Vlogging in Toronto: learning Finnish through collaborative encounters

Abstract

This case study is excerpted from a larger study where we explore collaborative encounters, i.e. practices and discourses, within a blended learning project where vlogging, i.e. video blogging, is used in Finnish language learning. The data has been collected in 2017-2018 during an intermediate Finnish course at the University of Toronto. In this paper, we investigate one student assignment and analyse what kind of collaborative encounters the use of vlogging creates outside the classroom. We analyse the discourse within the vlog with the support from ethnographically collected data (semi-structured interviews and written reflections). This study shows that vlogging implements the adoption of different collaborative encounters; a free time activity with friends creates a space for authentic and collaborative language learning.