Internet-mediated Intercultural Exchange for Learner-Centered Learning, Part 1

Abstract

Various Internet tools such as emails and discussion boards, and more recently those Web 2.0 technologies such as Facebook, Skype, Slideshare, YouTube, and Flicker, make it possible to connect learners across languages and cultures in and outside classrooms. Such Internet-mediated intercultural exchange has been often experimented within the context of foreign language learning and intercultural communication, but now as the technology for intercultural exchange is so prevalent that classrooms of any subject can incorporate some aspect of intercultural collaborative learning into their classroom activities. There are many aspects that need to be considered in designing a successful intercultural exchange which requires active participation of students: organizational and logistical aspects, the role of teachers, assessment methods, tools and technologies to be used, learning design of course activities, and cultural issues. This symposium will discuss different aspects of internet-mediated intercultural exchange with the presentation of case studies.