Page 167 - BLENDED LEARNING

A description of the blend/materials/software used
I blended an established face-to-face class based on the coursebook Business
Benchmark (Whitby 2009) with online learning via the creation of a wiki on ‘PBWorks’.
This was simple to achieve by following the instructions on the PBWorks website to
create and name a wiki. It did not require any programming skills or knowledge as the
software includes all of the design features. I invited the students to join by adding
their email addresses to the wiki which sends out email invitations, including a link to
create individual passwords for the site. A learner without an email address was given
a username. The site was private and learners created their own passwords so only
this group could see or edit the content of this wiki. Each learner had writer status so
could immediately add or modify content from any internet connection which meant
that the site could grow with their interests.

The online wiki provided the freedom to enhance student opportunities for learning,
both in and outside the classroom. It meant more authentic materials could be shared
plus it allowed asynchronous interactions between users, which all students could
learn from.

The wiki
The ‘front page’ included a short video of the class saying ‘hello’ which we made
in class using a flip camera so the learners would feel welcome.
I asked the learners to post a photo of themselves along with an introduction.
This initial activity was not done in class but it built student confidence with the
technology. It was useful as an initial step in the eventual formation of an online
community where participants asked for and gave advice or made comments on the
page (see Figure 1). Participants could learn from their mistakes and share those
experiences because wiki is easy to add to and edit like ‘Word’. This activity created
a real need to communicate in English and six learners succeeded in attaching their
photographs and introductions.

Figure 1: Student comments on initial activity

164 | Using a wiki to enhance the learning experience on a business English course Using a wiki to enhance the learning experience on a business English course | 165