The end of the course but not the end of learning

This is the last post concerning the subject "Taller de técnicas informáticas aplicadas a la enseñanza de la lengua extranjera", and instead of writing my reflections here I used a web tool to do it.
So, here you have the link to my blipfoto page, in which you will read about my learning process:

http://www.blipfoto.com/antonellaailen

This is the picture I uploaded there :)

Case Study

Today I'm going to analyse one case study from chapter 2 of the book Integrating technology into secondary English language teaching. 

Case study 2.4: Mobile learning inside and outside of the classroom in Turkey

In Turkey, a teacher introduced the use of mobile phones in his classes. Students used their phones in a visit to a zoo, in which they used them to collect information (they took photos, recorded videos, etc.) Then, the students created a webpage where they posted what they've collected using web tools, like Voki or Go Animate.

In the classroom, the phones were also used. The teacher introduced some smartphones applications and also QR codes to access web pages.

One interesting activity was one in which the students were given a worksheet to practice listening. In the worksheets they had a QR code, so they used their smartphones to scan it and then it led them to a recording of the poem.

But the teacher mentioned some problems regarding the use of phones. Some phones are older than other, so maybe some tasks can't be performed by those old mobiles. Also the battery of the smartphones was an issue.

We can analyse this case with the TPCK model:

Technology: smartphones, smartphones applications.

Pedagogy: Students used their mobiles for a project in which they had to go to a zoo, and also to complete activities in the classroom.

Content: Integrating knowledge, listening of a poem.

This case is also an example of the SAMR model. I think that this case is in between the modification and redefinition level. Using QR codes to listen to a poem would never be achieved without this technology. Common task are accomplished through the use of technology. For example when the students went to the zoo, instead of writing the information in their folders, they used their phones, by taking pictures and recording videos.

Personal Learning Network (PLN)

First of all, what is a PLN? 

A Personal Learning Network is an informal learning network that consists of the people a learner interacts with and derives knowledge from in a personal learning environment. In a PLN, a person makes a connection with another person with the specific intent that some type of learning will occur because of that connection. (retrieved from Wikipedia)

According to Nik Peachey you have to follow four steps:

For teachers and students, it is important to build a PLN to be in contact with new information and also with people who know about the topic you are interested with. For example, you can turn Twitter into a PLN if you follow experts in English teaching. So every time they post something in their blogs or pages, they will share the link on Twitter for sure, so you will be able to read the last updates on English teaching of that expert. 

Another example of a PLN could be Meaki. It's a webpage similar to Pineterest, but there you can find videos, articles and visuals. You have different folders to organize your information. So, you will different kinds of items (Access step), then you will select the content that is interesting for you (Evaluating step), and then you will share it with your contacts. 

In my case the Personal Learning Networks that I use are the following. First I use Facebook. There I follow some pages like the British Council (where I get its latest updates) and I'm also part of the group called "English Teachers in Argentina" where different teachers share their experiences and help each other. 

I also use Pinterest. There, I search for creative ideas to do with my students and when I find something that I like I pin it. The good thing is that most of the teachers that I work with at the Institute, follow me on Pinterest, so when I pin something, they are able to see it, and maybe it's also helpful to them; and when they pin something I also can see it. So me and my co-workers are always sharing interesting material that can be used in our classes, in Pinterest.

So what about you? Do you use any of the Networks I've mentioned? Do you use a different one? Feel free to share your experiences!

Gamifying the class!

Have you ever thought about gamifying your lessons? personally I've never thought about that. But then after reading Digital Play by Graham Stanley I realized that games can also teach English to students. There are a lot of games students can play, according to their age or interests. Some are for the computer (you have to download them or you can play them on-line) and some others can be downloaded to mobile phones or tablets.
In this particular case I've tried a game called Evony. It is a role playing game, you have to create a character and, with other players from all around the world, you have to complete some tasks.

Not talking about the fact that playing this game is interesting and motivating, it's a good game to practice conversation and vocabulary. In this game you can communicate with other characters by chatting, and students can learn a lot from other players. Also the game includes a lot of vocabulary, and also instructions which are obviously in English, so we can say that is a good way of learning. 

Speaking Skills and Web Tools

I am going to write about different web tools that help our students develop their speaking skills. They are great since using web tools is a funny and entertaining way of practising, without being aware of it!

Present.me

One interesting web tool to practise speaking skills is Present.me. With this tool you can share all your presentation content in one place. You can combine slides, audio and video.

This tool can be used with students for a research project (for example a history project). In groups, students have to look for information about a certain topic, make a power point presentation with the information, and then, using present.me, they combine the presentation with a recording of their voices explaining it. This tool can be used by students aged 10+, since they have to know how to use power point and, maybe with the help of the teacher, present.me

                                                         

Voxopop

Voxopop is a great tool to record your voice. In the classroom it can be used to practice speaking and collaborative writing. Instead of each student writing a sentence to complete a story, student can record their voices and create a story in voxopop. They would have to create an account, which is good so that the teacher can know who is the one that has to continue the story. This task can be done during several days, each day per student. Each day a student would hear the recording and add his/her contribution to the story and so on.

 

Voki

The last tool is Voki. With it you can create an avatar and give it a voice. You can type the text and you can also record yourself. In the classroom it can be implemented, for example, with an extra activity when reading a novel. Students can create a voki of a character of the reader and record themselves saying something that the character would say. Here is the voki I've created! 

                                                     

Content Curation

Nowadays we can find a lot of information in Internet. The amount of it is so great that it is difficult to organize or display it. So here is where we introduce the concept of Content Curation. It is the gathering, organizing and online presentation of content related to a particular theme or topic.

One interesting tool is Scoop.it. It helps you organize the content that you find on-line. It is great because you can also share your content with others! I've opened an account, here is the link, feel free to look around!

http://www.scoop.it/u/antonella-sabbatini 

Web tools and apps: BLIPFOTO

Here is a very interesting talk by Nik Peachey called "Evaluating web tools and apps" Some apps were presented in the talk, and I decided to try Blipfoto

It's a daily photo journal which I found interesting to try with students. Students can create a profile and share a photo of something that happened to them that day and write about that. It's a good way of practising English in a modern way and also of  knowing more about their lives. And they can know more about their classmates.

Let's talk about some of the characteristics of this app:

• it's free - this is positive since maybe some of our students can't afford them.
• it supports communication - it will generate language practice. But the negative side is that we have to be careful with inappropriate language in the descriptions of the pictures and in the comments of the classmates.
• it requires registration - this is positive since we can trace our student's work.
• it is accessible - it can be used in the computer and also the app can be downloaded to mobiles.

And here is the link to my daily journal in blipfoto :)

http://www.blipfoto.com/antonellaailen