For my final blog associated with the course, Using Technology to Enhance Adult Learning, I will consider three technologies that I discovered as a result of reading the blogs of my class colleagues.  These technologies relate to netiquette, ethics, and digital citizenship.  In my comments, I will explain why I selected these technologies and provide two examples of how I might integrate them into my future practice as an educator of adult ESL learners.

 

Linda Komara shared via her blog the Netiquette: An exercise and e-guides on social interaction and communicating electronically Website found at http://www.studygs.net/netiquette.htm.  This page is part of a site titled Study Guides and Strategies, and has been created and maintained for more than a decade by Joe Landsberger as an open education public service.  It contains various study guides for adult learners to advance their learning skills.  One of the study guides is on netiquette.  This particular web page covers all aspects of communicating via email and includes guides regarding Writing for the Internet, Copyright Basics, and Citation (Landsberger, n.d.).  This website is a valuable tool because email is one of the main communication tools in the workplace.  Students must be familiar with the proper ways to use email in order to be successful in handling it in the workplace.  They must understand that there is a difference between emailing and texting or using social media.  Moreover, many of them will need to know how to use email effectively in a global context.  I might use this website with my more advanced adult ESL learners in a unit that deals with using English writing skills in the email format.  I would review the information on the Website thoroughly with my students, giving them plenty of time for discussion and questions.  Then, I would divide the students into pairs and assign them to email each other back and forth over a week’s time sharing information about their hobbies or future vocational aspirations.  I might also have my ESL class connect with another ESL class at another university overseas.  I would assign my students to exchange emails with the students in that class and have them share with them some of the Internet technologies they have found engaging and helpful in improving their English literacy skills.  In both of these examples, my ESL students would gain valuable experience in communicating with the proper netiquette via email as well as effective practice in writing English.

Reference

Komara, L. (2013, April 18). Welcome to Linda K's Blog: April 2013 [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://komaralk8.blogspot.com/2013_04_01_archive.html

Landsberger, J. (n.d.). Netiquette: an exercise and e-guides on social interaction and communicating electronically. Retrieved April 24, 2013, from http://www.studygs.net/netiquette.htm

 

Carolyn Bell shared information about Turnitin via her blog. Turnitin is a publishing tool that assists educators and students in checking their essays and papers for originality (Bell, 2013).  It integrates with over 50 Course Management Systems, uses three databases to match content, is positioned in over 126 countries, and is used by over 69% of the top 100 universities/colleges in the U.S. (Turnitin—Our Company, 2013).  “Ethics is an inherent part of the discussion surrounding plagiarism as educational institutions struggle to produce high-quality students with ethical standards” (Brown & Rubin, 2011, p. 33).  Many students believe that digital information is open and available for all to use (Dye, 2007; as cited in Brown & Rubin, 2011).  Because students “use this free content daily, their perceptions of plagiarism differ from their teachers” (Ma, Wan, & Lu, 2008; as cited in Brown & Rubin, 2011, p. 29), and unfortunately, teaching and counseling them about avoiding plagiarizing has proven to do little to deter them from copying others’ works (p. 29).  Turnitin is a valuable technological tool because it can be used to help students learn to “value their own voices and to appreciate what others have created (Calvin, 2007; as cited in Brown & Rubin, 2011, p. 30).  I would use it with my more advanced ESL adult learners by first explaining what it is and how it works, and then asking them to submit some of their essays and papers through Turnitin.  I would not ask that all essays be turned in to it as I would not want to breach the trust element between the educator and student.  Another way I might use Turnitin with my ESL students is to review a few essays with them that were plagiarized and then ask them to make suggestions based on the portions cited by Turnitin that need proper citation or paraphrasing of the content.  I believe that Turnitin serves as a deterrent to plagiarism when learners realize it will hold them accountable for originality and proper citation of others’ works. 

References

Bell, C. (2013, April 18). carolynbell02 « A topnotch WordPress.com site [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://carolynbell02.wordpress.com/

Brown, V. & Rubin, N. (2011). The ethics of Turnitin from a faculty’s perspective. National Teacher Education Journal, 4(2), p. 29-34.

Turnitin - Our Company. (2013). Retrieved April 24, 2013, from http://turnitin.com/en_us/about-us/our-company

 

Carolyn Hesher shared information from her blog about the Website, Digital Citizenship, http://ecitizenship.csla.net/.  This is a site sponsored by the California School Library Association and California State University Long Beach.  The site describes digital citizenship as “the ability to use technology safely, responsibly, critically, and pro-actively to contribute to society” (Digital Citizenship, 2011).  The site offers six modules about digital citizenship that individually address:  definition, standards, student engagement, tools, teaching, and resources.  Complete and thorough lesson plans are provided with each module.  This is a valuable tool for adult learners because it helps them learn how to use emerging technologies properly and responsibly.  I might use the first module with my adult ESL students to help them learn the basics about digital citizenship.  Module 1 is available in different grade levels from K-12, which would be helpful in teaching beginning ESL students, so, I could make it as basic as needed.  I might also use Module 3 to teach more advanced ESL students how to use technology in order to participate in the digital world.  I would assign them to read about getting civically engaged through the use of technology, explain what this means, and ask them to suggest a “digital service project” which we would discuss together as a class (Digital Citizenship, 2011).  In the workforce, students will be expected to know the effective and appropriate ways to use technology.  It is imperative that we, as educators, teach them these skills along with the subjects we are teaching.      

References

Digital Citizenship [Web log post]. (2011, February 1). Retrieved from http://ecitizenship.csla.net/

Hesher, C. (2013, April 18). Carolyn Hesher | This WordPress.com site is about exploring how technology can enhance adult education [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://carolynhesher.wordpress.com/

As I continue my exploration of educational technologies, this week I will investigate one technology related to digital citizenship and one related to netiquette.  I will also explain how I will use these technologies to enhance learning with adult ESL students.

Digital citizenship has been described as “norms of appropriate, responsible behavior with regard to technology use” (Ribble, 2012).  To further explain the definition of digital citizenship, Ribble and Bailey (2007; as cited in Ribble, 2012, p. 150) created a framework of nine elements to categorize the topics associated with it:

1.      Digital Access

2.      Digital Commerce

3.      Digital Communication

4.      Digital Literacy

5.      Digital Etiquette

6.      Digital Law

7.      Digital Rights and Responsibilities

8.      Digital Health and Wellness

9.      Digital Security (self-protection)

Digital citizenship is important to learners because the world is becoming more digitally focused, and they will be expected to know how to use technology and how to use it wisely in the workplace. 

The technology related to digital citizenship that I explored this week was Digital Citizenship and Creative Content (http://digitalcitizenshiped.com/).  This is a free product, ready for immediate use, whose “goal is to create an awareness of the rights connected with creative content.  Because only through education can students gain an understanding of the relevance and a personal respect for creative rights and grow to become good digital citizens” (Digital Citizenship Education, 2011).  This site offers educators a curriculum comprised of four units.  “Each unit consists of a set of standalone yet complementary lesson plans centered on and playing off of a creative rights-related scenario presented through a case study” (Digital Citizenship Education, 2011).  Each lesson plan includes guiding questions, baseline and follow-up assessments to evaluate learning, and suggested ways to modify or extend learning regarding the topic.  The four units are titled:  Creative What?; By Rule of Law; Calling All Digital Citizens; and Protect Your Work, Respect Your Work (Digital Citizenship Education, 2011).  Ultimately, the goals of the curriculum “are to instill in students an appreciation of the value that creative content has for the creator, and to establish a personal respect for creative rights in a way that changes their behaviors and perceptions about digitally delivered content” (Digital Citizenship Education, 2011).  One way I might incorporate this technology into my professional practice would be to follow the lesson plans of the  first unit, Creative What?,  with my more advanced ESL learners where they will learn about what creative content and intellectual property are, why they are important, and how they are protected by copyright law.  I might also follow the lesson plans of the fourth unit, Protect Your Work, Respect Your Work, where learners will look at the works they have created, and learn how to share them legally, protect them, and legally use the works of other people.  I believe that this Creative Content Curriculum will incite significant and motivating learning about digital citizenship for my future ESL students as well as give them additional opportunities to use their English literacy and critical thinking skills.    

References

Digital Citizenship Education. (2011). Retrieved April 18, 2013, from http://digitalcitizenshiped.com/

Ribble, M. (2012, Oct.-Dec.). Digital citizenship for educational change. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 48(4), p. 148-151.

 

The word “netiquette” refers to the “principles of good electronic communication through computer conferencing” (Bradley, 2009, p. 154).  Guidelines for netiquette are constantly evolving just as communicating online constantly evolves; therefore, students need to learn about proper netiquette.  In addition, how these rules are established and interpreted depends on the online community that develops them.  “Online communities develop rules for communications based on the purpose of the community’s existence—professional, educational, or entertainment” (Aranda, 2007, p. 11).  Cultural diversity also plays a role in netiquette because of the diverse populations worldwide who are using the Internet.  Netiquette is learned by copying the behavior of other users in the community, being presented with negative responses to behaviors that are conveyed, and by formally teaching the behavior that is expected (Preece, 2004; Johnson, 1997; Levinson, 2007; as cited in Aranda, 2007).  Educators “hold a special role as they are many times the first formal presenters of online communication rules” (Aranda, 2007, p. 13). 

The technology related to netiquette that I explored this week was “Netiquette 101: Being Civilized and Safe Online (http://www.uni.illinois.edu/library/computerlit/netiquette.php). This website reviews five topics related to netiquette:

1.      The no-brainer stranger-danger stuff

2.      21^st century life online, or “how do so many people/companies know so much about me?”

3.      A bit about physical safety, or yes, computers can hurt you

4.      Communication and getting along

5.      Having a Life (Netiquette 101, 2012)

 With upper level ESL students, I would use the information from this website for a short study on netiquette.  I might incorporate this into my professional practice by first reviewing the information contained within the site with my class as a whole, and then dividing my students into five different collaborative groups.  Then, I would assign one of the five topics above to each group and ask them to research it further.  These groups would then be requested to create a 10 minute role play to present to the class that would present a scenario related to their topic.  These role plays would be staged one per day during a week of class.  Another way I might use this site would be to ask students to blog about two ways netiquette affects their use of technology.  These engaging activities would help students use and improve their reading, listening, speaking, and writing English skills, their critical thinking, and expand their knowledge of proper netiquette guidelines.

References

Aranda, J. F. (2007, Fall). Netiquette and online communication. Journal of Instruction Delivery Systems, 21(4), p. 11-14.

Bradley, S. (2009). The impact of netiquette on online group work: A study of UK Open University students. In O. Kallioinen (Ed.), Learning by developing—New ways to learn 2009 conference proceedings (p. 152-167). Espoo, Finland: Laurea University of Applied Sciences.

Netiquette 101. (2012, August 20). Retrieved April 18, 2013, from http://www.uni.illinois.edu/library/computerlit/netiquette.php

As I continue my exploration of educational technologies, this week I will look at one example each of open education and distance education that have the potential to enhance ESL adult education.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) celebrated the tenth anniversary of its open education, OpenCourseWare (OCW), project in April 2011.  This project helped start the OCW movement. 

 

Nowadays…there is a huge demand for high quality educational resources that are available online both freely and openly.  Moreover, the lifelong personal evolution in the knowledge and information society is thoroughly supported by the opportunity that anyone have access to such resources from anywhere at any time via the Internet.  Seeing the world’s knowledge as a public asset that can be accessed, shared, used and reused, etc. mediated by technology…is a powerful idea that may have an influential impact on teaching and learning within our society (Vladoiu, 2011, p. 290).

Open education helps meet the learning needs of life-long learners, individually as well as collaboratively, and supports them and the communities in which they live as they pursue the acquisition of knowledge (Vladiou, 2011, p. 291).  MIT offers four free courses online for learners taking English as a Second Language (ESL).    One of those courses is Listening, Speaking, and Pronunciation (http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/foreign-languages-and-literatures/21f-223-listening-speaking-and-pronunciation-fall-2004/).   Listening, speaking, and pronunciation skills are essential and challenging components of ESL learning.   Created for high-intermediate ESL learners, the focus of the course is on speaking English that is intelligible and accurate, helping students feel more secure in listening to English spoken rapidly, and “learning common expressions, gambits, and idioms used in both formal and informal contexts” (Listening, Speaking, and Pronunciation | Foreign Languages and Literatures |MIT OpenCourseWare, 2012).  I might incorporate this technology into my future ESL practice by using its instructional resources to support my curriculum design.  I would assign my students to watch some of the video lectures and audio visual materials associated with it.  Then, I would ask them to keep a journal of what they learned from each resource.  I would also download some of the course materials from this website and use them as additional resources to enhance student learning.

References

 

Listening, Speaking, and Pronunciation | Foreign Languages and Literatures | MIT OpenCourseWare. (2012). Retrieved April 9, 2013, from http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/foreign-languages-and-literatures/21f-223-listening-speaking-and-pronunciation-fall-2004/

Vladoiu, M. (2011, April). State-of-the-art in open courseware initiatives worldwide. Informatics in Education, 10(2), 271-294, © 2011 Vilnius University.

 

The distance education I will look at this week is sponsored by Indiana University (IU) and offers two certificate programs of professional development for ESL and EFL teachers.  Information about it can be found at http://portal.education.indiana.edu/epde/Welcome.aspx . This program is affiliated with IUs Master’s degree in Literacy, Culture and Language Education.  Designed for educators who are new or experienced at teaching English as a second language, it will assist them in developing and enhancing their expertise in this subject.  This program was created to speak to the present need for teachers who are knowledgeable and qualified to teach English.  The demand abroad has increased over 300% for such educators since 2002.  In addition, in the U.S., there are presently “5.1 million learners requiring help with English as a second language” and not enough certified teachers to meet this great need (EFL/ESL Program via Distance Education, 2013).  I might use this technology in my professional practice as an educator by enrolling in this distance education program to get my certification to teach EFL/ESL when I am finished with my Master’s degree.  I might also recommend it to my colleagues who are also interested in teaching EFL/ESL and need certification in it.  The learning I impart to my future ESL students will be enhanced because I will have more expertise in English learning and will be able to be more proficient in my ESL educational practices.

Reference

EFL/ESL Program via Distance Education | Welcome from the Director | Indiana University. (2013). Retrieved from http://portal.education.indiana.edu/epde/Welcome.aspx

As I continue my exploration of educational technologies, this week I will look at a virtual Second Life (SL) environment and a website offering ESL games.  I will also discuss how they both can be used with adult ESL learners.

In 2010, Lingnan University, located in Hong Kong, approved the creation of an educational resource to be used as part of global language-learning endeavor that became a component of one of the institution’s ESL courses.  A collaborative effort was then established in the same year between the Lingnan ESL class and students studying to Teach English as a Second or Other Language (TESOL) at Texas A&M University.  “This partnership between ESL and TESOL courses offers a natural synergy for both sides, where both the native English tutors and the English-learning students can benefit from the natural-language interactions enabled by the SL technology to converse in a fully immersive virtual environment” (Knutzen & Kennedy, 2012, p. 91).  The collaborative virtual environment (CVE) that was created for this partnership was located on the Lingnan University Island and featured a sizeable facility for language-learning called the Caddy Shack.  It looked like an American, 1950s diner “with a large bar and restaurant seating area, rotating dance floor, and 12 classic convertible Cadillac cars” (p. 91).  The cars were redesigned to serve as booths seating up to 4 avatars and were fitted with TV displays that could show videos from the Internet, art, music, etc. that would stimulate conversation and interaction, all controlled by the human-like avatars.  The booths were “designed to support voice conversations using the voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology built into SL, which works in a fashion similar to Skype” (p. 93).  The area on the University Island outside of the diner was also developed with additional features for students to explore with their conversational colleagues such as a beach environment, a meadow for riding horses, jet skis for island touring, a carousel, and campfires placed along the coastline.  This global laboratory involved a sequence of hands-on, two-hour experiences “two or three times a week at language computer labs” (p. 93).  Students participating in the global classroom from both institutions originated a SL avatar account (free) and received training in navigating and interacting in the CVE.  They also learned how to document their activities in this language-learning world (Knutzen & Kennedy, 2012).  Comments from students about what they found enjoyable and interesting about using the CVE included:  developing international friendships, sharing of interests and feelings, talking to different people, speaking the English language with native speakers, and experiencing the VoIP features and the SL virtual environment.  This “immersive virtual environment…[offered] a very good simulation of face-to-face interaction, with its fast-paced small talk and informal language style” (p. 99).  I chose to review this Second Life multi-user virtual environment because research has indicated that it has value to the ESL adult learner.  Ho (2006; as cited in Knutzen & Kennedy, 2012, p. 90) expressed “a desire for teaching environments where a lot more attention is paid to active and engaging teacher-student and student-student interactive behavior.”  In addition, Mishan (2007; as cited in Knutzen & Kennedy, 2012) noted that chatting online offers exposure for ESL learners to informal, conversational language. 

If, as an ESL educator, I had the availability of a Second Life CVE, I would ask my students to form a collaborative partnership with a native English speaker on the environment, simulate various social actions there, and carry-on conversations regarding the activities they participate in together.  A second activity I might ask them to do is to visit other places on the Island and tell their partner about something they saw or experienced.  After each activity, I would ask students to document their “language-learning activities on discussion forums” and upload them for assessment purposes (p. 94).  Knutzen and Kennedy (2012) included multiple pictures of the various locations available to visit on this global SL classroom in their article.  It was a fascinating article to read.

Reference

Knutzen, B. and Kennedy, D. (2012). The global classroom project: Learning a second language in a virtual environment. The Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 10(1), p. 90-106.

The second educational technology I am reviewing this week is the website, ESL Games (http://www.eslgamesworld.com/), which offers free, fun, and interactive games for ESL leaners of all ages to work on English vocabulary and grammar.  This site offers assistance to teachers by providing ESL games that are fun for use in classrooms, computer games that are interactive, PowerPoint templates and games, board games, and grammar, reading, and vocabulary games (Free ESL Fun Games, Interactive Grammar & Vocabulary Games for Classrooms, n.d.).  I might incorporate this website into my future ESL practice by asking learners to play the various Jeopardy Quiz Show ESL Games either individually or in groups of up to four players.  I might also ask learners to play the various Billionaire ESL Games in the same way.  These games will expose students to English words, sentences, and grammar and help them reinforce the literacy skills they have been learning.  These computer games are offered at different levels and keep students more engaged than having them only work out of textbooks or workbooks.  This website can also be used by students outside of the classroom and offers the opportunity to focus on some specific ESL skill sets.

Reference

Free ESL Fun Games, Interactive Grammar & Vocabulary Games for Classrooms. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.eslgamesworld.com/          

 

As I continue my exploration of educational technologies, this week I will look at using iPads and the SpeakingPal English Tutor app with adult ESL learners.

The iPad is a type of mobile learning technology that has many useful features for ESL learners.  It offers students mobility, connectivity, flexibility, a larger screen size as compared to cell phones, and access to use it anytime and anywhere.  The ability to boot-up quickly, extended battery life, and a touchscreen that is app-based also make it a more useful learning tool than cell phones.  Students can also record themselves speaking on iPads and share these recordings with educators who can monitor their fluency progress.  Dictionaries, translator, and supplementary language-based options can also be integrated into this device that is small enough to be realistically carried around by students.  Moreover, textbooks, videos, apps, Microsoft Word, and movies can be accessed on iPads through the Internet and offer ESL learners more opportunities for practice reading, writing, listening, and speaking English.  The iPad can support ESL students in all aspects of their English learning, both inside and outside of the classroom, 24/7 (Demski, 2011).  Collaboration is also essential to ESL students’ successful acquisition of the English language.  The iPad presents opportunities for ESL students to experience this type of interaction with other learners.  “Students may feel comfortable speaking and writing for..[their instructor, but] it is how well they can communicate with other peers and leaders that signifies their success or failure” (Brooks, n.d.)  I might incorporate iPads into my professional ESL practice by using them to enable a vocabulary competition.  Students are divided into teams and each team is given an iPad.  Team leaders are assigned and asked to access the “Notes” app and list all adjectives they can come up with relating to the topic of the day and in a certain amount of time.  I might also ask students to practice creating email messages to each other in English and then have them critique these emails in small groups (Brooks, n.d.).  Another activity would be to have students record themselves reading a short story out loud at home using a voice memo app.  Then, the following day, I would sync their iPads to my iTunes library to check their progress and level of English fluency (Demski, 2011).

SpeakingPal English Tutor is a free app that can be downloaded on Android or iPhone.  It is highly-interactive and also entertaining.  It is comprised of mini-lessons that are five minutes or shorter in length.  An example of one session on this app is a job interview scenario.  The interviewer asks the applicant (the student) questions that she sees and hears spoken on video and also printed in text format on the screen.  The answer to the question appears next, and the student reads it back to the interviewer.  The conversation continues in this format until the end of the exercise.  Feedback is then instantly provided to the student and opportunities are given to practice the sentences over and over again until the English in the responses is spoken correctly.  This app allows ESL students to practice reading and speaking English whenever and wherever they have idle time.  It also gives learners feedback that is instant on their spoken responses.  It turns mobile phones or iPad type devices into English teachers that can be with students constantly, interacting with them in fun and easy ways.  I might incorporate this app into my professional ESL practice by asking students to use it outside of the classroom.  Then, I would require that they keep a log of the number of times they access the app during the week and the new English words that they have discovered.  Another way I might use this mobile learning technology is to assign students to view one learning experience on SpeakingPal as homework.   Then, during the next class session, I would ask students to write a similar, short, interactive scenario in small groups and then read them to the class.  This would offer learners practice in critical thinking, writing, speaking, and reading in English (The 9 Best Mobile Apps for Your ESL Students, n.d.; Products | SpeakingPal, n.d.).

References

Brooks, C. (n.d.). How to Use an iPad in ESL. ESL Teachers Board, English as a second language, ESL job overseas, ESL teachers, free ESL materials, free list of international ESL schools. Learn English free. Retrieved March 28, 2013, from http://www.eslteachersboard.com/cgi-bin/tech/index.pl?read=46   

Demski, J. (2011, May). ELL to go. The Journal, 38(5), p. 28-32.

Products | Speakingpal. (n.d.). Home | SpeakingPal. Retrieved March 28, 2013, from http://www.speakingpal.com/products

 The 9 Best Mobile Apps for Your ESL Students. (n.d.). BusyTeacher: Free Printable Worksheets For Busy Teachers Like YOU!. Retrieved March 28, 2013, from http://busyteacher.org/12155-9-best-mobile-apps-for-esl-students.html

 

 

As I continue my exploration of educational technologies, this week I will look at social networking technologies, specifically Ning and Twitter.

The web has changed the way many people communicate and interact, and many educators and researchers “also believe that the web has vast potential to shape the way people learn” (Barbour & Plough, 2009; Drexler, Baralt, & Dawson, 2008; as cited in Hung & Yuen, 2010, p. 703).  Lave and Wenger (1991; as cited in Hung & Yuen, 2010) contended that learning materializes as people engage in social communication.  Social networking should be viewed as “the practice of expanding knowledge by making connections with individuals of similar interests” (Gunawardena et al., 2009; as cited in Hung & Yuen, 2010, p. 705).  In addition, social networking promotes classroom community which is an effective and essential aspect of learning in traditional, online, and blended learning settings.  Through social networking, adult learners can experience learning not only in the classroom but outside of it as well (Hung & Yuen, 2010).

Ning (http://ning.com/) began in 2005 and is a social networking site that is web-based.  It is a place where people can create their own social networks around their passions, interests, and pursuits.  Networks can be private or public, and Ning’s features include media sharing, collaboration, communication, text searching, and content delivery.   Ning is unique because the network originator can customize the functionality, design, membership and accessibility of the site to fit her intended purpose. “The course-learning environment created with Ning allowed the students to access the course materials and exchange opinions anytime and anywhere” (Hung & Yuen, 2010, p. 707).  Using Ning, students can collaborate together around interest areas.  With Ning, they will realize social connections and learning that is engaging, self-directed, and significant when ideas of like focus are exchanged, experiences are shared, reflection is encouraged, and support is given (Richardson, 2010). 

 I might incorporate Ning into an ESOL educational setting by posting a YouTube video that presents an English literacy concept on my private class site.  Students would be assigned to view the video and then engage in a discussion on the Ning site.  When students arrive at the next class session, they will already be familiar with the content to be discussed and ready to step their learning up a notch.  I might also use the Ning site for a role playing assignment.  I would assign students different roles based on a course reading resource and ask them to interact with each other on the Ning site in character (Brumley, 2012).

Twitter (http://twitter.com/) is a microblogging social networking tool.  It allows people to send out text communications, images, updates, and website URLs  in messages called tweets that can be only 140 characters in length.  Users choose who they will follow on Twitter and create “a personal virtual network based on interest and intent” (Newgarden, 2009, p.2).  Twitter is a valuable learning tool for ESOL learners because it allows them to connect with a live English language community as well as write and construct information in English (p. 4-5).  Through Twitter, both educators and adult learners have a network available to them where they can “ask questions and get answers, link to great blog posts or resources, or share ideas for projects as they go through the day” (Richardson, 2010, p. 86). 

I might use Twitter in an ESOL setting to build classroom community among the learners, having them get to know each other better by tweeting about their outside activities during the first few weeks of a course.  “Building a classroom community is important since students may participate more actively if they feel comfortable with others and if there is a sense of common purpose” (Newgarden, 2009, p. 5).  Another way that I might use Twitter with ESOL learners is to assign students to choose a famous person to follow for two weeks.  Then, I would ask students report their discoveries and conclusions about that person (based on the tweets they read) to each other in small groups in class.        

 References

Brumley, M. (2012, Feb. 27). 7 tips for using social media in your classroom. NBC News Education Nation. Retrieved from http://www.educationnation.com/

Hung, H. & Yuen, S. C. (2010, Dec.). Educational use of social networking technology in higher education. Teaching in Higher Education, 15(6), p. 703-714. doi: 10.1080/13562517.2010.507307.

Newgarden, K. (2009, Sept.). Twitter. The Electronic Journal for English as a Second Language, 13(2), p. 1-13.

 Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms

(3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

 

This blog will explore and review different emerging, educational technologies that will enhance learning for ESOL adult learners.  This exercise also begins my indoctrination to blogging.  If I am going to use blogging with my future ESOL learners, I realize that I must first make sure that I know how to do it well.  So, the blogging journey begins. 

This week, I will look at podcasting and Visuwords Online Graphical Dictionary.

According to Richardson (2010), “podcasting is the creation and distribution of amateur radio, plain and simple” (p. 112).  Commonplace, ordinary people create podcasts, “talking about things that interest them—with a bit of music mixed in” (p. 112).  Then, the podcasts are uploaded to the Internet so that other people can listen to them on their MP3 players, mobile phones, or computers (Ashraf, Noroozi, & Salami, 2011).  Audio resources such as podcasts are significant resources for supporting, stimulating, and encouraging the listening competences of English learners.  “Listening has been called the most important language skill since people spend 40-50% of their communication time on listening (Mendelsohn, 1994; as cited in Ashraf, Noroozi, & Salami, 2011, p. 10).  It is crucial for English learners to develop their ability to listen.  Thanks to podcasts, listening resources are now much more available.  The use of podcasts produces significant learning because it promotes learner independence, allows students to prepare for class by immersing themselves in language experienced through podcasts (this also permits more opportunities for in-class discussion), and decreases stress because it is a form of distance learning (Stoten, 2007; Vess, 2006; Lee & Chen, 2007; as cited in Ashraf, Noroozi, & Salami, 2011).  Podcasts are useful tools to use for ESOL listening activities because they help develop listening, improve vocabulary, are convenient to use more frequently, have mobile capabilities, and promote interaction with technology currently being used by students.

I learned this week that there is an almost limitless supply of podcasts on iTunes.  I found an excellent sample under “Education” at iTunes called “WSE (Why Study English) Podcast:  ENGLISH.”  This was created by Brian (no last name), an ESL teacher in China.  Approximately once a week he produces a podcast where he scrutinizes and examines a small portion of English and explains how it can be used in questions, narratives, and interviews.  Each podcast is six to twenty-two minutes in length and includes snippets of contemporary musical interludes throughout (Apple—iTunes, n.d.).  Students with iTunes accessibility could use podcasts such as this one to practice listening skills on their own outside of the classroom setting and to further their understanding of the English language.  I would also assign students to listen to other free podcasts such as those found on The Bob and Rob Show at http://www.thebobandrobshow.com/ as homework.  Then, during the next class session, I would break them into small groups and use a group learning strategy like Jigsaw where teammates teach the others members of their group what they learned about English from the podcast they reviewed the night before.

Visuwords at http://www.visuwords.com/ is a free online graphical dictionary where words can be explored in a colorful, graphic way.  When a word is placed in the search query on the page, “a network of nodes or ‘synsets’ will spring out form the word…A synset is essentially a single concept that is represented by a number or terms or synonyms” (Visuwords, n.d.).  This site would improve the ESOL learner’s exploration of English words and their meanings.  I would assign students to create a journal of new English words they encounter and would review with them how to use the Visuwords website.  This interactive, technological tool would help students to be independent from the educator in understanding the meanings and usage of words and also encourage continued learning once the course is completed through the use of the free website on their own.  In my opinion, the various components of Visuwords are visually exciting and greatly surpass the contents of any dictionary, and students will be more engaged because they can have fun with it while learning about English words.  I would also ask students to use Visuwords with writing English to work on spelling skills.        

References

Apple – iTunes – Everything you need to be entertained. (n.d.). Apple. Retrieved March 14,

            2013, from http://www.apple.com/itunes/

 Ashraf, H., Noroozi, S., & Salami, M. (2011). E-listening: The promotion of EFL listening skill

 via educational podcasts. Proceedings of the International Conference on e-Learning,

 p. 10-16.

 Diem, R., & Roberto, R. (2012). The Bob & Rob Show. Retrieved March 12, 2013, from

            http://www.thebobandrobshow.com/website/indes.php

 Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms

            (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

 Visuwords™ online graphical dictionary and thesaurus. (n.d.). Retrieved March 12, 2013, from

            http://www.visuwords.com/