Online Whiteboard Tool for Team Collaboration in the Foreign Language Classroom Via E-learning

Abstract

The purpose of the research. The study focuses on the analysis and feasibility of online whiteboard web-based applications used as multimedia educational tool for collaborative learning and group activities implemented in foreign language training at the university via e-learning. The research is relevant due to the didactic challenges and methodological limitations associated with the general transition of Russian institutions of higher education into e-learning format. Materials and methods. The author considers various specific didactic requirements and criteria defining the selection of learning tools and resources for collaboration of students. The study is based on the analysis of scientific theoretical and methodological papers devoted to the issues of team work format and tutorial peculiarities at the university. Special attention is paid to the specifics of collaborative learning and group activities review while teaching the discipline “Foreign language” at the University. The next stage of the research included the study of the functionality of existing web applications of the online whiteboard in order to determine the benefits of using and options for using the tool in question to provide visibility, interactivity and organization of the group form of students’ work in a practical lesson in a foreign language in e-learning. Results. The results of the study have been obtained upon testing the features of Linoit web-based application as an example of online whiteboard software in educational process at Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU) Branch in Sevastopol. Linoit was used as the additional learning tool for managing group activities in foreign language classes via e-learning. University courses have been delivered online through the official website of distant learning at MSU Branch in Sevastopol (https://distant.sev.msu.ru/). Various functionalities of the Linoit tool were tested in the format of joint work of students in the process of conducting practical classes during the organization of e-learning with the use of distance learning technologies for students of 1-4 years of study areas 46.03.01 “History”, 01.03.02 “Applied Mathematics and Informatics”. Based on the results of pedagogical observation and testing of the technical capabilities of the online whiteboard, the paper presents variations in the use of the resource for the implementation of group activities at different stages of a practical lesson in a foreign language. Examples of learning activities that can be completed using the online whiteboard are presented. Conclusion. Using an online whiteboard solves the problem of providing visibility, interactivity, availability of quick feedback, as well as organizing work in a single web space. The online whiteboard is a multifunctional learning tool. First of all, the resource provides visual contact for all members of the group. The online whiteboard can be viewed as an effective tool for joint study and project activities of students thanks to the functions of sharing files of different types (multimedia objects) and the option of co-editing materials. The presence of an online board greatly facilitates the procedure for carrying out control stages, as well as mutual verification. The use of the resource contributes to the development of students’ creative abilities, the formation of universal and professional competencies in a practical lesson in a foreign language in the context of e-learning.