This purpoose of this webblog is to document collaboration activities between Universidade Estadual Paulista - Assis (UNSP-Assis) and the World Studies Media Center at VCU, and to report on my dissertation research..
February 2010
While exploring tandem language exchange (TLE) as a potential dissertation topic, I attended a presentation at Georgetown University given by world renown TLE researcher Dr. João Telles, founder of Teletandem Brasil: Foreign Languages for All. Telles 's TLE project is housed at Universidade Estadual Paulista in Assis, Brazil, located in the southwest corner of the state of São Paulo, close to the border with the state of Paraná between the cities of Londrina and Marilia. I met with Telles after his presentation at Georgetown to discuss his work and my dissertation research.
March 2010
I presented on my developing dissertation research at the Annual Mid-Atlantic Association of Language Learning and Technology (MAALLT) Conference at Georgetown University. The title of the presentation was The Emerging Role of Language Resource Centers in Developing, Implementing and Sustaining International University Partnerships through Videoconferencing, E-Partnering, Virtual Learning Environments and Social Networking. The focus of the talk was to explain how and why language resource centers are poised to empower universities in their internationalization efforts through E-partnering, videoconferencing and distance education. The presenters will identify key conditions for the successful integration of technology-enhanced teaching and research within the context of international university partnerships. The World Studies Media Center at VCU has been active in strengthening relationships with UNESP, Universidad de Córdoba (Spain) and Universidade de São Paulo (Brazil) in exploring online videoconferencing to open up new opportunities for foreign language immersion and practice through international cooperation.
August 2010
Dr. Telles begins a visiting appointment at Georgetown University to teach and develop teletandem exchanges between Georgetown students of Portuguese with English students at UNESP-Assis.
September 2010
Dr. Telles invited me to visit the teletandem facilities at UNESP-Assis during the spring 2011 semester. A partnership evolves. Telles and I designed and developed a teletandem pilot to be delivered jointly between the World Studies Media Center at VCU and the Centro de Línguas at UNESP-Assis.
April 2011
I visited UNESP-Assis to oversee a pre-teletandem pilot carried out in cooperation between UNESP-Assis and VCU. In Assis,
I collaborated with teletandem researchers from other universities in Brazil and around the world. I was able to develop my own dissertation research under the mentorship of Dr. Telles. In addition, I presented on my dissertation topic to hundreds of teletandem students and faculty at UNESP-Assis.
September 2011
I submitted the final draft of my prospectus on Teletandem to my dissertation committee in the School orf Education at VCU.
The prospectus was approved and I became a PhD candidate on September 13th. The IRB application was approved on October 14th (IRB-HM13976).
October 2011
I visited UNESP-Assis for the second time to observe the VCU-UNESP sessions from UNESP and to collect data for my research. During this visit, I was able to meet and collaborate with other teletandem researchers from UNESP campuses in Marilia and São Jose do Rio Preto.
November 2011
I returned to VCU to collect data
from the VCU participants and to observe the sessions from VCU. Transcription of the data will be completed by December 12th.
December 2011
I will meet with my dissertation Chair,
Dr. Jonathan Becker, Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at VCU, to develop a framework for analyzing and reporting on the research data.
January 2012
I will be developing the analysis and discussion chapters of my dissertation.
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