Almost the end...: Webcast-ing!

Last week, we had a webcast exchange with a group of students from Middlebury College in Vermont, U.S.A, studying Italian. We all presented a PowerPoint work about a specific topic. Alice, Susanne and I chose to talk about fraternities and sororities organizations in North America and the Goliardia in Italy, while our classmates discussed about eating habits, national celebrations and immigration. On the contrary, the topics chosen by American students were all focused on how women and love are represented in Italian literature. The main aim of these presentations was to compare Italian and American cultures.

In a few words… it was a great experience! Thanks to webcast technology, we had the possibility to do a cultural exchange “in real time” with people on the other side of the Ocean and immediately comment on each presentation, either by means of the microphone or by chat.

What I really appreciated was the fact that the audience could intervene, comment on each presentation and ask questions. That way each student could give and receive feedback. It was not a ‘unilateral’ process in which one student talked and the others simply listened to him/her, but rather a 'multiple communication', an exchange with many ‘tentacles’, since everyone had the opportunity to talk and intervene.

I think that each of us contributed with his/her presentation to the construction of a wide interactive environment, where each piece of work was the fruit of the collaboration, co-operation and negotiation between students. In my opinion, what really mattered was the fact that everybody’s knowledge crossed the borders of their respective countries to create an ‘intersection of experiences’, a cross-cultural world.

Maria Chiara