Podcasting Potential

For the purpose of this entry I explored various podcasts to consider the value they hold for classroom use. I particularly enjoyed Absolutely Intercultural which included a podcast from a woman who went to a meeting with the Society for Intercultural Education Training and Research (SIETAR). She shared her experiences as well as clips from various presenters from the conference.

Podcasts such as this one are incredibly useful in the classroom because they allow students to access resources outside of the school environment. They can experience an abridged version of conferences, such as the SIETAR one, from their own computer. This is also the case for teachers looking for professional development opportunities. These podcasts contribute to a wealth of resources for teachers who want to learn more within their field. Because they are often highly specified they offer a great deal of insight into particular topics from a variety of perspectives. Utilizing this tool in the classroom is beneficial to students and teachers alike!

Using ePals to bridge classrooms around the world

     The website ePals is an excellent online resource for teachers looking to broaden the scope of their classroom instruction and connect with students across the globe. The primary goal of ePals is to help teachers find a classroom abroad with whom their own class can exchange messages, like pen pals. The site offers a very easy to navigate search engine that can be altered based on language, country, age, etc. It is also a wealth of information on other relevant materials, such as connecting the Common Core Learning Standards to support teaching and learning and offering numerous forums on anything from technology to mentoring.

     One resource I found to be particularly interesting is the online field trip option offered through the Smithsonian on ePals site. There are many topics from the museum that are covered in depth through a virtual "field trip" for students. The multimedia aspect of this resource is excellent for helping students build context through the use of visuals while simultaneously exercising aural comprehension skills. I know I will certainly be taking advantage of this website's wide array of invaluable information for use in my future classroom!

Comic Strip Strategies for Education

My comic strip, entitled Knock Knock, depicts two characters on a deserted island. Within this simple dialogue students are given a glimpse into the humor of something that is unique to English humor, known as the knock knock joke. Although, small and seemingly trivial, it is a part of our culture that assumes and expected response that is unknown to an English language learner. This comic puts the joke into context and helps learners understand its purpose as a communicative device. Comics in general can be used in the classroom for clips like this to promote sociocultural competence through linguistic play. This is highly beneficial for ELLs who must not only understand the content of language but also its value within context.

Photo Stories as Classroom Tools

When first asked to create a photo story for my classroom, I was concerned that my lack of technological skill would leave me struggling to create something I could use with students. As it turns out, this was one of the most enjoyable experiences I have had in this course so far.

I chose to create a first day of school video about classroom rules using photos from my preschool class last year. Of course with this age group it would be important to read the captions aloud, but this is just meant to serve as an example of how this could be used as a fun introduction to school. It was simple to navigate the production process by using Stupeflix and allows for anyone to make a video either for instructional purposes or as a learning tool. This could be used for vocabulary review with visuals to add context or an end of year graduation type video. 

The Impact of Digital Storytelling

In the modern age we are given the opportunity to share ourselves with the world through many different mediums. We can Instagram our lunches, Tweet at celebrities, video ourselves for Vine, update our status on Facebook, promote our professionalism on LinkedIn and so on and so forth. The list goes on with so many pieces of our social media puzzle it can be hard to keep track. One method that streamlines all these resources into one powerful medium is through digital storytelling. Educause defines this term as “the practice of combining narrative with digi­tal content, including images, sound, and video, to create a short movie, typically with a strong emotional component.” In other words, we can create a “story” to define ourselves using a multimedia source of output.

Within a classroom of culturally and linguistically diverse students defining one’s own identity in the classroom is an integral part of the learning process. It can be challenging for a student who is not yet proficient in English when the teacher asks them to write a personal narrative and expect that the student will feel capable of accurately sharing him or herself within the constraints of a limited language ability. Digital storytelling offers a fresh perspective on learning about how our students define themselves. A student may not yet be able to share stories from their home country but instead could post simple captions over photos that speak a thousand words. They may also feel more comfortable with an oral narration rather than a written assignment which focuses heavily on mechanics and can be quite daunting. One example is taken from a list provided by the Center for Digital Storytelling of a series of stories by refugees, the first told by Iftin Iftin about his experience as a refugee from Somalia in the United States. His powerful story is enhanced by his use of maps and images that all evoke an emotional response from the viewer. Providing ESL students with this outlet for their stories is both empowering and engaging and builds classroom community by giving them the opportunity to share their identity with their teacher and peers.

#EdChat makes the tweets go 'round: The intricacies of a Twitterchat (Mod 6.1)

Welcome to Twitter!

After boldly joining the social networking site which is familiar to many of my students but somehow foreign to me, I began to discover the use of hashtags and how to follow a Twitterchat. I will admit, this was no easy task at first but I slowly became comfortable with the 100 messages a minute scrolling by my eyes. It is a bit overwhelming and once I finally found a place to jump in, I felt that my topic was already antiquated in the tweeting world. So I stuck to the broader question of incorporating technology into the ESL classroom. To my surprise, I got a number of responses and one user who was very active in the chat forwarded me to a bunch of other users who would be able to help me best. I was given multiple usernames and linked to their many different sites across the web. I felt welcomed into the chat and the world of educational technology. I even got a private message from another teacher who was interested in the same topic and shared his findings thus far.

Clearly, Twitter is incredibly beneficial for professional development because it provides access to resources and users relating to any subject matter needed. Rather than weeding through a Google search of poorly designed websites and irrelevant forums, my fellow Twitter users performed an informed search on exactly what I asked them for. For example, one website which I found helpful included a visual dictionary for ESL students, just one resource that I don't think I would have found as easily or as quickly on my own. I will certainly continue to use Twitter, even if only once in awhile to answer pertinent questions that I stumble upon throughout teaching. I know I can rest assured that no matter my challenge, my followers will be there to offer advice and make suggestions to collectively advance as fellow professionals.

The Great Technology Takeover

It's that time of year again when kids go back to school. Students and parents alike flock to the stores to buy their crayons, markers, notebooks, pens, trapper keeper (for those of us 90's kids) and a myriad of other supplies to gear up for a year of hard work.

But wait! In the age of what I like to call "The Great Technology Takeover," or #TGTT for those Twitter taggers, it looks like the lengthy back-to-school shopping list has been replaced by a shorter one of higher priced items such as the iPad, iPhone, Kindle, and MacBook Pro. Pick your poison but make sure its compatible with the necessary apps and requirements of your school so you don't miss an assignment. Those silly folders we all used to color coordinate with the books that we had to wrap? They are a thing of the past when you can simply access a drop box with the touch of a screen. No need for a pencil sharpener when you can adjust the size of your font by a simple adjustment on Microsoft Word. It seems that all these tools are becoming an antiquated nuisance in today's modern classroom.

The question is, should we be worried? As the video Classroom of Tomorrow demonstrates, we are rapidly entering a world that relies so heavily on technology that we must start preparing now. Watching this video certainly reminded me how unprepared I am because I was completely lost when they showed most of the items that students are using in their classrooms. A more inspirational approach is shown in Social Media Revolution 2011 which uses catchy music paralleled by highly relevant facts to prove to viewers that social media is an inevitable part of our lives and we have no choice but to join the revolution. I will admit I enjoyed their approach because it was fresh and concise, convincing me that perhaps it is time for me to take the Twitter jump or to get LinkedIn to employers internationally.

However, what both of these videos lacks is a balanced review of the detriment of this technological shift. One fact stuck out in my mind from the Social Media Revolution film: "Kindergartens are learning on iPads, not chalkboards." In many ways, I understand how this is helpful. Lessons can be more interactive and visually stimulating. On the other hand, there is a certain value to one central point of learning that brings all students together as a community. When young children are playing games on an iPad rather than with one another, no matter how educational, it lacks the social interaction and acquisition of fine motor skills that is so vital to their stage of development.

I don't mean to sound out of date but I think this loss is one worth questioning. There are countless benefits to a technologically advanced classroom, yet as teachers we must also assess what is given up in exchange for this shift. Our challenge is to develop a classroom that not only introduces students to the technologies that will prepare them to be more successful online, but also promotes the inherent value of offline skills and physical engagement with tools beyond the screen of a computer.