Goals revisited
My main goal or expectation for this course was to gain knowledge about and ideas on how to use technology in teaching English. For me, the most rewarding parts were when we were introduced to examples of websites that offer us tools to work with in class. The best way to learn to actually use these technological tools is, of course, to practise them first hand and that's way tasks that required using some new tool taught me the most. Prezi, Google Docs, Presemo, Voki, just to name a few examples.
The student presentations also gave me a handful on ideas and I'm looking forward to adapting those in my teaching next year.
keskiviikko 6. toukokuuta 2015
Task 5
A.Chik Digital gaming and language learning
Having read the article Digital gaming ang language learning by A.Chik there are several questions as well as thoughts that come to my mind. First of all is the natural question on which kind of the games that would be used for this purpose. Being a typical woman, I've never had any interest in playing video games, even playing Angry Birds on my cell phone when there is absolutely nothing else to do seems like a waste of time. If we would actually integrate video games as a part of teaching English at school, I would expect the games and their contents to fit the overall teaching and educational goals, not just serve as a tool in learning the language.
Furthermore, I'm not sure how easy it would be to find the time to actually play games during lessons. It is very difficult to get through the teaching material (dictated by the national Curriculum) as it is, and although playing games could prove to be a quite effective way to teach English, there are many areas of language learning that have to be taught at school. Naturally, if there were games particularly designed for teaching purposes, it would be more justified to use them when teaching a certain theme.
However, I can certainly see the point why playing video games is advisable. Having taught English for two years at an upper secondary school, I was clearly able to see the difference between boys who played video games in their freetime and girls who had basically learned the language via textbooks and in school. The students that performed best, especially in essays and listening comprehensive tests, were mostly boys and the level was very close to that of a native speaker. And these boys played video games and I would assume a lot. This is not to say that all boys that played video games excelled in English or all girls that had learnt English solely in school weren't that good, of course not. You could even say that there is some inequality in that. Nowadays, with all those boys thriving in the matriculation exams, the level of the exam has risen so much that a perfectly good student is unable to get the best marks.
In conclusion I would share the author's view that teachers should provide guidance and structures for youn learners on learning to use games to the purpose of language learning. This way students would understand that they can profit from their freetime activity and it might inspire girls to take up playing, too.
Having read the article Digital gaming ang language learning by A.Chik there are several questions as well as thoughts that come to my mind. First of all is the natural question on which kind of the games that would be used for this purpose. Being a typical woman, I've never had any interest in playing video games, even playing Angry Birds on my cell phone when there is absolutely nothing else to do seems like a waste of time. If we would actually integrate video games as a part of teaching English at school, I would expect the games and their contents to fit the overall teaching and educational goals, not just serve as a tool in learning the language.
Furthermore, I'm not sure how easy it would be to find the time to actually play games during lessons. It is very difficult to get through the teaching material (dictated by the national Curriculum) as it is, and although playing games could prove to be a quite effective way to teach English, there are many areas of language learning that have to be taught at school. Naturally, if there were games particularly designed for teaching purposes, it would be more justified to use them when teaching a certain theme.
However, I can certainly see the point why playing video games is advisable. Having taught English for two years at an upper secondary school, I was clearly able to see the difference between boys who played video games in their freetime and girls who had basically learned the language via textbooks and in school. The students that performed best, especially in essays and listening comprehensive tests, were mostly boys and the level was very close to that of a native speaker. And these boys played video games and I would assume a lot. This is not to say that all boys that played video games excelled in English or all girls that had learnt English solely in school weren't that good, of course not. You could even say that there is some inequality in that. Nowadays, with all those boys thriving in the matriculation exams, the level of the exam has risen so much that a perfectly good student is unable to get the best marks.
In conclusion I would share the author's view that teachers should provide guidance and structures for youn learners on learning to use games to the purpose of language learning. This way students would understand that they can profit from their freetime activity and it might inspire girls to take up playing, too.
Task 6
Presentation revisited
I presume our project will not raise a whole lot of objections among pupils. Our main idea is to let the pupils create a news report and use Voki's avatars for recording and saving their work. For our target group, primary school pupils, I would imagine this to be a lot of fun since they get to create their own figures and also their own reports. For those who like to "play it safe" there is the chance to choose en English speaking country and create a news story about a thing that happened there. More creative pupils can come up with a fictional origin of the news.
As for the benefits of this project, I would promote this for the pupils as a task that will improve their writing and oral skills, creativity as well as give them a chance to learn a new technological tool.
I presume our project will not raise a whole lot of objections among pupils. Our main idea is to let the pupils create a news report and use Voki's avatars for recording and saving their work. For our target group, primary school pupils, I would imagine this to be a lot of fun since they get to create their own figures and also their own reports. For those who like to "play it safe" there is the chance to choose en English speaking country and create a news story about a thing that happened there. More creative pupils can come up with a fictional origin of the news.
As for the benefits of this project, I would promote this for the pupils as a task that will improve their writing and oral skills, creativity as well as give them a chance to learn a new technological tool.
tiistai 17. helmikuuta 2015
Task 4
As an enthusiastic reader of many blogs, I'm interested in finding out, how blogs could be used as a tool for learning reading and writing.
The great thing about blogs is that everyone should be able to find a blog of a specific topic that interests you.
a) Less advanced learners. A group of 7th graders. The assignment could be divided into following tasks: a) finding/reading a blog that interests you. b) Commenting on a post in the blog. c) Creating a blog of your own, as a sort of a portfolio, where several texts would be posted throughout the lower secondary school.
b) More advanced learners. A group of high school seniors. The assignment here would include the same tasks as with the less advanced learners, however with more demanding texts. The students could be adviced to write the blog during the whole course and all the texts would be posted there. As for the reading part, the students could be given the task to follow and comment on a couple of blogs that post regularly.
The great thing about blogs is that everyone should be able to find a blog of a specific topic that interests you.
a) Less advanced learners. A group of 7th graders. The assignment could be divided into following tasks: a) finding/reading a blog that interests you. b) Commenting on a post in the blog. c) Creating a blog of your own, as a sort of a portfolio, where several texts would be posted throughout the lower secondary school.
b) More advanced learners. A group of high school seniors. The assignment here would include the same tasks as with the less advanced learners, however with more demanding texts. The students could be adviced to write the blog during the whole course and all the texts would be posted there. As for the reading part, the students could be given the task to follow and comment on a couple of blogs that post regularly.
Task 1
Expectations for this course
I expect this course to give me information about the possibilities of technology in English language teaching. Moreover I expect to gain concrete ideas and tools waiting to be adapted to my own teaching practices when I start teaching again in August. Having been on maternity leave for the past three years, it would be nice to have some modern and fresh ideas to bring with me as I return.
My technological skills are quite modest and I feel it is my responsibility as a teacher to improve these skills that will play an increasingly large role in the future of the school world.
I expect this course to give me information about the possibilities of technology in English language teaching. Moreover I expect to gain concrete ideas and tools waiting to be adapted to my own teaching practices when I start teaching again in August. Having been on maternity leave for the past three years, it would be nice to have some modern and fresh ideas to bring with me as I return.
My technological skills are quite modest and I feel it is my responsibility as a teacher to improve these skills that will play an increasingly large role in the future of the school world.
Task 2
S.C Herring Discourse in Web 2.0
I think the article reminded us of the fact that the new media is really not that old at all. What seems to us as new and modern, e.g. Wikipedia, is actually just a technological and somewhat modified version of the good old encyclopedia. Another example is Twitter which is basically a modern form of older practice.
Text remains the main channel of communication, just like it was when books, magazines and letters were the essential tool for staying in touch and following the things that happened around us.
What was also interesting was the different kind of way to behave between male and female users. Studies show that men act more assertively, profanely, sarcastically and in an insulting way than women. Female users in turn tend to be more supportive, affectionate and up-beat than men.
I think the article reminded us of the fact that the new media is really not that old at all. What seems to us as new and modern, e.g. Wikipedia, is actually just a technological and somewhat modified version of the good old encyclopedia. Another example is Twitter which is basically a modern form of older practice.
Text remains the main channel of communication, just like it was when books, magazines and letters were the essential tool for staying in touch and following the things that happened around us.
What was also interesting was the different kind of way to behave between male and female users. Studies show that men act more assertively, profanely, sarcastically and in an insulting way than women. Female users in turn tend to be more supportive, affectionate and up-beat than men.
Task 3
I didn't know anything about Voki before but now that I learnt about the tool a bit, I got very excited about the possibilities it could offer. One of the benefits is definitely its suitability for learners of all stages. As for the assignment, I could think of following ways of applying Voki in speaking exercises.
a) Less advanced learners. The target group would be 7th graders that have learnt English three to four years. The assignment is introducing your home and neighbourhood to your classmates. First, you need to choose a suitable character to do the job. This could for example be your pet or a mouse living in your cellar. After that you write down the introduction (what kind of a house it is, who lives there, who live nextdoor, what your neighbourhood is like, what you like about it and so on). Finally you record your introduction and save it online.
As the teacher I would then review it, make sure it contains all the required parts and give my feedback. It would also be an option to play some or all of these in the class. Another option would be to assign the pupils to listen at least one or two introductions and ask some additional questions about the houses/neighbourhoods etc.
b) More advanced learners. The target group is a group of high school seniors. The assignment is to give a presentation in Voki that would then be played in front of the class. The character should be chosen according to the topic of the presentation. The assignment could, for example, be to give a speech about a certain topic. The basics of writing/giving a speech should be taught beforehand and it might be a good idea to watch parts of some inspiring speeches to get an idea.
If all speeches were to be played in front of the class, the benefit of using Voki here would be questionable. However, if this particular course contained more than one larger oral exercise, all the exercises could be done in Voki and be reviewed by the teacher. However, only one presentation per student would be played in front of the whole class. Peer evaluation is, of course, one suitable option here, and would probably work quite well, since students could watch each other's performances at home, too.
a) Less advanced learners. The target group would be 7th graders that have learnt English three to four years. The assignment is introducing your home and neighbourhood to your classmates. First, you need to choose a suitable character to do the job. This could for example be your pet or a mouse living in your cellar. After that you write down the introduction (what kind of a house it is, who lives there, who live nextdoor, what your neighbourhood is like, what you like about it and so on). Finally you record your introduction and save it online.
As the teacher I would then review it, make sure it contains all the required parts and give my feedback. It would also be an option to play some or all of these in the class. Another option would be to assign the pupils to listen at least one or two introductions and ask some additional questions about the houses/neighbourhoods etc.
b) More advanced learners. The target group is a group of high school seniors. The assignment is to give a presentation in Voki that would then be played in front of the class. The character should be chosen according to the topic of the presentation. The assignment could, for example, be to give a speech about a certain topic. The basics of writing/giving a speech should be taught beforehand and it might be a good idea to watch parts of some inspiring speeches to get an idea.
If all speeches were to be played in front of the class, the benefit of using Voki here would be questionable. However, if this particular course contained more than one larger oral exercise, all the exercises could be done in Voki and be reviewed by the teacher. However, only one presentation per student would be played in front of the whole class. Peer evaluation is, of course, one suitable option here, and would probably work quite well, since students could watch each other's performances at home, too.
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