Second Life - Week 14

After having some time to explore second life I think it would be a great tool for students to use outside the classroom to help develop their language skills. However, it seems like it would be a difficult tool to use in the classroom because of how long it would sometimes take to find people who were willing to talk to you. One way you may be able to overcome this is to schedule a time and place for another class to meet and have students talk to each other.

Another option would be to have students complete an assignment using second life as homework. The basics of second life could be taught in the classroom but the actual assignment would be completed at home. Overall, I think second life may be beneficial for language learners but is probably better used outside the classroom.

Video Conferencing - Week 13

Video Conferencing in the ESL classroom can be a great tool as long as the instructor is well prepared. One of the most important parts of using a tool like this in the classroom is ensuring all the computers work and that students have the necessary accounts to access the video conferencing tool. Without this preparation a lot of time may be wasted and it could be a frustrating experience for students.

One of the benefits to using a video conferencing tool in a CALL class would be that you could have an authentic speaker from anywhere join your conference and provide great authentic input. Video conferencing could also be especially helpful for smaller classes or one-on-one tutoring. It may be difficult though with a large class especially because you may not be able get all the students involved in the activity.

E-Journaling - Week 12

The article, “A Web-Based Approach to Strategic Learning of Speech Acts” by Cohen and Ishihara, discusses how researchers had students use e-journaling as a way to reflect on their learning strategies when dealing with different speech acts. This e-journaling provided a way for students to communicate and for the researchers to gain insight into what the students were thinking and how they were incorporating what they were learning.

One benefit I see in e-journaling is just the opportunity students have to reflect on what they are learning and think through the different concepts that are introduced. This is also a good opportunity for instructors to read over what the students have written to gain insight into what the students feel they are learning and where the class needs to focus as a whole. Students could also use this forum to pose questions to the instructor or to other students. (if the e-journals are public) This would be a good for reluctant speakers or for those students who don’t feel comfortable asking questions in the classroom setting.

Wiki Review - Week 10

I think like any tool Wiki's have pros and cons. One of the benefits to using a wiki are that groups can collaborate and share documents easily. It saves on e-mail traffic and is a one stop location for all the documents/notes for a specific project. Another benefit is that students can access the wiki from any location. This could be especially useful for a commuter campus where it may difficult for students to meet together outside of class.

Some of the problems with Wikis are that since it is a relatively new idea, many students don't have experience using them. It can be frustrating and confusing to learn new technology so if there are time constraints this could prove to be extremely stressful for students. Another problem is that Wikis can be very biased. It would be difficult as a group to create a wiki without any bias.

Network Based Communication - Week 9

In the article "Negotiation in Cyberspace" by Jill Pelletieri the idea of using Network Based Communication (NBC) is explored. She suggests using a chat function on the computer is similar to oral communication and that this may be a way for students to develop as second language speakers.

One potential problem I see with this idea is that it might be a difficult classroom activity to conduct without proper instructor supervision/guidance. Without a specific task it may be easy for students to communicate using skills they already are comfortable with. One way to work around this would be for teachers to give students a specific task or topic to discuss. This will force new/unfamiliar vocabulary and will give them direction for their conversation. Another option would be to require students to print out their conversation at the end of the class and the teacher could review it as a means of accountability.

Project Proposal - Week 9

The CALL tool I’ve chosen to use for my final project is VoiceThread. The audience is an advanced, non-academic speaking and listening class and the activity will occur toward the beginning of the course. The purpose of this activity is to get students to focus on fluency and get comfortable with using VoiceThread.

My plan is to have students debate the question, “Should public grade schools require students to wear uniforms?” The comic at the following link will provide the picture for the visual part of the voicethread and is designed to get students thinking about the topic. (http://www.charlesbeyl.com/images/School-Uniforms.jpg) I will also record the following paragraph as a background to public school uniform use to begin the discussion.

"The public school uniform debate has been an issue for educators, parents,and students for years. While school uniforms are typically found in private schools, in 1994, the Long Beach Unified School District in California adopted a mandatory uniform policy in some of its schools, making it the first urban district to do so in the United States. Though public school uniform use is not widespread, it is growing. What are your thoughts on this controversy?"

Students will be required to pose new views to the debate and to respond to what their classmates have already posted.

This CALL tool provides a great way for students to work on their speaking and listening skills outside the walls of the classroom. It also is a way to get some of the more reluctant speakers comfortable with speaking as they will have the opportunity to record their comments as many times as they want before posting. Finally, I hope to use this as a self-assessment for the students. We will continue to use VoiceThread throughout the course and at the end of the semester I will have students look back at their work from the beginning of the semester and compare it to their most recent work as a way for them to see the progress they’ve made.

Podcast #2 - Planning a Vacation - Week 8

The podcast can be found at the following link: http://ecrofford1.podbean.com/

This podcast was created for a beginning- intermediate speaking course. We have created a pre-listening activity and a post- listening activity for this podcast. This lesson is meant to introduce students to the vocabulary and dialogue involved with planning a trip.


Pre-listening activity:


Below is the vocabulary list for the unit we are about to begin. Before listening to the podcast at home tonight, work through this list and try to define as many of these words as you can. After you have completed your list as best as possible, get in a group with 1-3 other classmates, and share your definitions. Try to come up with complete, logical definitions for each of the words. If none of your group members can define a word, look it up in your dictionaries, and copy down the definition.


Vacation
Travel
Trip
Flight
Depart
Departure
Arrive
Arrival
Destination
Luggage
Suitcases
Airplane
Airport
Travel Agent
Reservations
Tickets


While listening to the podcast:

During the podcast, try to gather some information about the trip the speaker is taking. Some information you should listen for:

Where is the woman going?
Where is she leaving from?
When is she leaving?
What time is her departure?
What time is her arrival?
Is she traveling alone?
How much luggage can she bring?
What airport is she leaving from?
Is the travel agent helpful?


Post- listening activity:

Take the information you uncovered, and type it into your blog in summary form. Include the main points, using as much of the vocabulary list as you can.


For the next assignment, you may work alone or with a partner.


Choose a location you would like to visit, and do the following:

Come up with 5 questions to ask a travel agent.

Some examples you can use:

How much are your tickets?
What time is departure?
What time is arrival?
What is your destination?
If you buy more tickets, is the cost less?

You may use some of these questions, but also come up with your own questions to answer.


After coming up with 5 questions, try to do a little bit of research using the internet, and answer the questions yourself. If you have trouble finding information, work with a classmate to plan your trip together. Type up a short blog post using complete sentences, much like the one you did after listening to the podcast, and give us the important information that you discovered. Use as many vocabulary words as you can.

Reading Response - Week 7

I have never personally worked using computer mediated feedback but found Savignon and Chiu brought up some good points. One specific area I found interesting was the form vs content based feedback. After reading this I realized how true it was within my own writing as a second language learner. Most of the time the feedback I received was form based and when fixing the draft that is all I would focus on. As a teacher it might be difficult at first to focus on content rather then form but in the long run it looks like it would be the most beneficial for both the students and the teahcer.

The only concern I have about computer mediated feedback is that I am not as comfortable reading on the computer over long periods of time. I would much rather read printed materials. This is something that would just take time to get used to and after reading this article I can better understand the reasons behind using computer mediated feedback.

Google Wave for ESL Instructors - Week 6

Episode 1:

We created a podcast geared towards instructors with the purpose of introducing Google Wave (www.wave.google.com). This episode is the first in a series of instructional videos and ideas concerning Google Wave. This podcast is a general overview, but future episodes will be more specific.

Google Wave is pitched as the new generation of email, and the capabilities of the tool far surpasses basic email. As instructors are listening, they should be clicking and exploring the few features we selected to highlight. We suggested a few hypothetical projects that students may use Google Wave for, and directed instructors towards the specific gadgets that are the framework for these projects. Students can plan trips using the itinerary, pinpoint specific locations on Google Maps, video chat with people from all parts of the world, and do much, much more.

Activities within Google Wave:

Trip Planning
Map Building
Slideshows/Powerpoints
Blogs
Twitter Updates
Concept Maps
Video Chatting

For more information on Google Wave:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_UyVmITiYQ

Our podcast can be found at:
http://ecrofford1.podbean.com/

Voicethread and CALL - Week 5

Chapter 6 in our CALL book discusses that CALL materials should teach sounds and accents and provide opportunities for oral practice through interaction with the computer (p. 152). I believe Voicethread is a great way for teachers to achieve these goals. The authors of our CALL text also discuss how important pronunciation instruction is to speaking abilities in students. Voicethread provides a great way for teachers to focus on pronunciation. The student’s ability to record themselves and then listen to their pronunciation compared to their teacher’s pronunciation is a great tool.

However, the authors of the text also say that CALL materials should provide a way to evaluate learners’ performance and provide feedback. (p. 152)This is where I think Voicethread is lacking. There is no way for teachers to provide feedback to the students after they have posted their comments.

Overall, I think Voicethread is a helpful tool that can be useful in the CALL classroom as long as it is supplemented with other material. For students who may be timid to speak in the classroom this is a great way for them to feel more comfortable speaking. I also think that if the class was small enough, Voicethread could be incorporated into a blog and the teacher could respond with typed comments to each student. Although this wouldn’t be ideal, it would provide one opportunity for quick feedback.

References:

Chapelle, C. (2008). Tips for Teaching with CALL

http://voicethread4education.wikispaces.com/EFL+&+ESL

Blog Post - Week 4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3C0dMYbg0Yk&feature=related

From the point of view of a student, this is a great YouTube video for someone learning Spanish. The whole video is only 6 minutes long which is a good length. It's long enough for the video to teach multiple vocabulary words but short enough to keep your attention. Also, the speaker in the video speaks at a good pace and uses pictures to help students understand the vocabulary word she is introducing.

http://tarlespeech.com/podcast/?p=39

As an ESL teacher, this website is a great resource. The podcasts focus on accent reduction and are about 1 minute each. Most podcasts focus on two words that are similar and are frequently mispronounced by ESL students. For example, the podcast listed above focuses on the difference between saying live and leave. I like that there is a video along with the podcast so students are able to watch the speaker as she pronounces the words.

Blog Post - Week 3

http://www.manythings.org/vocabulary/

This is an interesting website I found designed to help ESL students with vocabulary. There are a lot of pieces to the website but there are good and bad aspects.

The website is composed mostly of games. There are quite a few vocabulary word lists that are broken down by subject such as animals, body, geography etc. With each of the vocabulary lists you can choose multiple games to play from hangman to matching to spelling games. The games are simple but do use all the vocab words and give the students multiple opportunities to play around with the same group of words.

One of the problems however, is that there isn't a great way for students to learn the definition of the word. The only part of the website for helping students learn the definitions of words is what they call dictionary flash cards. This is a place where students can pick one of multiple websites to define the word for them, either in their L1 or in English.

This is definitely a website worth looking at and possibly using as supplemental material for a lesson especially if students need extra help with spelling or just familiarization with certain vocabulary words.

CALL Reading Activity - Week 2

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3753355

I chose to use Scholastic.com as a resource for a reading activity. This specific article is a current events news story that I thought the students would be interested in. Also, since it's such a major news story, students will most likely have some background knowledge on the subject.

Another piece of this website is a mini comprehension quiz. I think it would be a good resource to use either as a pre-reading activity, to see how much the students already know on the subject, or as a during reading supplement to help keep the students focused.

One final resource this website offers is the ability to define any unknown words. All the students need to do is click on the actual word and a little box with the definition pops up. I don't think this is a great resource for helping students with vocabulary but the part I like is that it will also pronounce the word for the students.

CALL Experience - Blog Post 1 (week 1)

The only experience I've had with CALL is a couple sessions using Rosetta Stone. The most difficult part for me was not having face to face interaction. I like being able to watch someone when they pronounce new vocab words and it was difficult for me to only listen and not see a person when the vocab was pronounced. What are other problems learners encounter when a language is learned solely online?

In the other language courses I've taken I've never had any experiences with CALL. I'm interested to see how learners react to the different types of technology.