61 use the space, our after-event cleanup was still in progress. In hindsight, a bigger venue available for a bit more time would have been a better choice. I also observed that, in some groups, one partner deferred to the other when it came to talking with visitors. I mark that down to different personalities. It would be better to assign each partner a role – perhaps one talking about the history of their organization, the other about how to get involved today, as a way to ensure more equal participation. It was a really heady thing – task-based experiential learning at its best. I had wanted to see if the class could make it happen. They totally exceeded my expectations. Technology Standards and Performance Indicators Paul’s Community Fair exercise for students at CLB levels 3, 4, and 5 demonstrated in a number of ways how NSL’s standards for technology-enhanced language teaching and learning can be incorporated into ESL instruction. Standard 2: Tools and digital resources. • The exercise required students to make extensive use of digital skills they had learned earlier in their language studies, such as how to conduct online research, post and download artifacts from the Avenue.ca eLearning platform, reach out to others using email, and prepare illustrated documents using word-processing software. • Within the framework of a 30-week LINC program, the three-week Community Fair exercise made use of in-person, online, and computer lab instructional modes, taking advantage of the strengths of each modality to deliver an effective blended learning experience. • The Avenue.ca eLearning platform was used to make course documents, supplemental learning materials, publications, and a selected bibliography available to students. It was also used to archive artifacts for each student’s ePortfolio. • During the exercise, Paul introduced technologies that most students had not encountered before, such as the BigBlueButton video meeting platform, and the Moodle Choice activity used to create item selection lists. Standard 4: Digital literacy and digital citizenship for yourself and your learners. • An important dimension of the Community Fair exercise was ensuring that all class members had the technology skills to meet exercise objectives. For students who did not have the requisite digital skills, Paul modelled the practices in class, encouraged students who had strong digital skills to help those who did not, and assigned online tutorials and practice sessions to help students acquire and polish specific skills. Standard 5: Using technology to help all learners thrive. • From a student perspective, the Community Fair project provided an opportunity for collaborative, task-based experiential learning. Once they understood the objectives of the exercise, each team worked autonomously – with help from Paul and fellow students only when required – to develop the required digital skills, identify and approach a suitable organization, gather information, capture it in a handout, and present it to others during the Fair. CC-BY-NC-SA 2025 New Language Solutions Avenue Instructor Standards for Technology-Enhanced Language Learning, version 1.2
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