Koltay—and likely most of you who are reading this column—have observed how Web 2.0 and the use of folksonomies have created conditions that result in information overload. When we provide applications that let users manage information, and those users have limited to no awareness of knowledge organization for the Web, the information architectures that evolve for users and the entire system may be less than optimal.
Since most users are not equipped to produce sound classification schemes or efficient top-down taxonomies on their own, their impact on any system creates what I call a literacy gap, depicted in Figure 6. Depending on the other signatures of information overload that play out in users’ interaction with a system, the consequences of their literacy gap can lead to information overload. Koltay’s article makes this claim, and I agree.
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IA Strategy: Addressing the Signatures of Information Overload :: UXmatters - 1 views
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I am experimenting with "sticky notes" as I ponder info overload and juggle all the new web2.0 I can handle! :-)
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The above excerpt reminds me of a collaborative review project that we did in my class at the end of the last school year. We broke down each unit and lesson that we had covered into chunks and each student was supposed to make virtual flashcards (on quizlet.com) with their chunk of the material. Some students did great while others were absolutely lost while using the computers. It had a deleterious effect on the overall project. As I try to imagine implementing more web resources with the goal of productive communication and interaction in L2, I am troubled by the disparity of web/computer literacy among students. I don't mean to sound negative, but it is something I really struggle with. What about the students who lack the necessary skills?
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Even when working with teachers, we find this in workshops. We tend to pair/group teachers, so they can help each other out - have you tried that with students?
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Yes, I did assign pairs. Some students are smartphone literate and seem to have little to no interest in anything desktop. Hmmm...perhaps I should try focusing on the ipads.
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Yes, while Twitter is most engaging when tweets are firing away, it is also a poster child for propagating information overload.
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Pedagogical lurking - 0 views
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Participation typically is demonstrated by the student posting a message, which serves as visual evidence. Posting a message, however, is a limited indicator of student engagement. In and of itself, the act only means that the student struck a few keys on the keyboard. Discussion itself requires a pattern of call and response, with turn-taking and listening being as important as contributing thoughts to the dialogue.
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Is it possible that students might engage with the asynchronous discussion by reading, the online equivalent of listening?
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This study is first step toward being able to determining whether non-posting participation in online discussion, such as reading and reflecting, impact student learning. In turn, the answer to this question may lead to establishing methods of learning and assessment for online discussion activities that may be used on a widespread basis.
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This approach may actually be ideal for learners who are grappling with a new topic because it lowers their cognitive and emotional load, taking the pressure off them to somehow perform or articulate and instead allowing them to focus on the content itself (McKendree, Stenning, Mayes, Lee, & Cox, 1998).
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Students who posted messages solely to meet course requirements and who did not read more than the bare minimum required to post were unlikely to feel like the discussion was a meaningful learning activity.
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However, students who engaged in non-posting participation – such as reading messages to find a model and point of entry into the conversation and returning to review ideas raised in earlier discussion – tended to also indicate that the discussion activity was worthwhile.
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I am fascinated by this notion of "lurking" to describe students/ people on-line who do not respond immediately but take time to read and reflect. Interesting research questions whether this impacts their learning positively and how to assess their learning. Maybe someone can find a better name, too?
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Ten Fun Ways to Use YouTube Videos in an Online Literature Class | Faculty Focus - 4 views
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Good ideas, more so on how to add different sources to readings, then on implementing them in class.
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These are great! I wish that we were allowed to use youtube in our courses. I guess that before using this tool you would have to make sure that youtube would be allowed in your school. Some sites such as this and vimeo are blocked.
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Audio QR Codes - 1 views
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magine students’ artwork hanging in your school’s hallway and beside each masterpiece is a QR code. When parents, students, and other teachers scan the code using a mobile device, they hear the student telling about themselves and the relevance of their art... Or what about a QR code in the back of a library book that allows you to hear a student’s review of the book? Or a QR code sent home to parents that allows them to listen to their 1st grader reading or telling a story?
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5.1 Dogoriti.pdf - 1 views
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Twitter is used as an ongoing public channel of communication for academic and co-curricular discussions
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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-
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ave generally been used as static sources of content with no social appeal like social networks, such as Facebook or YouTube
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social networking platforms have been acclaimed to provide learners social communication, autonomy,fluid online discussions, and identity management
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informal and relaxing atmosphere and make learning effective (Dalton, 2009). Social networking allows students and teachers to build a rapport and overcome inhibitions
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Integrating social software with LMS aims at active participation, interaction and collaborationbetween the members of an academic community
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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
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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
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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
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a service offering language learning quizzes via Twitter hasbeen established (TwitterLearn, 2008)
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Twitter has been studied in context with other social media and has proven to have a significant influence on academic activity
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microblogging and inferred that it enhanced students’ achievement, motivation and participation in class.
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Edudemic
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Different platforms suit different sorts of interactions and appeal tostudents and educators in a diverse manner
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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
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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
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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
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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
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nstructors could evaluate students’ learning progress by reviewing theirreflections on what they have gained through networked learning
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References
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Crowdsourcing Drives Latest Disruptive Tech in Online Language Learning - 1 views
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WeSpeke is an app that enables students in US language classes to be matched with a native speaker anywhere in the world. It is a curated program, with special privacy safeguards built in at the HS level.
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iTalki has been my go to for finding language exchange partners but the fact that there are safeguards built in for the HS level makes this an attractive option to use at the secondary level, thanks for sharing this!
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Good resource. This is definitely an aspect of my teaching that needs more work, especially in lower-level classes.
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Skype and Skype in the Classroom: Options for Language Teaching and Learning - 4 views
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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.
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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.
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Language teachers and learners can enroll in any language lesson according to their needs and interests
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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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10 Social Media Tips for Reaching World Language Learners | Edutopia - 5 views
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The 21st century learner is not wired to memorize; instead, her or she is inclined to create, connect and collaborate. Social media is the perfect medium for us, their teachers, to reach them.
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It is time to officially gamify education. If we make it fun through gaming, our students will be engaged. For language teachers, Duolingo is the route to student involvement when it comes to reviewing grammatical structures. Available in many languages, this app allows students to compete with one another and "level up."
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Interesting article on tips for using social media in the language classroom--definitely relevant to this week.
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I like what srafuller says about not expecting students to be like we were when we were students. I struggle with that in all the classes I teach, not just the foreign language. I work to be conscious of reaching students "where they are" every day. Not only that, but we need to be conscious (at least older teachers like me) of not teaching the way we were taught!
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I really like this article! Simple, to-the-point, useful suggestions for several on-line applications. I tried out Duolingo but was chagrined to find out they don't offer Russian (Ukrainian and Esperanto but not Russian?!). I could, however, study English from Russian, which has several activities (especially translation) that my students can use. Thanks for posting this article!
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Students Speak Up in Class, Silently, via Social Media - NYTimes.com - 2 views
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Twitter Meets the Breakfast Club - The Digital Campus 2011 - The Chronicle of Higher Ed... - 0 views
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At Dwight School, Virtual Learning and the Rock - NYTimes.com - 3 views
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At 8 p.m
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No traditional teacher, he was kind of a cross between air traffic controller and computer dork.
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Now students start in sixth grade with a digital citizenship and ethics unit — dangers of cyberbullying included — followed by an introduction to blogging, which requires them to “blog regularly as a means of self-assessment and reflection,
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Upper West Side of Manhattan
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Moodle Virtual Classroom Plugin to Deliver Online Classes | WizIQ - 1 views
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Google for Teachers: 100+ Tricks | TeachHUB - 7 views
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25. Create online surveys for research projects. Quickly and easily create online surveys for any research project that requires feedback from others. The answers are saved to your Google Docs account.
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Looks like it was published a year ago (from the comment dates - it would be nice if they dated the article...) When did they switch to call "Drive"? =)
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From what I understand, Google Docs exist within one's Google Drive in the same manner as your files and applications exist within your hard drive. I think Google is trying to make a distinction between a larger body and the parts within it. For example, I have an icon on my laptop's menu bar that takes me to my Google Drive. In my Google Drive are "My Drive" which contains my files and folders. I can also access my email, files that are shared with me which I have no ownership of and cannot move to "My Drive" folders, I can also access any Google Groups from my Google Drive, but they are not part of my Google Docs. That's my take on it.
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Thanks for that analogy. That helps a bit, but my head still swims with the amount of vocabulary bounced around in this tech world. I am trying to understand my OneDrive, SharePoint and things like that, with work having switched to Office 365. I am not liking it so far, because of the learning curve.
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Accelerating English and Math on the Go - Language Magazine - 3 views
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In addition to taking classes, she supplements her education by using Learning Upgrade, a smartphone app with English and math lessons for adults.
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Along with our face-to-face instruction and tutoring, we offer an additional resource to our adult students: educational software via mobile technology.
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This access to educational software allows those with limited scheduled availability, or those who do not yet have an assigned tutor, to learn at their own pace and on their own time.
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In addition to taking classes, she supplements her education by using Learning Upgrade, a smartphone app with English and math lessons for adults.
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The app’s 300 lessons are designed by educators and use songs, videos, and games to engage even the most reluctant of students. Every level provides practice problems, accompanied by immediate intervention and remediation with multimedia supports.
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I use the app when I have a little bit of time, anywhere. Sometimes I’m in the laundry, waiting between washing and drying.”
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Both generations are equally willing to help one another bridge the gap, which in turn boosts the effectiveness of both approaches.
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So far, the use of smartphones by students at Midland Need to Read has accelerated the learning process, giving students the motivation needed to improve their English language
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In my district, we are always being asked to connect our language teaching to other disciplines. Using Smartphone to do so is smart. However, not all of my students have these devices. They can definitely share a device. I like how this article is geared toward adult learners who can't or don't have time to attend physical classes. The App allows them to access this knowledge anywhere anytime. Thanks Akiko.
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MovieTalk: Interpretive Listening Magic! - The Comprehensible Classroom - 5 views
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Sometimes, I select MovieTalks because of their topic: the content relates to something that we are studying or discussing in class. Other times, I select MovieTalks because of the vocabulary: I know that I can talk about the video using the same words that I am working with in class with my students. And still other times, I select MovieTalks because
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Student Perceptions of Lecture-Capture Video to Facilitate Learning in a Flipped Classr... - 0 views
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Voicethread 4 Education - home - 2 views
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With VoiceThread, group conversations are collected and shared in one place from anywhere in the world.
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Authentic Activities for the World Language Classroom | Edutopia - 27 views
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Encourage students to have silent conversations using Google Docs. Choose a theme and have each student select a color for their responses. Make sure they share the document with you too, so that you can monitor and comment.
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In order to help students better master the units we teach, remember these rules when selecting activities:They must be authentic. They should always be engaging. Activities should be varied. They need to be focused on the unit theme. Perhaps most importantly, they should force students to use the target language.
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f we make activities genuine, our students will be much more inclined to participate, acquiring new knowledge in the process.
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Show videos on Yabla
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authenticity
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This looks like a good resource for new classroom activities for any language.
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I am very interested in creating comics, I will use this in class: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/strip-designer/id314780738?mt=8 Thank you a lot for the great ideas. May George, Group C.
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This site has some awesome ideas! I can't wait to start planning for the upcoming school year!
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Amazing blog! I really like the explanation they provide for authenticity since it is not just decoration of the classroom with the cultural aspects of the target language. I will be using some of the activities they suggest :-)
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This great. I am not comfortable with the modes. This blog will help me to associate the modes with activities which will be more meaningful for me.
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Always good to have a list like this on hand! I also like the breakdown by modes.
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This is such a valuable resource. While it felt validating to see some of the activities that I already use on these lists, they also gave me new ideas to try for next semester. I am sure students will appreciate the variety.
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I have used both Veinte Mundos and Paperboy--Wondering if I can use EdPuzzle/ Playposit, or Diigo with these-- I think that will help with greater student engagement and my ability to track what they are 'doing' with these resources-- It is not enough to assign them to watch/ read, I need to provide the activity to accompany it.
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If a tech device is not available for all students in class, you can do silent talk using a pen and paper. I used to call this activity "Pencil Talk"
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This seems like an excellent article/suggestion. I really enjoy using Google Docs and am excited to look into that.
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I, too, was planning to bookmark this piece. I appreciated that it was organized by the different modes.
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Focusing on authenticity makes students more inclined to participate. In addition, activities should be engaging, varied, focused on the unit theme and force students to use the target language. This article has suggestions for engaging activities for the interpretive, interpersonal and presentational mode. Many of these activities use technology, and the author provides links to the apps. A very useful and quick read.
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I really like the idea of doing an email activity with my students! Thank you for posting this article! Great ideas!
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Now I have another question: what role does a textbook play in our instruction? Do we need to get rid of materials written for language learners?
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6 Top Tech Tools for World Language Classes | Edutopia - 4 views
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2. Incorporate listening and drawing activities with Pear Deck: Pear Deck is the perfect way to make your Google Slides interactive. Try using the Pear Deck Chrome extension for listening and drawing activities: Add a Pear Deck interactive “Drawing” slide and read a description aloud.For example, I will read the following description aloud (in Spanish) to my Spanish I classes: “The boy is tall, thin, and has black, curly hair and green eyes. The boy is feeling happy because it is warm and sunny outside. He likes to listen to music and read, but he does not like to study or play sports.”As I read off this description, students draw what they hear. Once their drawings are complete, I ask them to restate what they drew aloud. You can also ask them to write about what they drew. Students are enthused when I project all of their drawings on the board—each student’s drawing is different and has its own style, even though everyone heard the same description.
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Host an online discussion via Padlet: Padlet allows students to view a prompt and respond on an online discussion board. If you want to engage students in a digital discussion rather than an oral one, you can have them respond with text, images, videos, or links.
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See how to adapt popular apps to get students speaking, listening, reading, and writing in the target language. If you're not familiar with Edutopia, you should take some time to browse around their site. This is the Technology Integration section, but there is much, much more - very innovative, creative group!
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Wow, that was quick! Yes, I like this group. I will definitely read more articles on their site.