As a continuation from my last post on microblogging, I've set out to test out the effectiveness of both tools. My goal is to figure out the best microblogging tool that I can incorporate in my future ESL classroom.
Layout- At first glance, I really like Twitter's simplicity with easy to understand layout. As for Plurk, it took me some time to get used to the timeline and it wasn't until I watched Mr. Peachey's video that I figured out how to drag the timeline and reply to other plurks. I also didn't understand the idea behind 'karma' whereas everything on Twitter was pretty self-explanatory.
Sharing - Unless I've missed something, I've realized that I could not share file, link or video using Twitter. On the other hand, Plurk allow users to share video, link and pictures whenever they're 'plurking' on their own site. What's more, Plurk will automatically changed the video or picture link to a thumbnail size so that other plurkers can have one-click access to them without having to leave the original site.
Privacy - I think both tools offer good privacy setting. Twitter has an option for taking the use off the 'Public Timeline' which basically means only your allowed users see your updates. Similarly, Plurk also allow users to choose who can search for him/her and who can see his/her updates. An additional plus for Plurk is that users can make one or some plurks private without actually changing the privacy setting for the entire profile.
Although I've just getting started with microblogging, I would choose to incorporate both tools in my classroom. I believe Twitter would serve as a great introduction to microblogging but I will slowly ease my students to using Plurk. I think with proper guidance and support, my students will benefit from both tools.
While in the midst of trying out my new Twitter and Plurk account, I can't seem to stop thinking about the different ways of utilizing microblogging in a ESL/EFL classroom. Since I am still new to this, I've decided to look for more information online.
While browsing around, I came across a very informational blog post by Mr. Nik Peachey. In his post, Mr. Peachey mentioned that he conducted a Twitter vs. Plurk competition. After 6 weeks of trying out the two microblogging tools, Mr. Peachey went on to crown Plurk as the winner between the two. He also provided a video clip to further explain the reason behind his decision. Additionally, Mr. Peachey suggested ways for ESL/EFL teachers to help their students by using Plurk. Some of the suggestions that I found useful were creating sentences for students to correct, sending out words and asking students for responds, sending images to students for description and also creating a collaborative story with students. I also like the fact that Mr. Peachey included suggestions for students to use Plurk as part of their learning process.
After reading Mr. Peachey's post, I have no doubt in my mind that using microblogging tool such as Plurk can definitely enhanced the language learning process for my ESL/EFL students. However, I think it's important to keep in mind some of the privacy/spam issues that Mr. Peachey's mentioned in his post when using microblogging tool. Nonetheless, I am glad to have read up on some interesting ways on using microblogging with my future ESL students.
When talking about the use of technology in the classroom, some of the things that comes to my mind are things such as computers or the overhead projector and etc. Although some schools might have more advanced technology or softwares such as the smartboard or inspiration, I think most American public schools will have at least one or two computers in each classroom.
As I was reading through some of the new RSS feeds that I've recently subscribed, I came across a very interesting edublog http://doug-johnson.squarespace.com/ by Doug Johnson. Mr. Johnson is the Director of Media and Technology for the Mankato Public Schools as well as an adjunct faculty member at the Minnesota State University. He has also published several books and conducted workshops on education and technology in many places. If you are interested to learn more about him, please visit his bio at http://www.doug-johnson.com/bio
In his recent post, Mr. Johnson mentioned an article from the Teachers Magazine titled The Case for PEDs. The author, Jennifer McDaniel, talked about the use of PEDs (personal electronic devices) in her classroom during students' independent study time. The article is directly related to a post Mr. Johnson has written in his blog back in 2005. The post has a rather long name but you can read it at http://snipurl.com/3tnpg [doug-johnson_squarespace_com]. In this post, Mr. Johnson mentioned the issue of schools or educators banning the use of mp3s or ipods because of various reasons. Mr. Johnson made a case to argue that if schools were to ban things such as ipods and mp3s, then they should probably also consider banning things such as pencils.
Though I can't speak for all the educators out there, I for one can say that I was taught in the 'papers and pencils' era and so I am still pretty uncomfortable with the idea of utilizing fancy technology during instructional time. However, as I began to explore and learn more, I also started realizing the benefits that these technology can bring to my students. Furthermore, the main idea behind technology is to save time and improve efficient so having them in the classroom can definitely help teachers and students to have more valuable "teaching/learning moments."
After reading George Siemens' learning theory on Connectivism, I've realized that one of the best way to practice that theory is by doing what we all do best, social-networking. I've found some social-networking websites that might be useful to ESL/EFL teachers and learners.
http://www.englishbaby.com/ English Baby! is a fun and useful networking site for those who wish to learn or improve their English language proficiency. The website also provide English lessons through videos or on-line postings. Members can also create their own lessons right on the site and post it for others to view. Members can create profiles and find friends from different parts of the world to chat or practice the language with. Signing up for this site is free though you get to enjoy more benefits by becoming a Super Member! I didn't really check to see how well monitored this website is in terms of contents so I'll definitely suggest introducing this to students with proper guidance.
http://eslresources.ning.com/ ESL/EFL Resources is another networking website I came across while browsing using www.ning.com. Although the site indicates only 4 members so far, I was drawn in by the amount of information and resources available on the home page of this site. I immediately became a member so that I can have access to materials such as game activities and many ESL/EFL internet links provided by the author. In order to access this site, you'll need to sign up to become a member.
Hope you find these useful and feel free to let me know of any current/active ESL/EFL social networking websites that you have come across.
After spending six years of elementary education in Malaysia, I've always believed that learners walked into a classroom as 'blank slates' with no experience or knowledge of their own. Because I was educated in a very traditional teacher-centered classroom environment, I really thought that was how education must/should be like no matter where I learn. Even as I was entering the teacher preparation program during my junior year in college, it was still very difficult for me to accept any other kind of educational philosophy or theory because that was the way I learned and I got through elementary, junior high, high school and college just fine.
That was me then.
In his article, Siemens stated that: Decision-making is itself a learning process. Choosing what to learn and the meaning
of incoming information is seen through the lens of a shifting reality. While there is a
right answer now, it may be wrong tomorrow due to alterations in the information
Today, I believe that a learner is like someone who's about to purchase something from a vending machine. This may sound like a weird analogy but I can't think of a better way to describe the decision-making process than referring to an action that many of us are very familiar with (especially if you're a student at University at Buffalo!).
Just as Siemens mentioned, learners do not automatically process all the information that they're exposed to. We, as learners, have a tendency to pick and choose what we want to absorb and construct our meaning using the new information we chose. Perhaps I should provide a scenario to help clarify what I mean:
Imagine yourself in a foreign country where there are a limitless number of vending machines available no matter which way you turned (i.e. Japan). Now, imagine that all the stores in that country have been replaced by these vending machines and there are no one around (you are alone in an isolated country operated only by machines). This means that your only way of obtaining any type of necessities such as food, clothing, toothbrush etc. would be through you purchasing something from the machines. Sounds easy enough right? Sure, but there's only one problem. What if all the machines are programmed in a foreign language? Also, you would need to know how much to put into the machine since they only take exact change. The only available resource you have is your laptop and a manual which gives you all of the information on the different types of vending machines.
As a learner, I'll need to decide on the type of new information I want/need to learn in order to solve the dilemma that I am currently facing. The incoming information that I am receiving are 1) the foreign language on the machine and 2) the different type of currency that I'm holding. Certainly, I'll only want to know/learn information about the language and currency from the manual or the web. Although interesting, I wouldn't have time to learn about how or when the machines were made or why aren't there anyone living in this country and etc. At the moment, I'll be too concern with getting what I need than learning about the history of the country. After successfully purchasing what I need for the day, I felt extremely relieved and satisfied that I've learned some new words and how to use the correct change. The next day, I found out that the words I learned yesterday did not correspond with those from a different machine. Thus, in accordance with Siemens' learning theory,a new learning process will begin with me choosing what I need to learn since the answer I received yesterday has been altered by today's new information climate.
My notion of learning as well as teaching has definitely changed throughout the years. I strongly agree with Siemens that decision-making is indeed a learning process. This might not be related to Siemens' theory but I once heard of a traditional custom (http://snipurl.com/3p3wo [abcnews_go_com] ) where even a baby was required to make a decision on the his/her first birthday. It was said that by the time the infant is able to open up his/her eyes, the parents would present him/her with various things (pen, calculator etc.) which would ultimately determine the child's career path for the future. This goes to show that decision-making (learning process) have begun even before we're consciously aware of it.
So, let's continue to make learning process meaningful and don't forget to have some fun while doing so! :)
I've mentioned in my previous post that I would try to incorporate topics about the American culture as part of my blog. In this post, I would like for us to discuss our views of the American culture.
For starters, I believe that one of the best way to learn more about a culture is by listening/watching the jokes that are made by a member of that culture. This may come off as a bit surprising to you but I believe that people often laugh at the jokes that comedians make because there are, for some odd reasons, some truths behind them. The following video that you are about to see is titled "American Culture." The comedian (Russell Peters) will be talking and making jokes about the American culture from his personal point of view.
Before you continue, please note that it is not my intention to offend anyone by showing this video. Thus, please watch the video with an open-mind and see if you can learn something new or even compare notes with what he had experienced and see how much of is true or not true. Read below for more questions and details about the video.
After you have finished watching the video, remember to discuss what you have seen with others by leaving a comment for this posting. Here are a few questions to help you get started: 1) What did you like/dislike the most about the video? Why/why not? 2) Do you agree/disagree with anything that Russell Peters said? Why/why not? 3) Have you learned anything new from the video? If yes, what is it? If not, what are some things that you find interesting and would like to know more about? 4) Have you shared any similar experience that Russell Peters had mentioned in the video? If yes, what are they? (This can be a funny experience from your own culture.)
*Here are some details about the video for those of you who might be interested or unfamiliar with some of the terminology he mentioned. All sources are taken from wikipedia.org*
Russell Peters - Russell Peters was born in Toronto and grew up in Brampton, Ontario in Canada. He is Indian. He has been nominated for four Gemini Awards,the Canadian television awards and for Best Male Comic at the Canadian Comedy Awards. Peters' comedy focuses largely around his Canadian upbringing and racial stereotypes, as he often parodies his parents and South Asian culture. Much of his material explores the cultural divides between many different ethnicities and upbringings in a way that includes many impressions.
chicken dance - The "Chicken Dance" song is accompanied by a dance requiring a group of people, and it goes as follows:
1. At the start of the music, shape a chicken beak with your hands. Open and close it four times, during the first four beats of the music. 2. Make chicken wings with your arms. Flap your wings four times, during the next four beats of the music. 3. Make a chicken's tail feathers with your arms and hands. Wiggle downwards during the next four beats of the music. 4. Clap four times during the next four beats of the music. 5. Repeat this process four times. 6. At the bridge, hold your arms straight, in imitation of an aeroplane. All dancers spin around the room in "flight" until the bridge ends. 7. The dance repeats, progressively getting faster and faster, until the music stops.
Macarena-"Macarena" is a Spanish song by Los del Río about a woman of the same name, or any woman from the La Macarena neighborhood of Seville. It was very successful between 1995 and 1997.The song became the second longest running #1 and best selling debut single of all time in the US.
YMCA - "Y.M.C.A." is a 1978 song by the Village People which became a hit in January 1979. The song reached #2 on the U.S. charts in early 1979 and reached No.1 in the UK around the same time, becoming the group's biggest hit ever.A popular dance in which the arms are used to spell out the four letters of the song's title may have much to do with this.
Learning a language is certainly an exciting experience and one of the best way to enhance that experience is by adding some humor into it. So, remember to always make the learning process meaningful and never forget to have fun while doing it! :)
Many educators have started to include the use of weblogs in order to enhance the language learning process. I just thought that I should clarify the top 3 purposes of my blog.
1. I will be posting links and interesting topics that I found periodically. I hope that they will provide assistance in your language learning journey. It'll be of great help to me and other readers if you can provide a review on the topics/links that you choose to look into. For instance, I would like to know if the website/topic has been useful to you and what you like/dislike about it. You can also provide suggestions or other links that you have come across.
2. Please know that although I am pursuing a degree in teaching TESOL, I am by no means a master or expert of the language. Just like some of you, English is not my native language so I will have many questions about the usage of the language. Thus, you will see me posting questions and I welcome you to comment on them. Similarly, I will be expecting you to post your questions about the language. You are also welcome to put in requests on a particular topic. For example, you can put "I'd like more information on the use of conjunctions" or something similar. I will try to answer any questions that you might have and if I find that I am unable to do so, I will try my best to search for any information regarding the topic.
3. Finally, I am a big fan of multiculturalism and I believe that a successful language learning process can only be achieved if we learn about the culture of that language as well. I hope to use this blog as a reflective/interactive space for all of us. Since we are focusing on learning English, I will be posting discussion topics related to the American culture/language. I look forward to hearing your opinions and thoughts about them. As always, I welcome your suggestions and comments on discussion topics that you would like to see posted.
Learning a new language takes work and practice but please remember that you don't have to do it alone and most of all, always remember to have lots of fun doing so! :)
