carlatech

voicethread for foreign language

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?

This is an interesting collection (from 2009-but still) of articles/ book chapters around social networking. The author reads the various projectors as communities of practice. Not all articles deal with language acquisition, but are still interesting. One of them delves into why and how students use Facebook. One of them looks at virtual learning communities in the US and Australia vs. Europe. Good spring board to look at some of our topics more.

This was linked at the bottom of the Twitter Tools page - not specifically educational, but see if you find someone interesting to follow!

story telling using animation software

I want to do this with my class!! But $$$$ :(

Education Nation is a nationally broadcast, in-depth conversation about improving education in America. During an interactive summit on Rockefeller Plaza, parents, teachers and students will meet with leaders in politics, business and technology to explore the challenges and opportunities in education today.

Wow, this just seems like an awesome idea. I've been toying with the idea of getting an iPad, just for fun, and this makes me want to get one and play around with it before the next school year starts.

I really like this idea! The teacher can give a much more detailed commentary on the assessment and with that the student may come away with a better understanding of necessary improvements.

This is a great idea and I like that there are other gadgets that can be used in conjunction. However I assume this would only be useful if you are a f2f teacher. In Blackboard we have wimba voice authoring which allows us to give audio feedback. I use this tool a lot and I feel that those who actually listen to my feedback profit from it.

Is FaceBook too "nice"??

Fascinating that Facebook does not want to add a dislike button because of advertisers. I am not sure that an "enemy" button taps into critical thinking, how about a disagree button? And then you can explain in the comment section why.

Drawback?  teachers and students have to have the email address from the school

I joined. Do you think this is a "more" professional format for a Facebook group then running it from my personal Facebook page? Or does it matter?

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.

That was not very convincing to me. I need more information. Maybe we should also investigate when and how to use power point. :)

Articles on Ed Tech

make the most of the possibilities afforded to us by the effective use of the internet in order to raise achievement and participation, as well as to increase motivation and engagement.

This is a great article about the different uses and meanings of black in German. There are also reading questions at the end.