Abstract:

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the use of AR (Augmented Reality) as an emerging technology for creating engaging learning environments in education. AR refers to the integration of digital information with the user´s environment to create an enhanced version of the physical world. Snapchat and Instagram filters are an example of how AR enhances our perception of the real world by providing additional information to users with three-dimensional components.

The use of new technological tools is essential in the creation of educational content in virtual environments to promote motivation in the complex process of learning a foreign language. In this particular context, it is important to find the right tools to allow the creation of multimedia learning environments to provide an authentic communicative experience.

The development of listening comprehension is essential to enable learners to understand sounds, intonation and accent variations and to enable people to communicate messages effectively. Listening comprehension activities help learners perceive and understand how a language is used in a real context. In this sense, audiovisual Augmented Reality (AR) tools such as Snapchat filters can provide teachers and instructional material developers with resources such as facial expressions or body gestures to facilitate the comprehension process. In this project, Snapchat was used to create content for teaching listening comprehension in English in an E-learning course in the training cycles of Imaging and Diagnosis and Dental Hygiene to Italian students at ISEP (Instituto Superior de Estudios Profesionales CEU).

We first identified the linguistic objectives for the listening comprehension activities to be developed. We then created monologues based on these objectives for a series of fictional characters and recruited native English-speaking volunteers to play the characters. The characters were assigned to volunteers based on age and gender factors. The monologues were recorded using the Snapchat tool with filters. Volunteers were asked to use their own voice and natural pronunciation along with intuitive facial expressions and body movements.

As a result, the use of Snapchat filters allowed us to plan and design a wider range of multimedia materials in the context of an E-learning English course and in the absence of real interactions with native speakers. The videos created with this tool offered learners a realistic communicative experience and a connection to the real world. The aforementioned tool allowed us to create a wide range of audiovisual materials, especially appropriate for basic-level language learners.

In summary, our experience creating AR-based audiovisual content for learning English has been very positive. The recordings were made with our mobile phones and the Snapchat app rapidly and efficiently, as we did not depend on specific equipment or software for recording or editing videos. In addition, we believe that using technology that students are familiar with and appreciate beyond the educational environment can boost their motivation and keep them engaged in a virtual learning environment.

Keywords:

Augmented Reality, ICT enhanced language teaching and learning.