Open educational resources for CALL teacher education: the iTILT interactive whiteboard project

Abstract

This paper discusses challenges and opportunities arising during the development of open educational resources (OERs) to support communicative language teaching (CLT) with interactive whiteboards (IWBs). iTILT¹ (interactive Technologies in Language Teaching), a European Lifelong Learning Project, has two main aims: (a) to promote “best practice” or effective CLT teaching with IWBs, and (b) to support continuing professional development among language teachers both in formal training contexts and through informal independent study. Some 40 teachers in seven European countries, working with learners of six foreign languages at various educational and proficiency levels, were trained and followed over one school year in order to collect over 200 video examples of classroom practice. These short (3-minute) class videos were selected collaboratively by teachers and researchers, and supported by learner and teacher commentaries. The main outcome of the project is an open-access website (http://itilt.eu), a searchable repository of training materials (manual, sample materials) and classroom illustrations (video clips, participant comments). This study explores the action research dimension of successive phases of the project from the development of appropriate training materials, data collection in language classrooms, selection of illustrative teaching episodes, and preparation for online presentation for future teacher education. It investigates the influence of research-based training on teacher development and the inclusion of participant perspectives, and explores how this kind of OER can support open practices. The paper also raises issues with respect to “best practice” and user requirements. The paper concludes with “lessons learned” throughout the project, showing both the advantages and drawbacks to this kind of collaboration between teachers and researchers, as well as furnishing suggestions for future OER development.

Keywords:

• teacher education
• interactive whiteboards
• open educational resources
• integrated CALL
• teachers’ perspectives

Acknowledgements

This paper draws on research from the iTILT project which is funded by the European Union Lifelong Learning Programme. [EACEA Lifelong Learning Project, Key Area Languages, 511751-LLP-1-2010-1-BE-KA2-KA2MP, Jan 2011-April 2013] While the project has been funded with support from the European Commission, it cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Notes

1. http://itilt.eu

2. Center for Open Educational Resources and Language Learning. http://coerll.utexas.edu/coerll/

3. Finding a Voice through Online resources. http://thefavorproject.wordpress.com/

4. http://humbox.ac.uk/

5. http://languagebox.ac.uk/

6. Languages Open Resources Online. http://loro.open.ac.uk/http://loro.open.ac.uk/

7. http://moodle.click-lounge.eu/

8. Developing Online Teaching Skills. http://dots.ecml.at/

9. http://lreforschools.eun.org

10. http://www.eun.org

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Shona Whyte

Shona Whyte is maître de conférences (associate professor) in English at the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, where she teaches EFL and second language acquisition and teaching. Her research interests include learning technologies, classroom interaction and teacher education.

Euline Cutrim Schmid

Euline Cutrim Schmid is a professor at the University of Education Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany, where she teaches applied linguistics and TEFL. Her research interests include computer-assisted language learning, teacher education and literacy in the new media age.

Sanderin van Hazebrouck Thompson

Sanderin van Hazebrouck Thompson holds an MA in TEFL with an additional qualification in Teaching German as a Foreign Language from the University of Education Heidelberg, Germany. She worked as a research assistant in the iTILT project.

Margret Oberhofer

Margret Oberhofer is the International Projects Co-ordinator at LINGUAPOLIS, the Institute for Language and Communication at the University of Antwerp, where she is also working as a part-time eLearning assistant at the Institute for Education and Information Sciences (IOIW).