What is my thought on Graham Stanley's Language Learning and Web 2.0 Technologies?

I've finally did it! I recorded my First Podcast after watching Graham Stanley's video podcast. It took many attempts but I am pretty satisfied with the final product. I had a great time recording the podcast and can't wait to try it out in my classroom.

On another note, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank a great professor of mine, Dr. Maryanne Burgos. I had a wonderful time completing my first online course with her and I felt so fortunate to be given an opportunity to learn so much about Web 2.0. I strongly recommend any of you who are interested in learning about Using Internet in L2 Classroom to sign-up for her class at University at Buffalo. Since it is an online course, you don't actually have to be in Buffalo to take this wonderful course!

Here's a list on what I've learned from the course:

Delicious - http://delicious.com/Miss_Lee

RSS Feeds - http://www.bloglines.com/public/misslee

Microblogging - http://twitter.com/missalee and http://www.plurk.com/user/missalee

Wiki - http://docs.google.com/Present?docid=djvzr7r_3hbp985g2

Pocast - http://www.clickcaster.com/misslee

Until next time...

Why is podcast useful in language learning?

The are many benefits in utilizing podcasts as a language learning tool. With so many different podcasts out there, learners can listen and choose the ones that they like before downloading them into their portable listening devices. Additionally, many of the podcast websites provide free language lessons for learners on a daily basis. With podcasts, learners can have exposure to authentic English lessons/conversations while they're on the go.

One of the podcast directories that I like is called ESL Podcast. It is hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan, a university professor in California and Arizona. He has taught English as a Second Language for many years both in the United States as well as in other countries. I particularly value the fact that all of the podcasts are recorded using native speakers. Furthermore, ESL Podcast divide each podcast into 2 sections. The first section contains a brief discussion or dialogues of the topic and the second section includes an explanation of the vocabulary and expressions used by the speakers.

Since ESL Podcast is developed with intermediate or advanced speakers of English in mind, I plan to utilize it as form of extensive listening tool. To me, extensive listening focuses on exposing students with numerous amount of resources so that they can develop a habit of becoming active listener or in this case, active language learner once they're outside of the classroom. Podcasts will not only provide my students with plenty of exposure to authentic American English conversations/lessons, they will also be learning about current events/issues that are happening in America. For example, one of the topics that I found in ESL Podcast was on internet dating. This type of topic will surely appeal to my future students since I plan to teach adult ESL learners. There are also other interesting topics such as playing a practical joke or dining in a restaurant. In order to maximize learning, I will also ask my students to jot down questions, comments or feelings on their 'listening journal' during or after listening to a podcast.

Until next time...

What is Global Cooperation?

I think one can assume from the term 'Global Cooperation' that it's probably referring to the idea of working collaboratively on projects. I've experienced working with others through wiki so I wasn't sure if global cooperation would be something different. In order to find out more about global cooperation websites, I've decided to focus on two sites in particular, The Global Schoolhouse and KidLink. My goal in exploring these two sites is 1) find out how they can benefit my students and 2) compare and contrast their features.

The Global Schoolhouse (GSN)

• Doors to Diplomacy - a program sponsored by U.S. Department of State to help encourage middle and high schoolers to submit web-based projects that can help promote and educate students from other countries about U.S. international affairs and diplomacy.
• International CyberFair- is a White House-endorsed, award winning and authentic learning program available to schools and youth organizations all around the world. Students and youth groups are encouraged to become community ambassadors by conducting their own research and publish their findings online. Through a unique evaluation tool, students will choose the best projects in each of the eight categories.
  
• Online Expeditions - gives students an opportunity to interact and learn about exciting adventures by asking questions, doing research or look for facts. The expeditions connect students to various subjects such as geography, mathematics, history or language arts.


• Competitions - aside from International CyberFair and Doors to Diplomacy, GSN also offers competition such as ThinkQuest sponsored by Oracle Education Foundation for students and teachers to produce unique project-based for fellow others across the globe. Teachers can compete in Online Learning Award (OLA) sponsored by International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). OLA is designed to recognize teachers from worldwide who have provided innovative ways of incorporating online networks to provide exciting learning experiences to students from K-16.


• Membership - no fee sign-up for teachers or anyone interested in joining. Members can also choose to pledge their support to GSN and enjoy extra benefits by contributing a $45.00 fee.


• Layout - very easy to understand and simple layout. Take a Tour is really helpful in providing step-by-step instruction for newcomers or anyone looking for more information.


• Privacy - GNS requires email verification when signing up in order to prevent spammers. A staff member is responsible for reviewing all registrations and GNS is committed to never share or reveal any of their members' information.

KidLink

• Layout- very colorful and captivating especially for younger learners. KidLink is also translated into more than 19 languages.

• Workshop - KidLink offers workshop for teachers who might be unfamiliar with using internet as part of their classroom activities. It also include hands-on training curriculum ideas for teachers.
• Membership - free and all students are required to register (regardless of age) in order to participate or join KidLink.
• Projects - KidLink includes a Kidproj Multi section that invite participation in all languages. All of the students' work can be read in English and in other languages as well. Students can choose to participate in any topics by submitting their ideas. Students can also invite each other to chat in a room.
• Privacy - KidLink divided the registration into 2 parts, registration for children under the age of 16 or as a student and registration for adults. All registrations will be reviewed by staffs.

GNS vs. KidLink


I think both sites contain valuable information for teachers, students and parents. GNS' target audience is for middle to high schooler and KidLink is more user-friendly for younger age groups. Unlike KidLink, GNS offers a lot more projects and competitions for students, youth groups and teachers. However, GNS is only available in English whereas KidLink can be translated into more than 19 languages. KidLink's layout includes a lot of children's artwork from all over the globe. As for GNS, their layout include a lot of information and is designed in a very organized manner.

In my future classroom, I would like to try and incorporate both websites when working on a global cooperation project. Because KidLink is designed with younger learners in mind, I will use it as an introductory tool for my future ESL students. Once I have familiarize my students with the concept of global cooperation, I will transition the class into using GNS. Based on the theme of our lesson, I will encourage my students to either start or join a project. Then, students will invite or collaborate with students from all across the globe. Finally, the end product will be published on the web for others to see.


WiZiQ

Another tool that I would like to utilize as part of a global cooperation project is WiZiQ. Because WiZiQ is a virtual classroom, I can also promote participation from teachers in different parts of the world. What better way to learn about India than having an actual teacher from India to teach a 'virtual' lesson through WiZiQ? WiZiQ also include a video and audio option that will come in handy for students to practice their listening and speaking skills when communicating with each other. What's more, all of the lessons done on WiZiQ can be recorded for future use. These lessons can be combined into a presentation that can be published on WiZiQ (or other global cooperation websites) for others to see.

Until next time...

Which one should I choose, Plurk or Twitter?

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.


Until next time...

Can microblogging be used for teaching ESL/EFL learners?

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.

Until next time...

How can we promote the use of technology in our classroom?

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."

Until next time...

How can we practice Connectivism through Social Networking?

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.

Until next time...