com/Photo sharinghttp://www.flickr.com/

15. Adam Forresterecadamf@gmail.comhttp://about.me/adamf