It All Connects

The COVID-19 pandemic forced society to reevaluate the role of technology in the blink of an eye, and virtual learning environments became a necessity rather than an option. Even those instructors who were accustomed to remote learning had to reevaluate its best practices. World language teachers especially were forced to consider how to best provide their students the opportunity to practice the three modes of communication: interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational. With communication being the essence of foreign language instruction, it was of utmost consideration as to how it could transition effectively online. While there are many tools available for online teaching, not all of them are suitable for the world language class. Using connectivism as a framework, the authors propose that a single tool, Flipgrid, can be used to develop communicative proficiency and has the potential to enhance 21st century skills. This chapter will describe Flipgrid, its advantages and limitations, and offer three sample activities.

Using Moodle Quiz to Create Language Consolidating and Testing Activities

The recent pandemic outbreak (2019-2021) shed light on the practical difficulties of technology use in education and forced many instructors to seek training or train themselves in using technologies, including learning management system (LMS). During this time, we noticed that, although many tutorials are available, for example, to help instructors in the use of the Moodle LMS, these are mostly generic and do not focus on languages. Furthermore, there is a scarcity of papers demonstrating how to pair pedagogy with technology. In fact, only 1.1% of the papers published between 2006-2016 in ReCALL, CALICO, and CALL Journals deal with virtual learning environments (VLE). This chapter shows the case of two instructors who originally worked individually, and then collaborated in using Moodle Quiz for languages. Their quest in creating activities with constructivist characteristics is described; the knowledge, skills, and experiences gained are shared; the end products are displayed; and some conclusions are drawn.

Access and Inclusion of Students with Disabilities in Virtual Learning Environments: Implications for Post-Pandemic Teaching

This article reviews the extant literature showing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on access to inclusive education for students with disabilities. It also explores the disproportionate impacts of distance learning and school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic on the legal rights, social-emotional supports, and quality of instruction for special education students and their families. Early data show that educational impacts of COVID-19 have exacerbated long-standing issues of inequity; these impacts may have long-term repercussions for this underserved group of students. The authors introduce frameworks that may inform future instructional practices to successfully teach students with disabilities in virtual learning environments.

VIRTUAL EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT IN THE TRAINING OF A PROFESSIONALLY COMPETENT FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHER

The article characterizes the basis of the notion of a virtual educational environment: its interpretations, specific features and criteria. It also provides justification in favor of the importance of this concept in pedagogical training as well as a set of drawbacks. The analysis of scientific works of foreign and domestic researchers within the framework of the topic is carried out. The purpose of this article is to analyze and reveal the foundations of virtual learning environments from the point of view of its significance for a competent and developed teacher of a foreign language.

Identifying pedagogical intervention in MOOCs learning processes: a conversational agent proposal

Monitoring students in virtual learning environments can be a time-consuming task. Professors and tutors must accompany students in an agile manner. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of discussion forums posed new challenges. This work proposes a conversational agent to automatically detect which pedagogical intervention is necessary to guide students in MOOCs environments. Through the attributes of the students' post messages, it is possible to classify which action will be carried out by the agent, applying specific dialogue patterns. In some more specific cases, the tutor's attention is immediately requested. The proposal was evaluated through a feasibility study to verify if semantic detection can contribute to guide the intervention process. According to the results, it is possible to support the tutor, as only 35.2% of interactions required the tutor's action.

A Critical Review of Selected Literature on Learner-centered Interactions in Online Learning

Interactivity, a fundamental aspect of traditional face-to-face teaching, is a central concern in the design planning and organization of technology mediated instructional settings and online learning, because it is crucial in knowledge acquisition and the development of cognitive skills, and is intrinsic to effective instructional practice and individual discovery. The present paper aims to critically review a set of recent representative empirical studies during the period 2010-2019 focusing on the pedagogical expediency of learner-centered interaction in online learning contexts, to identify which aspects of collaborative learning could successfully be integrated within a structured learning management system environment to safeguard high-quality online learning. Searches for the identification of relevant empirical studies were conducted via Science Direct, EdITLib, IRRODL, SpringerLink, IEEE Xplore Digital Library and Scopus using keywords such as learner interactions, online learning, virtual learning environments, student success, e-learner satisfaction and online education. The search yielded 22 key studies focusing on learner-centered types of online interaction in relation to their contribution to student success and satisfaction in virtual learning environments. Our presentation of relevant research is based on five key types of interactive relationships identified in the field of distance education and culminates in a discussion of potential implications for a successful online learning experience and learner satisfaction.