I
have been teaching beginner and advanced ESL courses (university level) for the
past three years. Since technology has been advancing at the speed of light,
and since it affects all aspects of our daily lives, it is very important for
us, as educators, to learn the proper ways of integrating technology into our
teaching. And this is exactly why I chose the instructional technology field.
Basically,
Web 2.0 tools are used to either replace, amplify or transform traditional teaching
techniques. Such tools give teachers a good chance to individualize
instructions and offer more support to the students in need and give more
activities to the advanced students. They also increase the student’s motivation
level and gives them a more authentic learning experience and the chance to
participate in meaningful communications with peers around the world.
An example of
Replacement, would be when I ask students to type their essays instead of
handwriting them. Or when they access their books through e-books instead of buying
the hard copy. Another example would be using more creative presentations with
visuals using websites such as Prezis and Animoto. It’s also a more creative
way for students to present their work rather than using the traditional PowerPoint.
An
example of Amplification is when my students use tools that enables them to
share their work with their peers and other students around the world. For example, using google docs to share their
essays with their peers, or blogs to share their work with a more extended
audience worldwide. Blogs,
online journals, and online shared documents, for example, are great tools that
help my second language learners practice their target language in an informal
manner all while sharing their work with their peers. Viewing each other’s work
and giving and receiving feedback is an optimal way to practice the language
and learn from each other without excessively worrying about syntax. But even
though learners are not graded on their grammar or spelling, online shared learning
strategies might be intimidating in certain circumstances.
The age of the learners and their
proficiency levels, can also play a role in their confidence level when it
comes to using blog- assisted and online shared language learning strategies. The
majority of my ESL students feel anxious and intimidated when asked to share
their work with others. But this
intimidation that most second language learners display is also dominant in the
classroom learning. Some of my students feel shy to speak up or let their peers
read their writings when they know that they have low proficiency of the
language. Therefore, such constraints are not only available or caused by online-shared
tools and blogs.
An example of Transformation,
is when my students team up together and write their essays on wiki. I assign
their groups, and their task would be to choose a topic, discuss it, write the
outline, the first draft, revise it and then write the final draft all while limiting
their discussions on wiki. This is an ideal way to monitor their discussions
online and perceive exactly how their drafts transformed in to the final essay
and how much work and effort each student incorporated into the process.
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI really like Prezi myself and I am trying to learn how to use it I really like it and hope to become better at using it. I bet your students can come up with some very creative ideas using Prezi it is much more engaging than Power Point.
It's actually very easy to use! It looks very intricate but once you learn how to use it, you will be able to construct very creative presentations. You can use it with your learners in the church if you have access to computers. It will be a different thing to use with them!
DeleteSarah,
DeleteHave you ever used Prezi with a web site? Can it be embedded like Power Point?
Yeah its a great way to replace power point presentations! You can even add audio to the slides.
DeleteThat's good to hear I keep playing with it and see what I can come up with. Thanks, I may have more questions.
DeleteOff topic, I have had students in my K-12 classroom create Prezis, and I've also had my undergrad pre-service teachers create them for an assignment. I think we've gotten to the point where Prezi is the new PowerPoint. That is, PowerPoint used to 'wow' people (crazy...I know), but now they're dreaded. Prezi is often used in much the same way: by teachers for lecture and by students for presentations. So, same strategy with different tool = same results and interest.
DeleteNow, I will say that Prezi's other features (aside from navigation) go highly UNDERUSED. Note that Prezis are like YouTube videos in that you can "like" them and comment on them. This can be a basis for discussion and other in-class activities. Second, they are collaborative tools (which, PowerPoint is not BUT Google Slides is), so they can be shared and worked on easily.
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteYou have given lot of examples of how you use the RAT with your students. I am wondering, besides reading and writing essays in English, do you work with them on other subject materials? If so, what other tools do you use?
Yes of course, with writing comes grammar, spelling and punctuation. I give them short lessons throughout the units when needed. For example, when we're doing the unit about narrative essays, I give them short lessons about connectors and time relationship words, adjectives and adjective phrases, synonyms and collocations. This is a good way to insure that they retained the information and will use it in their essays.
DeleteSarah, I agree with you that "the age of learners and their proficiency levels" can play a part with the confidence of learners. I noted in another response comment related, that using web tools can enhance learning creatively, but choosing the best tool to fit age groups can be even more interesting. Designing instruction for teaching seems basic, but using technology tools to enhance instruction that are applicable for various learners can be thought provoking. Your choice to use Prezi for your students to create presentations using animation is very fitting and motivating for that age group.
ReplyDeleteAge is a very important factor in determining the success or failure of a certain technique. Even though my students are 'adults' and mature, they still seem to suffer from low self esteem because of their low proficiency level. This factor hinders their cooperation and mostly when using wiki or blogs. Therefore, I need to be careful with choosing the suitable web tools that will enhance their learning and not set them backwards.
DeleteSarah,
ReplyDeleteI like your idea of having your students use social media to provide feedback for each other. Since I have younger students I have yet to dare and take the jump for that. I do, by all means, think it is helpful because not only are they completing their assignments, but they are also learning how to use 21st century tools.
wiki is a great way to watch how your students work together in groups. You can observe any changes made to the assignment and by whom. But the problem is most students still discuss their work over the phone or in class instead of writing their discussions on wiki. And even if they write discussions, they're usually made up and not genuine.
DeleteThank you Sarah for giving me he Wiki idea. I added it to my "Try it as soon as possible list". I have slowly been walking my students towards that approach on Google Docs and Google Slides, but Wiki is a more real world tool. I had no idea that I would be able to track their work. Thanks for sharing.
DeleteAssessing collaboration was the point of my article this week. "If you say you address it [a standard], you must assess it."
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