One site that really caught my eye this week is FindSounds. This site organizes the sounds by category, which makes it very user-friendly. Each label then links to another page that has different recordings to choose from. I can see this being a fun way to shake up the usual dictation (play the sound and the student has to write what they hear); or for students to use when they make powerpoint or other digital presentations; or as sound effects for a role-play or skit. The selection of bird sounds is pretty exhaustive, so although I may not need that many bird sounds for my teaching, maybe my classmates can help me brainstorm some other uses for them!
I was really interested in this 10x10 site but I was not able to access it, apparently because of a server error on their end. I plan to check back.
The next stop on this research tool tour is HistoryWorld! I found the coverage of some events and periods to be more thorough than others but, depending on the topic, it could be great for EFL learners because the event descriptions are brief and written using the present simple tense. After looking at and using some strategically-selected sample timelines, students could create their own timelines based on events in their lives or a historical period that interests them. Students who are less comfortable using search tools can be provided with a list of topics to choose from, or even some already-made timelines to rephrase in their own words.
I also love quotations (I may or may not have received a Quotationary as a gift from my parents as an elementary school student...), so Quoteland piqued my interest. Their library of quotes is organized by topic, author, or theme, and you can search for a topic or term, and the site brings up the quotes containing your search terms. Because quotes are often short and snappy, they are great for our students. I envision using them for discussing tone, even in simple terms, and increasing learners' appreciation for the literature and culture of English. When read aloud, quotes are a fantastic way to expose students to English prosody, collocations, and even humor. Longer quotes could also be used for a MadLibs-style activity in which the kids fill in key pieces of the text with silly words, then are presented with the original quote and compare the two.
Finally, I looked into Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) to search for peer-reviewed articles. It seems like a great resource for those who want to do research while not enrolled at an academic institution, since databases can be expensive to subscribe to. While it doesn't seem to be of immediate use in planning English lessons for Israeli elementary school students, it could be great for going more in-depth into a topic that arises as a result of our work with the kids.
There are a few more sites that I am interested in looking into a bit further, and I'm glad now to have the Noodle Tools list to return to.
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
Wednesday, December 27, 2017
Week6
1. The first tool that I can envision using in my teaching is MakeBeliefsComix Printables. These printable, partially blank comic templates have a variety of prompts and pictures with spaces for students to add their own text. These would work well for beginners in English because there is not an intimidating amount of blank space, and each comic square has pictures that can get the student thinking about what they want to write. The printables are organized into categories or themes, which makes them easily browsable for use in a variety of different units or to address a variety of topics. There also seem to be prompts for students of different levels: from connect-the-dots for younger students to story-telling prompts for older students. I would love to use these, particularly as a pre-writing, brainstorming tool in preparation for a more formal work, or as a tool for reflecting on a text and connecting it to their own experiences.
2. I can also definitely imagine using Spelling Bee in class. I like that the voice recordings are very clear, the texts are not too long, and there are different passages for different grades. There are only three levels for each grade, but even some of the lower grades have difficult words for non-native speakers, so perhaps the students could start at a younger grade than they are actually in as a sort of warm-up while they are learning how to use the website. This same website also has other interactives on "elements of a story," "historical and cultural," and "literature," which I could certainly imagine using with sixth graders. There is also a unit on "cinema," and there are several history units. Even if there is not time to cover all of the elements in these units, passages could be excerpted from them and used as reading passages or supplementary materials for teaching basic "Western Civ."
3. I am quite keen on the BBC Skillswise website, particularly the section on common letter patterns! These fact sheets that they have about words with the same letters making different sounds and, vice-versa, different letters making the same sound are terrific. Even if they are not an exhaustive list of every example, they provide a very clear introduction to one of the tricky aspects of English spelling and can help contribute to the student's bank of sight words. The letter pattern crossword puzzles and word finds are great, not ideal for a whole lesson, of course, but a nice way to review.
4. I can definitely see my students getting a kick out of the ReadWriteThink Printing Press. At the school where I am volunteering, there are a fair number of native or near-native speakers of English, because one or both of their parents come from an English-speaking country. The kids and their parents alike have expressed that a weakness for them is in English writing, and I would LOVE to use this tool to create a monthly newsletter (in English) about what goes on at the school. The templates are straightforward, and it looks like the products that come out of it are very polished.
5. Finally, this StoryJumper program is ADORABLE!! I love the clear instructional video on how to use it, how many character and prop options there are, and the fact that you can upload your own photos to personalize the story! I can totally picture how much the students will love doing this, and how stunning and potentially hilarious the stories they come up with will be when they are done! It's an amazing way to let their creativity inspire them while also incorporating useful language and ICT skills in their project! I am so looking forward to using StoryJumper!
2. I can also definitely imagine using Spelling Bee in class. I like that the voice recordings are very clear, the texts are not too long, and there are different passages for different grades. There are only three levels for each grade, but even some of the lower grades have difficult words for non-native speakers, so perhaps the students could start at a younger grade than they are actually in as a sort of warm-up while they are learning how to use the website. This same website also has other interactives on "elements of a story," "historical and cultural," and "literature," which I could certainly imagine using with sixth graders. There is also a unit on "cinema," and there are several history units. Even if there is not time to cover all of the elements in these units, passages could be excerpted from them and used as reading passages or supplementary materials for teaching basic "Western Civ."
3. I am quite keen on the BBC Skillswise website, particularly the section on common letter patterns! These fact sheets that they have about words with the same letters making different sounds and, vice-versa, different letters making the same sound are terrific. Even if they are not an exhaustive list of every example, they provide a very clear introduction to one of the tricky aspects of English spelling and can help contribute to the student's bank of sight words. The letter pattern crossword puzzles and word finds are great, not ideal for a whole lesson, of course, but a nice way to review.
4. I can definitely see my students getting a kick out of the ReadWriteThink Printing Press. At the school where I am volunteering, there are a fair number of native or near-native speakers of English, because one or both of their parents come from an English-speaking country. The kids and their parents alike have expressed that a weakness for them is in English writing, and I would LOVE to use this tool to create a monthly newsletter (in English) about what goes on at the school. The templates are straightforward, and it looks like the products that come out of it are very polished.
5. Finally, this StoryJumper program is ADORABLE!! I love the clear instructional video on how to use it, how many character and prop options there are, and the fact that you can upload your own photos to personalize the story! I can totally picture how much the students will love doing this, and how stunning and potentially hilarious the stories they come up with will be when they are done! It's an amazing way to let their creativity inspire them while also incorporating useful language and ICT skills in their project! I am so looking forward to using StoryJumper!
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
Week 4 - CALL Course - Coding for Kids?!
The award for coolest-blog-I'm-following-of-the-week definitely goes to Cool Cat Teacher Blog. I found the topic of "How to Teach Coding in the Elementary Grades" a big improvement over last week's topic about gifts to get teachers. There's so much in this blog entry that it's hard to know where to start. I even checked out the sponsor of the entry, Metaverse, and now I'm curious about how to use "augmented reality" in the classroom.
The interviewee, Sam Patterson, is a Makerspace Coordinator for Echo Horizon School. MakerSpace for Education, as I am learning, is part of the "Maker" movement, which is based on a constructivist/constructionist ideology: a theory of learning according to which individuals construct their learning based on experience, observation, and reflection. It also emphasizes the importance of creating things to share with others, not simply the absorption of information. I'm for it, and I think it's also cool that it is not only a theory about learning but is also accompanied by a physical space: that there are examples of physical makerspaces and - not exactly instructions - but suggestions and ideas for creating your own makerspace that students, in turn, use to create things for others.
In a way, this topic ties in nicely with my entry from last week, which talked mostly about the digital library. It's fascinating how the digital universe, which I previously thought of (and used) as a two-dimensional platform, is in fact multidimensional. Not strictly because it can duplicate real-world 3D structures, but because it has dimensions of its own. I'm not sure I really grasp this concept or all of its mechanisms or implications fully, but I'm wondering more now about digital "space," and I'm looking forward to examining my own interactions with technology through this lens.
In the course of the interview, I also learned about Hour of Code, which looks awesome, but unfortunately it only appears to be available to US schools. Then again, I have a feeling that something similar could be implemented in Israel, or perhaps it already exists and I just haven't heard of it. Patterson mentions Scratch and ScratchJr and a couple of other platforms that get young students "coding" at an early age. I went to these websites, and frankly I find them very fun-looking but a little intimidating. I feel like I would have to spend a lot of time on my own learning how to use these things just to be able to give the most basic introduction to my students. This seems to be exactly what Patterson is arguing against in the interview, however. I love his recognition that kids figure things out faster than he does, and how he turns that into an advantage and a way for him to learn. I love is philosophy that "not everything gets done," which is something that I wrestle with a lot in my school. One thing I really admire about my host teacher is that she has an amazing way of getting things "done" even if they do not appear to be what I would consider "ready" in the traditional sense, but she finds a way to get lots of pots boiling, get the kids to help her accomplish many different things, and just sending things out into the universe. In the educational landscape as I've experienced it, there never seems to be enough time to finish anything. Rather than waiting for something to be "ready" to present it, though, my teacher makes things, by definition, "ready" by presenting them! I don't know if I'll ever be able to harness that kind of energy the way she does, but I hope that I can learn a bit about how to do that from her.
Learning with e's has a new post about un-googleable questions. Nice concept, for sure. Feeling a bit meta because my next step was to google "un-googleable questions" to find some more examples of them. I found a bunch of results (like this one)! Google still seems to be the place to go for un-googleable questions...LOL.
Although Technology Tailgate still doesn't seem to have been updated much since the last time I checked it, I did find links to many other blogs under the "Coaches" section of the website. I don't know how I missed these before but perhaps there will be more useful materials on the blogs of TT's individual contributors.
Added a few links to my symbaloo from the collection about using images in education, and I can see myself having as much fun with some of these as my students (e.g. PhotoFunia)!
The interviewee, Sam Patterson, is a Makerspace Coordinator for Echo Horizon School. MakerSpace for Education, as I am learning, is part of the "Maker" movement, which is based on a constructivist/constructionist ideology: a theory of learning according to which individuals construct their learning based on experience, observation, and reflection. It also emphasizes the importance of creating things to share with others, not simply the absorption of information. I'm for it, and I think it's also cool that it is not only a theory about learning but is also accompanied by a physical space: that there are examples of physical makerspaces and - not exactly instructions - but suggestions and ideas for creating your own makerspace that students, in turn, use to create things for others.
Image source: http://www.makerspaceforeducation.com
In a way, this topic ties in nicely with my entry from last week, which talked mostly about the digital library. It's fascinating how the digital universe, which I previously thought of (and used) as a two-dimensional platform, is in fact multidimensional. Not strictly because it can duplicate real-world 3D structures, but because it has dimensions of its own. I'm not sure I really grasp this concept or all of its mechanisms or implications fully, but I'm wondering more now about digital "space," and I'm looking forward to examining my own interactions with technology through this lens.
In the course of the interview, I also learned about Hour of Code, which looks awesome, but unfortunately it only appears to be available to US schools. Then again, I have a feeling that something similar could be implemented in Israel, or perhaps it already exists and I just haven't heard of it. Patterson mentions Scratch and ScratchJr and a couple of other platforms that get young students "coding" at an early age. I went to these websites, and frankly I find them very fun-looking but a little intimidating. I feel like I would have to spend a lot of time on my own learning how to use these things just to be able to give the most basic introduction to my students. This seems to be exactly what Patterson is arguing against in the interview, however. I love his recognition that kids figure things out faster than he does, and how he turns that into an advantage and a way for him to learn. I love is philosophy that "not everything gets done," which is something that I wrestle with a lot in my school. One thing I really admire about my host teacher is that she has an amazing way of getting things "done" even if they do not appear to be what I would consider "ready" in the traditional sense, but she finds a way to get lots of pots boiling, get the kids to help her accomplish many different things, and just sending things out into the universe. In the educational landscape as I've experienced it, there never seems to be enough time to finish anything. Rather than waiting for something to be "ready" to present it, though, my teacher makes things, by definition, "ready" by presenting them! I don't know if I'll ever be able to harness that kind of energy the way she does, but I hope that I can learn a bit about how to do that from her.
Learning with e's has a new post about un-googleable questions. Nice concept, for sure. Feeling a bit meta because my next step was to google "un-googleable questions" to find some more examples of them. I found a bunch of results (like this one)! Google still seems to be the place to go for un-googleable questions...LOL.
Although Technology Tailgate still doesn't seem to have been updated much since the last time I checked it, I did find links to many other blogs under the "Coaches" section of the website. I don't know how I missed these before but perhaps there will be more useful materials on the blogs of TT's individual contributors.
Added a few links to my symbaloo from the collection about using images in education, and I can see myself having as much fun with some of these as my students (e.g. PhotoFunia)!
Wednesday, November 29, 2017
Week 3 - CALL Course - Technology in Education Blogs
I was actually really into Steven Wheeler's latest blog entry, the interview with Rosie Jones about open universities and the future of libraries moving beyond physical space, and designing digital library environments! It's pretty wacky that so many people still say they prefer physical books, but Dr. Jones suggests that this is not especially useful, so universities may have a role in helping students move beyond the physical book and more and more into the digital. I think it's at best odd, and at worst unethical, that students have access to all these physical resources AND all these digital resources (e.g. academic journals, scholarly articles, search engines, periodicals) while they're enrolled, but then once they graduate they can no longer access these resources.
Dr. Jones makes a great point that digital capabilities are not as much about teaching students how to use a particular tool because "software doesn't stay" (07:59). She argues that digital literacy involves training students to stay informed about digital tools and evaluate tools as they become available and determine what is worthwhile to learn how to use. I see a similar strategy being employed in this very course, in fact. :)
Technology Tailgate hasn't been updated since the last time I checked it, and Cool Cat Teacher had a couple of posts about gifts for teachers that seemed a little silly but cute. The post on CCT that seemed to have the most substance was about teaching empathy and empowerment in the aftermath of tragedy. The point that teachers are teaching more than content but also morals and values and feelings is well taken; this past Tuesday was the culmination of a food drive conducted at our school, and it was a great way for students to get involved in something meaningful and connect with their communities. Perhaps a good way to make a foreign language activity out of this is to do a pen-pal project or a greeting card project, where students send cards or letters (digital or paper) to people in need.
Dr. Jones makes a great point that digital capabilities are not as much about teaching students how to use a particular tool because "software doesn't stay" (07:59). She argues that digital literacy involves training students to stay informed about digital tools and evaluate tools as they become available and determine what is worthwhile to learn how to use. I see a similar strategy being employed in this very course, in fact. :)
Technology Tailgate hasn't been updated since the last time I checked it, and Cool Cat Teacher had a couple of posts about gifts for teachers that seemed a little silly but cute. The post on CCT that seemed to have the most substance was about teaching empathy and empowerment in the aftermath of tragedy. The point that teachers are teaching more than content but also morals and values and feelings is well taken; this past Tuesday was the culmination of a food drive conducted at our school, and it was a great way for students to get involved in something meaningful and connect with their communities. Perhaps a good way to make a foreign language activity out of this is to do a pen-pal project or a greeting card project, where students send cards or letters (digital or paper) to people in need.
Wednesday, November 22, 2017
Week 2 - CALL Course - Technology in Education Blogs
The three technology in education blogs that I've decided to follow are:
I'm also going to be following Adele Raemer's blog Digitally Yours, even though it hasn't been updated in a while, because she came to Be'er Sheva to do part of our group's pedagogical training. I'm now a member of the facebook group she administers called "EFL Digital Pedagogy in Israel," which is worth checking out if you're interested. It also appears to be updated more regularly than the blog.
Part of what I'm hoping to get from these blogs is the beginnings of a toolbox. While I'm moderately interested in pedagogical theory, what really revs my educational engine is usable materials, lesson plans, activities, and tools!
Cool Cat Teacher has a tab called "Cool Stuff" that links to How-Tos and Lesson Plans. So far the lesson plans seem more like interviews with teachers about the tools they use but I'm keeping an open mind. The blog also has a subject area grouping specifically for foreign or second language teachers, which looks like it will be helpful in narrowing down activities that we can reasonably expect our students to be able to do in a foreign language.
I found an entry on Technology Tailgate from August that outlines some of the tools available through Class Dojo, a classroom management app (and more). My roommate introduced me to the app but I hadn't really looked into all the features, and I'd love to be able to start using some of the tools in class. I worry that I won't be able to take full advantage of this because the English corner where I usually work with students is by the shelter and thus does not have reliable wifi connection, but I'd like to look into which tools are available offline.
Learning with 'e's is a bit more theoretical and scholarly. It's updated regularly but I can't tell exactly how relevant it's all going to be to me in my role as an English teacher of small groups and language partner. Nevertheless, it's not a bad idea to keep up with a perspective on the issues facing the field and the historical underpinnings of those issues.
Monday, November 13, 2017
Week 1 - CALL Course
I remember in the summer of 2005 my friend Chris told me I had to get a gmail account. He was so adamant that gmail was going to be "the next big thing." Too bad that never took off; I was really rooting for those cats....
JK, still using the same gmail account he made me get that day to do basically everything!
Props to blogger for still having all my old posts from 2008 to 2012. I love strolling down memory blog. Mostly the entries are me promising to blog more. As if the universe were just screaming for that. I especially love how inauthentic my blog voice is. I wonder if my Xanga is still out (in?) there somewhere.
The note in the Prologue about computer tasks taking a long time really resonated with me. I always had this issue playing Pokemon on GameBoy Color, right, because my sister would be cities ahead of me, even if we started playing at the same time! I was still back there shaking the trees and fighting every last trainer because I just couldn't bear the thought of missing something. Spoiler alert: did eventually beat the Elite Four. So no worries.
I think of technology as something that doesn't come quickly to me but that I don't mind reasoning through, even if it means a lot of doubling back and re-reading and second-guessing.
In this course, I'd love to gain some familiarity with nifty, user-friendly language teaching/learning tools. My school does not have a wifi network -- at least not an active one that I can use on my personal devices -- and the English corner itself has little to no 3G connectivity, so off-line tools would be extra helpful. The computers in the computer lab have internet access, though, so online formats could work as well. I'm interested in using ICT creatively and interactively.
I feel wary of using "technology" for its own sake, because if the kids are doing a task that could just as easily be done on pen and paper, how integral is the "technology" to their learning? Or maybe it is just as important to do even basic things digitally, because that's how we do most things.
In any case, if you read this and you come across any of my old posts, please tell me. Because I tried to take all that nonsense down, and I don't know if I did it right. Thanks!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)