The Third Place

I just read an article about global communication between young people: http://www.innovateonline.info/pdf/vol2_issue4/World%27s_Youth_Connect_through_Global_Nomads_Group-__An_Interview_with_GNG%27s_David_Macquart.pdf While this organization facilitates synchronous exchanges via video-conferences, their intention is very much in line with the idea behind “The Third Place”: Being able to communicate directly with people of their own age can be very motivating and stimulating for young people.

Two of the books I read in preparation of this project are Johnson, P. A. (2008).  Short Guide to Action Research. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc. and Stringer, E. (2008). Action Research in Education. Uppersaddle River, N. J.: Pearson/Merrill/Prentice Hall They are written in plain English, and any teacher may find reading them an empowering experience. [...]

One aspect of a blog is that it can become “a place to go”. An author of a blog “owns” this place. S/he can design it, fill it with information, and even make it disappear. It appears important to give learners a sense of “ownership” of their blogs. I suppose that a group of people [...]

It would be fantastic to find participants among the English teachers in Québec and Mexico. Both communities have associations for English teachers with great resources and information about upcoming events. Please visit “Speaq” in Québec http://www.speaq.qc.ca/index.htm and MEXTESOL in Mexico http://www.mextesol.org.mx/ Both websites are worth exploring!

The initial idea for this project comes from Basharina (2007. An activity theory perspective on student-reported contradictions in international tele-collaboration. Language Learning & Technology (11,2) pp. 82-103 ). The idea that I found most appealing is to create a collaboration between students from different countries who use the same L2. The students for this study [...]