Keynote: non-native English speaking k12 students using MOOCs #MOOC #digitalskills

In January I had the pleasure of being invited to the Institute of Technology in Sligo, Ireland to share my findings on a project which involves high school students using MOOC to increase their digital skills, as well as their practical language skills. This is a project which is running until June 2016, and which spans one academic year. The students are 16 - 17 year olds, and I have been given updates on the project as it evolves. But thanks to the wonderful people at ITSligo, I can also share the keynote on this ongoing project.

In the meantime I did interviews with the students at mid-course. The students have now completed their Group MOOC (having gone through a MOOC they choose in groups of 2 or 3), and are ready to commence the MOOC of their own choice, and engage in it autonomously. The outcomes keep surprising me, as the students clearly pick-up digital skills, increase their digital literacies as they use and take in different media types, and all of this in a non-native language. But  more on the project later. Here is the keynote speech, with slides, and some Q/A.