Digilanguages.ie: An OER portal for language learners

This practice exchange will present the Digilanguages portal. This OER has been developed over the past 18 months as a collaborative National Forum for Teaching and Learning-funded project linking six Irish third level... [ view full abstract ]

This practice exchange will present the Digilanguages portal. This OER has been developed over the past 18 months as a collaborative National Forum for Teaching and Learning-funded project linking six Irish third level institutions.

The National Skills Bulletin (2015) highlighted the need for increased language skills among graduates, coupled with transferable employment skills. The broader skills gaps included digital literacies. This present project seeks to link these in an effort to enhance both language and digital literacy skills.

The growth of Web 2.0 has opened opportunities for both learners and the opportunity for input and output beyond the language classroom. However, a survey undertaken as part of this project showed that students and lecturers lacked the high level digital literacy and adaptive skills needed to maximise their use of these dynamic language learning contexts. During the project, various workshops with students, trainee teachers and lecturers took place to reflect on the affordances and challenges presented by this rapidly-changing learning landscape. The portal developed over 600 hours of activities. These activities span six languages (Irish, English as a second language, French, German, Italian and Spanish) three thematic areas (Language Skills and Practices, Transitions and Contexts, Digital Literacies) and include independent learning activities for students, classroom activities and cpd material for lecturers. The site has a holistic design configured around cognitive, metacognitive and practical concepts rather than by language. This practice exchange will provide a very brief overview of the work of the Digilanguages project over the last year and a half, and the opportunities that the Digilanguages portal presents for language learners and lecturers.