Innovation in Language Learning

Virtual Intercultural Exchanges (VIE) in language learning has increased in numbers in recent years in México and the United States. Experience has shown that telecollaboration has a liquid structure that allows it to shape according to needs and contexts around the world. This paper is based on experience and research, and it presents and evaluates different ways in which telecollaboration can be implemented in high schools and universities. The goal is to provide a tool that can be used: 1)to train faculty and administrators to start a telecollaboration program, 2)to suggest ways to incorporate telecollaboration in the curriculum, and 3)to provide a reference for starting and organizing telecollaboration sessions. The authors propose a taxonomy that can be used as a reference to help faculty members decide the VIE that better suits their context and students, or create a new type by combining each telecollaboration style. The criteria for this taxonomy are: students interaction, levels of autonomy, communication tools used, modality context, and goals. The information is based on more than six years of experience and theoretical approaches proposed by Robert O’Dowd, Klaus Schwienhorst, and João Telles.

Virtual Intercultural Exchanges are a powerful resource to develop intercultural competence and autonomy, besides vocabulary and fluency in language. However, it is easy to see this activity as a way to make friends or mere practice. It is important to sensitize faculty and participants before starting any type of VIE.