1 Enhancing Reading and Listening Comprehension using Yahoo! Messenger with Voice Eric Bentkowski Introduction In this chapter, I will explore how online Computer-Mediated Communication through asynchronous and synchronous Yahoo! Messenger with Voice can enhance the teaching and learning of second language reading and listening, and to a lesser extent writing and speaking. My goal is to provide students access to authentic interaction through text and voice chat tools, to encourage further exploration of these tools and to inspire creative use of asynchronous and synchronous communication as a means to expand their knowledge and utilization of this type of CMC in their language learning experience. Overview of Technology Yahoo! Messenger with Voice is available to anyone who is literate, of any age and who has a dial-up, DSL, cable or wireless internet connection. It is currently a free value-added service of Yahoo.com offered to users who sign-up and agree to the terms of use after signing up for basic service of Yahoo.com and establishing a free Yahoo! account. Establishing a free Yahoo! account requires that users provide personal information to create their profiles which is securely stored by Yahoo.com. When signing up for basic service, students create their Log-on User Identification and Password. This User Identification becomes a part of their free Yahoo! email address. It is important to read the terms of agreement when establishing your user identification which explains the limits and scope of service and the rules regarding the words you use. Yahoo.com reserves the right to ban the use of your account if profanity is used in your user identification. Since this is a free service, one user may create multiple Yahoo! accounts if desired. In order to establish a Yahoo! account, here are the instructions: 1. In your internet address toolbar type "yahoo.com" 2. Click on the "My Yahoo" icon 3. On the Yahoo! Log-in page, click on "New to My Yahoo? Sign-Up Now it s FREE in the bottom half of the Sign in to Yahoo! box on the right of the screen OR you can click on "New User? Sign up in the upper left of this Yahoo! Log-in page. (See Figure 1) Figure 1. Yahoo! Log-in page 1
2 You may also click here for initial sign-up or to sign-in. This is where you signin once you establish your user ID and password. Click here for initial account sign-up. 4. Create your profile by filling in all fields marked with an * since these are required. 5. Please create your Yahoo! ID. You can choose anything you desire. Please keep it G-rated. This will become your email address followed by @yahoo.com For example - Yahoo! ID: Supersensei (My email address will become supersensei@yahoo.com) 6. Type in a password remembering it is case sensitive. (Please write your password down somewhere) 7. Confirm your password. 8. Fill in the rest of the on-screen fields. 9. Read the terms of agreement 2
3 10. Click on "I agree" Yahoo! Messenger with Voice allows users the ability to interact and communicate via synchronous online text or voiced chat, with or without web cam, and through asynchronous email or voicemail. Yahoo! Messenger with Voice also allows users the opportunity to text chat in groups, to voice chat one-to-one, to share photos, to insert emoticons in their messages, to make free personal computer to personal computer (PC to PC) calls, and to make fee-based PC to telephone calls. There are no geographic boundaries with Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. Users may interact wherever they are and whenever they want as long as they can connect to the internet. In addition to an internet connection, Yahoo! Messenger with Voice requires that you have a computer, whether it is a desktop, laptop, or Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) and related peripheral devices such as keyboard, web cam, microphone, mouse, speakers, headsets, etc. For video conferencing, users can use a web cam and microphone for real-time synchronous interaction using audio and visual capabilities. Otherwise, users may choose not to use a microphone but still use video for visual capabilities and text chat instead of voice chat. Moreover, users may use the voice mail feature (microphone is required for this tool) in the Yahoo! Messenger with Voice to use only spoken messages or they may elect to use the written form of email. The text chat messages provide archives and transcripts of the interaction. However, spoken voice chat messages are not captured by Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. The users will need to provide their own separate audio recording device to capture the voice chat in order to capture and analyze transcripts and to archive their communications. In order to establish a Yahoo! Messenger with Voice account, here are the instructions to do so: 1. In your internet address toolbar type "yahoo.com" sign-in with your User ID and Password. 2. Click on the "Messenger" icon in the upper right side of the screen. (See Figure 2) 3
4 Figure 2. Yahoo! Homepage : Messenger icon in the upper right) This is the Messenger icon. Double-click here. 3. Click on the Get it Now icon. (See Figure 3) Figure 3. Yahoo! Messenger with Voice Sign in) Click on these words which link to the download screen. 4
5 4. Download Yahoo! Messenger with Voice and follow the prompts (See Figure 4) Figure 4. Download Messenger with Voice Screen 5. You may have to disable your firewall software to allow the download. 6. Create and edit your Yahoo! Messenger with Voice Profile and screen name. You can choose anything you desire. Follow the prompts on the screen. 7. You may also add and edit your Avatar. This is the icon that people will see as your animated, graphical screen icon. 8. Click on the Yahoo! Messenger with Voice icon on your desktop after saving and closing your editions. (See Figure 6) 5
6 Figure 6. Messenger icon and Instant Messaging menus This is what your Yahoo! Messenger with Voice icon looks like after you have successfully downloaded the software. Double-click it to open your sign-in screen. This is your instant messaging screen with various options to choose from once you ve connected with another user. These are icons used to format your message. These are icons used to insert emoticons, speech bubbles, colors and IMvironment background scenes. You type your message here 9. Sign-in to your account to begin your session. (See Figure 5 and 6) 6
7 Figure 5. Messenger with Voice initial screen after Log-in Choose a pull-down menu or icon to take you to your next screen. These are hot buttons which provides you with various options. 7
8 This screen allows you to facilitate your entire session. Skills required to use Yahoo! Messenger with Voice include the four integrated skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening. It also requires familiarity in using the computer and its peripherals, navigating the internet, clicking through web pages, downloading, email, word processing and voicemail. Teachers may choose amongst the variety of ways to use Yahoo! Messenger with Voice to tailor their lessons to suit the needs of their students and to focus on certain skill sets in their activities. For example, if the teacher elects to focus on speaking skills and pronunciation exercises or to focus on listening skills and related exercises, then s/he can instruct the students to use only the microphone and speakers or headsets for voice chat and/or voicemail during the activity in addition to the use of the web cam but without the use of text messaging. If the teacher elects to focus on reading and writing skills, then s/he may elect to have the students use only text messaging and/or email messages in the communication amongst students. Furthermore, the teacher may decide to use any combination of all of these capabilities to isolate certain skills and to enhance the language learning experience. The learning experience is limited only by the imagination and creativity of the users of this technology in conjunction with language learning strategies chosen to be implemented. 8
9 Teaching Unit: The Apartment Complex Aim: Improve students listening and reading skills Level: EFL / 12-18 College Students / High intermediate (level 3) and Advanced (level 4) mix Rationale: There is usually not enough time or opportunity in class to allow students of this level to explore their linguistic and real life skills more deeply in order to acquire, practice and apply their skills to be used in their language learning experience outside the classroom. The following activities are set to encourage students to use actual and more resources outside the classroom and to increase peer to peer and group collaboration. Day 1: Searching for apartment information Sequence: Beginning of Lesson Aim: Listening to instructions, note taking as a form of active listening, reading web site materials, recalling what was read, reading peer generated messages, browsing through bulletin boards, newspapers, the internet and other sources of listings in their L1 for apartments available for rent so that when the students perform this activity in their L2, they will be familiar with similarities and differences between the two and be able to discuss this with their peers and the teacher. Language: Cost, location and opinion vocabulary, mixed tenses, and wh-questions Materials: Computers with Internet connection, newspapers, journals, and writing instruments and tape recorders. Preparation: Teacher asks each student to bring in one newspaper with an apartment for rent section in their L1. Teacher brings newspapers with rental sections in L2. Procedure: Offline Opening/Warm up Students will share two brief, individual positive statements about their thoughts about living on their own. (Remind students to listen carefully, they cannot repeat what someone else says.) Exercises and Activities Teacher instructs the students about basic newspaper searches involving renting an apartment. Students listen and write notes in their journals. Separate students into groups of three to search for information in the L1 newspapers. As a group, they select one property. They share their choice and reasons with the class in L2. Students use L2 newspapers to conduct individual searches. 9
10 Online Opening/Warm up Teacher gives overview to students of Yahoo! Messenger with Voice technology and the expectations of the following exercises. Separate students into new groups of three. Exercises and Activities Students search English internet websites for overseas apartments to rent. They share their selections and reasons from their previous offline activity and this online activity with their group members in the text chat function of Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. Jigsaw the groups. Repeat activity with new group members. Reform original, online activity groups to discuss the differences and similarities of apartment and neighborhood choices found among the students. Follow up: Explicit Recall after some time elapsed (Positive statements) Teacher asks What was (name) s positive statement today? Isn t it great to know that you can recall that when you listen carefully? Technique: Recycling of information Reflection: Teacher will ask students orally and/or give them the option to write in their journals: Questions: Desired Responses: What did you learn today?... How do you feel about it? It was easy, not so hard, hard, good, want more. How will you use what you learned today? When I interact with others How can the teacher make it easier and better? Teacher will note own AHA s and insights into Teacher s Journal for future reference and planning. Homework: 1. Think about what you learned today when searching for an apartment, listening and reading. 2. Email your observations to both members of your group and your teacher. 3. Search for rentals on bulletin boards and text or voice chat with your group members. 10
11 Day 2: Considering the information Sequence: Continuation of Day 1 Lesson Aim: Listening to a story, using shadowing as a form of active listening, predicting sequence of events based on information received, recalling what was heard, reading web site materials and reading peer generated messages. Language: Cost, location and opinion vocabulary, mixed tenses, and wh-questions Materials: Computers with Internet connection, Yahoo! and Yahoo! Messenger with Voice accounts, Journals, writing instruments, and tape recorders. Preparation: Teacher builds upon Day 1 lesson which involved students browsing through bulletin boards, newspapers, the internet and other sources of listings in their L1 for apartments available for rent so that when the students perform this activity in their L2, they will be familiar with similarities and differences between the two and be able to discuss this with their peers and the teacher. Procedure: Offline Opening/Warm up Students will share two brief, individual positive statements about their thoughts on the information they found on possible overseas locations they are interested in renting from the Day 1 activity. (Remind students to listen carefully, they cannot repeat what someone else says.) Exercises and Activities Teacher shares a short story about an experience related to living in an Apartment and the time, consideration and resources it took to bring it to reality. Students are allowed to write notes in their journals as the teacher tells the story. Separate students into groups of three to recall and discuss details of the teacher s story. Students are allowed to write notes in their journals. This is an information-gap fill-in exercise. What did you hear? What did you learn? Jigsaw groups to further discuss, share and take notes from peer groups. Reform original groups to discuss the information they received and shared. Online Opening/Warm up Teacher reviews Yahoo! Messenger with Voice technology and the expectations of the following exercises. Separate students into new groups of three. Teacher plays soft, famous classical background music while students do the online activities. Exercises and Activities 11
12 Students open the text chat function of Yahoo! Messenger with Voice to discuss the offline class discussion and exercises and to elect a leader of the group. After a leader is selected, the leader initiates the voice chat function of Yahoo! Messenger with Voice and communicates with one team member to discuss opinions and thoughts about the offline class discussion. The third team member tape records the interaction for activities to be used in Day 3. Rotate partners so that each member has one tape recording each. Students individually reflect and summarize their groups discussions and copies it to a Word document to be emailed to the group leader. The leader of each group reads their emails and voicemails the teacher with final thoughts and opinions. Follow up: Level of Listening Teacher asks What kind of music were we listening to? (Classical) Amazing! Did you realize that you can do other skills with your partners while listening to the music on different levels? Sometimes better listening happens when you are not totally focused on every single word spoken or sound made. Technique: unconscious level of listening, there is more than one level of listening. Explicit Recall after some time elapsed (Positive statements) Teacher asks What was (name) s positive statement today? Isn t it great to know that you can recall that when you listen carefully? Technique: Recycling of information Reflection: Teacher will ask students orally and/or give them the option to write in their journals: Questions: Desired Responses: What did you learn today? How do you feel about it? It was easy, not so hard, hard, good, want more. How will you use what you learned today? When I talk to others How can the teacher make it easier and better? Teacher will note own AHA s and insights into Teacher s Journal for future reference and planning. Homework: 1. Think about what you learned today about renting an apartment, listening and reading. 2. Please think of an interesting topic to start a conversation in Yahoo! Messenger with Voice with your group members about living in an apartment. Chat with 12
13 one member of your group. Print and email a copy of the text chat transcripts to the teacher or produce a tape recording of the voice chat function and bring it to the next class. 3. Search for information about another place you would not like to live overseas. Bring the information to the next class. 13