Computers and Language Learning

This article discussed the role of active communication in language learning. Often, ELLs arrive at school not knowing the discourse for that particular situation. That results in mistreatment from other students and teachers because the language learner appears unmotivated lazy when in fact they truly do not understand or have the language skills to understand the task at hand.

The author states that through the use of computers teachers can assist students in gaining the language skills necessary to help them become successful students and to help them become part of the social structure of school. Through the use of computers students can become more involved in their learning. They can also make choices about how to use the programs and what to do if the computer fails to work properly.

This article discussed the role of active communication in language learning. Often, ELLs arrive at school not knowing the discourse for that particular situation. That results in mistreatment from other students and teachers because the language learner appears unmotivated lazy when in fact they truly do not understand or have the language skills to understand the task at hand.

The author states that through the use of computers teachers can assist students in gaining the language skills necessary to help them become successful students and to help them become part of the social structure of school. Through the use of computers students can become more involved in their learning. They can also make choices about how to use the programs and what to do if the computer fails to work properly.

The teacher can also use computers to help students acquire the necessary language to overcome the power relationships that exists within schools. When students know the lanague they can participate int eh larger school communities effectively.

This article made me think about all the English Laguage Learners I have worked with throughout the years. Often, I hear that students can’t or won’t be able to do certain things. I think back to when I was student teaching and there was one boy in my class. Everyday he would come into English class and within seconds his head was down on his desk and it remained there for the rest of the class hour. My cooperating teacher told me that the student had a history of nonparticipatroy behavior and that his behavior was nothing new and that he wouldn’t ever participate in class. Looking back on the situation I am amazed at how unaware I was of this kid’s situation. I wonder now about what I could have done to have made school better for him and how I could have tapped into his funds of knowledge and how I could have connected to him better.

Meskill, C. (2005). Triadic Scaffolds: Tools For Teaching English Language Learners With Computers. Language Learning & Technology. 9 (1). (pp.46-59).

New Math

I thought this was funny.

Webquests

This article was all about webquests and how to set one up in your classroom. It gave some really good resrouces and if one were to find it online I would go ahead and bookmark the snot out of that website because I'm sure that you would come back to it at some point.

I've always thought that webquests for for younger children and had a vision of some cloze type activity accompanying the task and children would just peruse the internet and look for the words that fill in the blanks on each site. I have never used a webquest in my classroom. Right now I am kicking myself in the butt because I see the value of a webquest for various projects, especially research projects. I have found that my high school students need quite a bit of guidance creating reserach questions and finding answers to those questions. A webquest would be the perfect way to guide students towards the answers without really having to lecture or do all the work yourself. It would be a great way for students to hone those reserach skills and become research maniacs!

I also think that webquests are great ways for students to work on group skills as well. I'm sold. I think I like them.

Here are some links I found when I Googled "webquests"...some look pretty kewl.

http://webquest.org/index.php

http://www.spa3.k12.sc.us/WebQuests.html

http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/webquest/webquest.html

http://bestwebquests.com/what_webquests_are.asp

Dodge, B. (1997). Webquests. Retrieved July 22, 2008, from San Diego State University WebQuest site: http://webquest.sdsu.edu/about webquests.html

Emerging Technologies

Emerging Technologies

With the rise in online activity there are many opportunities and ways in which people can post their own personal writing. Many browsers now include text editing features which makes it easier for people to save their work and edit their work online instead of through a different software program. This makes it extremely easy for people to access their work and to edit it regardless of the operating system of the computer.

This article also discussed in depth about portfolios and how e-portfolios have grown in popularity. The growth of online portfolios has many positive implications for language learners. Language learners can track and see their progress and growth over time.

Not only do language learners have the ability to keep all their documents online, but there are also a variety of programs that can be used to assess writing as well. Not only do these programs check grammar but there are some that can also evaluate the writing sample and give a score.

The section of this article that interested me the most was the section regarding e-portfolios. I really want to use e-portfolios in my classroom and have been exploring many websites to find the best way to begin the project. I still have students keeping their work in manila folders and I keep those folders in a crate in the corner of my classroom so they don’t get lost. However, what I would love to do is to have the freedom to give the students the hard copies of all their work and to know that if they want to access their work they can just pop online and access it.

I’m glad to know that there are programs out there that can assess my students’ essays for me. It hink it would be interesting to see how the essay would differ if I were to assess it and if the computer program were to assess it. Since many of the programs just look at formulaic writing I wonder how many grammatical mistakes I would overlook due to the content or purpose of that written piece. It would also be interesting for students to run their own essays through the assessment program before they turn it in or before we meet for a teacher conference so they could identify and fix some of those errors on their own.

Godwin-Jones, R. (2008). Emerging technologies web-writing 2.0: Enabling, documenting, and assessing writing online, 12 (2), 7-13.

Thornedy, Thorne, Thorne, Thorne

This was a pretty good article. Thorne does a good job of not only stating how to use technology in the classroom but how technology fits into various language acquisition theories. Thorne also talked about how technology can fit into classroom pedagogy and described how to use wikis, blogs and gaming in the classroom to enhance SLA.

I’m glad that Thorne included the various language acquisition theories and how technology fits into those theories. This has helped me to focus more on how I can apply the various theories of SLA and technology in my own research.

The section of the article I chose to focus on the most was the section that dealt with how open internet communities can enhance SLA. I found it quite interesting that the students from various cultures responded and used the technology in completing different ways. I also found it encouraging the students were able to identify and discuss how the partnerships helped enhance SLA. I have been thinking of trying to arrange a telecollaboration with another school but have not quite organized it as of yet. In the past, I have had my students email or be keypals with other students in Japan and Italy but the students had a hard time trying to figure out what to write and often tines responses were quite slow. I would love to do a telecollaboration project using some sort of chat (iChat, Skype) that has a video chat option. I think that would help students to realize that the other students existed in some other realm instead of just on a computer screen and hopefully that would encourage students to form a more worthwhile relationship.

Many of the ideas in this article have been the same ideas that have been presented in many other articles as well. I think it is extremely important to allow students to craft their own identities and personalities. With so many students coming from such a variety of backgrounds it is so important that we incorporate these differences into our classroom and allow students to express their individuality.

Thorn, S. (2006). New technologies and additional language learning. CALPER Working Paper Series, 1-26

The Evilness of Myspace

Yea!! So happy that someone is standing up for poor Myspace. Really, what did Myspace ever do to deserve the bashing it receives? Ok, ok, ok...I know that Myspace can be a tool sexual predators can use to target children. I realize that, if used inappropriately, it can be dangerous. However, wouldn't it make more sense to talk to kids about how to use the website responsibly instead of just blocking it? Don't people realize that if you tell a teen not to do something that it only makes them want to do it more? Ahhhhh!!

Garcia rocks for using Myspace with his students. I don't even know Garcia and already I like him (not in the kissy way, in the "he's cool as hell" way). Garcia has decided to use Myspace to connect to his students He has set up a Mysapce site so that students can check their homework and check in with him about what they need to do. He rationalizes the use of Myspace by pointing out that all the students use it anyway and that as teachers we need to figure out ways to connect with our students in a way that they will respond. He also states that using websites such as Myspace helps students to socially connect with each other and that each one of their sites is a reflection of who they are as an individual.

My favorite part of this article was the point Garcia made that kids are much more techno-savvy than we give them credit for. Haven't schools realized that they can ban all the websites they want but kids are going to find a way around them? When I went to AASG in Anchorage this past fall there I noticed some students on Myspace. I approached them and asked if their school allowed them to access Myspace. They laughed and said no and then went right back to what they were doing. I just laughed and walked away. Here were students, using school computers to access a site that the school had banned and they weren't even hiding it. Since so many other teachers in my district are frequent Myspacers I have heard many of them voice their frustrations that this site is blocked. One of the funniest stories I have had a friend tell me is that he once busted a kid on Myspace and made the kids show him how to access Myspace. Instead of punishing the kid the teacher received instruction on how to use other proxy servers to access blocked websites.

Students are going to use Myspace no matter how many times we block it. I use Myspace and some of my students are my "friends" as well as many other teachers and co-workers. My students and I talk about Myspace quite a bit and we have had discussions about how to protect yourself and how to use the website responsibly. However, I have never once told them that I thought Myspace was the evil demon that it has become in the media.

This is a picture of Antero Garcia. He's cute and much younger than I thought. I wonder if he has a wife and if he talks to her on Myspace too?

Garcia, A. (2008). Rethinking myspace: Using social networking tools to connect with students. Rethinking Schools, 22, 27-29

The Laptops are Coming!

Hmmmm....where do I begin my response to this article.

Let's begin with a summary.

This article was centered around a teacher being frustrated by the misuse of technology in her school. Instead of creating a more cohesive community the technology distanced language learners. The computers allowed students to isolate themselves from the group. The author also stated her frustrations about her constant vigilance as to what content the students were looking up on the internet and felt that her classroom had gone from one of learning and cooperation to one of isolation where she had to "police" what students were doing. She ended the article by saying that if she had to do it all over again she would encourage their district to fully plan out how the computers would be implemented in the classrooms and address all aspects of the program before implementing it.

Now for my reaction.....(I have lots to say)

As a One-to-One program leader in my school I think that the integration of computers has been probably the most valuable addition to our school in the past few years. When I first heard that we were going to get fancy new laptops I was very resistant. I had very little knowledge about computers and was, yes, intimidated by the expectations of my district and of my principal. I had no idea how I was going to integrate technology into my curriculum and I looked at the program as just as something else I would have to manage.

When all the One-to-One leaders went to the district training we were still intimidated. We all left interpreting the expectations of our district and of Apple differently. I put the computers in the hands of my students and there were immediate issues that arose. Many students stayed up all night chatting with friends and were definitely not using the computers for homework. I felt frustrated. Then, four out of six computers needed repairs due to negligence. It was then that I really sat down and started thinking about whether this program was worth all the headaches and how I could change aspects of it to make it more worthwhile.

I feel bad that the author in the article felt that the computers were creating distance among her learners. In my experience, the laptops have been instrumental in creating and solidifying a more effective classroom community. I see students sharing ideas and helping each other figure stuff out. They share jump drives, talk about podcasts, tell each other about cool websites and so much more. I love watching my students interact with each other.

As far as monitoring the computers...I think it is all about how the teacher explains and present the monitoring software to the learners. I've used my monitoring program not as a way to catch them doing something bad but as a way to enhance learning. I can see what my students are doing at all times on their computers and they know it. They will often ask me to look at their screens to see if they are doing something correct or will ask me to take control of their computer to help them understand how something is done. I can also chat with my students on the program and I have used it numerous times to help students and to talk to students about what they are struggling on without ever uttering a word.

I was surprised to read that the learners themselves wanted the laptops gone. I think that if the laptop program is so unsuccessful that even kids don't want it the district really needs to take another look at it. As with any other learning tool, computer usage really needs to be monitored by the teacher. If she has a party and no one is talking and everyone is just on the computer then the teacher needs to establish more structure about when it is and is not appropriate to use the computers. Students need to be knowledgeable about social etiquette and part of having the computers is teaching them how to use it responsibly.

McFarlane, S. (2008). The laptops are coming! The laptops are coming!, Rethinking Schools, 22, 22-26