APPLIED ACTIVITIES

You have come so far, great job!! Our final resource for you is the applied activities. You have read the articles, watched the videos of the webinars, now it's time to practice what you have learned. We have 3 applied activities for you. Ready? Let's go!

APPLIED ACTIVITY 1 : IMMERSIVE STORYTELLING WITH AI TOOLS

The objective of this activity is to enable students to use language creatively and collaboratively through storytelling while developing socio-pragmatic and linguistic competence. As an instructor, you will do this activity together with your students in your online class. Go through the steps and make sure your students have their profiles created with any of the AI tools that they would be using.

Step 1: Preparation

• As a Teacher/Instructor, your first step is to familiarize yourself with free AI tools like Chat GPT, XR tools (e.g., CoSpaces or Book Creator), and gamification apps like Kahoot. Create an account if you don't have one already.

• Materials Needed: Internet access, laptops or tablets, and access to selected AI tools.

Step 2: Introducing the Activity

• Begin with a prompt: You will continue by making sure to ask students to brainstorm ideas for a short story in the target language. For example, a cultural festival, a mystery, or a futuristic adventure like travelling in the country of the target language.

• Discuss Objectives: Explain to your students how they’ll use AI tools to co-create the story and design its elements. Make sure they already have an account with at least one AI tool e.g. Chat GPT, Gemini AI, Copilot etc.

Step 3: Generating Your Story Ideas

• Collaborate with AI:

  • Encourage your students to ask Chat GPT for suggestions about plot twists or dialogue ideas in the target language.

  • Teach them how to refine AI responses by using specific prompts, e.g., “How can I write a conversation about asking for directions politely?” “How can I ask for help in the target language if I am hurt?”

Step 4: Designing Your Story

• Use Visual Tools:

  • Introduce platforms like Book Creator or CoSpaces for your students to visually represent their stories using illustrations, VR scenes, or animations.

  • Inform your students to pair their written work with the media they designed, enhancing narrative depth.

Step 5: Role-Playing and Socio-Pragmatic Practice

• Role-play with AI Support:

  • Assign roles (e.g., narrator, characters) to your students and guide them in performing the story.

  • Use AI chatbots such as “Langua, TalkPal AI” for practicing dialogues or learning cultural nuances. Make sure they have created an account already.

Step 6: Sharing and Reflecting

• Class Presentation: Get your students to present their stories in front of the class, in your online class, schedule a zoom meeting where all your students can present their work in the target language, focusing on language use and cultural elements.

• Feedback: Before their presentation, make sure to encourage peer feedback from their fellow classmates, and also provide teacher feedback to highlight their effective storytelling skills and language use in their presentations.

Step 7: Reflection and Adaptation

• In a one-page submission, ask your students to reflect on how using AI and storytelling tools impacted their language learning and what they liked or didn’t like about the experience.

• Feedback: Discuss improvements for future projects with your students and ask them for recommendations on the kind of story they dream of creating with AI

APPLIED ACTIVITY 2:  DESIGNING EFFECTIVE SPEAKING ACTIVITIES

 
In designing effective speaking activities for asynchronous language classes, it is crucial to balance clearly defined objectives with a deep understanding of learner positionality and investment. This applied activity guides educators through a step-by-step process for setting meaningful speaking goals, designing tasks that honor learners’ identities and experiences, integrating technology thoughtfully, and fostering sustainable cultural and linguistic practices. By combining established frameworks, such as ACTFL/CEFR and Chapelle’s (2001) criteria for CALL tasks, with strategies that promote engagement, reflection, and equitable participation, this approach empowers learners to connect their speaking tasks to their imagined communities, cultural capital, and future selves. Practical guidelines are provided to ensure the creation of accessible, authentic, and theory-aligned speaking activities, specifically tailored for asynchronous learning environments.

For this Applied Activity, you will design an asynchronous speaking task that incorporates clear learning objectives, scaffolds for diverse proficiency levels, and opportunities for learners to draw on their cultural and linguistic knowledge while integrating peer feedback, gamification elements, and intercultural communicative competence through a technology platform such as Flipgrid or VoiceThread.

Step 1: Setting Speaking Goals and Considering Learner Investment

Begin with clear speaking objectives while considering learner positionality: Explicitly outline how speaking goals can be differentiated for mixed-proficiency learners in asynchronous settings

A. Traditional Speaking Objectives:

• Specific speaking skills using ACTFL/CEFR frameworks

• Target proficiency levels

• Required language functions

B. Learner Investment and Identity:

• How does this speaking task connect to learners' imagined communities?

• What opportunities exist for learners to express their multiple identities?

• How can learners leverage their existing linguistic and cultural knowledge?

• What investment opportunities does the task offer in terms of: 

  • Cultural capital

  • Social networks

  • Future academic/professional selves

  • Community participation

Step 2: Activity Design Considerations

Drawing from Chapelle's (2001) criteria for CALL task appropriateness, consider:

• Language learning potential

• Learner fit

• Meaning focus

• Authenticity

• Positive impact - integration of peer review activities with clear guidelines (e.g., rubrics or sentence stems for giving constructive feedback).

• Practicality - creating a weekly planner template or timeline for task completion, to help learners stay on track

Step 3: Technology Integration

Select appropriate tools for asynchronous speaking practice. Consider:

• Recording platforms (e.g., Flipgrid, VoiceThread)

• Feedback mechanisms

• Accessibility features

• Technical requirements and support needed

• Progress badges for task completion

Step 4: Creating Speaking Prompts and Activities

A. Core Task Types:

• Ranking discussions with justification

• Error identification and correction exercises

• Collaborative dialogue script creation

• Intonation and pronunciation focus activities

• Picture-based descriptions and narratives

• Student-created tutorials

• Problem-solving scenarios

• Personal response tasks

B. Implementation Guidelines:

• Limit digital tools to maximum two per lesson

• Provide clear, level-appropriate instructions

• Include tutorials for tool usage in early lessons

• Establish dedicated communication channels

• Guide student planning process

• Ensure quick feedback turnaround

C. Cultural and Linguistic Sustainability:

• Introduce tasks focused on intercultural awareness.

• Create opportunities for learners to draw on their full linguistic repertoires

• Design tasks that validate diverse ways of speaking and knowing

• Include topics that resonate with learners' lived experiences

• Offer choices in how learners can demonstrate their knowledge

• Consider how the task might be adapted for different cultural contexts

Step 5: Implementation Guidelines

Develop clear instructions for:

• Pre-speaking preparation

• Recording requirements

• Peer interaction expectations - Add specific peer interaction guidelines.

• Self-reflection components

• Assessment criteria

Step 6: Reflection Questions

Consider:

• How does your activity align with current SLA theories about speaking development?

• What opportunities exist for meaningful peer interaction?

• How will you provide feedback on speaking performance?

• What mechanisms are in place to reduce speaking anxiety?

• How will you maintain student engagement in an asynchronous environment?

• What additional support might students need to succeed?

References:

Blake, R. J. (2016). Technology and the four skills. Language Learning & Technology, 20(2), 129-142.

Chapelle, C. A. (2001). Computer applications in second language acquisition: Foundations for teaching, testing and research. Cambridge University Press.

Sun, Y. C. (2009). Voice blog: An exploratory study of language learning. Language Learning & Technology, 13(2), 88-103.

Yaneske, E., & Oates, B. (2010). Using voice boards: Pedagogical design, technological implementation, evaluation and reflections. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 14(4), 69-83.

APPLIED ACTIVITY 3: ENHANCING FEEDBACK FOR MULTIMODAL WRITING

Through this final activity, you will be able to achieve the following goals and learning outcomes when providing feedback to your students:

Goals and Learning Outcomes

• Goals:

  1. Understand how to generate feedback for multimodal student writing using digital tools.

  2. Engage students in reflective revision to improve both linguistic and non-linguistic aspects of their work.

• Learning Outcomes:

  1. Students will demonstrate improved multimodal writing skills based on feedback.

  2. Students will critically engage with feedback and revise their work effectively.

  3. Students will reflect on the feedback process to identify areas of growth and learning.

Steps to Complete the Activity

1. Preparation:

   • Select a student’s multimodal text (e.g., infographic, narrative video, or essay with sound/images).

2. Generate Feedback:

   • Use ChatGPT or other AI tools to provide feedback. Sample prompt:
     "The text above is a multimodal writing piece by a student. Please give detailed feedback, highlighting language errors, strengths, areas for improvement, and suggestions for revision."

   • Edit the AI-generated feedback to ensure clarity and relevance.

3. Deliver Feedback:

   • Share feedback with students through a preferred digital platform (Google Docs, Flipgrid, or Zoom).

   • Use annotations for written texts, video/audio comments for sound/image-based texts, or live discussion.

4. Assign Follow-Up Task:

   • Create an assignment based on feedback. Example:
     Assignment: Based on the feedback provided:

     • Revise your original text, addressing both linguistic and non-linguistic suggestions.

     • Highlight changes and explain why you made them in a reflection (200-300 words).

5. Facilitate Reflection:

   • Ask students to answer questions like:

     • Why were these changes important?

     • How has the feedback helped your learning?

     • What have you learned about improving multimodal writing?

Making the Activity Engaging

• Use interactive tools like Flipgrid for oral/video feedback exchange.

• Allow students to use creative platforms (e.g., Canva, Adobe Spark) to revise their work.

• Provide collaborative peer-review sessions to enhance learning.

This structured activity ensures students engage deeply with feedback, fostering skills in multimodal communication and reflective learning.

FROM THE TEAM: Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns. We would also love to hear how the readings, webinars and activities positively impacted your language teaching. You want to contact us? Check the about page for our contact details.