Horizontes (Mar 2013)
Experiencing the use of a chat room in EFL teaching in a public school
Abstract
The technological aids available in public schools may be used during teaching experiences through methods and methodologies which provide the student an extensive network of opportunities to (re)configure their way of building knowledge in a foreign language, in order to reflect on their own learning approach. From this perspective, beyond the reflection and desire to use these tools, an autonomous and active attitude by the student is essential in order to use significant environments with on-line activities. An experience was conducted with high school first graders at a public school in a country town of the State of Goiás, aiming at identifying and analyzing the possibilities for the use of the foreign language (English) by employing Omegle.com chat tool. This is a free random chat that allows people from all over the world to interact in several languages, Twenty-one participants used the chat to interact in English with several people from different places in of the world. The data include chat dialogues as well as others collected by means of questionnaires, a researcher journal and classroom observation notes. Results show that the experience, which was inedited in this context of investigation, was developed with enthusiasm by the participants who, through the chat, improved their communication in an independent way.
