THE USE OF SKYPE FOR SPEAKING CLASS ACTIVITY
FROM PEDAGOGICAL ASPECTS
Dian Kristyowati
Abstract
The use technology to communicate in the globalized world is widely spread now in teaching. Murphy, DePasquaale, and McNamar (2003) mentioned that by looking again the potential of using technology in the classroom, it will help many teachers to think again number of advantages when they use technology to support the learning process.This study describes the implementation of an interaction activity using Skype as the tool, which was conducted in an English course in Indonesia. The research conducted was observing EFL students during 2 Skype sessions, where the students implemented the lesson they have learned in class with the teacher and practiced it in the form of Skype activity in order to fulfill the assignment by the teacher. This study discusses more on the pedagogical aspects of the use Skype in the speaking class activity, which helps the students to develop the competence of English speaking. As Skype gives potential benefits to the process of learning language, it brings learning English become more interactive, personalized, and holistic (Roth, 2009).
Keywords: Skype, online learning, speaking, communicative activities
INTRODUCTION
Technology in today‟s classrooms and schools more becoming a common. Many schools have used technology as a learning tool for both students and teachers so that they
become more familiar and comfortable users. In a technological society, teachers provide
different kind of activities and assignments using computers in order to facilitate students
developing the necessary skills they need. Nowadays technology also takes an important role
to communicate in this globalized world where through technology people can interact with
other people around the world.
fulfill its benefit as a powerful tool in giving contribution to a learning process, teachers
should take this advantage to support their students through the effect use of technology in
their teaching practices. By using informational technologies in a Foreign Language classes,
it can enhance the opportunity for students to communicate in English in a social interaction,
motivate them, involvethem more in participation, and give the opportunity for higher quality
of language use (Verjano, 2013). Roth (2009) discerns three principles about education
through Plato‟s critique where first education must be interactive, personalized, and holistic.
This study describes the learning experience of EFL learners in using a synchronous
digital tool (Skype) in their learning. The description is based on the study conducted with an
EFL English classroom in Indonesia. The study investigated the pedagogical aspects of the
use of Skype in the speaking class activities.
Learning with technology
The important role of new technology for communication in the globalized world we
live in cannot be denied (Verjano, 2013). Technology is becoming more prevalent in today‟s schools and classrooms (Barber, 2005). When technology is used in the classroom teachers
are providing opportunities for their students to increase their knowledge of the different
types of technologies available to them and that it also has profoundly impacted literacy and
communication between people(Chantra, 2011).
Seeing the trend of technology use in many different aspects of life, Coburn (2010)
states that in the future, the trend of using technology to help developing learners' oral
proficiency is likely to accelerate. Related with this claim,Sherman (2003,p.2) mentions that
people spend more time with Audio-Visual media, video techniques, discourses, and clichés
are more familiar to them than the world of books and papers. Egbert (2005, p. 15) in his
such as the internet often requires an active participation of the students, and the use of
technology can be motivating and fun for the students to be involved more in the learning
process.
Richards (2005, p. 27) in his book about Communicative Language Teaching Today,
stated that computer networking also allows students to communicate and collaborate with
other fellow students around the world. Students could gather more real-world data, share
their ideas with learners or teachers beyond their school, and even publish their findings to
the world. From this experience, students‟ confidence increases as they rely less on their teacher and more on their own initiative for knowledge-creation. An important benefit of
using technology in the classroom is the medium that is potential to motivate children
(Murphy, DePasquale, and McNamara, 2003).
In this globalized world, technology is widely spread used, of everyday life, and has
become as a tool for educational aspects as well. The internet allows even children to find
and access important information and communicative to a real audience - the internet is thus
well suited for sustaining projects with a meaningful purpose (Field 2008, p. 89). Neither
language nor technology was treated as an end in itself; rather, both were seen as means
toward authentic and purposeful communication (Field 2008, p. 101). EFL teachers have
many opportunities to improve students‟ motivation through many different ways type of
activities in order to stimulate an active learning and give a leading dialog of the learning
process. Many studies have examined that “ videoconferencing as an approach to EFL instruction found that as a result of a series of videoconference instructional sessions,
motivation, confidence, and ability of the students correlated directly and confidence
Today‟s issue of the benefit in using technology in EFL instruction needs to be
considered and this study shows that well designed interaction via Internet videoconference
offers learners a usable, medium for real communication that builds the “habit” of using English regularly. Skype has many benefits including broadening communication skills (Amy
Chantra, 2011).As students experience one by one interaction actively, talking in the Skype
becomes an attractive activity for students for improving their speaking skills and ability to
deliver information in a unique way. Technology gives them a real world task through Skype
when students could meet other students from other places in the world easily through online
communication and broader their knowledge in a wider social interaction, especially in an
education set.
Evaluating technology in the language classroom
Plato (500 BC) proposed 3 pedagogical aspects in evaluating the implementation of
technology in learning. He mentioned that when using technology in education, it should
promote interactive, personalised, and holistic learning.Following Plato‟s critique of implementing technology, Roth (2009) adopted and implemented an online “courseware” system in communication studies and the results show how “it does offer instructors a way to
strengthen education, and to promote the interactive, personalized, and holistic form of
teaching and learning that Plato endorsed”. Beside the benefits proposed by Roth, other
studies have been conducted and reported that an appropriate communication-based
pedagogy using technology brings important benefits to language learning and enhance
language interaction(Wu, Yen, & Marek (2001); Tsukamoto, Nuspliger, & Senzaki,
2009;Verjano, 2013). From those views, this study is consistent with what Plato had
proposed in implementing of technology in learning that Roth (2009) also reported on his
Interactive Learning
Interactions are the dialectic method in action where learners are not passive
participants in the dialogue but actively encouraged to enter the discourse, always finding in
its new direction and ideas (Roth, 2009). Students became active respondents, as they most
likely to learn when they actually have a chance to behave or to visualize their thoughts
(Roth,2009). Through using technology for a classroom activity, it promotes interaction in
the teaching and learning process. Interaction happens among the students in the classroom,
also between students and the teacher.
Personalized Learning
When interaction finds its context, it is called as personalized learning. Students can
come up with their own ideas where they can be braver to take into action using the target
language. The opportunity for students to communicate in English without the interruption of
teachers‟ present or following the language functions can be built where technology is used in
a Foreign Language classes (Roth, 2009).
Holistic Learning
Holistic learning is about the activation of all senses. When it happens, students can
learn through a number of different sensory modes; from hearing, seeing, and touching.
When students involve all of senses, there will be more effective of the involvement of brain
that will stimulate the learning. Through social interactions on online learning,students can
learn from one to another, including concepts as observational learning, imitation, and
could gather more real-world data, share their ideas with learners or teachers beyond their
school, and even publish their findings to the world (Roth, 2009).
THE STUDY
Research Question
This study tried to answer the following research question: “What are the pedagogical aspects of the incorporation of Skype in the speaking classroom?”
Context of the Study
The research was conducted for speaking class activities in HOPE Course Salatiga.
This is an after school private course where the activities that students get are less stakes than
in the school context.Along with the regular class meetings, there were 2 meetings where the
teacher used Skype for the students‟ activity in communicating and exchanging information to one another. This was a one hour class meeting butthe Skype session was only held for 15
minutes for each meeting. The Skype activity was based on a topic about daily routines,
where the students needed to discuss with primary school students from Switzerland. The
Indonesian students were expected to complete a group assignment given by the teacher.The
students investigated what were the daily activities 0f the students from Switzerland. The
teacher also provided a list of questions for each student to ask and an answer sheet to write.
As the activity was done in the form of a group assignment, each student was expected to
give the same contribution in order to complete the task.
Participants
The speaking activities were implemented with 11 year-old group of 5 EFL students
and 1 English teacher from HOPE Course in Salatiga, and 5 Primary students and 1 teacher
students were only used to working with text-booksand not yet familiar with Skype,whereas
the Switzerland students were already familiar with Skype. All students used English as a
foreign language, except one girl from Switzerland whose mother-tongue was English.
Instrument of Data Collection
The instrument used in this research was observation. There were two sessions of
observations done to collect the data. I used event sampling protocol in those two meetings to
note down all the important occurrences during the Skype sessions. The two meetings were
also video-recorded. The videos were cross referenced during the data analysis
Procedure of Data Collection
To collect all the data needed, firstly the teacher from Schulanlage Stein School
Switzerland and the owner of HOPE Course Salatiga were contacted forpermission. Then the
dates and time for the Skype sessions were arranged. The students who were involved in the
Skype sessions were selected by their age and group class course by the teacher.All activities
were video-recorded and all relevant events were noted in the event sampling protocol form.
In this research, the data were collected in two meetings. In the meetings, the Indonesian
students used Skype to ask 10 questions about Switzerland students‟ daily routines. The
students were asked to write down the answers and make note of what questions given. The
teacher supervised the students during the conversations and helped the students when they
had difficulty.
Data Analysis
The data were analyzed using qualitative analysis (Creswell, 2007). The procedure of
two videos were transcribed. Second, the findings were categorized into the themes intended;
the interactive, personalized, and holistic aspects. Then the classified findings were analyzed
by interpreting the data with relevant literatures. The analysis of the finding would be
delivered by providing the description for according to each theme. For the last step, a
conclusion was provided from the analyzed findings.
FINDING AND DISCUSSION
In this section, the discussion is focused on the finding as part of the efforts to answer
the research question. The data were categorized into the pedagogical aspects consisted of the
interactive, personalized, and holistic learning.
Interactive Learning
In the case of Skype sessions, it was observed that in both types of students either
from HOPE English Course or Primary students from Schulanlage Stein School Switzerland
was participating in the Skype activity. The interaction between those peers became more
active when the students started to do the class assignment from the teacher by asking the
questions to the students from Switzerland. Even though not all the students bravely delivered
the questions but some students gave a try to communicate with the peers using the target
language. The students seemed to show their interested on getting to know the peers more
and from this session the interaction is built more well. Research by Tsukamoto, Nuspliger,
and Senzaki (2009) also supports that through Skype conferences students enjoyed speaking
with other students from different places.
I found out that the students implemented their interactions to the interlocutors by
(2011) reported that although Skype may have been a new technology for some of the
students, but during the observations he noticed that the students answered and asked
questions in more complete sentences and with more enthusiasm. Their interest can be seen
in the video recording when the students giving their attention by listening and watching the
video through the monitor. Once students hardly describe what their mean using the target
language, they visualized it.
Figure 1
Student 3 was gesturing a word ‘shooting’
From the figure 1 shows that student in a red circle made a clarification in order to make sure
what he heard is the word „shooting‟. He clarified what he heard by gesturing it with his hands to the camera. He didn‟t have to ask clarification to the teacher whether the teacher
was also there during the Skype activity. The teacher presents in the class did not let him to
depend on the teacher. From here video helps Indonesian student 3 to clarify or transfer
information to the Switzerland students to show his understanding.This shows how Skype
brings interactive learning where students are not passive but actively engaged in the
interaction during Skype sessions.
learning becomes increasingly authentic as it expands beyond the walls of the classroom, and
being able to the other side of the world can make learning come alive.On the first Skype
session, it was recorded that the interaction was dominated by the teacher, as the students did
not know the interlocutors yet. Although the teacher already provided 10 questions before the
class began for the students to ask, but only 2 students were actively made a tried to deliver
the questions. But on the second Skype session, the students looked more ready and involved
in the conversation. Once students were asked to introduce their name one by one, they were
bravely answered using the target language. Students took a turn telling their name in front of
the camera one by one. It was observed that when student 3 made a mistake on pronouncing
the word “what” in English, student 1 who sat next to was helping by making a correction.
Excerpt1 shows an example how Skype gives opportunity for students to also interact with
other students in the class.
Excerpt 1 Interaction between among students in correcting a mistake
Indonesian student 3: Wat wat (pronouncing the word „what‟ incorrect.) Indonesian student 1: What? (correcting Indonesian student 3)
By interacting with other students in their class, they can encourage one another. By giving
correction when the mistake was done, communication was built among the students in the
class in the unique way.
Personalized Learning
Verjano (2013) agreed that personalized learning promotes students experience the
real context of learning where they can use knowledge that they have into a real action of
practice. When technology is used in the classroom, teachers are providing opportunities for
recorded that students were able to transfer their thoughts by using the target language. The
interaction itself did not always follow the pattern of the questions that the teacher already
prepared for the class. Some students came up with their own questions especially when they
found some interesting things.
Excerpt 2 show Indonesian student 3 came up with his own question about hobby.
Excerpt 2 Asking Further Questions
Indonesian student 3: Hai Safri, What is your hobby?
Switzerland student: Shooting
Indonesian student 3: What are you shooting??
He asked more detail question related what kind of hobby that the Switzerland student
mentioned. When student 3 finally knew what it was, he continued with asking further
question about what he was shooting in the game. What the student asked was not the one
prepared by the teacher.This shows how Skype brings personalized learning where students
do not depend on their teacher or always following some questions that had been prepared by
the teacher, but they can be independent on practice using the target language. This gives
opportunity for the students to communicate using the target language without teacher‟s
interruption.
The following extract shows how Skype finds its context in a situation when one of
the students aware of a mistake he made and corrected it without teacher‟s interruption.
Excerpt 3 below illustrates how students had the opportunity to correct their own mistakes.
Excerpt 3 Correcting their own Mistake
Indonesian student 6: 7 o‟clock
Indonesian student 6: No, How long? (made a correction)
Indonesian student 6: About 1 kilometer.
Student 6 tried to correct himself of his understanding from the question given. First he
understood; when the school usually starts, but before the interlocutor clarified his answer, he
realized that he understood differently from what was actually asked. Student 6 directly
corrected himself by saying: “No” and then he continued answering the correct answer. From
here it is shown when interaction finds its context, student could aware on errors they made.
They do not only learn from the mistake they have made but they seem to force themselves to
correct it as they faced the real context of learning.
Holistic Learning
Chantra (2011) explained technology enhances students learning by motivating
students to learn and engaging them in diverse activities that integrate varieties of learning
styles. According to Verjano (2009) the dialectical method between those two types of
students, it requires the activation of all of the senses together in the same time and brought
the students to variation of different ways of learning; through listening and visual sense. By
hearing and sight experiences, from here it makes the learning more meaningful and become
more real for students as through seeing the visual and hearing voices, those can stimulate
students to produce speaking.Skype provides camera for them to see the visual aids; real
Figure 2Two students came forward to the camera
In the figure 2, two students with a white T-shirt looked interested with the objects that are
displayed on the screen in front of them; their sight sense isstimulated. Here, students could
see the expression of their interlocutors.
Their sense of hearing is also stimulated through the speaker provided in the Skype.
As in order to understand what the speaker said, they seem to have to force their hearing to
process and involve actively in the conversation.Skype supports students‟ listening skill as they could hear the interlocutor directly during the Skype sessions. A loud-speaker is
provided where the students could listen directly during the communication happen. In order
to reply the other students‟ question, the students also need to listen first what was being
asked to them. From the Figure 2 shows how students paid attention to the interlocutors when
they delivered a question to them. One of the students even came closer to the camera in
order to listen the question clearer.I found out that from all the senses that are stimulated in
Skype, it could promote real communication. It was recorded that the students faced the real
language when they listened and tried to communicate using the target language. When they
were asked what time usually they wake up in the morning, one of the students (Indonesian
Muslim. Although in the video recording shown that it was hard for him to explain what
Sholat is but he looked excited to explain it. The students could also share knowledge.
Another illustration of sharing knowledge is shown below in Excerpt 4.
Excerpt 4Exchanging one Another’s Language
Switzerland student: Can you say „Chuchichäschtli‟?
Indonesian student 1 and 3: What? (looking each other)
All Switzerland students: „Chuchichäschtli‟ (Laughing and pronounced the word.)
Indonesian teacher: What is „Chuchichäschtli‟?
Switzerland student: Cupboard
Indonesian teacher and student 3: Cupboard
Switzerland teacher: „Chuchichäschtli‟ is Swiss-Germanword for cupboard.
All Indonesian students: (Laughing)
Switzerland student: How do you say „how do you do „in Indonesia?
Indonesian student 2: How do you do in Indonesian? (looking each other; they looked
a little bit confused)
Indonesian student 1: How do you do in Indonesian?
Switzerland teacher: They would like to know how do you say „how are you‟ in Indonesian?
Indonesian student 2: Apa kabar. Can you repeat?
Indonesian student 3: Apa kabar, baik gitu. You baik.
From the Excerpt 4, I can see when one of the Switzerland students told the Indonesian
students the Swiss-German word for a „cupboard‟. The Indonesian students also taught the Switzerland students how to say how are in Indonesia language. From here, I found that
through social interactions on online learning, students can learn from one to another. It
allows them to interchange knowledge. From the example, we could see that students could
gather more real-world data and share their ideas with learners.
Discussion
The findings suggest that the used of Skype in language learning gives benefit in the
classroom, here in the context in a speaking class activity. The students could interact better
using the target language during the conversation occurred. Skype stimulates more than one
senses together in one class activity and makes it holistic learning where all senses are
stimulated together in the same time. Students could experience the real task of learning
while facing real objects from the video, listening directly the speaker, also speaking in the
target language without always following the questions provided from the teacher but they
came with their own ideas. They could learn in an interesting way by speaking to foreigners
directly without going to Switzerland.
From the three aspects that have been discussed before, it was found that the
interactive learning is more dominant than the other aspects where the interactions appeared
more often. It was recorded that only one student who was less active to involve in the
speaking activities but the rest of the students were actively communicating using the target
sometimes students came with their own questions or follow up questions but they often used
the list of questions provided from the teacher. Although they tried to come with their own
ideas to be asked but it was seen that sometimes it took a long time until they finally spoke it
out.
As the data has indicated, the presence of the Internet-based communication tool
created the potential for achieving the learning indicator that has been set by the teacher for
the students. Skype gives a purposeful and powerful way to be used in communicating the
target language to equip the students with the speaking competence. It was found that the
messages were intended to establish contact between the Indonesian students and the
interlocutors from Switzerland in On-line learning through Skype. The findings suggest that
one of the benefits that Skype brings into language classroom is the student‟s ability to face a real necessity to speak in the target language. Here digital tools can bring them into contact
with other students from the outside world. This means that the dynamics of the classroom
are complexly changed, as well as the type of interaction that takes place. Moreover, this
authenticity of communication situation in the classroom enhanced their interest; students
found a real goal to practice the target language. In order to make a balancing between the
three aspects, teacher could also have combine using the chat room provided in the Skype
where students could have space to type their ideas there. Teachers could also have changed
the activity into one by one Skype instead of in a group; this might help to cover all the
aspects together for each student as they need to practice using the target language one by
one. This is because the disadvantage of using Skype in a class where not all students wanted
to speak but choose to be listener than a speaker. This does not fulfil the learning objective of
CONCLUSION
This study aimed at investigating the pedagogical aspects of the use of Skype in the
speaking classroom. Looking at two meetings, the result of the study answered the research
question by analyzing three major aspects which occurred in the finding. Those pedagogical
aspects were interactive, personalized, and holistic learning.
The first finding which is interactive learning asserted that majority of the participants
actively using the target language in the conversation. Students had shown their enthusiasm
on asking and answering to and from the interlocutors. The interaction was not only done
between the Indonesian students and Switzerland students but also among other students in
the classroom. The personalized learning aspect was also found when students related the
knowledge when they were put in real context. Students‟ confidence increase as they rely less on their teacher and more on their own initiative for knowledge-creation. They became
independent learner where they do not always depend to the teacher‟s present in class; students could come up with their own questions. They became more creative as they
communicated with their own ideas. Student‟s interaction with Switzerland students helped
them to see the real world, the real language, and the real tasks where they could use the
target language directly.The last aspect was holistic learning. It was observed Skype
supported variation of different ways of learning where from Skype all senses could be
stimulated together in the same time. Students looked more interest on looking at the camera
then gave respond to the objects in front of them. It was recorded that sounds that produced
from the Skype gave stimulation and helped students to increase their sense of hearing.
Technology is widely opened to support teaching and learning process, activity should
can give potential benefits to the process of learning language where it brings learning
English become more interactive, personalized, and holistic. However, teachers could also
find out the use Skype not only for speaking in the classroom but to see it outside the
classroom set. In short, teachers should try to be positive and try to use Skype since it can be
a potential tool to help students to improve their communicative competences, especially
when the students could create their motivation on practicing what have been either taught in
the class orally.
As there are many factors which will make the differences in finding, the result of the
study cannot be generalized to all cases. For example, in a similar study conducted in
different settings, the result may be different because of the speaking classroom in HOPE
Course is different with students from other places. However, it is hoped that this study can
be used as references for the teacher when they want to look the pedagogical aspects in
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
During the process of writing this thesis, I have been encouraged and assisted by
many people who I might not be able to mention them all one by one. Without their support,
it would be impossible to complete this study. I would like to take this opportunity to express
my sincere gratitude to all of the following people for their boundless help.
First and foremost I want to thank my Almighty God for His blessing undeservingly
bestowed upon me. I can‟t thank enough for the bless He gave to me. Secondly, my sincere gratitude goes to my advisor, Pak Toar Y.G Sumakul, M.A, I feel particularly honored to
have such a warm-hearted and erudite advisor. Pak Toar has offered me great help from the
moment I began to prepare my study. His academic knowledge and scrupulous attitude has
not only assisted me in my thesis but also influenced me greatly in doing academic research.
Also my gratitude for my examiner, Bu Neny Isharyanti, for her help, correction, and also the
useful suggestion.
I would also like to express my profound thank for my fiance, Jonathan Langhardt
and my godfather, Theirry Barbe who gave big support to finish this thesis. Thank you so
much for your love and supporting me in many different ways.
My sincere gratitude goes to my family. For my father Sugiman and my mother,
Maria Karti, I really thank you for this. I knew when my dreams are come true it is based on
both of your prayers. For my sister and brother, Dina and Dani. Thank you for never tired in
keep giving me motivation to reach success.
Last but not least, for all of the teachers and staffs in ED. It was a great opportunity to
study in English Department SWCU and acquianted the best lecturers who had shared the
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