I harvested knowledge and joy in this class

This course is my favorite one so far. It involves a lot of technology use and fun!!! I have learned so much out of this course. We got to explore a number of tools throughout the semester: Second Life, other Virtual Worlds, language learning apps, collaboration apps, Word cloud apps and etc. They are very helpful for my language learning and also my teaching. I think I will keep coming back to the course website to explore more about the tools in depth.

Reflection on group meetings

This is my first time to have a group meeting with students from Spain. It was quite amazing to collaborate with them for 8 weeks. I got to experience the way Spanish speakers talk or respond throughout the project which was exciting. More interestingly, I realized we were actually a part of a telecollaboration project after the first group meeting. I could see that the project has evolved so much that we learned a lot out of it. In addition, I got to experience the impact of scaffolding on our group projects. What we learned out of each class was actually a scaffolding for our group projects. We read so much about CMC and TEPBLL, and the knowledge of that led us to our group discussions or presentations about telecollaboration projects. It was very interesting to see that.

Week 15 I bought knowledge at the MALL!

We explored a few mobile apps for language learning in class. It was quite interesting to investigate the pedagogical application of MALL because I have been using MALL for learning languages. Duolingo is the first MALL that I used for learning Italian. The experience was not bad at all, but this app still has some issues. Firstly, the intonation of speech in the app was awkward. It negatively affected the way I spoke Italian. Secondly, the vocabulary in each category is limited which is not useful for advanced learners. Finally, learners don't get to interact with people by using the app.

For MALL in general, they certainly have strengths compared to traditional classroom settings. You can get access to learning 24/7 and get instant correction. This can suit different needs of learners because some may want to go crazy about learning languages. Other than the efficiency, MALL is mostly free to use. This can offer opportunities for people who cannot afford for learning in a university.

However, one thing that MALL cannot compete with traditional classroom setting is the interaction with people. Learning in a traditional classroom gives people a platform to interact with each other. This can help with learners' speaking because they can get timely feedback from their peers or teachers. Timely feedback is highly significantly for learners' speaking. Without the awareness of mistakes, learners may find it harder to correct their speaking.