Transcript FDC Information Session

Integrating Technology into the
ESL classroom
Dr. Cindy Gunn
November 10th, 2012
Outline
Introduction: Avoiding misunderstandings
Activity One: Definitions
Activity Two: Views of technology
Why use technology in our classes?
Pros and Cons
Some examples
Discussion
MATESOL Professional Development Day | Nov. 10, 2012
Avoiding misunderstandings
Would you like a drink of water? (Specific)
Would you like a drink of lemonade? (Specific but open to
interpretation)
Would you like a drink? (Wide open)
MATESOL Professional Development Day | Nov. 10, 2012
Technology use in Educational often refers to:
Tools and materials that are used in the classroom or lab:
for example, PowerPoint presentations, videos, audio
recordings, software programs, etc.
Tools and materials that are available online for use both
inside and outside the classroom: for example, courserelated websites, course management systems, email, webbased quizzes and assignments and other web-based
activities.
MATESOL Professional Development Day | Nov. 10, 2012
Revised title of this presentation
Integrating web-based activities into the ESL
classroom
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Activity 1 on your handout
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Web 2.0
 Term coined and popularized by Tim O’Reilly and Dale
Dougherty in 2004 to describe changes in functions
and features of the Web.
 Allows users to be more involved in contributing and
interacting with the web.
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Synchronous Communication:
 Online at the same time
 Real-time interactions,
 Same time – different place
Asynchronous Communication:
 Not online at the same time
 Different time – different place
MATESOL Professional Development Day | Nov. 10, 2012
Millennials:
 Also called Digital Natives, The Net Generation, Gen Y.
Assumptions made about them:
 They are tech savvy.
 They can multi-task.
 The are used to collaborating with others (both in the real
and virtual world).
 They expect technology use in the classroom.
MATESOL Professional Development Day | Nov. 10, 2012
Revised title of this presentation
Integrating Web 2 activities into the ESL classroom
That is, online activities that allow students to contribute
and interact with others on the web.
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Activity 2 on your handout
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How do you view the use of technology
in your classes?
Full to overflowing?
Techno-positivism
 Overly enthusiastic about educational
technology.
 Technology first, pedagogy second.
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IMHO, technology is:
A tool at my disposal to enhance
my students’ learning opportunities.
“Technology is neither good nor bad
but using makes it so.”
(Peter Doolittle, 2012,
personal communication)
Pedagogy first, technology second.
MATESOL Professional Development Day | Nov. 10, 2012
Why use Web 2 activities with our classes?
Effective teaching and learning opportunities are influenced by:
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the
the
the
the
goal of the lesson
student
content to be covered
teacher
The choice of teaching tools also depends on these factors.
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Benefits of using Web 2 with your students
Brings material ALIVE
Authenticity
Literacy
Interaction
Vitality
Empowerment
(Warschauer, Shetzer & Meloni, 2000)
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Authenticity
24/7 access to “vast amounts of authentic material
authentic communication and publishing opportunities”
(Warschauer, Shetzer & Meloni, p. 75, 2000).
But
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Literacy
The ability to read, write, communicate, research, and
publish on the Internet represents important new forms of
literacy needed in the 21st century.
But
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Interaction
Interaction is one of the major means of acquiring a
language and gaining fluency.
Opportunities for students to interact with native and
nonnative speakers from around the world both
synchronously and asynchronously.
But
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Vitality
“Too often, classrooms are reflective of T.E.N.O.R. (teaching
English for no obvious reason), as students get bogged down
in memorizing grammar rules or de-contextualized
vocabulary. The Internet can inject an element of vitality into
teaching and motivate students as they communicate in a
medium that is flexible, multimodal, constantly changing,
and connected to their real life needs” (Warschauer, Shetzer
& Meloni, p. 76, 2000).
But
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Empowerment
Allows students to find what they need when they need it
and to collaborate with others to help construct new
knowledge.
But
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Like all classroom tools and techniques
there are pros and cons.
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Some challenges for teachers
Teacher’s level of comfort with technology.
Finding time to keep up with the changes in technology.
Deciding on the “right” technology to use.
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Some advice to consider:
Before introducing any Web 2 tool to your students:
“Take time and reflect on your curricular goals and try to
pinpoint areas that could be improved by the integration
of a new tool or technology. Reflection is the key here,
don’t jump into the world of Web 2.0 without a plan and a
clear focus on what you want yourself, and your students,
to get out of it”. (Frank Pileiro, 2011,
http://techlearning.com/Blogs/37780)
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Something more to consider
“There is no lack of interesting and relevant materials on the
web, but it might still be a challenge for the ESL teacher to
structure the task in such a way that the chosen material
leads to information sharing for interaction. It is the careful
balance between structure and choice that benefits
learners” (Alm, 2006, pp. 33 – 34, my emphasis).
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Examples of Web 2 activities
Asynchronous Activities:
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Blogs
Discussion Boards
Websites where students can share their work
Wikis
Synchronous Activities:
 Chat
 Video Conferencing
A bit of both:
 Facebook
 LiveJournal (LJ)
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Structure, Choice and Interaction too
Blogs
Task: To maintain a blog reflecting on the class.
Choice: Class blog, Individual blog, Group blog.
Students control the content but they must keep it within the
class assignment. Students choose how to respond to
comments on their blogs.
Many free options: WordPress.com, Blog.com, Google
Blogger
Microblogs: Twitter, Tumblr
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Structure, Choice and Interaction too
Discussion Boards
Task: To start a thread or respond to others’ posts.
Choice: What to say, how to say it, how often to participate,
etc.
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Structure, Choice and Interaction too
Sharing student work on the web
This I believe Essays http://thisibelieve.org/
Task: Write an essay following the published guidelines and
submit for publication.
Choice: Topic, message, etc.
Extended tasks: Students write a response to someone else’s
essay.
Students write a response to comments on their essays.
Choice: The essay to comment on, how to frame the
response, etc.
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Structure, Choice and Interaction too
Wikis
Task: Create a class dictionary in groups
Choice: Deciding group members’ responsibilities, which
words to include, how to present the material, etc.
Free options: wikispaces.com,
educationalwikis.wikispaces.com, pbworks.com,
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Structure, Choice and Interaction too
Chat / Video Conference:
Task: To practice English with a partner in another school in
another country, in a different Emirate, etc.
Choice: What to say, how to say it, etc.
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Some issues to be aware of
Problems with:
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Privacy
Inappropriate responses from others
Inappropriate advertisements
Keeping up with / understanding synchronous
interactions
But
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Carefully chosen Web 2 activities
Allow students to interact with others to help construct new
knowledge with the ultimate goal of helping our students to
become successful lifelong learners.
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Questions?
Comments?
Concerns?
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Thank you
[email protected]
MATESOL Professional Development Day | Nov. 10, 2012