“If I can capture the students in this way, no matter what subject, then it is worth all the effort!” Using Telecollaboration for English Language Development and Intercultural Competence in Swedish K-3 settings

• Main Authors: Johansson, Frida, Reimer, Emma
• Format: Others
• Language: Swedish
• Published: Malmö högskola, Fakulteten för lärande och samhälle (LS) 2017
• Subjects: foreign language development; intercultural competence; online intercultural exchange; primary school; Swedish educational setting; telecollaboration; virtual exchange; Humanities and the Arts; Humaniora och konst
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-35506

This case study on telecollaboration focuses on Swedish practicing teachers’ attitudes andexperiences with telecollaboration, i.e. an educational tool for communication betweenstudents in different countries to enhance foreign language development and interculturalcompetence. Four Swedish teachers with varying teaching experience were interviewed toshare their experiences of telecollaboration in the earlier school years. The design andimplementation of telecollaborative projects as well as the correspondence with the Swedishcurriculum according to the interviewees will be presented and discussed along with possiblebeneficial outcomes and challenges that might arise in the design and implementation oftelecollaborative projects. These aspects are also compared with findings of previousresearch on telecollaboration in educational settings. Finally, some suggestions for futureresearch in the field is provided.