This document describes Shauna Néro's use of technology to improve students' oral fluency and production in the language classroom. She uses tools like Edmodo and podcasting to engage students and provide meaningful assessment of their oral skills. Students work in pairs to record podcasts on various topics, assessing each other using criteria they helped generate. This allows gradual development of oral proficiency and gives the teacher insights into students' progress through descriptive feedback. Final assessments include interviews and roleplays to evaluate communication skills. Initial results found most students able to converse longer, showing increased confidence in speaking the target language.

1. Using Technology to Improve Oral
Fluency and Production in the
Language Classroom
Assessing oral output in an engaging and
meaningful way
BCATML Conference 2012
Shauna Néro
French Immersion, FSL and Spanish teacher
Kwantlen Park Secondary, Surrey SD36
Twitter: @MmeNero
www.mmenero.edublogs.org
http://mmenero.wordpress.com

2. Poll Everywhere: another way to « listen »

3. My guiding philosophy:
If students are expected to use their language skills
learned in FSL and Spanish after they finish high school,
their oral development is essential. When students
visit Francophone or Hispanic countries, they should be
able to communicate with the people they meet. I
want my classroom to be functional and
useful. However, assessing and monitoring
development in oral language acquisition has always
been a challenge for me.

4. The head scratcher…
How can I assess oral
acquisition so that students are
able to demonstrate a gradual
release of responsibility and
will be able to
eventually communicate in
authentic discussion?

5. I am just waiting for you to
make a mistake…
Maybe some Speak in perfect complete
sentences or else!
students think
this is me during
oral assessment
interviews…

6. Why EDMODO?
Edmodo is a website that looks like Facebook…but it’s not!
 The site is completely controlled by the teacher. Any posts on
the wall can be seen by everyone in the class, students may
not send messages to one another.
 A way for students to engage in learning outside of the
classroom (sometimes a difficult task in language learning).
 An effective tool for sending files to students, or reducing
paper waste so that they may hand in assignments online
that are easily traceable.
 An effective way to communicate homework and what is
going on in class to students and parents
AND….

7. ANDROID APP
“There’s an app for that!” iPHONE/iPAD

8. Dowload my presentation on
how to set up an Edmodo
classroom (and why)

9. My course outline
 Divided by language skill (oral output, listening,
reading, writing)
 Parents are given a permission letter to sign
outlining the use of Edmodo in the classroom
with learning objectives.
 Parents can be given a unique code (only linked
to their child’s information) in order to keep up
to date with classroom activities.

10. Podcast project
This project lasts all semester and is a part of my
classroom daily structure. Students are expected
to practise and work with their partners in order
to improve their oral skills in the foreign target
language.
This is an overview, the entire unit plan can be
read at my blog.
http://mmenero.edublogs.org/assessing-oral-language-acquisition/

11. Ultimately it is the learner who
learns, and the new applications
certainly place more power in their
hands, albeit that they are still in
need of support with how to use
these in educational contexts.
(Rethinking Learning for a Digital Age, Sharpe et al 2010)

12. Lesson 1: Modeling
 Students may never have done
a recording before, or may not
understand the project
outcome.
 Give an example audio clip that
can be used for a pre-activity to
the project.
 Talk about the benefits of being
able to speak the language;
engage in conversation!
 Highlight the different themes
represented in the clip.

13. Generating criteria as a class
 Students are aware of the expectations
 Student ownership: students decide what the
learning objectives are
 Some students will drive the others to work hard by
setting high standards (ex. Number of questions to be
asked and answered)
***Sample criteria forms are on my blog to be adapted
and used as you wish.

14. Colour-coded criteria sheets
 Students are given 3 sheets per
podcast recording depending on if it is
an A recording or a B graded recording.
 A Recordings: a self-assessment,
partner assessment & a peer
assessment
 B Recordings: a self-assessment,
partner assessment & a teacher
assessment
 Have students fill out the
checklist and staple it to the
assessments in order (this will
save you time later, and a lot
less headaches)

15. I’ve got it…and more! I’m almost there, but I need to I need to
1A Keep applying my BK what’s missing? practise the get extra
Self Assessment concepts help
of: learned
Concept
Asking I can ask 7+ logical I can ask at least 5-6 I can ask 3-4 I can ask 1-
questions questions correctly. logical questions (ex. questions 2
weather, clothing, date, questions
greetings)
Answering I can answer all of the I can answer at least 5-6 I can answer I can
questions questions asked by my questions. 3-4 questions answer 1-2
partner. questions
Vocabulary and I included all of these I included all but 1-2 I am missing I am
expressions themes: expressions from the 3-5 themes missing 6+
• “les expressions de la vocabulary list. from the themes
salle de classe” vocabulary from the
• Nom list. vocabulary
• Âge list.
• Les jours de la semaine
• Le temps (la météo)
• La mode
• Jouer & faire
• Les types de
personnalité

16. Pronunciation I used the website When pronouncing Some effort in I did not make a
to correctly words, my listener can pronunciation; I huge effort, I sound
pronounce most. I understand. I do not try to correctly like I am speaking
can correctly pronounce the final “s” pronounce the English. I need to
pronounce 75-100% sound & I do not words. work on it and use
of the words. pronounce the silent (50-75%) the website &
H. tutorials provided
I can pronounce 75% for help.
of the words correctly.
Grammar & I took all of my Most (75-90%) of my 75% of my 10-50% of my
sentence feedback into sentences are correct sentences are sentences are
structures consideration and and logical. correct and correct and logical.
applied it to my logical.
grammar and
sentence structures.
Communica The entire I made a good effort to I tried hard but I spoke some
tion in conversation is in speak in French (75%) conversation is French, but mostly
FRENCH French. 50/50. in English. (>25% in
French)
Ease of A conversation that There are a few pauses There are some There are 7+ pauses
conversation flows smoothly (no more than 3) in the pauses (no more in the conversation,
without any pauses. conversation. than 6) in the unstable flow.
conversation.

17. Lessons 2-5:
 The first time students do this
activity, it might be in their
best interest to pick their own
partners so that they are
doing it with someone they
are comfortable with.
 Let students practise and write a
script based on the criteria
provided
 Ask them to use the Text-to-
Speech website to practise their
pronunciation at home or in
class.

18. RECORDING DAY!
 Students record
their podcast using
Voice Memo app
 They get 2 tries and
pick their best one
 Teacher uploads to
Edmodo and
assigns another
group to be
assessed

19. Edmodo

20. Lesson 3: Descriptive feedback
Students need help in how to give good descriptive feedback. The first time that I did
this assignment, and looked at their feedback, most of it was very vague.
 For example:
 “You did a good job!”
 “You did not include some themes.”
 “You need to work on your pronunciation.”
I used these examples to help students understand how comments like these do not
help their peers since it does not provide specific examples. We came up with a list
like this:
“You did not include the theme of “les expressions de la salle de classe”, “la mode:
and “la météo”.
“Use the website to help you with your pronunciation for the words: hôpital, nous
etc.”
“You need to ask (number) more questions.”
“You should practise more so that you have fewer pauses; review at home as well.”
I give a mark for the way that they provide descriptive feedback because this can
really help themselves and their classmates if done correctly.

21. Recording samples
Examples are on my blog (they do not work on PPT)

22. Final Assessment : Spoken Interaction
 Students compile a list of questions in groups of 2-3
 I compile a list of all of the possible questions that can be
asked during the interview so that students may prepare
the structures
 My peer tutor practises with each student and then
he/she completes a last self-assessment with an action
plan on how to improve
 I do an interview with them, asking questions from the list
and try to get them to talk as much as they are capable.

23. Final Assessment : Oral Production
In my Spanish class last semester,
See my blog for examples of this
some students used the iPads and
project:
the application PuppetPals HD
http://mmenero.wordpress.com/e
Director’s Cut to cut out characters
spanol/
and « play » with them to talk in
scenes from a Hispanic region.
• Opportunity to assess the
language that they acquired and
their cultural knowledge at once.
• More importantly, I was able to
assess their oral production as it
gave me the chance to listen and
listen again to how they were
able to pronounce the words that
they had learned all semester. LA FAMILIA MODERNA VIAJEN

24. Results from my first 2 semesters
 Beginner level students who were only able to participate in 30 seconds to 1 minute
conversations were able to converse with me for at least 3 minutes during the final
evaluations.
 Weaker students were able to speak for at least 2 minutes; thereby instilling confidence.
I recorded the conversations so that I could mark them at a later date, thereby putting
them at ease since we are having a real conversation (rather than myself making
comments and not really being an active participant in the discussion). I am optimistic
that the results show that some students who may not have been otherwise comfortable
are improving their oral skills.
 I am teaching them tools for self-reflection. Students are able to help others in class, and as
a result, my marking is cut down since I only mark one oral assessment per month (It takes
about 4 weeks for the complete process).
• Allowing students to make mistakes in their first podcast makes them feel more secure
for their graded second podcasts. I try to make them understand, that it’s OK to make
mistakes, we are all human; but what is more important is that they need to learn from
their mistakes. By the second month, their recordings are longer and more interesting
as a result.
 By assessing a peer from another group, students become aware of mistakes that they
have made, and may hear better pronunciation. This provides more opportunities for
students to feel successful. AND BEST OF ALL…..

25.  78% of my students this semester so far (after their
first podcast) said in their portfolios for student
conferences that they were most proud of their
podcast and that it was the activity from which they
had LEARNED the most so far (most said that it was
either useful, engaging and/or fun!)
 My colleague who teaches Spanish 10 has repeatedly
told me that she is confident in this project’s success
since she can pick out my students based on their
strong oral skills  (she is integrating this project next
semester)

26. Any questions? Educators need to
Ways to contact me: see learners as
 Email nero_s@sd36.bc.ca individuals and
 Twitter: @MmeNero
design for difference.
 Comment on my blog
about your own
experiences, we can share
and engage our
(Seale and Bishop,
conversation with other 2010)
language teachers from
around the world!
TIME FOR ONE LAST POLL…

27. Your exit ticket: please send your answer
www.polleverywhere.com