Presentations with WEBCAST

Hi everybody!

Last week we had a new surprise..we tried a new way of communication: WEBCAST!

But what is exactly a webcast?

Basically,it is an online presentation but the extraordinary fact is that people giving the presentations can share this moment with other people from all over the world!
In our case with an Advanced Level class of Italian Literature at Middlebury College ,in Vermont.
Thanks to webcast, they can hear our voice and see our presentation slides on their computer screen. Moreover, the audience can make their comments or ask questions, using a chat.
So..We had the great opportunity of receiving an immediate feedback from our American listeners!

The themes of our group presentations were general comparisons between Italy and USA about some cultural aspects (eating habits, national celebrations, immigration, university system,Fraternities and Sororities) while they gave their presenations in Italian on how women are presented in Italian literature and different representations of love.
It was a wonderful experience but I have to say that my group was the first to talk and we were very very nervous!
It was also very stimulating the fact that we were in contact with the American students and that they continously ask questions and comment on our work!
I really found great satisfaction in doing it..
I have to say that I also appreciated the presentations of Middlebury College ; some of them were very interesting and ingenious! and, above all, it was nice to hear people from a different country and culture who tried to explain, understand and compare some aspects of your cultural legacy!

University of Padua/Middlebury College webcasts


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Video Exchange!

Hello people!

On Monday 16 we had our last exchange with the students from Tulane and there was a SURPRISE..!
It was not a Skype Exchange but a video Xchange!
So , thanks to a camera we saw our peers in the USA .

At the beginning obviously it was quite embarassing and none of us wanted to start the conversation but little by little...
We introduced ourselves and asked them some questions about the subjects of our final presentations (my topic is national celebrations in the USA and in Italy) . After we also talked about what happened at Virginia Tech Institute the week before...
Finally we just talked about our final impressions related to the Skype experience. Some of our peers were very funny and we had great time listening to them.

As I said before, at the beginning we all were quite "shy" because the VISUAL contact was completely different from the simple aural contact with Skype..in a certain sense you feel more exposed..

As regards the language, I have to say that sometimes I have difficulties to understand completely what our American peers were saying. Some of them talked too fast and low.

Generally speaking ,it was surely a positive experience and I would say the right end of our online exchange with the students on the other side of the ocean.

Sometimes, it's amazing what technology makes possible!

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