Speaker
Description
In this talk, I present a reflective account of a Virtual Exchange (VE) project between two language classrooms, one in Korea and the other in Japan. The combination of the two classrooms formed a complex multi-bordered landscape. For example, the students in Korea were studying Japanese as a Foreign Language (JFL) at an English-medium international school while using Korean everywhere else in civil society. The students in Japan were studying English as a Foreign Language (EFL) at a Japanese-medium private high school while also following with enthusiasm Korean pop culture and language. The Virtual Exchange took place over two stages, one asynchronous via an online bulletin board and a second synchronous via online conferencing software. Comparing the design of this VE project with the most recent literature, I will share observations of the strengths and weaknesses of this project with an eye towards similar VE projects in the future.
Bryan Meadows holds a PhD in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching from the University of Arizona (USA). His academic interests include Interculturality, Nationalism, Folk Linguistics, and Teacher Education.