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