O n f e r e n c e

Short paper 
Introduction 
With the advancement of information technology and of Web 2.0, audio-visual content is 
increasingly being used in second language teaching practice to enhance language 
learning and to provide examples of authentic language use. Being a ‘
multi-sensory and 
largely entertaining medium’ (Neuman & Koski
nen 1992), video material increases 
learners’ motivation and interest in the learning material (Canning
-Wilson 2000, Herron 
et al. 1995, Sydorenko 2010, Shrosebee 2008). Studies have also shown that videos 
have a positive effect on (listening) comprehension (Canning-Wilson 2000, Herron et al. 
1995, Secules et al. 1992, Weyers 1999) and even on learners’ language production 
(Weyers 1999). Despite this increasing interest in authentic language use and the vast 
growth of online accessible video content, there is still need for a more systematic 
embedding of video content as part of a blended learning program in language teaching 
practice.
In recent years, there have been several initiatives that were oriented towards facilitating 
the pedagogic exploitation of video content in a blended learning context, with a specific 
focus on the corpus-based analysis of language. The most notable examples are Sacodeyl 
and Backbone, two European projects that aimed at the development of a pedagogically 
annotated online spoken youth language corpus together with pedagogical tools for 
corpus annotation, enrichment and search. A similar initiative is ELISA, a small video 
corpus of professional English, which provides learners with a concordance tool and a 
fixed set of conventional exercises linked to the video content to complement the 
traditional forms of learning (Braun 2009). Annotations in these contexts are created 
primarily to enable the language learner to retrieve and compare language data. 
However, with their main focus on the data retrieval and the creation of genre- (or 
language-) specific video corpora, such initiatives have a limited potential for didactic 
expandability.
Therefore, the aim of the VIDEO.DE project was to create an online annotation tool which 
allows for a wide employability of streaming video content in academic language 
programs at the KU Leuven (Belgium). The main objectives were defined as follows: (a) 
allow for the multiple usability of audio-visual content (
multitasking
), (b) promote self-
activation and involvement of the student (
interactivity
) and (c) enable didactic extension 
to other language programs and trainings (
expandability
).
Going beyond conventional methods of ‘data
-
driven learning’, the project presents a 
novel approach that stimulates language learners to actively engage with multimedia 
content through new work forms (annotating) and evaluation types (such as peer-
assessment). The didactic potential of this approach is tested in a pilot study for German 
language education across different partner institutions of the Association KU Leuven. 

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-344- 
2014 CALL Conference 
LINGUAPOLIS
www.antwerpcall.be 
The paper is organized as follows: in section 2 we give an overview of the design 
principles of the VIDEO.DE application and of some challenges we encountered during the 
tool development.
We then present the annotation tool and discuss different aspects of the annotation 
process. Section 3 provides a usage study together with some reflections on the 
integration and evaluation of the annotation tool as part of a blended learning program.