Abstract:

More and more meetings and presentations are being shared using webcam communication formats such as Skype and G-chat. Anyone who has ever participated in these kinds of meetings has realized that this format can require a very different communication skill set. How can this format be prepared for and even utilized in the classroom? Using online software students can make slideshow presentations that can then be uploaded to a second online program to record video of themselves presenting alongside their slideshow. The whole process is done online with free software so all the students need is a computer that has internet access and a camera or webcam. This format was tested in a college EFL anthropology classroom in Japan as a case study, but the possibilities for this process can cross over to any subject and level. The prerecorded process has the potential to benefit students and call upon a new skill set of online communication that is becoming more and more common. One of the benefits for students is the autonomous error correction that is allowed to them through multiple takes of their presentation. Live presentations tend to have a tournament style production, as the students prepares for a one time take. Even if the student is allowed to do the presentation multiple times in a row they do not get to see their performance. The prerecorded format allows students to do as many takes as they feel necessary; allowing them to focus on particular parts of speech in their presentations. This format also allows time saving and promotes media and computer literacy that students can utilize outside the classroom. A second component of the prerecorded presentation design is the forum in which feedback is shared. Peers can watch the presentation and send feedback on specific elements that the presenting student has chosen to be commented on. The online nature of this tool opens up the possibility for peers from distance geographical locations to interact. I am excited to share the prerecorded presentation research and process as a tool to be used for all facets and levels of education.

Keywords:

Prerecorded, presentations, EFL, feedback, on-line software, student interaction, autonomous learning, distance learning.