Asychronous Communication

Asynchronous Communication Activities

These actvities are designed to be carried out through asynchronous communication tools (usually email or online discussion boards, etc.). They are descriptions only, and can be tailored for many different levels, languages and topics.

Exchange | Survey | Chain Letter | Interview

Back to activties page

Exchange program

Work with another class or school to set up a pen-pal or key-pal exchange system. Students are responsible for writing messages to their key-pal on a pre-established regular basis. The instructors may provide guided topics or may leave them up to the students, depending on the age and linguistic ability of the class. At the end of the semester, students should be asked to generate a summary or other similar culminating activity. Before beginning the activity, decide how you will evaluate the activity, especially keeping in mind the fact that the key-pals may not always continue their end of the assignment.

Survey

Assign students a specific topic on which they are to gather information or a specific question to answer, such as “What are the favorite pastimes of people your age in the [target-language]-speaking world?” Students then search for (or are given, depending on the age and sophistication of the learners) bulletin boards, e-mail lists, or e-mail addresses of people who might be able to answer this question. In small groups, they create a survey/questionnaire that they send to these people, asking them to answer and post/send back the information. Students compile the information they received and report back to the class.

Chain letter

Students write an e-mail message to one person, asking a cultural question, such as “What are the stereotypes typically associated with your culture?” The recipient is asked to type an answer to the question and then forward the message to another native speaker, who is asked to do the same. (Determine beforehand how many recipients should respond before it is sent back to the original sender. Also a good idea: include the original sender in a cc of all messages, in case it gets lost somewhere along the way.). Students can then compare and contrast the information they received, search for variables (age, location, gender, etc.) in their answers, and prepare a report for the class.

Interviews

Students can act as reporters and prepare questions about cultural topics and write an e-mail to people in a target country asking them to share their viewpoints. (Example: A French chef or restaurant owner when studying a unit on food). Students can publish their work in a class newsletter or on the Web.