The Centre for Study of Foreign Languages (CSFL), and E-Learning Centre, University of Hyderabad has conducted One-Day National Seminar cum workshop on “Usage of Web 2.0 tools in foreign languages” on 9th October 2018. This seminar cum workshop focused on the usage of some of the available Web 2.0 tools for teaching and learning of foreign languages. During the workshop, the participants were trained to apply some of these Web 2.0 tools to different foreign languages. The challenge for using Web 2.0 tools in language pedagogy lies in the fact that the educational settings in semi urban and rural India still have traditional approach to teaching. One of the most significant that research in this field has revealed that there is a fundamental conflict between the nature of the Web 2.0 technologies and traditional educational practices of language pedagogy. Such seminar is first of its kind in India.
The workshop was attended by the scholars in foreign languages from different parts of the country. Welcoming the participants, Prof. J. Prabhakar Rao, Director, e-Learning Centre and Head, Centre for Study of foreign languages, highlighted the paradigm shift from traditional mode of pedagogy to e-pedagogy. Prof. Arun Agarwal, Pro-Vice Chancellor-I, University of Hyderabad, gave the inaugural address and highlighted the significance of Web 2.0 tools in imparting education. Prof. Pingali Sailja, Dean, School of Humanities presided over the inaugural address and she talked about the activities of the school. Prof. Rajiv Saxena, Chairperson, CSPILAS from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi gave the Keynote address on “Web 2.0 and future frontiers” and Mr. K Laxmi Sekhar, Goethe Centrum, Hyderabad gave a special lecture on “Web 2.0 Tools in teaching, learning and testing FL” and conducted the workshop. The inaugural session concluded with Vote of Thanks proposed by Ranjeeva Ranjan, CSFL, University of Hyderabad.
The workshop was attended by the scholars from different foreign languages across the country. There were two paper presentations also.
In the wrap up session, after detailed and long deliberations, the following recommendations were made by the participants of the workshop:
1. To form a consortium for developing Web 2.0m tools in foreign as well as Indian languages.
2. Create own WEB2.0 tools suitable for Indian context.
3. Updating the skills and preparing the interested into the next level of tools.
4. Create online language courses using the WEB2.0 tools.
5. A collaborative approach for designing web 2.0 tools in foreign languages in Indian context.
-By Prof. J. Prabhakara Rao, Director, e-Learning Centre, University of Hyderabad