Assignment November 16, 2011.

Three Articles.
Student Documentaries: A Language Learning Tool.
Motivation plays an important role in ESL teaching because it permits students to learn a language when they become bored and frustrated.  To make learning exciting teachers should apply a multimedia documentary project. It is based on the communicative approach emphasizing language acquisition in a natural and real way. This method brings some benefits into the language classroom: practice of language skills and other skills, autonomy, responsibility for learning, focus on a specific topic for a particular audience, and tutor being satisfied for learning.

This documentary project implies some stages to be covered considering: establishing the instructional goals, the topic, and level of difficulty; ensuring what the students are expected to do and team collaboration; collecting adequate information to promote academic developing, managing time, delegating skills; developing their creativity to film the video;  editing the final version; having post documentary presentations to have feedback and to assess the process of filming and their participation in the project.

There are seven essential dimensions to judge project effectiveness (Simkins, 2002): core curriculum (clear learning objectives from the curriculum), real-world connection (exploring topics of current interest), extended time frame (challenging provides a sense of accomplishment), students make decisions (rules and limitations),  collaboration (a checklist to register the effort done to reach the project), assessment (all the dimensions in the project), and technology (acquisition of technological skills in a high-tech environment).
Student-Produced Video: Two Approaches.
By using video production in the language class the students can improve different language and video technology skills, their interest can be increased and interaction is promoted.  Two video production projects developed in a short period of time were planned for a language class. In the second project, a long film, eight students worked together to create the video to be shown on a specific date. The objectives were to speak English and to learn how to film. They had to negotiate to select the topic, to allocate pair tasks, and to assign speaking roles. They shared information using a wiki. The teacher played the role of counselor supporting the students in writing, pronunciation, intonation, stress and body language.
Advantages: in the first project members in team practiced filmmaking and English skills; in the second project there were interaction, feedback specialization in tasks and speaking roles according to their learning level. Disadvantages: in the first project there was no interaction between the teacher and the students (lack of reinforcement), in the second project they did not learn the whole process of filming and some of them practiced more English.
Students As Textbook Author.
Teachers should focus on the students’ characteristics and preferences shown on their works. The information that teachers find in their works can be helpful when designing English lessons. The valuable information found to create motivating English classes includes their needs, interests, likes, dislikes, free time, and personal issues. Some advantages of producing texts by the students are:  easy to write about themselves, building up their identity, interaction with the teacher and classmates, and creating authentic material.