Group items tagged

"Web 2.0 How-To for Educators explores the very best online collaborative tools available today (including blogs, wikis, and social networking) and Web 2.0 applications (Skype, Google Earth, Wordle, and more) that make a difference in education. Using a simple formula for each concept, the book describes what the tool is, when teachers should use it, why it is useful, who is using it, how you can use the tool, and where you can find additional resources. Practical examples from educators around the world offer an abundance of ideas, and the recommendations for further information and comprehensive lists of Web 2.0 tools and applications will be valuable resources as you integrate Web 2.0 technology in your classroom. "

It bothers me that they still talk about not having someone to talk with...  I really would like to see more of these online courses as cohort modeled courses and have synchronous voiced/video conversations as part of the curriculum.  Or if not a cohort, with other online voiced alternatives for practice.  

I found this by chance just exploring around. If you check the SUPPORT section on the VoiceThread site, you will find a list of publications. They posted a collection of abstracts with links of scholarly articles written about using VoiceThread for language learning, K-12, higher education and professional development. I just skimmed through the lists, and some of the articles are accessible, while some are behind a password.

Integrating ICT into the MFL classroom:Joe Dale offers practical tips and advice on using ICT to enhance the teaching of modern foreign languages

Thought this would be a good idea to do some practiced reading

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."

In their study of 10 multilingual undergraduate students, they say they expected texting to be a regular practice, but "what we had not anticipated was the range of valuable uses and substantive gains afforded by texting."

This website was created by Kara Parker and Megan Smith, world language consultants, curriculum writers and bloggers. I was impressed by this blog's long list of topics and its topic choices, such as authentic resources, listening and reading resources, interpretive reading/listening activities, interpersonal speaking activities, distance learning, and technology. The posts that I read I found meaningful and well-written and their suggestions creative, practical and innovative.

I like her goal of empowering teachers and students through introducing them to effective teaching practices, whether f2f or remotely.

some very practical suggestions in case you have to teach a HyFlex course

"...open access eBook contains 133 chapters with over 850 pages documenting best practices, strategies, and efforts by teacher educators, professional developers, researchers, and practitioners. It is divided into seven sections that address pedagogy, collaboration, field experiences, preservice education methods, professional development, digital tools, and equity issues. Chapters are presented as innovations with supporting materials that could be easily replicated or studied. (v1.02)"

...project provides language educators with pedagogical strategies and practical suggestions for implementing social networking sites (SNSs) and social media for intercultural competence in beginner and intermediate FL courses.

Agreed! An excellent overview, including videos! What I'd love to see, though, is what an Extempore session looks like in real time. Any suggestions?...

Abstract - "Teacher educators have increasingly integrated social media into their education courses with aims including improving instruction and preparing students for a connected world. In this study, the authors sought to better understand the possibilities and challenges of scaffolding 60 pre- and in-service teachers across two universities into professional learning networks (PLNs) through a social media assignment. Participants analyzed educator practices, participated in, and envisioned future uses of teacher Twitter. Consistent with previous studies, education students were positive about the relational and relevant aspects of Twitter use. However, students' participation did not mimic the participatory cultures of affinity spaces often reported by connected educators in the literature. Instead, participants tweeted around deadlines and quit using their accounts for professional education purposes once the class ended. In contrast to recent literature, this article argues that social media integration for education students should focus on relational and relevant engagements and content, as opposed to attempting to build social media augmented PLNs for unknown futures."