Epals seems like a fabulous site, and an obvious yet necessary step in the development of education tools on the web. The two most valuable aspects of the Epals site seem to be: 1) the platform that it provides for classrooms and individuals to connect to other classrooms and individuals from around the world; and, 2) the projects that it has developed for classrooms to work on.
The site allows classrooms/individuals to use a world map to choose a country from which to contact other classrooms/individuals that are interested in collaboration. Collaboration can include sharing blogs or writing or emails, or working on one of the projects posted on Epals. The projects seem to include a main theme like global warming or habitat, for example, some activation and learning in the home classroom, an exchange of a series of emails between the new penpals, and then the building of a presentation to share.
I can think of a couple different ways to use Epals. For one, if I were teaching in an ESL classroom, I would allow children from different countries to work with people in their former countries, if possible, to help maintain their first language and links to their culture. Throughout this semester I've learned that maintaining a first language is very important for developing a second language both linguistically and culturally.
It would obviously be great for a Social Studies unit if students could interact with students from a culture or country of current study. The same goes for an English classroom if a story/poem/novel were set in a foreign country or another part of the US.
And for the teacher, the projects seem like a good place to get ideas and maybe save some time because the global outline is already finished.
Epals could also be used in collaboration with other tools on the web. I have previously investigated Survey Monkey and Animoto. I can imagine using Survey Monkey in a class with partnering classrooms from multiple countries. I would be fun and informative to make a survey on a given topic (e.g. household size and composition; ages at which people first drive, move out, get married, etc) and then distribute the surveys to the classrooms from around the world and perform comparative studies. Maybe then the classroom performing the study could compare their study to their textbook or their preconcieved notions.
Animoto could be used in conjunction with the projects from Epals mentioned above. Animoto is a tool that allows a user to upload pictures, video, and music and the site then mixes a fairly unique presentation for the user in a matter of minutes.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
How to...
It seems that there are many sites at which one can find educational videos. While perusing Teacher Tube I found a video entitled How to Write a Persuasive Essay that, as the title enumerates, gives a brief lesson on how to write a persuasive essay.
A video such as this could be used in a writing classroom as either an activity to be used before the initial lesson for the teacher to build upon, or it could be viewed after the lesson for another point of view on the material. I think it is good for students to hear a couple of explanations for how to do something as some language or ordering of language may resonate with some students and not others.
I also think that videos may be more appealing to students than reading a book. So, when faced with a pile of homework, the video may get watched before the books get read.
Finally, although no one can be seen speaking or gesturing in this video, which is sometimes difficult for an ESL student to follow, the pictures that it uses and the view of the computer screen typing as the narrator speaks will definitely help second language students comprehend the video.
A video such as this could be used in a writing classroom as either an activity to be used before the initial lesson for the teacher to build upon, or it could be viewed after the lesson for another point of view on the material. I think it is good for students to hear a couple of explanations for how to do something as some language or ordering of language may resonate with some students and not others.
I also think that videos may be more appealing to students than reading a book. So, when faced with a pile of homework, the video may get watched before the books get read.
Finally, although no one can be seen speaking or gesturing in this video, which is sometimes difficult for an ESL student to follow, the pictures that it uses and the view of the computer screen typing as the narrator speaks will definitely help second language students comprehend the video.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Flickr in the Classroom
As the previous post explains, Flickr could be used in an ESL classroom as a simple upgrade over black and white drawn pictures from textbooks or picture dictionaries that are often ambiguous. I think the color, accuracy, realism, and possibilities would really be able to spice up a classroom.
In the Richardson book, I was becoming fascinated with the annotation function. Imagine finding a picture of a kitchen, for example, and annotating the different objects in a kitchen (refrigerator, table, knife, cabinet). This would offer many possibilities for learning vocabulary.
I also like the idea of illustrating stories. Again, if students had access to computers, it would be great to use Flickr or Bubblr to have students illustrate stories they had been reading with pictures they have found. They could type in the words (spelling practice / vocab repetition) and get pictures to map words in a story, thus embedding language in a context to help facilitate comprehension.
In a content area, as Richardson mentions, Flickr is an excellent way to see the world. Just type in Paris, for example, and you get real pictures of Paris' streets, houses, and people instead of the same cliched picture of the Eifel Tower. In an ESL classroom, students from other countries could show other students pictures of their countries. And then using Bubblr they could even make a presentation about their country.
Images are very power tools and Flickr seems like a great way to give students access to a vast number of them in a searchable and social mode
In the Richardson book, I was becoming fascinated with the annotation function. Imagine finding a picture of a kitchen, for example, and annotating the different objects in a kitchen (refrigerator, table, knife, cabinet). This would offer many possibilities for learning vocabulary.
I also like the idea of illustrating stories. Again, if students had access to computers, it would be great to use Flickr or Bubblr to have students illustrate stories they had been reading with pictures they have found. They could type in the words (spelling practice / vocab repetition) and get pictures to map words in a story, thus embedding language in a context to help facilitate comprehension.
In a content area, as Richardson mentions, Flickr is an excellent way to see the world. Just type in Paris, for example, and you get real pictures of Paris' streets, houses, and people instead of the same cliched picture of the Eifel Tower. In an ESL classroom, students from other countries could show other students pictures of their countries. And then using Bubblr they could even make a presentation about their country.
Images are very power tools and Flickr seems like a great way to give students access to a vast number of them in a searchable and social mode
Bubblr Object
So, I've created an object using Flickr pictures via the application Bubblr that could be used in the ESL classroom. The object is a series of pictures of different people dislplaying different emotions. I placed thought bubbles with sentences like "I feel ____".
This object could be used in an ESL classroom on an overhead or on handouts for teaching emtions (with more added of course). I think using Bubblr and Flickr would be a vast upgrade over using a picture dictionary, handouts copied from workbooks, or teacher drawings on the board.
If students are at all computer literate, then it would be wonderful to have students type in the word and choose which picture fits or to make their own worksheets.
This object could be used in an ESL classroom on an overhead or on handouts for teaching emtions (with more added of course). I think using Bubblr and Flickr would be a vast upgrade over using a picture dictionary, handouts copied from workbooks, or teacher drawings on the board.
If students are at all computer literate, then it would be wonderful to have students type in the word and choose which picture fits or to make their own worksheets.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Microblogging and Professional Development
After reading Can We Use Twitter for Educational Activities and watching Better Learning with ICT - Online Communities in the Classroom, I think that microblogging could be used in a few ways for professional development. It can:
1. Increase access to and number of resources available - resources can increase the breadth of materials used and so keep classes fresh and allow the teacher to employ different styles and types of learning to accommodate a wider range of students. An increased number of resources also makes the teacher’s life easier because the teacher doesn’t always have to generate materials.
1. Increase access to and number of resources available - resources can increase the breadth of materials used and so keep classes fresh and allow the teacher to employ different styles and types of learning to accommodate a wider range of students. An increased number of resources also makes the teacher’s life easier because the teacher doesn’t always have to generate materials.
2. Increase number of peers - peers are important for bouncing ideas off of. Peers allow the teacher to feel more confident before attempting a lesson because the lesson will have been validated already. Peers have the potential to offer a critical twist to a lesson that may make it successful, or they may present an idea that opens the door for a teacher to discover his own ideas.
3. Create a space for conferencing: twittering could be good as a space for many people to discuss ideas from great distances simultaneously.
4. Stay up to date: another benefit of increasing peers and resources is that a teacher can stay current on new ideas and trends. He or she can stay on top of theory and news in the teaching world.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Now I know where to find them!
Upon reading and grading my composition 101 class’s narrative with heavy description essays a couple of weeks ago, I realized that my students did not really get what I was trying to tell them about description. Instead of deep, extended, almost meditative descriptions, I ended up with a couple extra adjectives in a couple extra sentences.
I was thinking that to show them the power of description I should have found a powerful picture, of an old lady perhaps, with wrinkled skin and grey hair and bent up old fingers and displayed the picture. Next to the picture would be the simple phrase: “The lady is old.” I would then ask the students if those words aptly represented the photo.
The answer would be, in one way, “yes,” of course the lady is old. In another way, the answer would be that those four words were not capable of describing such a provocative and intense picture. A writing session would then ensue with the students taking note of the leathery skin, brittle hair, fragile stature, and other important details.
Then I thought to myself that this is a nice idea, but it’s never easy to find really good pictures. That is until I was reading ESL Technology the the other day, and in the post entitled "Writing 1000 Words," the author recommended some good sites to find powerful pictures that might prompt students to write. He recommended Photoshop Contest.com and Worth 1000.com.
And what do you know, while searching through Worth 1000.com. I found this very vivid and detailed photo entitled “We Still Have Each Other” (although, unfortunately, I could not figure out how to get it onto the blog). Now, next time I want to find an interesting photo, I know where to go.
I was thinking that to show them the power of description I should have found a powerful picture, of an old lady perhaps, with wrinkled skin and grey hair and bent up old fingers and displayed the picture. Next to the picture would be the simple phrase: “The lady is old.” I would then ask the students if those words aptly represented the photo.
The answer would be, in one way, “yes,” of course the lady is old. In another way, the answer would be that those four words were not capable of describing such a provocative and intense picture. A writing session would then ensue with the students taking note of the leathery skin, brittle hair, fragile stature, and other important details.
Then I thought to myself that this is a nice idea, but it’s never easy to find really good pictures. That is until I was reading ESL Technology the the other day, and in the post entitled "Writing 1000 Words," the author recommended some good sites to find powerful pictures that might prompt students to write. He recommended Photoshop Contest.com and Worth 1000.com.
And what do you know, while searching through Worth 1000.com. I found this very vivid and detailed photo entitled “We Still Have Each Other” (although, unfortunately, I could not figure out how to get it onto the blog). Now, next time I want to find an interesting photo, I know where to go.
Monday, September 28, 2009
A Hive of Learners
A learner is like a bee. Bees are a very communal insect that work for the betterment of the hive. While one bee is not so important, it is the total of all the small contributions combined into a whole that make the hive strong, produce honey, and nourish all the members. Bees also rely on strong networks of communication to distribute work and relay the location of pollen sources.
The hive works similarly to George Siemen’s theory of connectivism. In the video “The Conflict of Learning Theories with Human Nature," he states that the “learning and the act of knowledge creation is a function of network…where it is the aggregation of activities of many individuals that generates meaningful or useful knowledge.”So, like the bee, it is not the work of any one individual that determines the ability to grow or create, it is the “aggregation of activities,” our the buildup of output, that generates a useful product.
In his essay “Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age”, he places importance on the connections between nodes in networks and the diversity of the network. These three principals as stated by Siemens are:
Learning and knowledge rests in a diversity of opinions.
Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources.
Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning.
He implies that in order for today's learner to take advantage of all resources he must rely on connections to information sources, on taking care to maintain connections, and to utilize a great number of nodes. Again, this is similar to the bee and its hive. Without a strong system of communication between each node and care for the nourishment of the network, there would be chaos. It may be near impossible to find food, allocate work, and in the end, flourish.
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