Michael BARR
About
Michael Barr was born in Austin, Texas. He lived, traveled, and studied internationally at a young age before graduating from the University of Texas at Austin. Michael began his studies on a scholarship in the field of aerospace engineering, but realized that his interest lay in the humanities, and graduated with a B.A. in History with a concentration in sciences. His teaching career started in a small private high school in Colorado, USA, and at the age of 27 he traveled to Japan to pursue a position in teacher training and curriculum development. Twenty years later, after graduate work in the field of Applied Linguistics and a wide range of personal and professional research, he is currently interested in inter-institutional research and collaboration, particularly exploring the use of new learning technologies.Sessions
Presentation Combining Analog and Digital Approaches to Student Collaborations more
This presentation describes findings from a study that integrated analog and digital tools in collaborative projects among university student groups in an intra-institutional setting. The research explores how combining instant photography and AI-supported communication analysis can enhance student engagement and collaboration across institutions and cultures. Relying solely on digital platforms can feel impersonal or isolating for students. To foster deeper connections, participants used Kodak Mini Shot 3 instant film cameras to capture scenes from their university life both on and off campus. These physical photographs served as prompts for creating captions, audio recordings, and posters, adding a tangible, human element to group exchanges beyond the classroom. The digital component used ChatGPT to analyze a large digital archive of student-created content. This analysis revealed participation patterns, communication trends, common linguistic errors, and student preferences. These insights helped instructors better understand student communication styles and offered both targeted feedback as well as relevant teaching content. Findings suggest that physical media can strengthen interpersonal connection in digital learning environments, while AI tools provide scalable methods for supporting and evaluating collaboration. This multimodal approach offers practical insights and methodology for educators designing intercultural learning experiences that are both data-informed and personally meaningful.
