This week our focus of discussion was on learner autonomy. Readings included “Theory and Research: Autonomy in Language Learning” by Deborah Healey and “What is Learner Autonomy and how Can It Be Fostered?” by Dimitrios Thanasoulas. Healey (1999) defines autonomy as “the degree of independence the learner is given in setting language learning goals, the path to the goal, the pace of learning, and the measurement of learning (pg.391).” She describes settings for autonomous learning that range on a continuum from “programmed learning” where the teacher sets the content and the students controls the pace and time to “autonomy” where the student controls pace, time and content (Healey, 1999, pp. 393-394). She also outlines conditions that enhance autonomy and learning: learner issues to include “degree of self-motivation”, “preference for independent style”, “knowledge of how one learns best” and “knowledge of what one needs to learn”, and content issues which include three conditions: “the path to the goal is relatively unambiguous”, “what is to be learned can be explained clearly” and “appropriate resources exist for self-directed language learning (Healey, 1999, pp. 294-396).” Additionally she outlines five conditions to motivation: appropriate difficulty level, meaningful learning objectives, variety of teaching methods, intrinsic/extrinsic feedback and “no barriers to learning (Healey, 1999, pp. 397-398).” Throughout this article, the role of technology is mentioned in each area. She concludes that for full learner autonomy, control over time, pace and path to the goal must exist and that technology can be used to assist in this process (Healey, 1999, pp. 400-401).
Thanasoulas looks at learner autonomy without the focus of technology. He focuses instead on how autonomy interfaces with learning theories such as positivism (“traditional classrooms”), constructivism and critical theory; conditions for autonomy; and how to promote learner autonomy. This article describes the main ways that the term autonomy is used as well as the primary characteristics of autonomous learners. I enjoyed reading this article and seeing how different areas of education and the learner interplay with learner autonomy. I agreed most with the role of leaner responsibility and metacognitive awareness in learner autonomy. It was also interesting see how learner autonomy is promoted by constructivist theory (Thanasoulas, 2000, 3). Another key point brought up in this article is that learner autonomy is a process not a product (Thanasoulas, 2000, 2). I think this is the case not only for the learner but also for the teacher who has to play a different non-traditional role. This may be a frustrating process for teachers because most won’t see the fruits of the effort in one semester with their students.
I see learner autonomy as a way to empower our students to be success, lifelong learners. I firmly believe in the role of language learning strategies and metacognitive awareness in this process. They both play a huge role in encouraging motivation and self-esteem, two factors key to learning success and longevity (Thanasoulas, 2000, 4.2/4.3). The challenge for teachers is to incorporate the process of autonomous learning education into our classrooms. As I reflected this week on how much autonomy I give my adult ESL students, I realize there is a lot more I can do to encourage this process in my own classroom.
REFERENCES:
Healey, D. (1999). Theory and Research: Autonomy in Language Learning. In J. Egbert
& E. Hanson-Smith (Eds.), CALL Environments: Research, Practice, and Critical
Issues (pp.291-402). Alexandria, VA: TESOL
Thanasoulas, D. (2000). What Is Learner Autonomy and How Can It Be Fostered?
Internet TESOL Journal 6(11). Retrieved March 25, 2007 from
http://iteslj.org/Articles/Thanasoulas-Autonomy.html
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Website Evaluation #4
Website Title: Viva España
Website URL: http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/j/x/jxz8/Student_Webquests/Bradley_Knudsen/WEBQUEST.HTML
Grade/Age Level: This web quest was designed for high school, level II Spanish class. This site could be easily adapted to younger college students as well.
Language & Content: The purpose of this web quest is to expose students to the culture and language of Spain by collaboratively working together to explore the cities using authentic tasks and resources. The overall task is to plan a trip to Spain, 6 days – 1 month in length, where the students will visit three cities and stay for at least two nights in each one. Students have a budget of $8,000 US. They must keep a travel journal along the way and provide a presentation to the class at the end of their journey. The four student roles are Travel Agent, Culinary Expert, Activity Manager and Trip Coordinator. The information is presented primarily in English in a very clean, simple format and is divided into six main headings: Introduction, Task, Process, Resources, Evaluation and Conclusion. The site’s external documents include pages on the various learner roles, grading rubrics and external links to authentic resources. The only issue is that some of the links no longer work; however, this could easily be updated. The resources are very effective because they include real world, authentic sources that are very applicable to the assigned tasks. For example, general resources include internet search engine for Spain and Grenada, El Pais (Spain’s newspaper) and an online directory for Spain. Resources for the travel “agent” include a Spanish hotel search engine and information on the various cities metro systems. The Trip Coordinator has websites such as the US embassy and consulate in Spain. This web quest is very relevant to the target audience because it deals with various aspects of planning a real world trip and includes various cities and aspects of the culture of Spain. It is very diverse in tasks and roles which hopefully will suits every learner’s interests and abilities. This site meets various language goals such as reading comprehension, writing and presenting in the target language (journals and group presentations) and learning about the culture of Spain. The web quest itself is a very practical application of the target language and includes clearly identified evaluation standards. A rubric for each role is provided as well as a question formatted checklist for the travel logs and itinerary. A unique feature about the task/evaluation is that students have the option of presenting a PowerPoint presentation or travel handbook depending on their preferred skills/abilities. The web quest is easy to navigate and includes a “home” link on each page (except for the external links). There are also hyperlinks which take you to various section of the main page so you don’t have to scroll. The main strengths of this web quest are the authentic tasks, roles and resources used and the collaborative group work required to accomplish the task. The main area of improvement for this web quest is the need for updated, working hyperlinks.
Website URL: http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/j/x/jxz8/Student_Webquests/Bradley_Knudsen/WEBQUEST.HTML
Grade/Age Level: This web quest was designed for high school, level II Spanish class. This site could be easily adapted to younger college students as well.
Language & Content: The purpose of this web quest is to expose students to the culture and language of Spain by collaboratively working together to explore the cities using authentic tasks and resources. The overall task is to plan a trip to Spain, 6 days – 1 month in length, where the students will visit three cities and stay for at least two nights in each one. Students have a budget of $8,000 US. They must keep a travel journal along the way and provide a presentation to the class at the end of their journey. The four student roles are Travel Agent, Culinary Expert, Activity Manager and Trip Coordinator. The information is presented primarily in English in a very clean, simple format and is divided into six main headings: Introduction, Task, Process, Resources, Evaluation and Conclusion. The site’s external documents include pages on the various learner roles, grading rubrics and external links to authentic resources. The only issue is that some of the links no longer work; however, this could easily be updated. The resources are very effective because they include real world, authentic sources that are very applicable to the assigned tasks. For example, general resources include internet search engine for Spain and Grenada, El Pais (Spain’s newspaper) and an online directory for Spain. Resources for the travel “agent” include a Spanish hotel search engine and information on the various cities metro systems. The Trip Coordinator has websites such as the US embassy and consulate in Spain. This web quest is very relevant to the target audience because it deals with various aspects of planning a real world trip and includes various cities and aspects of the culture of Spain. It is very diverse in tasks and roles which hopefully will suits every learner’s interests and abilities. This site meets various language goals such as reading comprehension, writing and presenting in the target language (journals and group presentations) and learning about the culture of Spain. The web quest itself is a very practical application of the target language and includes clearly identified evaluation standards. A rubric for each role is provided as well as a question formatted checklist for the travel logs and itinerary. A unique feature about the task/evaluation is that students have the option of presenting a PowerPoint presentation or travel handbook depending on their preferred skills/abilities. The web quest is easy to navigate and includes a “home” link on each page (except for the external links). There are also hyperlinks which take you to various section of the main page so you don’t have to scroll. The main strengths of this web quest are the authentic tasks, roles and resources used and the collaborative group work required to accomplish the task. The main area of improvement for this web quest is the need for updated, working hyperlinks.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Still searching?
This week our class task was to find and evaluate the results of "wikis education" in three different search engines. Google, Yahoo and MSN were off limits for the purpose of this task. So I set out on this little adventure by googling search engines. From there I decided to try the recommended sites: http://www.ask.com/ and http://www.alltheweb.com/. Our job was to compare the top 5 results of our searches and decide which one produced the best. To be honest I really wasn't impressed with either one of these search engines. Of the top 5 results in Ask.com, only four worked and one site "Creating Courses" was actually part of "Pink Flamingos Resource List". The author was pretty secretive about their personal information which made me question the validity of the site. They did state that the validity of information lied within the linked sites and not within their site.
AlltheWeb.com produced 5 different results from Ask.com. Three were educational based, one was for a small consulting agency and the last one was part of a project for NASA. Although I liked the educational sites, the other two weren't quite what I was looking for. By the way I also looked up the key words in http://www.altavista.com/ and I got the same top 5 results as I did in AlltheWeb.com.
So at this point in the task, I was a little frustrated. All of the so called "recommended" sites weren't giving me what I wanted. So I decided to try scholarly search engines. Although I found some good sites for information, it really wasn't presented in the form I wanted. So my last attempt was for a mega search engine. I found a website called http://www.searchenginewatch.com/. It finally gave me hope. They provided a review of some of the metacrawlers and metasearch engines. One of the "award winners" was http://www.kartoo.com/.
Kartoo.com is probably the coolest search engine I've ever seen. Results appear in a mind map design. The mind map categorizes the different types of information, for example "research", "study", "work", "teaching", "links", etc. Pages display about 12 results but they aren't numbered ... and this is what I like. You can just click on a link (presented in the form of an icon) in the area you are looking. When you run your cursor over the links, connections appear between the links. I found some of the same sites on this search engine as did on the others.
Overall, I liked Kartoo.com the best. I also found a site called http://www.surfwax.com/ that provided some good results but in a different manner. It lists the results line by line and provides you the source and highlights any information from 2007. It looked like the findings were pretty good as well.
Try out Kartoo.com. It is really different but great for the visual learner!
Below is a brief website evaluation on one of the sites I found using the Kartoo search engine:
*************************************************************
Title: Encyclopedia of Educational Technology
Website: http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/articles/wikis/index.htm
This site is a .edu site (educational) and is produced by SDSU Department of Educational Technology. You can link to the department’s homepage where it states its purpose “to encourage wise use of systems, environments, tools, products, and strategies that can enhance human learning and competence.” This site provides educational resources in the form of an encyclopedia. The main sites are up to date and all appear to work. You can contact the editor directly by email. Information appears to be presented in a balanced, factual way. I felt the site was easy to use but I would have liked to see the publication date of each entry so I knew how current it was.
I liked this site because it gave the basic information about wikis in education and provided links and references to other resources. Furthermore, if I didn’t understand a term, I could look it up in their encyclopedia. I trusted the information more because it came from a educational technology department of a university; however, I realize every site is subjective to a certain degree.
Stefanie
AlltheWeb.com produced 5 different results from Ask.com. Three were educational based, one was for a small consulting agency and the last one was part of a project for NASA. Although I liked the educational sites, the other two weren't quite what I was looking for. By the way I also looked up the key words in http://www.altavista.com/ and I got the same top 5 results as I did in AlltheWeb.com.
So at this point in the task, I was a little frustrated. All of the so called "recommended" sites weren't giving me what I wanted. So I decided to try scholarly search engines. Although I found some good sites for information, it really wasn't presented in the form I wanted. So my last attempt was for a mega search engine. I found a website called http://www.searchenginewatch.com/. It finally gave me hope. They provided a review of some of the metacrawlers and metasearch engines. One of the "award winners" was http://www.kartoo.com/.
Kartoo.com is probably the coolest search engine I've ever seen. Results appear in a mind map design. The mind map categorizes the different types of information, for example "research", "study", "work", "teaching", "links", etc. Pages display about 12 results but they aren't numbered ... and this is what I like. You can just click on a link (presented in the form of an icon) in the area you are looking. When you run your cursor over the links, connections appear between the links. I found some of the same sites on this search engine as did on the others.
Overall, I liked Kartoo.com the best. I also found a site called http://www.surfwax.com/ that provided some good results but in a different manner. It lists the results line by line and provides you the source and highlights any information from 2007. It looked like the findings were pretty good as well.
Try out Kartoo.com. It is really different but great for the visual learner!
Below is a brief website evaluation on one of the sites I found using the Kartoo search engine:
*************************************************************
Title: Encyclopedia of Educational Technology
Website: http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/articles/wikis/index.htm
This site is a .edu site (educational) and is produced by SDSU Department of Educational Technology. You can link to the department’s homepage where it states its purpose “to encourage wise use of systems, environments, tools, products, and strategies that can enhance human learning and competence.” This site provides educational resources in the form of an encyclopedia. The main sites are up to date and all appear to work. You can contact the editor directly by email. Information appears to be presented in a balanced, factual way. I felt the site was easy to use but I would have liked to see the publication date of each entry so I knew how current it was.
I liked this site because it gave the basic information about wikis in education and provided links and references to other resources. Furthermore, if I didn’t understand a term, I could look it up in their encyclopedia. I trusted the information more because it came from a educational technology department of a university; however, I realize every site is subjective to a certain degree.
Stefanie
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Integrating Learning Styles with CALL
This week’s reading “Classroom Practice: Enhancing and Extending Learning Styles Through Computers” by Karen Yeok-Hwa Ngeow looks at integrating language learning styles and strategy training into the CALL classroom. The purpose is to help students become more “mindful” in how they learn and to also share and learn about various strategies with their peers (Ngeow, 1999, pg. 303). The article proposes three “complementary” principles on integrating style and strategy training and technology: 1) “Learners who are more conscious of their learning styles make better use of learning opportunities”, 2) “Learners learn better when they are provided with learning opportunities that enhance and extend their learning preferences” and 3) “Learners work better with new learning styles when they are given guided opportunities to practice them. (Ngeow, 1999, pp. 302-303).” These principles are straightforward and make sense regarding any type of learning or instruction. I think the main ideas are to increase a students’ metacognitive awareness and to individualize instruction as much as possible to improve language learning success.
Among various student activities using computers, Ngeow also mentions the benefits of using computers to organizing student work and for teacher information management (Ngeow, 1999, pg. 303). Some ways of increasing a student’s awareness of how they learn is through creating learner profiles through learning style questionnaires or indicators found on the internet and by using various computer based information organizers (Ngeow, 1999, pg. 304). These activities provide an opportunity for other group activities or projects. Similar to learning styles/preferences is Gardner’s Mulitple Intelligence (MI) Theory; Ngeow provides an example of a CALL activity aimed at bringing more awareness to one’s MI (Ngeow, 1999, pp. 306-307). She also provides example activities for integrating awareness and sharing of learning styles with thematic activities such as theme-based projects and cooperative activities such as role-plays (Ngeow, 1999, pp 310 – 311).
I think considering one’s learning style/preference is important in order to individualize instruction and enhance metacognition. However, I feel the key is to ensure that you include a wide range of activities for your students so that you meet their varying needs. I don’t think it is safe to assume that a student only has only one learning style and that it is static. Instead, I think we should try to capture a variety of styles and preferences by varying instruction and activities. Furthermore, I feel it is important to expose students to all the different styles. One beneficial part of Ngeow’s article is the chart she presents which compares the type of learner, their likes and the computer programs from which they would benefit (Ngeow, 1999, pg. 308). Furthermore, I like how she addresses the need for students to share and learn from others when using various learning styles and strategies and how they can be grouped together in order to contribute their strengths (Ngeow, 1999, pg. 302 & 312).
Ngeow, K. (1999). “Classroom Practice: Enhancing and Extending Learning Styles
Through Computers.” In J. Egbert & E. Hanson-Smith (Eds.), CALL
Environments: Research, Practice and Critical Issues (pp.302-314). Alexandria,
VA: TESOL
Among various student activities using computers, Ngeow also mentions the benefits of using computers to organizing student work and for teacher information management (Ngeow, 1999, pg. 303). Some ways of increasing a student’s awareness of how they learn is through creating learner profiles through learning style questionnaires or indicators found on the internet and by using various computer based information organizers (Ngeow, 1999, pg. 304). These activities provide an opportunity for other group activities or projects. Similar to learning styles/preferences is Gardner’s Mulitple Intelligence (MI) Theory; Ngeow provides an example of a CALL activity aimed at bringing more awareness to one’s MI (Ngeow, 1999, pp. 306-307). She also provides example activities for integrating awareness and sharing of learning styles with thematic activities such as theme-based projects and cooperative activities such as role-plays (Ngeow, 1999, pp 310 – 311).
I think considering one’s learning style/preference is important in order to individualize instruction and enhance metacognition. However, I feel the key is to ensure that you include a wide range of activities for your students so that you meet their varying needs. I don’t think it is safe to assume that a student only has only one learning style and that it is static. Instead, I think we should try to capture a variety of styles and preferences by varying instruction and activities. Furthermore, I feel it is important to expose students to all the different styles. One beneficial part of Ngeow’s article is the chart she presents which compares the type of learner, their likes and the computer programs from which they would benefit (Ngeow, 1999, pg. 308). Furthermore, I like how she addresses the need for students to share and learn from others when using various learning styles and strategies and how they can be grouped together in order to contribute their strengths (Ngeow, 1999, pg. 302 & 312).
Ngeow, K. (1999). “Classroom Practice: Enhancing and Extending Learning Styles
Through Computers.” In J. Egbert & E. Hanson-Smith (Eds.), CALL
Environments: Research, Practice and Critical Issues (pp.302-314). Alexandria,
VA: TESOL
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Professional Development Sites
This week in our CALL class we focused on professional development resources on the Internet. Initially, I was thinking online classes, certifications and general information. However, what I discovered were vibrant online communities, not static sources of information. These professional development resources are more active in nature versus the passive style of professional development I am used to.
This week I explored three main professional development resources online, 1) TappedIn, an online "international community of education professionals", 2) FLTeach, listserv for foreign language teachers and 3) An ELT Notebook, blog for EFL teachers. I have put links to all three below. Each are unique and have their own advantages and disadvantages. TappedIn is a very welcoming environment (even a receptionist greets you) and you can set up your own office and explore many different "rooms" on campus which have chats, links and many other resources on a variety of education topics. One I explored today was on Peace Education (under "Global Project Based Learning"). Rooms have different "Featured Passageways" that have links to related areas of interest. You could spend hours in this online community but it does take some to get acquainted with all that they have to offer. One reason I like this type of site is that I can go there when I want (they have calendars of events too) and see what interaction has happened and is happening. I have control of the information I interact with.
I experienced the opposite of this type of control with the FLTeach listserv I signed up with. More emails than I could handle were entering my inbox while I innocently slept in bed at night. The listserv did provide some interesting information and interaction, however. There was a poem on how to remember Ser and Estar in Spanish. It was good but had one mistake which another subscriber caught and shared with the rest of us. I really didn't feel ready (or comfortable) to respond to any of the postings this week.
The other professional resource I looked at was "The ELT Notebook". I really like this blog. It has a simple design, yet clear and professional. The posting don't just contain opinions but articles on various topics with exercises and ideas you can implement in the classroom. It looks like this blog started in 2006 and was created by an EFL teacher/teacher trainer with over 30 years of experience. This blog includes articles (postings) on over 20 topics, recommended websites and blogs, free worksheets and flashcards and links to online training for teachers.
So of these three types of resources I experienced this week I think I am most comfortable using and interacting with the blogs but I can see exploring TappedIn further. I need to change the settings for the listserv because all of the posting were overwhelming. This week was just a glimpse of what is offered to educators on the Internet. I'm glad that I got a chance to experience a few of them.
Links:
http://tappedin.org/tappedin/
http://www.cortland.edu/flteach/
http://eltnotebook.blogspot.com/index.html
This week I explored three main professional development resources online, 1) TappedIn, an online "international community of education professionals", 2) FLTeach, listserv for foreign language teachers and 3) An ELT Notebook, blog for EFL teachers. I have put links to all three below. Each are unique and have their own advantages and disadvantages. TappedIn is a very welcoming environment (even a receptionist greets you) and you can set up your own office and explore many different "rooms" on campus which have chats, links and many other resources on a variety of education topics. One I explored today was on Peace Education (under "Global Project Based Learning"). Rooms have different "Featured Passageways" that have links to related areas of interest. You could spend hours in this online community but it does take some to get acquainted with all that they have to offer. One reason I like this type of site is that I can go there when I want (they have calendars of events too) and see what interaction has happened and is happening. I have control of the information I interact with.
I experienced the opposite of this type of control with the FLTeach listserv I signed up with. More emails than I could handle were entering my inbox while I innocently slept in bed at night. The listserv did provide some interesting information and interaction, however. There was a poem on how to remember Ser and Estar in Spanish. It was good but had one mistake which another subscriber caught and shared with the rest of us. I really didn't feel ready (or comfortable) to respond to any of the postings this week.
The other professional resource I looked at was "The ELT Notebook". I really like this blog. It has a simple design, yet clear and professional. The posting don't just contain opinions but articles on various topics with exercises and ideas you can implement in the classroom. It looks like this blog started in 2006 and was created by an EFL teacher/teacher trainer with over 30 years of experience. This blog includes articles (postings) on over 20 topics, recommended websites and blogs, free worksheets and flashcards and links to online training for teachers.
So of these three types of resources I experienced this week I think I am most comfortable using and interacting with the blogs but I can see exploring TappedIn further. I need to change the settings for the listserv because all of the posting were overwhelming. This week was just a glimpse of what is offered to educators on the Internet. I'm glad that I got a chance to experience a few of them.
Links:
http://tappedin.org/tappedin/
http://www.cortland.edu/flteach/
http://eltnotebook.blogspot.com/index.html
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Website Evaluation #3
Software/Website Title: Centro Virtual Cervantes
Website URL: http://cvc.cervantes.es/portada.htm
Grade/Age Level: Intermediate to advanced Spanish second language learners (in my opinion mostly university level). There are also links for children learning Spanish and for Spanish teachers/professors.
Language & Content:
This website is an virtual extension of the Instituto Cervantes, “a worldwide non-profit organization created by the Spanish government in 1991.” Its mission is to “promote the teaching, study and use of Spanish as a second language and to contribute to the advancement of the Spanish, Hispanic and Latin American cultures throughout the world.” It has over 44 branches in 22 countries as well as a virtual environment. The website is for Spanish students, teachers, translators and many other professionals who work with the Spanish language. This website has a mixture of content resources as well as lesson plans and exercises.
There is an overwhelming amount of material on this website, especially since it is entirely in Spanish. However, after looking around a bit I discovered that it is well organized. It has a section that talks about the site, links to media needed to run various programs, and page on navigation instructions. The three principle categories of this website are 1) Actos Culturales which contains information in the form of presentations on cultural topics such as the Museum Labrinyth and the Gardens of Andalusia (Al Alhambra), 2) Obras de referencia (Reference works) which include various articles, presentations, anthologies on various topics and 3) Aula de lengua (language classroom). The third section contains a lot of great resources such as “Mi mundo en palabras” which is an interactive website for children 7-9 who are studying Spanish, weekly activities in Spanish, Spanish mini courses, and a virtual translation classroom where you can find translation exercises and real time translation workshops (but you have to have Hotmail account). There really is so much information on this website that I’m still finding new programs and exercises. I was able to use almost all of the various programs (links) one day but the next day it told me that I needed to log in. So you need to be a registered member to access some of the services.
This website also has an index which includes hundreds of links to external Spanish website that cover language, internet search engines, literature, dictionaries, art, newspapers, magazines, etc. It is unbelievable!
For more advanced students, this website offers wonderful information on authentic culture, literature, grammar and translation. It is has more detailed and scholarly information than most websites I have seen for second language learners of Spanish. It can meet various language goals such as increased knowledge on literature, history and culture of Spain and increase knowledge of grammar and its use. Furthermore, use of this website will also increase reading comprehension in Spanish and exposes students to using the internet entirely in Spanish (new vocabulary).
This website includes a virtual Spanish classroom (Aula Virtual de español) which is an “Internet-based educational infrastructure set up to provide Spanish courses”. In another section you have three levels of lectures that offer interactive pre/post-reading activities, the text and information about the text. There is also a section that offers various interactive games such as Alphabet Soup, where students have to 10 verb forms from a written text. I tried to use the games but I had some problems running Active X on my computer. Feedback on the form of “solutions” is offered.
Overall, this website offers an unbelievable amount of scholarly, professional, authentic information and wonderful additional resources. It encourages comments and feedback. I do however feel this website is a little hard to navigate for non-native Spanish students because 1) it is mostly in Spanish (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing!) and 2) there is some much information that you need to dig under the various headings to find all the services offered. If you read the navigation information, it will help you get started faster. Maybe having more structure (similar to the site map) on the home page would help students find the various activities and resources easier.
Website URL: http://cvc.cervantes.es/portada.htm
Grade/Age Level: Intermediate to advanced Spanish second language learners (in my opinion mostly university level). There are also links for children learning Spanish and for Spanish teachers/professors.
Language & Content:
This website is an virtual extension of the Instituto Cervantes, “a worldwide non-profit organization created by the Spanish government in 1991.” Its mission is to “promote the teaching, study and use of Spanish as a second language and to contribute to the advancement of the Spanish, Hispanic and Latin American cultures throughout the world.” It has over 44 branches in 22 countries as well as a virtual environment. The website is for Spanish students, teachers, translators and many other professionals who work with the Spanish language. This website has a mixture of content resources as well as lesson plans and exercises.
There is an overwhelming amount of material on this website, especially since it is entirely in Spanish. However, after looking around a bit I discovered that it is well organized. It has a section that talks about the site, links to media needed to run various programs, and page on navigation instructions. The three principle categories of this website are 1) Actos Culturales which contains information in the form of presentations on cultural topics such as the Museum Labrinyth and the Gardens of Andalusia (Al Alhambra), 2) Obras de referencia (Reference works) which include various articles, presentations, anthologies on various topics and 3) Aula de lengua (language classroom). The third section contains a lot of great resources such as “Mi mundo en palabras” which is an interactive website for children 7-9 who are studying Spanish, weekly activities in Spanish, Spanish mini courses, and a virtual translation classroom where you can find translation exercises and real time translation workshops (but you have to have Hotmail account). There really is so much information on this website that I’m still finding new programs and exercises. I was able to use almost all of the various programs (links) one day but the next day it told me that I needed to log in. So you need to be a registered member to access some of the services.
This website also has an index which includes hundreds of links to external Spanish website that cover language, internet search engines, literature, dictionaries, art, newspapers, magazines, etc. It is unbelievable!
For more advanced students, this website offers wonderful information on authentic culture, literature, grammar and translation. It is has more detailed and scholarly information than most websites I have seen for second language learners of Spanish. It can meet various language goals such as increased knowledge on literature, history and culture of Spain and increase knowledge of grammar and its use. Furthermore, use of this website will also increase reading comprehension in Spanish and exposes students to using the internet entirely in Spanish (new vocabulary).
This website includes a virtual Spanish classroom (Aula Virtual de español) which is an “Internet-based educational infrastructure set up to provide Spanish courses”. In another section you have three levels of lectures that offer interactive pre/post-reading activities, the text and information about the text. There is also a section that offers various interactive games such as Alphabet Soup, where students have to 10 verb forms from a written text. I tried to use the games but I had some problems running Active X on my computer. Feedback on the form of “solutions” is offered.
Overall, this website offers an unbelievable amount of scholarly, professional, authentic information and wonderful additional resources. It encourages comments and feedback. I do however feel this website is a little hard to navigate for non-native Spanish students because 1) it is mostly in Spanish (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing!) and 2) there is some much information that you need to dig under the various headings to find all the services offered. If you read the navigation information, it will help you get started faster. Maybe having more structure (similar to the site map) on the home page would help students find the various activities and resources easier.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
CALL Reflection #3
This week’s article, “Text and task authenticity in the EFL classroom” by Guariento and Morley, highlighted some key points regarding the integration of authentic tasks in the language classroom and specifically addressed the question of whether authentic material can be simplified to meet the needs of lower level learners without losing its authenticity (pg. 348). Authentic texts are used in the communicative teaching approach to help connect classroom tasks with real world tasks and to help motivate students by putting them “in touch with a living entity, the target language as it is used by the community which speaks it (pg. 347).” As most of us know, finding authentic texts for immediate and advanced learners is fairly easy; however, when it comes to finding material that is authentic, yet simple enough for beginning level students, and motivational (cognitively stimulating) can be a challenge. The article states if authentic texts aren’t chosen appropriately with regards to lexical/syntactic simplicity and/or content familiarity, they can actually demotivate the students (pg. 348).
The authors offer us an alternative approach … emphasize the development of strategic competencies (language learning strategies) with the goal of partial comprehension (pg. 348). They justify this with the fact that this is what happens in reality (pg. 348). I agree with this as long as the authentic material is at a level that can be supported through scaffolding and, in Vygotsky’s terms, is within their “zone of proximal development”. In fact, I personally believe that content should be slightly above one’s language level in order to keep them motivated and challenged. In my own learning, I have found that I tend to work up to the level of my peers (the social organization in which I’m placed). I suppose this is somewhat similar to Vygotsky’s theory of social development.
The article goes on to talk about how one should not only focus on the authenticity of material used in the classroom but how it is used. Guariento and Morely outline four views regarding task authenticity: 1) authenticity through a genuine purpose, 2) authenticity through real world targets, 3) authenticity through classroom interaction and 4) authenticity through engagement (pg. 349-350). Before reading this article, I would have considered the first three views of authenticity; however, I had not considered authenticity through engagement before. I agree with the article in that this type of authenticity is the most important; “for unless a learner is somehow ‘engaged’ by the task, unless they are genuinely interested in its topic and its purpose, and understand its relevance, then the other types of authenticity may count for very little (pg. 350-351).” This view supports a throughout needs analysis and understanding of the learner. It also supports the development of independent learners, those who can understand and control their learning. All of the points are vital for ensuring a successful learning environment. Based on this, I can see how authenticity of engagement needs to be established before the other three views of authenticity.
The authors conclude that simple yet authentic, real world tasks for low level learners do exist (pg. 351). Such examples include games, simple surveys or practice in buying a train ticket (pg. 351). Although, beginning level students may not be able to engage in complex conversations in the classroom, they still are able to provide valuable input into the “teaching-learning process (pg. 351).” This is important because it provides them some control over their learning while hopefully making them more responsible, independent learners.
REFERNCES:
Guariento, W. & Morley, J. (2001). Text and task authenticity in the EFL classroom. ELT Journal 55(4).
The authors offer us an alternative approach … emphasize the development of strategic competencies (language learning strategies) with the goal of partial comprehension (pg. 348). They justify this with the fact that this is what happens in reality (pg. 348). I agree with this as long as the authentic material is at a level that can be supported through scaffolding and, in Vygotsky’s terms, is within their “zone of proximal development”. In fact, I personally believe that content should be slightly above one’s language level in order to keep them motivated and challenged. In my own learning, I have found that I tend to work up to the level of my peers (the social organization in which I’m placed). I suppose this is somewhat similar to Vygotsky’s theory of social development.
The article goes on to talk about how one should not only focus on the authenticity of material used in the classroom but how it is used. Guariento and Morely outline four views regarding task authenticity: 1) authenticity through a genuine purpose, 2) authenticity through real world targets, 3) authenticity through classroom interaction and 4) authenticity through engagement (pg. 349-350). Before reading this article, I would have considered the first three views of authenticity; however, I had not considered authenticity through engagement before. I agree with the article in that this type of authenticity is the most important; “for unless a learner is somehow ‘engaged’ by the task, unless they are genuinely interested in its topic and its purpose, and understand its relevance, then the other types of authenticity may count for very little (pg. 350-351).” This view supports a throughout needs analysis and understanding of the learner. It also supports the development of independent learners, those who can understand and control their learning. All of the points are vital for ensuring a successful learning environment. Based on this, I can see how authenticity of engagement needs to be established before the other three views of authenticity.
The authors conclude that simple yet authentic, real world tasks for low level learners do exist (pg. 351). Such examples include games, simple surveys or practice in buying a train ticket (pg. 351). Although, beginning level students may not be able to engage in complex conversations in the classroom, they still are able to provide valuable input into the “teaching-learning process (pg. 351).” This is important because it provides them some control over their learning while hopefully making them more responsible, independent learners.
REFERNCES:
Guariento, W. & Morley, J. (2001). Text and task authenticity in the EFL classroom. ELT Journal 55(4).
Friday, February 9, 2007
Website Evaluation #2
Website Title: Voice of America News, Special English
Website URL: http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish/index.cfm
Grade/Age Level: This news website is ideal for adolescent or adult English Language Learners (ELL) at the intermediate or advanced levels. Although not designed as an education program, teachers can use this website to provide authentic language input in both written and oral modes.
Language & Content:
Voice of America (VOA) News, Special English, is an extension of their main news website, an international broadcasting service funded by the US government. The Special News section started in 1959 with its goal to “communicate by radio in clear and simple English with people whose native language was not English.” Over the years, VOA has continued this initiative and expanded to about 14 main news programs such as American Stories, Education Report, In the News and This is America.
Programs are broadcasted around the world several times a day through the internet and also on Satellite TV. Over the internet, stories can be heard using Windows Media, Real Audio or downloaded as an MP3. Written text is also provided which is a great asset for ELLs. Feeds, pod casts and news by email are also available. Reading comprehension questions are provided for some of the news stories. In addition to providing current news, VOA Special English provides a program “Words and Their Stories” which is aired every Sunday and focuses on idioms. They also have “Wordmaster” which provides lesson and news on grammar, idioms, slang, regional English and topical issues. Such articles include “Native American Influence on English” and “Hawaiian Language.” Various word games are also available.
External links include online talking dictionaries, Peace Corps Teaching English page, US Department of State Office of English Language Programs and the US Institute of Peace Teaching Guide on Peace Education. All links are highly recognized, work well and are great for ESL teachers.
As described on their website, what’s unique about Special English news stories and ideal for English Language Learners is 1) they contain a core vocabulary of 1500 words for which they include an online dictionary called “Word Book”, 2) only short, simple sentences in the active voice are used and the writers do not use idioms and 3) broadcasters read the stories at a pace “two-thirds the speed of standard English.”
Through the various news programs (both written and oral) along with pronunciation guides, online dictionaries, reading and grammar exercises and various games, this website can help meet numerous language learning goals. Teachers can also build their own lessons around one news story or grammar article/exercise. Beyond reading/listening comprehension and pronunciation, this site also helps improve the understanding of various American English dialects, idioms and American culture.
Overall, this website is easy to navigate and has a clean layout. Obviously its strengths are 1) the ability to provide news using simple, American English (as opposed to some of the BBC English programs), 2) its diversity (grammar, slang, and regional dialects) and 3) its emphasis on American culture. I like what this website offers and I plan on using it on my website and in some of my lessons. The only recommendation I have is that some of the wonderful resources are buried under a few links. I think they should be highlighted on the main page so both teachers and students could find them easier.
Website URL: http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish/index.cfm
Grade/Age Level: This news website is ideal for adolescent or adult English Language Learners (ELL) at the intermediate or advanced levels. Although not designed as an education program, teachers can use this website to provide authentic language input in both written and oral modes.
Language & Content:
Voice of America (VOA) News, Special English, is an extension of their main news website, an international broadcasting service funded by the US government. The Special News section started in 1959 with its goal to “communicate by radio in clear and simple English with people whose native language was not English.” Over the years, VOA has continued this initiative and expanded to about 14 main news programs such as American Stories, Education Report, In the News and This is America.
Programs are broadcasted around the world several times a day through the internet and also on Satellite TV. Over the internet, stories can be heard using Windows Media, Real Audio or downloaded as an MP3. Written text is also provided which is a great asset for ELLs. Feeds, pod casts and news by email are also available. Reading comprehension questions are provided for some of the news stories. In addition to providing current news, VOA Special English provides a program “Words and Their Stories” which is aired every Sunday and focuses on idioms. They also have “Wordmaster” which provides lesson and news on grammar, idioms, slang, regional English and topical issues. Such articles include “Native American Influence on English” and “Hawaiian Language.” Various word games are also available.
External links include online talking dictionaries, Peace Corps Teaching English page, US Department of State Office of English Language Programs and the US Institute of Peace Teaching Guide on Peace Education. All links are highly recognized, work well and are great for ESL teachers.
As described on their website, what’s unique about Special English news stories and ideal for English Language Learners is 1) they contain a core vocabulary of 1500 words for which they include an online dictionary called “Word Book”, 2) only short, simple sentences in the active voice are used and the writers do not use idioms and 3) broadcasters read the stories at a pace “two-thirds the speed of standard English.”
Through the various news programs (both written and oral) along with pronunciation guides, online dictionaries, reading and grammar exercises and various games, this website can help meet numerous language learning goals. Teachers can also build their own lessons around one news story or grammar article/exercise. Beyond reading/listening comprehension and pronunciation, this site also helps improve the understanding of various American English dialects, idioms and American culture.
Overall, this website is easy to navigate and has a clean layout. Obviously its strengths are 1) the ability to provide news using simple, American English (as opposed to some of the BBC English programs), 2) its diversity (grammar, slang, and regional dialects) and 3) its emphasis on American culture. I like what this website offers and I plan on using it on my website and in some of my lessons. The only recommendation I have is that some of the wonderful resources are buried under a few links. I think they should be highlighted on the main page so both teachers and students could find them easier.
Thursday, February 1, 2007
CALL Reflection #2
Anderson (2003) did a wonderful job of clearly and concisely breaking down interaction, a word that is so simple and assumed in most educational settings but sometimes overlooked regarding quality. In this article, Anderson list three main categories of interaction: student-student, student-teacher and student-content (Modes of Interaction). Furthermore, he distinguishes teacher-teacher, teacher-content and content-content interactions (Modes of Interaction). Based on these modes, he proposes an equivalency theorem that states “Deep and meaningful formal learning is supported as long as one of the three forms of interaction … is at a high level” thus being able to substitute one type of interaction for another at the same level without loss of effective instruction (Equivalency of Interaction).
For a teacher, his theorem provides a lot of options and freedom in the classroom. As Anderson notes, the modes of interaction and their levels will depend on the instructional delivery (Examples of Applying the Equivalency Theorem to Popular Education Delivery modes). A teacher can look at their personal educational philosophy and instructional goals and determine which interaction they want to emphasize. Then they can use various delivery methods and tools to obtain the desired type and level of interaction. By shifting the types of interactions to more student-student or student-content (learner-centered instruction), there will be less teacher-student interaction (Conclusion). I suppose this would allow teachers to be more on the “sidelines” playing the role of a facilitator or coach instead of the traditional “director” of the classroom. This would then open the doors for a more community based, communicative learning environment. From my experience with online learning at IU, I have definitely experienced this shift of teacher roles. The focus on student-student and student-content interaction in my online courses has provided me deeper learning of the material than a traditional lecture classroom.
Although I favor less emphasis on student-teacher interactions in order to help create more communicative learning opportunities, I’m not sure how well this method will work with students who lack the metacognitive awareness of their own learning. Introducing technology also brings in additional literacy skills that some students need to master. I don’t think these are obstacles but rather factors that need to be considered and planned for by the teacher.
Overall, I think the modes of interactions used in the classroom are constantly changing depending on factors such as subject matter, teacher, students and resources available. However, I feel it is the overall essence of the class that is important. When I look back to the classes where I learned the most or to the teachers whom I was most influenced, I don’t remember one specific thing but rather something wonderful that was present in all the different interactions that took place.
REFERENCE:
Anderson, T. (2003) Getting the Mix Right Again: An update and theoretical rationale for interaction. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning 4 (2).
For a teacher, his theorem provides a lot of options and freedom in the classroom. As Anderson notes, the modes of interaction and their levels will depend on the instructional delivery (Examples of Applying the Equivalency Theorem to Popular Education Delivery modes). A teacher can look at their personal educational philosophy and instructional goals and determine which interaction they want to emphasize. Then they can use various delivery methods and tools to obtain the desired type and level of interaction. By shifting the types of interactions to more student-student or student-content (learner-centered instruction), there will be less teacher-student interaction (Conclusion). I suppose this would allow teachers to be more on the “sidelines” playing the role of a facilitator or coach instead of the traditional “director” of the classroom. This would then open the doors for a more community based, communicative learning environment. From my experience with online learning at IU, I have definitely experienced this shift of teacher roles. The focus on student-student and student-content interaction in my online courses has provided me deeper learning of the material than a traditional lecture classroom.
Although I favor less emphasis on student-teacher interactions in order to help create more communicative learning opportunities, I’m not sure how well this method will work with students who lack the metacognitive awareness of their own learning. Introducing technology also brings in additional literacy skills that some students need to master. I don’t think these are obstacles but rather factors that need to be considered and planned for by the teacher.
Overall, I think the modes of interactions used in the classroom are constantly changing depending on factors such as subject matter, teacher, students and resources available. However, I feel it is the overall essence of the class that is important. When I look back to the classes where I learned the most or to the teachers whom I was most influenced, I don’t remember one specific thing but rather something wonderful that was present in all the different interactions that took place.
REFERENCE:
Anderson, T. (2003) Getting the Mix Right Again: An update and theoretical rationale for interaction. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning 4 (2).
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Website Evaluation #1
Software/Website Title: Spanish Teaching
Website URL: http://www.spanish-teaching.com/blog
Grade/Age Level: This blog is for both Spanish students and teachers. Since most of the blog is in English, it could be used for all levels; however, there is a specific tab for beginners. Based on the content, I feel the blog is mainly for secondary/post secondary students and adult learners.
Language & Content:
This blog was created by a Spanish language school in Spain called don Quijote. The purpose of this blog is to provide Spanish language resources for both students and teachers as well as to share information about Spanish culture (Spain and Latin America in particular). The content includes language resources for students such as language learning tips, seasonal vocabulary, videos, games, recommended reading lists and other odds and ends. For teachers, there are also odds and ends that people have put on the blog such as videos, interviews, etc. Other content include student written diaries, news, polls, pictures and Spanish language resources.
This blog uses imported video and pictures and contains external links to other blogs, the “Real Academia Espanola” (RAE) and the don Quijote school which contains a lot of wonderful learning resources such as online literature, lessons, word of the day and a monthly newsletter. I think these links are very effective and up to date. For example, RAE is the authority on the Spanish language. One of the news links on this blog talks about how the new Spanish dictionary put out by RAE authorizes words such as “internet” and “chat”.
As previously mentioned, there are wonderful pictures on the blog's main page as well as links to many more. This gives the target audience a more intimate view of various places in Spain. Furthermore, the discussions, hints and resources are offered in English but provide a lot of good ideas and suggestions. Also, having links to student diaries demonstrates that the blog is very learner centered.
I think this blog allows the reader to better understand the culture through photos and the personal experiences shared (diaries, blog entries, etc.). It also provides links to allow them to explore Spanish literature, grammar exercises, etc. in a non-threatening way. You can make blog entries with a registered account and also vote in different polls. For example, the current poll asks “Where does Spanish fall on your list of languages learned?.” The links provided do go to a website that offers various practice exercises, cultural information, etc.
Overall, I think the layout is clean, simple and user-friendly. All but one link seemed to work. Furthermore, links are place under clear headings such as “Student Diaries”, “Recent Documents” and “Spanish Resources”. Navigation is easy and you can always choose “home” from the various pages. The biggest strength about this blog is that it offers wonderful pictures and a lot of personal tips from language learners. It is also very learner friendly and provides authentic language input. The information provided is of quality and useful not just full of opinions which I found in some of the other blogs. One improvement would be to add practice exercises to the blog directly. Maybe it could change ever week or so.
Website URL: http://www.spanish-teaching.com/blog
Grade/Age Level: This blog is for both Spanish students and teachers. Since most of the blog is in English, it could be used for all levels; however, there is a specific tab for beginners. Based on the content, I feel the blog is mainly for secondary/post secondary students and adult learners.
Language & Content:
This blog was created by a Spanish language school in Spain called don Quijote. The purpose of this blog is to provide Spanish language resources for both students and teachers as well as to share information about Spanish culture (Spain and Latin America in particular). The content includes language resources for students such as language learning tips, seasonal vocabulary, videos, games, recommended reading lists and other odds and ends. For teachers, there are also odds and ends that people have put on the blog such as videos, interviews, etc. Other content include student written diaries, news, polls, pictures and Spanish language resources.
This blog uses imported video and pictures and contains external links to other blogs, the “Real Academia Espanola” (RAE) and the don Quijote school which contains a lot of wonderful learning resources such as online literature, lessons, word of the day and a monthly newsletter. I think these links are very effective and up to date. For example, RAE is the authority on the Spanish language. One of the news links on this blog talks about how the new Spanish dictionary put out by RAE authorizes words such as “internet” and “chat”.
As previously mentioned, there are wonderful pictures on the blog's main page as well as links to many more. This gives the target audience a more intimate view of various places in Spain. Furthermore, the discussions, hints and resources are offered in English but provide a lot of good ideas and suggestions. Also, having links to student diaries demonstrates that the blog is very learner centered.
I think this blog allows the reader to better understand the culture through photos and the personal experiences shared (diaries, blog entries, etc.). It also provides links to allow them to explore Spanish literature, grammar exercises, etc. in a non-threatening way. You can make blog entries with a registered account and also vote in different polls. For example, the current poll asks “Where does Spanish fall on your list of languages learned?.” The links provided do go to a website that offers various practice exercises, cultural information, etc.
Overall, I think the layout is clean, simple and user-friendly. All but one link seemed to work. Furthermore, links are place under clear headings such as “Student Diaries”, “Recent Documents” and “Spanish Resources”. Navigation is easy and you can always choose “home” from the various pages. The biggest strength about this blog is that it offers wonderful pictures and a lot of personal tips from language learners. It is also very learner friendly and provides authentic language input. The information provided is of quality and useful not just full of opinions which I found in some of the other blogs. One improvement would be to add practice exercises to the blog directly. Maybe it could change ever week or so.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Friday, January 19, 2007
CALL Reflection #1
Overall, I really enjoyed this week's readings because they provided 1) a wonderful summary of the different perspectives in language learning and how they have evolved and 2) key conditions for the ideal language learning environment. I was a little surprised these CALL readings started with the core theories and methodologies of good teaching. I guess I expected them to focus solely on technological aspects; however, if you don't embrace good teaching principles, your computer "wizardry" will not lead to successful teaching or learning in the classroom. The 8 Optimal Environmental Conditions mentioned in the Egbert et. al. article support the communicative approach and can all be supported by technology. Furthermore, the Kern & Warschauer article did a great job comparing the different philosophies of learning through the lens of language education.
I was very happy to see the importance of metacognitive skills mentioned in both readings. I personally think this is very important in learning. It really makes a difference of how I teach my lessons and work with my students. I like the "computer-as-toolkit" model and how in computer networking, computers are "used as a vehicle for interactive human communication (Kern & Warschauer, 2000, Sociocognitive Approaches to CALL)." This concept allows the world, the target language, culture and social interactions in particular, to enter the classroom. If you embrace a social-constructivist view of learning than CALL is a powerful tool.
Besides bringing authentic social interactions and materials into the classroom (Kern & Warschauer, 2000), I also like how CALL allows us to teach our students a second language while exposing them to a medium that they will need to survive in that language. Furthermore, CALL allows students more time to plan and reflect their language use (Kern & Warschauer, 2000). I think this is really important with adolescent and adult learners who can often be inhibited by their fear of making mistakes or sounding stupid. I know I feel more capable in my second language when I writing versus when I'm speaking. Hopefully CALL will allow students to develop a lifetime interest in other languages and cultures and help them take more risks in language learning.
The readings provided a good foundation for CALL and helped place it in a familiar context with relation to some of my former studies (i.e. methodologies & learning theories). The Egbert et. al. reading also brought up a good question which I found interesting: "Which technologies are best for supporting the best methods of teaching and learning? (pg. 9)." Hopefully what I learn in this class will help me better answer this question.
I was very happy to see the importance of metacognitive skills mentioned in both readings. I personally think this is very important in learning. It really makes a difference of how I teach my lessons and work with my students. I like the "computer-as-toolkit" model and how in computer networking, computers are "used as a vehicle for interactive human communication (Kern & Warschauer, 2000, Sociocognitive Approaches to CALL)." This concept allows the world, the target language, culture and social interactions in particular, to enter the classroom. If you embrace a social-constructivist view of learning than CALL is a powerful tool.
Besides bringing authentic social interactions and materials into the classroom (Kern & Warschauer, 2000), I also like how CALL allows us to teach our students a second language while exposing them to a medium that they will need to survive in that language. Furthermore, CALL allows students more time to plan and reflect their language use (Kern & Warschauer, 2000). I think this is really important with adolescent and adult learners who can often be inhibited by their fear of making mistakes or sounding stupid. I know I feel more capable in my second language when I writing versus when I'm speaking. Hopefully CALL will allow students to develop a lifetime interest in other languages and cultures and help them take more risks in language learning.
The readings provided a good foundation for CALL and helped place it in a familiar context with relation to some of my former studies (i.e. methodologies & learning theories). The Egbert et. al. reading also brought up a good question which I found interesting: "Which technologies are best for supporting the best methods of teaching and learning? (pg. 9)." Hopefully what I learn in this class will help me better answer this question.
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