Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 145

International Conference on English Language Teaching (ICONELT 2017)

Vlog: the Mean to Improve Students’ Speaking

Ability
Izzah Maulidah
Language Center
Muhammadiyah University of Gresik
Gresik, Indonesia
[email protected]

Abstract - Technology and social media are great II. DISCUSSION

combination for English learning process since they provide a
chance to improve students’ ability in English. A lot of media Board of discussion will bring the reader to
can be used to facilitate it and one of them is vlog. It is the comprehend the concept of vlog and practical view to
mean to increase students’ speaking ability. This paper is implement it in the class. The more information related to it
aimed at exploring these three terms; a) Vlog and its tools, b)
will be elaborated as follows:
Vlogging stages, and c) Significances of it in improving
students’ speaking ability. By supporting Vlog with a
sophisticated vlogging stages and a proper scoring reflection as
A. Vlog
a feedback, it is expected to improve students’ speaking ability
in English. In this era, Computer Mediated Communication
(CMC) can be used to encourage students in obtaining the
Keywords—Technology; Social Media; Vlog; Students goal of learning that is “effective language learning”
speaking ability meaningfully [6]. One of the best feature from CMC is the
existence of web-blogging in which it provides the
I. INTRODUCTION application of vlog. The existence of it can facilitate
students to reach the goal of learning.
Nowadays, technology took a role as a mean of Vlog defines as the video component [7] that
learning English in which it is in the form of software or provides a series of online broadcasts [8] which is allowing
hardware. vlog is one of technology in software form which everyone to create and post content [9] and considers it as
is currently used by teacher to increase students’ video collections that serve both as an audiovisual life
performance, especially in speaking. Several studies have documentary and as a vehicle for communication. In
promoted the phenomena that vlog can effectively facilitate addition, reference [10] define it as a site in which authors
language teaching and learning [1], especially in terms of post stories and or information about certain topic in the
“learners’ language complexity, grammatical correctness, form of video. A vlog is a portmanteau of the words video
and fluency” [2]. However, the existence of vlog as one of and blog (blog stands for web and log).
latest technology is really expected to improve students’ When students have completed their videos, they
speaking ability in learning English. start to find a way to share them with the teacher and / or the
Dealing with this, there are some significances class. A number of websites could be considered to host the
fulfilled when vlog is implemented. First, it will build high videos. Those are YouTube.com, Facebook, MailVu.com,
self efficacy of students by having social media and Dropbox and another internet website.
technology in learning process. Several studies found that The most famous online video hosting site is
vlogging is an effective tool to develop teaching self- YouTube.com. Students are really familiar with it. It is
efficacy ([3]; [4]). Second, students of EFL will get semi- relatively easy activities in which students can make an
real activity in using English in which it is little bit limited. account and upload a video. Another video hosting option is
The last, the notion increases students’ English talk time Facebook. Some teachers might be worry about having
that is definitely expected to improve students’ speaking Facebook friends with students (also vice versa). Teachers
ability [5]. Those are some meanings of vlogging can create a private Facebook group for each class, so that
application. the class members can see the contents. Other options such
Regarding all the benefit of this notion, this study as MailVu.com, Dropbox and etc also have specific service
is aimed at providing a theoritical and library research on terms to provide vlogging.
how vlogging can be used as a mean to improve students’
speaking ability. The focuses are; a) terms of vlogging and B. Vlogging Stages
its practical tools, b) vlogging stages, and c) the
significances of it in improving students’ speaking ability. It Reference [10] claims there are several stages in Vlogging
will be described in the following discussion. activity which is found in his research. Every stages has

Copyright © 2018, the Authors. Published by Atlantis Press.

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 Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 145

their own purpose and certain lists of activity. This table picture, song, words or any others which can make the video
will summarize all the stages. become more interesting. Therefore, in this stage, they
really express their creativity and speaking ability.
Vlogging stages Activities
Conceptualizing 1. Planning what to say and how to say it 4) Monitoring
2. Coming up with an appropriate voice-
blog topic
3. Listening to others’ vlogs for ideas Both monitoring and articulation are seemingly
4. Consulting a dictionary or searching the done together. Before uploading the video, students need to
Internet check the content of the video, whether or not it is suitable
5. Note-taking and already covered the rubric score given by the teacher.
Brainstorming 1. Outlining main and supporting ideas
2. Translating from L1 to L2
When it is finished; uploading is done, students monitor the
3. Writing down a script before recording video again to check it.
Articulation 1. Rehearsing before recording
2. Recording voice blog and uploading it 5) Evaluating
after checking
Monitoring 1. Listening to the recorded file before
uploading it
In this stage, the students do activity as self-
2. Monitoring vlog entries in terms of correction related to their project. They may also ask their
content, organization, and language usage friends to give an opinion about it. If they found mistakes in
Evaluating 1. Evaluating vlog content, organization, terms of meaning, form or etc, they may redo a vlogging.
and language-usage
2. Redoing the vlogs
Table 1. Vlogging Stages
The framework of Vlogging can be visualized in
Figure 1. All stages including conceptualization; making
1) Conceptualizing plan, brainstorming; drilling and designing, articulation;
rehearsal and shooting, monitoring; checking, and
The first stage is conceptualizing in which it is involved evaluating; self-correction snd redoing. They are united in
in making plan of vlogs. Reference [10] in his research one activity namely vlogging.
found that the most difficult things faced by the students is
when they tried to decide a certain topic. Reference [5]
claims that it will be effective if the teacher provides several
topics or question as options for students before making
vlog. Some examples can be:

 Ageneral self-introduction
 A how-to demonstration of something the student
is good at or a meal he or she is skilled at preparing
 An interview (and simultaneous translation) of an
L1 friend or family member
 An introduction of a pet
 A trip to a favorite neighborhood place (if the Figure 1. Framework of Vlogging
student is using a smart phone or laptop)
 Anything related to content being discussed in Before coming up with the stages, teacher may also
class, or a reaction to assigned reading give the students a score reflection. It will measure the
proficiency area of vlog’s content. The criteria can be in the
2) Brainstorming form of questions which reflects students’ project as the
answer. [5] provides this as the example:
In Brainstorming stage, students begin to create the
concept of vlog; what they want to say in the video. They
make a script and translate it from host language (Bahasa
Indonesia) to target language (English). It is the continuity
of previous stage with practical result and it is guided by a
certain topic.

3) Articulation

In other words, we may call articulation as action

in which students do rehearsal before starting to shoot their
speaking activities. Somehow, it is possible to make editing
for the video before uploading. They may also insert a

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 Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 145

class process is also assessed in the rubric; interest and

motivation, evolution or progess, and participation.

C. The Significance(s) of Using Vlog in Students’

Speaking Improvement

Taking into account the process of vlogging, there

are some significances that can be obtained as the positive
impact of it. [10] claims several significances as impact of
vlogging. Those are;

1) Students’ Encouragement

Vlog will increase students’ encouragement in

speaking. The role of Vlog is also as social media
consumption that is really common used by students in their
Table 2. Example of Scoring Reflection
daily activity. They prefer to use it to express their ideas,
feelings and improvisation. Moreover, the easiness in
This reflection will help students to consider and
operating it also supports their willingness to use in their
pay attention to several aspects mentioned as criteria before
project, especially fulfilling speaking task. When students
creating a vlog. Teacher allows to modify it by providing
feel easy in finishing their project, automatically, they will
the level of capability and/or the proficiency. Other example
be also motivated. Vlog covers those two things.Thus, it has
of assessment rubric is designed by Moya. Here is the
significant impact in increasing students’ encouragement.
rubric:
2) Self Presentation

Vlogging has close relation with the use of social

media. It impacts pshycologically to students when they
prepare their performance. They will perform their best
presentation in their vlog. Consequently, the use of vlog
significantly improve students’ self presentation especially
in their speaking performance.

3) Talk More Time

EFL students have limited chance to express their

speaking performance. Students only practice their English
speaking in the class or special event that used English as
tool of communication. By providing vlog as one of
teaching media, students will get more chance to talk
outside the class. Vlogging force them to talk and tell their
ideas in English. As the result, their speaking ability will
increase gradually.

4) Autonomous Learning

Task based learning provides autonomousity for

students. Vlogging is also one of strategy in task based
learning. One of benefit in autonomous learning, students
will get their meaningfulness in their study. In addition, they
are free to manage their ideas related to their learning
Table 3. Assessment rubric process. Vlogging covers this condition and bring the
students in autonomous learning.
The rubric describes the levels of proficiency Vlogging is one innovation to provide a better
criteria; excellent, good, average, poor. The purpose of teaching learning process especially in speaking. The
confirming the rubric to sudents is in order to make them be corelation with technology and social media makes it really
motivated to create a good vlog covering those criteria. The fun to be implemented for students. Some modification in
focus of the rubric is in speaking skill, such as vlogging stages is possible for teacher. It depends on the
pronunciation, stress and intonation. Moreover, the value of condition of the class. Whether the possibility of

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 Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 145

difficultness in practical aspect could be there, but this .

notion is still good to be considered as teaching media.
Finally, vlogging will sophistically increase the ability of
students in speaking.

III. CONCLUSION

Finally, Vlog significantly improves students’

speaking ability. It can boost students’ encouragement by
providing fun and accesable learning process. In addition, it
promotes good presentation in students’ speaking
performance. They will be able to interact in authentic
environment to get a lot of exposure in speaking. In
addition, students get a chance to build up their autonomous
learning. Those several things bring students to enhance
their progress in speaking ability.
For further discussion, the role of vlogs as media of
teaching with its practical concept such approach used or
techniques implemented can be interesting. Others, content
analysis on vlog project result in terms of language used by
the students which errors or pattern may be found is also
brilliant. The discussion of vlogs is still warm and it has
wide room to debate in the way of process and its existence
as the media of learning.

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