Student Reflections on a Skype Learning Experience

As I research more and more into second language acquisition, acculturation, cultural awareness education, as well as the educational applications of various Web 2.0 technologies, I have become even more convinced that in the right circumstances, Skype (and other tools like it) can be somewhat of a holy grail for language learning and cultural exchange, particularly for true EFL environments.

Today I co-conducted two Skype lessons at the junior high level which were an outstanding success.  My co-teacher called them “epic.” More on those and the interesting technological setup we used later.

In this space, perhaps just for posterity, I want to put up some feedback that I got back from 5th grade student questionnaires after a class-to-class Skype session in March of 2013. It’s interesting what the students had to say. (note that some of these points were repeated by many students across questionnaires – this data does not weight any of them over the others, rather it is merely a cross-section of the types of thoughts and feelings students took away from the activity.)

It was good that…

• Everyone spoke in big voices and the Alaskan kids weren’t shy at all, and easy to understand.
• We got to people in Alaska. It was really great.
• Everyone used big voices in their presentations, and the students in Palmer understood us.
• We used big voices and were easy to understand
• We weren’t shy.
• We were able to speak loudly and be understood.
• We got to do Skype sessions with Sherrod twice in the year.
• We spoke loudly without being shy.
• That we stayed in Japan but were able to talk to people in another country.
• The gestures were easy to understand and we all used big voices.
• We worked together to speak in English and the people in Alaska understood us.
• We presented in big voices.
• We presented in big voices.
• The gestures of the Alaskan students were easy to understand.
• That we were able to speak easily over the TV.
• That we were able to communicate the English that we studied to Palmer, and that the students there understood us.  We had fun talking.
• I spoke to people in America.
• We presented with good attitudes, and the students in Alaska had really good and funny reactions to what we said.
• We were able to speak in loud voices.
• We got to talk to people in Alaska on the TV.
• Students in Palmer were so friendly and spoke clearly.
• All the groups did a good job and we sang our song well.
• We got to speak to students and have fun with a quiz and song.
• None of us were shy.
• We used clear voices and the students in Alaska spoke at a tempo that was easy to understand.
• We presented in big voices.
• We spoke in clear voices.
• The foreign students spoke to us in clear voices.
• We presented in big voices.
• Our pronunciation was good.
• We spoke loudly.
• When we said “see you” we said it at the same time.
• We presented in big voices.

I learned…

• Kids in Alaska go to school for more than eight hours
• Alaskans are good at gestures.
• Japanese and English are different languages.
• Kids in Alaska are really tall.
• The time difference between Palmer and Saroma is 18 hours.
• Students at Sherrod can eat breakfast at school.
• In Japan we call our language “kokugo” (country language) but in Alaska they call it Japanese.  So, in Alaska, they call English “language”.
• There are two ways to say 体育 (taiiku): gym or PE.
• That the “national language” they study in school is English.
• That Alaskans call “kokugo” English.
• Alaska’s national language is a foreign language for us and they call it English.
• There is a big time difference between Japan and Alaska.
• All about how to say different subjects in English.
• That what we call our “language” in Japan is Japanese, but what Alaskans call “language” is English.
• The national language over there is English.
• They study different subjects for different lengths of time.
• That we study a lot of the same things here and in Alaska but that we have different names for them.
• That between the time students come to school and when they have lunch, they only study two subjects.
• That students go home close to 4 o’clock.
• When students in Alaska study for an hour, they really study for an hour.
• That what we call our “language” in Japan is Japanese, but what Alaskans call “language” is English.
• That they had smartphones.
• That students in Alaska can eat breakfast at school.
• That students in Alaska have a class called technology.
• The gym there is really big.
• That what we call our “language” in Japan is Japanese, but what Alaskans call “language” is English.
• School in Alaska starts later than school in Saroma.
• The names of the days of the week and subjects.
• That Alaskan students use smartphones instead of computers to study.
• How to say the days of the week in English.
• How fast people in Alaska speak English.
• That I can speak English a little.
• Different subjects have different lengths of time.
• The gym and classrooms were large.
• They learn math just like we do.
• That I can understand English.

I didn’t understand…

• when Sean and Mr. W (teacher in Alaska) talked to each other.
• when Alaskans spoke English really fast.
• how many students were in their class.
• their voices sometimes.
• how they say “yasumijikan” in English (recess).
• their quiz question about “reading” but I thought that the book was maybe Cinderella because it had a picture of a pumpkin on it.
• what Sean and Mr. W were saying to each other.
• what the Alaskan people said.

I was happy…

• when I was able to talk to the students in Alaska
• when they listened quietly to us, and clapped for us when we were done.
• that we got to have such a great experience talking to people in Alaska.
• about the fun quiz that they gave us.
• when they clapped for us after we sang our song “Mata au hi made” (See you again).
• when they gave us a fun quiz about subjects.
• when my english was understood.
• when we spoke, they listened quietly to us, and clapped for us when we were done.
• that even though we got some questions wrong in the gesture game, we were able to use English.
• when they clapped for us.
• that the students in Alaska were good at gestures.

I was surprised…

• when Mr. W suddenly showed his face on the screen.
• that when Alaskans study “Language” they are studying what we call “English.”
• when the time difference in the video made everyone laugh.
• when I saw how big Alaskan people are.
• by how big Alaskan people are.
• that students eat breakfast at school.
• that everyone had smartphones.
• by how long their recess is.
• by how much later it was in Alaska.  I thought that was so great.
• that the schedules at our schools are totally different.
• that sometimes they study some subjects for a really long time.
• that Alaskans are so tall.
• she I saw that there were oranges in the hallway.
• by how fast the people in Alaska spoke.
• that they get to play with balls during recess.  I’m jealous.
• by how tall people were.
• how tall students in Alaska were.
• that a student there played the clarinet.
• that they had smartphones.
• that students in Alaska are tall.

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