Tag: Mixxer

Language Exchanges – Outline

August 1, 2011 / BSL

Outline

Connect through Skype with remote language learners
Pair students and language learners together for discussion
- If number of participants don’t align, partners will be doubled up to ensure everyone speaks
Have students add Skype user to their contacts
Text chat with user to ask if they are ready to speak
Call user
- Speak first 20 minutes in language students are learning
- Speak next 20 minutes in English
Students may have been assigned example questions to ask during exchange and should be writing down answers throughout conversation

Links

Dickinson’s Language Technologist, Todd Bryant, has been coordinating language exchanges for most of the languages for the past 8 years. Using Skype and a website for partnering language learners called The Mixxer he has been able to integrate skype exchanges throughout the language departments.

The partners can be any native speaker of our students’ target language who is interested in improving their English. The discussion is split into two 20-25 minute sessions. The first portion is in the students target language with the second portion in English. Faculty are encouraged to have students prepare questions beforehand and assign students a summary of their conversation as homework.

Audience

Faculty & Students

Type

Instructor Led-Hands On

Time

50 Minutes-In Class Time

Outcomes

Talk with native language speaker for 20-25 minutes in each language
Listening comprehension
Cultural exchange

Want to know more? Contact mediacenter at dickinson.edu to set up a consultation. You can also get a sneak peek of what we cover in our training by looking over our Training Outline.