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New Tools for the Flipped School: Interactive Visual Media in Remote Learning - 4 views

  • This article focuses on the use, potential benefits, and best practices of interactive visual media in online education and remote learning. We will discuss: What are the main arguments for interactive visual media in online learning? What are some examples and best practices for creating visual learning materials for students? How can students use interactive visual media for documenting and sharing their learning?
  • Interactive images, videos, and virtual tours can support online learning by providing an alternative to text-based communication. Here are three arguments for why this is the case.
    • vallb001
       
      Agreed. I think we must keep in mind the Internet goes beyond text and video. If we use online tools just as we used books and VCRs in the bast, we are wasting the potential of the Internet.
  • Humans remember pictures better than words (the “picture superiority effect”)
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  • Multisensory experience triggers simultaneous associations.
  • Pictures, sounds, and words together with a contextual experience of a place can create memorable learning experiences more efficiently than plain images or written words alone that are not associated with anything real
  • Seeing a new word written under a picture and hearing how it is pronounced, helps us understand and remember what we are looking at.
  • Virtual tours expand our fields of perception from physical to digital.
  • We can remember and learn on a virtual field trip the same way as we learn on a physical field trip.
  • Interactive videos, audio posters, narrated screenshots, and virtual tours can be effective tools for online education that help educators and learners work together using not only text-based communication, but also voice, video, and images.
  • A great way for giving assignments or sharing projects is adding voice instructions to various areas of a photo, poster or a screenshot.
  • Equipment: The good news is, you only need your phone or laptop, so there is no need to invest in additional hardware unless you want to
  • Setup: A video lesson can be very similar to your lesson in the classroom.
  • Recording: Find a place with natural light where you feel comfortable, and start recording. The audience is your students so picture them in front of you, and address them as you would in the class. You may even mention some of them by name to keep their attention!
  • Duration: Our recommendation is you look at the lesson as a whole and divide it into parts, max 10-15 minutes and ideally 6 minutes each.
  • Examples and best practices for creating remote learning materials for students
  • 1. Explain visuals with text labels
  • 2. Explain abstract concepts with detailed descriptions
  • 3. Explain assignments using your voice
  • 4. Art history: Introduce a masterpiece
  • 5. Literature: Interpret a masterpiece
  • 6. Read to your students
  • 7. Learn vocabulary in new places
  • 8. Narrate your own virtual lesson
  • 9. Create a virtual field trip with assignment
  • 10. Ask students to narrate a virtual audio tour
  • Supporting student-centered learning with interactive visual media
  • Project-based learning, inquiry-based learning, and problem-based learning are constructivist approaches to education that develop the learners skills for research, problem-solving and collaboration. The process is based on authentic questions and problems identified by students, and finding information and explanation models to research and solve them.
  • An important aspect of student-centered learning is documenting the various phases and aspects of the learning process.
  • The following examples will show how students can use mixed media for completing various kinds of creative assignments and sharing them with their teacher and fellow students.
  • In the following, we summarize 10 easy project ideas for remote learning that encourage students to 1) make handwritten, visual and pictorial notes, collages and artwork, and 2) enhance and explain their work using digital audio/text notes, photos and video. Each of the examples provide a mix of learning opportunities combining traditional student work in the classroom with digital storytelling at home. The projects can be shared to a learning management system or collaboration platform such as Canvas, Schoology, Google Education or Microsoft Teams.
  • 1. Make an interactive greeting card
  • 2. Create an interactive book report
  • 3. Make a vocabulary poster in a foreign language
  • 4. Introduce yourself
  • 5. Create an interactive herbarium
  • 6. Make your own comic strips
  • 7. Create an interactive timeline
  • 8. Explain details of a painting
  • 9. Create an interactive map
  • 10. Build a diorama
  • Hotspots, what are they and how do they work? The purpose of the clickable hotspots is to give the viewer further information and resources on the topic they are learning about. Teachers and students can add various types of content in the hotspots, such as text, additional closeup images, video, sound, links and embedded web content such as maps or forms. These resources can serve any of the following functions: Building perspective by linking to related materials Improving comprehension of the topic by highlighting key concepts and vocabulary Zooming into details in a scene Creating a feedback loop by including a call to action
    • pamh6832
       
      These would be very helpful in a flipped classroom or with distance teaching.
  • Examples and best practices for creating remote learning materials for students
  • Examples and best practices for creating remote learning materials for students
  • Examples and best practices for creating remote learning materials for students
  • Best practices for developing students' creativity and digital storytelling skills at home
  • School teachers
  • School teachers
    • pamh6832
       
      10 creative ideas for students to use ThingLink while remote learning and in traditional classroom. I could see doing #3 (vocabulary poster) and #4 (introduce yourself) during first quarter.
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    An article written by the founder and CEO of ThingLink in which she discusses the main arguments for interactive visual media in online learning, examples and best practices for creating visual learning materials for students, and ways students can use interactive visual media (ThingLink) to document and share their learning. She shares numerous ways teachers and students could use ThingLink with examples.
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    I have been thinking of what makes Thinglink different from the Microsoft Power Point? PPT also enables you to add recording on a slide. Later, I realized that Thinglink enables multiple layers to one picture/screen. Users can opt to access to other media or information when necessary. It would be useful to provide scaffolding only when it is necessary (e.g., students click links to get hint only when they cannot complete the task by themselves). Thinglink also condense information within one page/slide/screen without having to scroll down. However, we may be economical when we decide how many links we want to put on one screen.
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    Whether we like it or not, it looks like we're going to consider some of this information in the upcoming school year. As I browsed the article, I realize options are almost unlimited but of course it requires time to figure out and prepare materials. Last spring I felt a bit like a Youtuber and I see how that is not actually an easy job!
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    An article written by the founder and CEO of ThingLink in which she discusses the main arguments for interactive visual media in online learning, examples and best practices for creating visual learning materials for students, and ways students can use interactive visual media (ThingLink) to document and share their learning. She shares numerous ways teachers and students could use ThingLink with examples.
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    A very complete article about the advantages of using images and learning. I really want to learn how to use thinglink now.
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Skype and Skype in the Classroom: Options for Language Teaching and Learning - 4 views

  • Skype in the classroom Skype in the classroom, launched in March 2011, is a website especially designed for educational purposes. It is a platform where teachers and students can disseminate information about their classes, share educational resources, and find partners to start classroom projects.
  • Language teachers and learners may find the “Languages” category especially useful because they can search for Skype language lessons that meet their needs (see Figure 4 for some examples of Skype language lessons). These lessons provide opportunities for learning another language or practicing language via language exchanges.
  • Language teachers and learners can enroll in any language lesson according to their needs and interests
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    • ncsargo
       
      This seems like a great way to expand your PLN and collaborate with other language teachers
  • advanced features, such as group video calls, require users to pay a fee and upgrade to a premium account to get the service. Calling fees vary depending on the countries the user calls and the amount of time spent on calls. Subscribing to a premium account, which will allow users to use services such as group video chats, currently costs US$59.88 for 12 months. US$4.99 per month is not very expensive.
    • ncsargo
       
      There is a cost for premium features.
  • Limitations Although Skype and Skype in the classroom provide an intriguing option for language teaching and learning, there are some limitations as well. First, there are minimum download/upload speeds required for using Skype. For example, video calling and screen sharing require 128kbps/128kbps as the minimum download/upload speed; group video calling requires 4Mbps/128kbps as the minimum download/upload speed. Therefore, Skype users need to check whether their Internet connection meets such requirements to avoid video and audio lag during Skype lessons.
    • ncsargo
       
      It is important to keep these limitations in line for any web based interpersonal activity.
  • Second, Skype and Skype in the classroom promote authentic learning. According to Lombardi (2007), authentic learning emphasizes “real-world, complex problems and their solutions, using role-playing exercises, problem-based activities, case studies, and participation in a virtual community of practice” (p.2). Thus, authentic learning happens as learners participate in real-world relevant tasks that require their judgment to distinguish information, patience to participate, ability to adapt themselves to unfamiliar contexts, and flexibility to work with people from different cultures. In this view, Skype and Skype in the classroom allow language teachers and learners to participate in a context of authentic learning.
    • ncsargo
       
      As we saw in our synchronous class session Skype just like Adobe Connect can be used to deal with problem-based activities.  Through creating contexts in which certain language is required we can simulate an immersion environment for students online.
  • The ACTIONS model, proposed by Bates (1995), is a practical guide for educators and policymakers to select and evaluate the use of technologies for teaching and learning. The ACTIONS model involves the following criteria: Access: How accessible is a particular technology for learners? Costs: What is the cost structure of a particular technology? Teaching and learning: How does a particular technology support teaching and learning? Interactivity and user-friendliness: How does a particular technology facilitate interaction among learners? How easy is a particular technology to use? Organizational issues: Are any class organizational changes needed? Novelty: How new is this particular technology? Speed: How quickly can courses be taught and learned via this particular technology?
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Language Learners' "Willingness to Communicate" through Livemocha.com - 0 views

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    Abstract: This case study is based on an investigation into the use that a group of language learners made of Livemocha.com, a Social Networking Site through which language exchange is enabled via social media applications. The learners created profiles in the website and proceeded to interact with speakers of their target languages, reporting back on their experiences over a 10-week period. As communication between language partners can take place through several different channels, and can be asynchronous or synchronous, written or spoken, it was considered that the preferences of learners with different personality types (as indicated by responses to a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator questionnaire) might be accommodated. Several studies have suggested that the anxiety that some language learners feel when communicating in L2, especially when speaking, is reduced in online environments. Under the premise that a reduction in anxiety may lead to an increased "willingness to communicate" (MacIntyre et al., 1998), the principal objective of this project was to examine the type and frequency of online interactions that the participants engaged in with other speakers of their target languages in the Livemocha language learning community.
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Using Music in the Foreign Language Classroom | GradHacker - 11 views

  • By Natascha Chtena November 22, 2015 5 Comments   .blog-spacer { display: none; } @media (max-width: 420px) { .blog-spacer { display: block; height:1px; clear:both; } }   googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("dfp-ad-story_level_pages"); }); Natascha Chtena is a PhD student in Information Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. You can follow her on Twitter @nataschachtena.       One of the challenges I face teaching a daily language class is finding novel and creative ways to maintain student interest throughout my lessons. One of my favorite teaching “tricks” is using music to motivate learning, improve concentration, create a sense of community and help my students absorb material.   Music is a wonderful tool to integrate into your teaching repertoire, especially if you are a foreign language teacher. It has a
  • The key is to not be too ambitious (unless of course you are teaching a language AND culture class) and to set realistic goals: one song one major point! I usually keep it to seven minutes max, which includes a song, a very short “lecture” and some time for student questions at the end.
  • where I asked students to compile a short (German) playlist that describes their personality, explaining what it is about each song that speaks to them and/or that they identify with.
    • murasimo
       
      I would like to try this activity.
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  • By Natascha Chtena November 22, 2015 5 Comments   .blog-spacer { display: none; } @media (max-width: 420px) { .blog-spacer { display: block; height:1px; clear:both; } }   googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("dfp-ad-story_level_pages"); }); Natascha Chtena is a PhD student in Information Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. You can follow her on Twitter @nataschachtena.       One of the challenges I face teaching a daily language class is finding novel and creative ways to maintain student interest throughout my lessons. One of my favorite teaching “tricks” is using music to motivate learning, improve concentration, create a sense of community and help my students absorb material.   Mus
  • Music is a wonderful tool to integrate into your teaching repertoire, especially if you are a foreign language teacher. It has a way of capturing everything about a culture, its people and their language and it can inspire interest in a subject matter when other methods have failed. Not to mention that students love it and benefit from it intellectually and emotionally (even when they find your music taste questionable).
    • murasimo
       
      I use songs all the time and students love it. it is useful for grammar, vocabulary and culture. most of the time students start following on youtube the singer and present to class new songs from the same singer.
    • heidikreutzer
       
      My students (college level) really enjoy any music I bring into the classroom. Usually, I use it because it fits a grammar or vocabulary theme. I'd love to expand my use of music with my students.
    • vivianfranco
       
      My students also love to listen to songs in the target language. As you said, it is useful to work not only the language (grammar aspect) but also the cultural part. In my classes, I try to play 1 minute of music in Spanish before starting the class. They really enjoy it and even bring me more songs suggestions in the target language to play the next day.
    • pludek
       
      I like the idea of keeping the song length to a minimum. Sometimes the students get off task, especially if they don't like the song. Thanks for the idea! I love it when they tell me they've added the song to their own playlists!
    • speabodymn
       
      As a German instructor, I find music also is a great way to bring more traditional texts to life--lots of poems become more exciting to students when combined with a setting by Schubert or Strauss (for example), even if the student isn't initially interested in either poetry or classical music. (I have a video of Schubert/Goethe's "Erlkönig" that adds another dimension through a sort of cartoon horror-story video--so it's text plus music plus visuals.) With this much to discuss, it can easily fill half of a class session or provide the basis for a larger project. Still, I also like the shorter use of music as a way to add energy to many different topics without taking over the lesson.
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    "Music is a wonderful tool to integrate into your teaching repertoire, especially if you are a foreign language teacher."
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    This sounds fun! I would love to try it next year!
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Modality of input and vocabulary acquisition - 4 views

  • This study examines the effect of input modality (video, audio, and captions, i.e., onscreen text in the same language as audio) on (a) the learning of written and aural word forms, (b) overall vocabulary gains, (c) attention to input, and (d) vocabulary learning strategies of beginning L2 learners.
  • Multimedia, that is, a combination of print, audio, and imagery, has been argued to enhance input by making it more comprehensible (Plass & Jones, 2005).
  • The use of multimedia is also advocated because (a) it allows for the provision of authentic input and thus exposure to target culture, (b) it motivates learners, and (c) it accounts for students’ different learning styles (Brinton, 2001).
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  • Research Questions
  • Participants
  • RESULTS
  • Mate ria ls
  • 2 Instruments
  • Procedures
  • The results suggest that for beginning learners with better reading than listening skills: (a) captions facilitate recognition of written word forms, while audio facilitates recognition of aural word forms; (b) more word meanings are learned when videos are shown with both audio and captions than with either audio or captions; (c) participants think they pay most attention to captions, then to video, then to audio, but they consider video to be the most helpful; some participants have difficulty attending to all three modalities; and (d) the meanings of some new words can be learned from very difficult authentic videos when the language is well-supported by visual images.
    • vivianfranco
       
      I chose this quote because these results suggest that multimedia sources are tools that can be useful to attend different students' learning styles (some students learn better through reading, others through listening, others through making connections with images). Besides, it provides evidence of the effect of media sources on language acquisition which is also linked to authentic material. This quote also presents the difficulties that media sources can generate in those students who are not used to manage information presented in diverse modalities at once.
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    This article presents a research about the effects on integrating multimedia sources on second language vocabulary acquisition. The researchers exposed the language learners to different stimulus: video with audio and captions, video with audio, and video with captions and compare the results to analyze their effect on language acquisition.
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The FLTMAG - A free magazine on technology integration in language teaching and learning - 23 views

    • Adrienne Gonzales
       
      This magazine is a fun project I am involved with - check it out!
    • yflanders
       
      Lots of great ideas for language teaching and learning. thanks for sharing.
    • kjjsk8
       
      Thanks for sharing. Lots of ideas and opinions to look at. I read a little into the evolving language center blog and it was really interesting.  
    • Jessica Rojas
       
      FLT magazine. Amazing ideas for Foreign Language Classroom. Thank you Addrianne!!
    • MariaEmicle Lopez
       
      Adrianne, I found the site with a lot of information. I particularly enjoyed "Virtual Exchanges in the Foreign Language Classroom." It explains how to make the target language more accessible to students allowing for an understanding of perspectives and practices. Good outline of benefits of virtual exchanges.
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    This is a practice-oriented publication that's a bit more casual in tone and practical in content than its scholarly counterparts, while still rigorous in the quality of information it offers. We will feature articles, interviews with notable folks in the field of language teaching and learning, reviews of software, materials, and books, and more!
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    Adrianne!! It is awesome. I am (as many of us) so engaged with this teaching technology and using the web in foreign language classes. Congratulations!! and wish the best to you and this experience with the FLT magazine. I already have it in diigo and have subscribe me to follow you
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    From UC Boulder
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    You'll want to subscribe to this one and follow them on Twitter!
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    Up-to-date content of immediate interest to FL teachers shifting to on-line instruction.
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    I follow them on Facebook and love how publication addresses current issues especially with online and remote learning/teaching.
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    I find this very interesting and the tips can be useful......good information!
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    I like that it provides resources and information on different online techs that you can use!
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    What a comprehensive resource for the world language teacher--blogs, articles, interviews, webinars, conference reviews... I could spend hours exploring all of its content. Thank you for sharing this.
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    Thanks for this! I really enjoyed the article " How to Establish a Strong Community in an Online Course"
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    One of THE best publications, comprehensive, practical, research based, inspiring, motivating to never stop learning!
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    I found an interesting article about Wakelet.
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    A lot of great ideas and a nice way to stay informed and to, at the same time, feel connected with a network of language educators who are addressing the same challenges and concerns.
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    SpatialChat looks so fun! I'll be curious about pricing, and appropriateness and safety for high schoolers.
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FLTEACH - Foreign Language Teaching Forum - 0 views

  • The Foreign Language Teaching Forum is an integrated service for FL teachers, dedicated to encouraging communication, sharing, and collaboration at all levels. Our broad discussion topic is foreign language teaching methods for any level of instruction in all languages.
  • The basic premise of the list is that as professional Foreign Language teachers we are all in this together and are here to help one another.
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    "The Foreign Language Teaching Forum is an integrated service for FL teachers, dedicated to encouraging communication, sharing, and collaboration at all levels. Our broad discussion topic is foreign language teaching methods for any level of instruction in all languages."
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5.1 Dogoriti.pdf - 1 views

shared by rillia on 27 Jul 15 - No Cached
  • Twitter is used as an ongoing public channel of communication for academic and co-curricular discussions
  • English for Specific Purposes (ESP)
  • Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)
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  • The use of the Web2 can provide opportunities for collaboration, authentic communication in a discourse community and provide what Warschauer and Kern (2000) termedas networked-based language teaching. Some ofthe general benefits of using technology in ESP are the use of authentic tasks, tools, and context (Bremner, 2010; Evans, 2012).It provides interaction and communication among learners, uses collaborative learning, focuses on socio-
  • do not provide motivation, enthusiasm or personalization
  • earning management systems (LMSs)
  • ave generally been used as static sources of content with no social appeal like social networks, such as Facebook or YouTube
  • while also impeding general pedagogical support with their default settings and familiar features
  • social networking platforms have been acclaimed to provide learners social communication, autonomy,fluid online discussions, and identity management
  • ease interaction, e-discussions by focusing on the use of technology to support education
  • informal and relaxing atmosphere and make learning effective (Dalton, 2009). Social networking allows students and teachers to build a rapport and overcome inhibitions
  • Integrating social software with LMS aims at active participation, interaction and collaborationbetween the members of an academic community
  • Web 2.0 tools consist of blogs, microblogs, wikis, podcasts, virtual worlds and social networks
  • he benefits of using Web 2.0 in education are the new interaction styles between students and teachers, immediacy of information, access to authentic learning environments, content sharing, collaboration and enhancement of learning experience
  • Facebook
  • Twitter, Edmodo, and Ning
  • On the whole, the reasons language instructors may opt to choose Edmodo in class are that teachers and students connect, assignments, back channeling, a paperless learning environment, its backpack feature,the library feature, Apps, homework, badges, learning continues outside the classroom, assessments, interface, sharing, and its private and safe learning environment
  • the use of Twitter facilitated collaboration, communication and data exchange among students in real time.The role of the instructor is underscored as she/he acts as a mediator, supporting the content, organizing the activities, and clarifying the use of the educational tool
  • a service offering language learning quizzes via Twitter hasbeen established (TwitterLearn, 2008)
    • rillia
       
      I couldn't locate this service in a search; I suppose it went defunct?
  • Twitter has been studied in context with other social media and has proven to have a significant influence on academic activity
  • microblogging and inferred that it enhanced students’ achievement, motivation and participation in class.
  • Edudemic
    • rillia
       
      Check this out--appears to be a comprehensive site about the use of technology for educators and students.
  • Different platforms suit different sorts of interactions and appeal tostudents and educators in a diverse manner
  • From the Edmodo platform, two main features are utilized. First, the Edmodo forum is used for both teacher-to-student communication and student-to -student communication. The communication topics include subjects such as assignments, questions, announcements, etc. Second, the Edmodo Assignment Center is used for testing the students on each learning topic and easily collecting their answers
    • rillia
       
      Although we have an in-house LMS at Northwest, I created an Edmodo platform for my Intermediate Russian I course for the fall to see how it will work. I'll use it in conjunction with the in-house LMS, which may prove to be cumbersome. We'll see.
  • As far as the assessment of students’ performance goes, the conventional assessment through graded assignments is backed up by students’ social learning activities. Network buildingand self-regulated learning canbe indicative of students’ progress throughout the course.Ongoing assessment or formative assessmentstrategies(integration of performance and feedback and reflection) can facilitate learning and review students’ performance
  • The empirical evaluation of the research highlights the dominanceof intrinsic motivation(students’ intentionsto use Twitter/perceived enjoyment)over extrinsic motivation in explaining the adoption of social media in the class
  • n order to provide assessment, instructors could evaluate students’ learning progress by reviewing their reflections. Communication (teacher-student/student-student)throughout the learning processcan also providefeedback information that may aid assessment
  • nstructors could evaluate students’ learning progress by reviewing theirreflections on what they have gained through networked learning
  • References
    • rillia
       
      Excellent collection of reference materials on SNSs in foreign-language (and other) learning.
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Facebook-ing and the Social Generation: A New Era of Language Learning - 1 views

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    Abstract: In this paper, we examine the use of Facebook (FB) as a social networking tool in an intermediate French class. After reviewing the available studies on FB in language instruction, we analyze surveys that were administered to students as well as student FB posts. We look at the potential benefits of social media, specifically FB, and discuss its impact on foreign language learning. We aim to address how FB is being used in the language classroom, how students respond to the integration of this social networking site in courses, the attitudes of higher education foreign language learners towards FB, as well as the role of FB in new learning spaces and with today's learners. An analysis of survey data suggests that students respond in a positive manner toward the use of FB in education and highlights some differences in the way FB is used in both personal and academic settings.
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LLT Vol8Num3: SUPPORTING SYNCHRONOUS DISTANCE LANGUAGE LEARNING WITH DESKTOP VIDEOCONFE... - 3 views

  • A preliminary evaluation with language teachers and computer specialists was carried out in 2001 to investigate the technological capabilities of four Internet-based desktop videoconferencing tools (CUseeMe, ICUII, Video VoxPhone Gold, and NetMeeting), and NetMeeting revealed itself as the most potentially appropriate tool for supporting oral and visual interaction in DLE (Wang, 2004).
  • He suggested firstly that "linguistic interaction is a collaborative activity," and then moved on to say that "linguistic communication involves the establishment of a triangular relationship between the sender, the receiver, and the context of situation."
  • Oral-visual interaction represents the highest level of CMC-based interaction at the present time.
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  • It offers an authentic learning environment, in which language learners can orally and visually interact with another human being in the target language much in the same ways as in face-to-face interaction. However, research on oral-visual interaction in CMC has only occupied a marginal status in CMC research.
  • Cognitively and linguistically, it is generally maintained that paralinguistic cues such as head nods and facial expressions reduce ambiguity in speech and improve understanding
  • Signs of comprehension, frustration, nervousness, and enjoyment were all evident in real time.
  • More importantly, there is a crucial pedagogical concern at the heart of this research, that is, for distance language professionals to be open to the use of whatever technology available to maximize the level and quality of oral-visual interaction, and in so doing, create a more effective and efficient learning environment for distance language learners. Although the technology is changing rapidly, the larger pedagogical issue contained in this research is unlimited and beyond obsolescence.
  • It is not an exaggeration to say that Internet-based real time technology is changing distance education quantitatively as well as qualitatively, and this research represents only the beginning of the important effort to make distance language learning a more effective endeavor.
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    This article talks about many aspects of communication especially the benefits of synchronous distance language learning
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Social-networking sites in foreign language classes: Opportunities for re-creation | Ka... - 4 views

  •   38   SOCiaL-NetwOrKiNg SiteS 2001). This difference in ‘lifestyle’ gives educators reason to believe we shouldincorporate SNS usage into our class-related activities, to capture these students’imaginations and t their thought patterns and socializing habits (Godwin-Jones,2008; Winke & Goertler, 2008).However, although technology is an integral part of neomillennial students’lives, they often do not know how to use technology in ways that would benet them in computer-assisted language learning (CALL) (Dieu & Stevens, 2007;Kolaitis, Mahoney, Pomann, & Hubbard, 2006; Winke & Goertler, 2008). Suc - cessful CALL activities, then, often require a substantial training period at theoutset (Jones & Bissoonauth-Bedford, 2008; Kolaitis et al., 2006), and studentsmay be less enthusiastic about a class’s language and culture projects if the formof computer-mediated communication ( CMC) employed is not the type they areaccustomed to using (McBride & Wildner-Bassett, 2008; Thorne, 2003). A usefulresponse may be to craft CALL activities more to the practices that our studentsare familiar with (Winke & Goertler, 2008). SNSs are an obvious possibility to consider, given their tremendous popularity.If we can get our F
  • we can get our FL students to interact socially on SNSs, then they may beengaged in more authentic social and communicative behavior than typically hap-pens in classrooms, because “instead of merely simulating other modes of interac-tion, technology mediated communication is, in and of itself, the real thing
  •   40   SOCiaL-NetwOrKiNg SiteS and sites like it, knowing, socially and technically, how to re-use media in thisparticular way has become foundational for communication and creative expres- sion over the Web” (Perkel, 2008, p. 218). We can call this activity of writing/remixing the self through the manipulationof text and media ‘ self-authorship.’ Within the framework of CALL, this term refers to students authoring their own materials which can then serve as the basisfor learning and lessons. Using student-created materials as the center of a lesson ts with a student-centered pedagogy (Dieu, Campbell, & Ammann, 2006). Self-authorship activities can increase interest and time on task, and they put students in a more active role in their own learning process (Kramsch, A’Ness, & Lam,2000; Nikolova, 2002).Students must take an active role in their learning. They cannot simply be handed knowledge from an expert because understanding is the result of a cre- ative process one must work through over time with other people (Bereiter, 2002). Learning
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  • Students must take an active role in their learning. They cannot simply be handed knowledge from an expert because understanding is the result of a cre- ative process one must work through over time with other people (Bereiter, 2002). Learning and language develop through interaction with others, by means of in- ternalizing problem-solving patterns that are rst experienced in dialogue withothers (Vygotsky, 1978). SNSs therefore are a promising tool for FL education intheir capacity to be used by learners as L2 practice in a way similar to how they are used by the majority of young people in our society.
  • Such use could instantiate the primary condition that research has shown to encourage L2 acquisition: timespent on meaningfully embedded interaction and negotiation with others
    • Marcie Pratt
       
      I did not mean to highlight so much. Can't find the "undo" highlight. I believe the paragraph starting with "If we can get our FL students..." is important because as FL teachers we are always working towards getting out students to speak in the target langauge and with as much authenticity as possible. By working with an SNS then they might be more apt to use their L2 skills in a more authentic way outside of the classroom as mentioned in the paragraph.
    • MariaEmicle Lopez
       
      Great comment! SNS are a way to help students connect class with the real world and someone besides peers and instructors. Interaction through SNS is practice in the target language with speakers of that language, helpful for when they study abroad, for when they graduate and find a job where they interact with Spanish speakers in the case of my students population. These kinds of interactions build on confidence and improvement of speaking skills.
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EUROCALL: European Association for Computer-Assisted Language Learning - 0 views

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    "the European Association for Computer Assisted Language Learning. EUROCALL aims to provide a European focus for the promulgation of innovative research, development and practice relating to the use of technologies for language learning."
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What's the best way to teach languages? | Teacher Network | The Guardian - 7 views

  • my approach is much more topic based with as little grammar as possible
    • Marlene Johnshoy
       
      The opposite of most traditional language courses.
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    Although this article is about British language education and it's two years old, my interest was piqued when I read it: ""Languages cannot be taught, they can only be learnt. The best way is to tell students right away that they are responsible for their own learning process, and the teacher is just a guide who has to motivate them."" Made me think about relevancy and how Tech is only one part of that.
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    Fascinating article. Quotes a professor of linguistics who suggests that one reason for the move to Task Based learning is that in the UK, unlike in Europe, students don't know English grammar - so teachers can no longer use that as a bridge between languages! The article also quotes Michael Erard, author of 'Babel No More,' - a study of people who speak multiple languages - says: "They use a mix [of methods], with a focus on accomplishing tasks, whether it's communicative tasks or translation tasks."
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    Yes, the Erard quote really gets to the heart of it: what combination of learning methods will work for each, individual student? Learning is personal and those who develop their own methods (hopefully with effective guidance) will go far.
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    Really interesting. I wonder if we changed the setting to the U.S. if the same difficulties would apply. I never really thought about grammar being discarded simply because students don't know it well enough. While I've found that most students we teach don't understand their mother tongue, I still think that the shift to task-based work had as much to do with the lack of real communication skills. Just teaching them grammar and relying on them to go abroad to learn to speak wasn't doing it. That being said, I think the mixture of methods is best, and by mixture I mean the integration of many methods into accomplishing a task. And I agree that the meta-learning is key.
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    I remember getting a comment from a student once, many years ago, that she had learned more about English grammar in my Spanish class than anywhere else... (sigh)
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100+ Language Learning Sites - 2 views

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    Looking for a different language learning network to sing up for, I came across this list of language learning sites. I browsed through it and there are some networks I haven't heard about, as well as sites with all kind of resources for learning different languages. Hope it helps!
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Center for Language Education and Research :: Rich Internet Applications - 5 views

  • Rich Internet Applications project is to create tools that are informed by language acquisition research, and engage language learners in active learning.
  • Mashups
  • Rich Internet Applications project is to create tools that are informed by language acquisition research, and engage language learners in active learning.
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • Mashups
  • Mashups
    • liagentel
       
      Mashups is an amazing tool that helps to combine video clips with interactive online exercises to create tasks for your students. Also the students can create their own activities to share with the class. And easily leverages Viewpoint, YouTube, and SMILE to make new language learning activities
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    Rich Internet Applications project helps create tools that engage language learners in active learning.
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    Mashup is a great tool and the students like it too.
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    Thanks for posting this; Audio Dropbox would be a useful tool for practicing leaving voicemails, etc.
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The Elephant in the Language Classroom | Edutopia - 3 views

  • Studies
  • have concluded that collaborative and cooperative learning methods improve students' time on tasks and motivation to learn. Language teachers are finding that group activities and conversational pairing have distinct advantages over individualised tasks. Students enjoy interacting with each other, particularly in speaking activities, and opportunities to do so are relished. The prospect of school exchanges, making new social links abroad, and exploring new cultures is another powerful motivator. The pairing of language students with counterparts abroad is the next logical step. Working effectively online with native speakers is a challenging and alluring proposition.
  • Assessment is more difficult
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  • The evidence to show individual progression achieved directly from paired or group interactions is hard to quantify. Monitoring, recording, and properly assessing individuals' performances in collaborative tasks is more difficult to achieve than the correction and grading of individual tests.
  • The pairing of language students with counterparts abroad is the next logical step. Working effectively online with native speakers is a challenging and alluring proposition.
    • danielhkarvonen
       
      I am very interested in getting my students paired up with native speakers, but haven't been successful in doing so yet.
    • marispi
       
      I'm going to make a more concerted effort, I think.
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    The article highlights the effectiveness of collaborative and cooperative language learning activities such as school exchanges and pairing students with counterparts abroad. It also bring up the issue of difficult assessment gets in the way and brings to the front solo performances and summative examinations.
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    I certainly agree with this as being an effective way to language learning. We in the military community use the group/pair work approach for many reasons. Pair work keeps them interested and motivated to learn. It also makes better use of class time. I also think that when the students are ready for the OPI, they generally do better than if they were in a traditional classroom. As for assessment, yes it is more difficult, but it is up to us as instructors to find ways to measure the students' performance based on the interaction. Once the student is in country, it will be up to him/her to communicate with others. That will be the true test.
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Purposes - CALL Principles and Practices - 0 views

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    From the book: "Since the first version of this book came out in 2005, the field of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) has grown and changed. This update is the result of some of those changes. Our intent is to place pedagogical goals before technologies, as the literature advises but is not always followed in classrooms. In revising this book, as in the original, we assume that good teachers teach well because they bear in mind certain principles about how they can best help learners to learn language. Placing these principles at the center of attention makes it much easier for teachers to concentrate on the question of what constitutes effective computer-enhanced pedagogy and why. This book takes as its organizing principles both the system of conditions that are known to support effective language learning and the goals that a variety of standards in the field have set out for us and our students. Examples throughout the book underscore the need to consider theory in every aspect of the teaching and learning process. Some of the points in this book we have made in other places; other we discovered during the revision process. All told, this text provides a brief picture of what CALL classrooms can be like today. Of course, that could change tomorrow."
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How To Learn Minority and Endangered Languages With Little or No Resources - 3 views

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    I found this site on Feedly and started following it; this guy travels around the world learning foreign languages; this article in particular discusses how to learn minority and endangered languages, however I find the innovation and his motivation to be the greatest factors in his success. He's not following someone else's path and as the actual process of learning a FL is such a personal thing, I think he's really on to something! From the site: "There are almost too many sites and resources for big languages like French, Spanish and German. When you're learning a language like these, the problem is usually deciding which resource to use rather than not being able to find one. But what about those of us who want to learn a less popular language (minority or endangered)?"
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Statement on the Role of Technology in Language Learning | American Council on the Teac... - 3 views

    • maygeorge
       
      I agree we need more than one tool to learn any language.
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    A little off-topic for Week 5 but overall relevant to this course.
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    I hope we can learn how to introduce games online. For me this hard to do , but I think it be very effective for students to learn FL.
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    I like to use games in teaching but for me it is hard to design one in class and online.
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    "The use of technology is not a goal in and of itself; rather technology is one tool that supports language learners as they use the target language in culturally appropriate ways to accomplish authentic tasks." This quote stood out to me and it is so true. sometimes we feel pressured to use technology but we forgot the pedagogy purpose.
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    Thanks for sharing it. We are using technology for our language lessons. I agree what ACFLT says about having clear that tech is a tool not a goal since the most important aspect is the learning.
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Identity in Online Communities: Social Networking Sites and Language Learning - 4 views

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    Abstract: Since their emergence in 2005, Web 2.0 technologies have been advanced as potentially transformative in the area of education in general and foreign language learning in particular. Web 2.0 technologies are presenting new opportunities for developing diverse online learning environments and enhancing interactivity, participation and feedback between students, their peer groups and teachers. This article examines one of the most significant Web 2.0 tools, Social Networking Sites (SNS), and focuses on Livemocha, an example of an online community specifically aimed at encouraging collaboration between foreign language learners. Results from the ethnographic approach adopted in the paper indicate that: (a) SNSs can be used by language learners to explore new relationships rather than merely maintain existing ones and that (b) longitudinal studies are required to achieve a better understanding of the complex processes of mediation involved in online community formation and maintenance
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    Funny! I also found this article last week and even attached it to last week's blog post in the ning. I've noticed this morning, that reading and commenting on it is also one of this week's assignments. I guess I chose well :)
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