Debut video capture

This allows you to record the screen and mouse movements on your computer and record your voice at the same time.

Revision material perhaps? Could be good.

Make your own COMICS

The other day I had to create a test for my year 7 LOTE class.

I have some extremely disengaged students in the class who much prefer to pass around little comics they've made them learn Japanese.

So the thought of a test probably bores them to tears.

As I was required to write a test in the traditional format, I decided to add some sort of comic to it.
I wanted to find a comic on the internet which I was able to edit or print out and add captions to.
On the way I found something better.

www.makebeliefscomix.com/

Top website!

You use the characters, caption bubbles, props and backgrounds that they have created for you to create your own mini comic. You can then change their size, direction, emotion etc.

Using the macroskills of reading and writing, these comics could be used for:

 

                      Assessment

                - Tests (students add text to speech bubbles)

                - Drafted projects (students create cartoon and captions) 

           Engagement 

     - To present new syntax and lexis

      - To practice and produce new syntax and lexis 

 

              Creativity and ICT skills

                - To involve students who do not view themselves as particularly ‘creative’.

           Motivation

                 -To cater to different preferences in the class and incorporate aspects of 'novelty, authenticity, relevance, fastasy' into the task (Boekaerts, 2010, p. 105)

                 - To make the learning environment positive for the students as the eighth motivation principle from Monique Boekaerts states that 'students are more motivated to engage in learning and use motivation regulation strategies when they perceive the environment as favourable for learning' (2010, p. 105).

Though creating a comic is not a particularly social activity in the general 'talking to others' sense - it is within a communicative approach to learning languages, as the students are communicating meaning through the comic. 
 

You can only have 2 - 4 panels in your comic and must print it out straight away or send it to your email - which always sends perfectly. 

You cannot save your half-finished comic to work on later. 

Also you can only type in the panels in romanized characters (no Japanese or Chinese for example) and so to make it work for me I've had to print them out, write in Japanese then scan them in again to print. A little bit of work but I think the test below came out well.

So in terms of features it's a little limited - but all the same, it's fun and simple. Simple for kids, simple for teachers.

Check it out.

Chao!

Boekaerts, M. (2010). The crucial role of motivation and emotion in classroom learning. In H. Dumont, D. Istance & F. Benavides (Eds.), The nature of learning: Using research to inspire practice (pp.91-111). Paris, France: OECD Publishing.

 See my comment on Michela's blogspot regarding VOKI

http://michelapblog.blogspot.com/

IT and the Victorian Learning Standards

In no way do I have to spin for you a fake little fairytale in this post.
For my task is to convince you that  ICT in the ESL classroom facilitates a 'rich and flexible learner-centered environment'. An environment where students can listen from their classroom chair to a tour guide from Alice Springs speak English, an environment where they can follow English instructions from a Hollywood movie editor without the long-haul flight, an environment where the students can educate their peers using a funky powerpoint show, without the education degree.

And in convincing you of the above, I don’t need to lie.
Students can take risks, give everything a go, and achieve that exciting moment of understanding, all because of the flexibility and richness that ICT resources provide.

This stuff just wasn’t around in my day – (pardon the annoying expression, I’m just being dramatic) - and I have not been out of school for a great amount of time. The ICT world has boomed remarkably in just a few short years. I did not have the hundreds of educational videos and materials at my easy disposal - in terms of access to them and knowledge of them -  when I was learning languages at school. Perhaps even if we did have all the videos and materials in hard copy, it would not have been as fun as jumping on the net. As a reasonably motivated language learner, I was not a student to need a large amount of stimulation to push myself to work hard. I cannot rely on all of my students being like that.

The net makes language learning cool!

What a nerdy thing to say. 

Nevertheless, as noted by Narbutas (2010), ‘the emergence of new teaching and learning modalities require[s] radical pedagogical changes (pg. 66). This may be just a little bit intimidating for many teachers, traditional or otherwise, in our schools. It may mean that the teacher is no longer the maker and breaker of every detail in a lesson. It may mean that students can self-direct more of their knowledge and understanding attainment. It may mean that some teachers will have to step back,  take more of a 'planner and facilitator' role, once again trust that students CAN, and allow the magic to unfold.

In a study by Narbutas (2010), first and second year potential ESL students were questioned as to their priorities for learning English and as to what ways  they thought they would most use English. The use of email and the internet was the third most common reason, demonstrating an awareness amoung these students of the position that the internet now retains in our lives. There was also a general positiveness towards ICT use in ESL education from the interviewees (pg. 70).

My recent placement in an ESL school was a wonderful experience, full of purpose and observable improvement and achievement from the students each day. So much of this was possible due to the opportunities that different technologies afforded us as teachers and learners. Within this environment I, as a teacher, looked to the Victorian Essential Learning Standards [VELS] (2009) for guidance regarding the level of my students and what was important for them to achieve. VELS highlights the four dimensions for ESL education; speaking, listening, reading and writing. Within each of these, it is stated that texts be used for understanding and creating.  Additionally, the Australian Language Level [ALL] Guidelines (1988) observe that students learn languages best when there is, among other things, the use of authentic tasks and texts and a communicative approach to teaching (pg. 18), an opinion shared by Feez (1999). 

And hence the joy of the internet age in relation to teaching and learning a language. The web is full of authentic texts and varied resources for every year level that serve every purpose. There is a fountain of pictures, audio files, videos, interactive games, information hubs, translators and language forums where you can talk to a nice little lady in England who will never meet about how to say something in English that you are struggling to work out.

Nevertheless , for ESL students it is not always as simple as logging on and having the world open itself up to them. As Narbutas (2010) observes, difficulty may arise in accessing many resources because of the linguistic difficulty. This is where the teacher has an important part to play. ICT in the classroom does not necessarily mean that the students can go off on their own. The teacher needs to facilitate and guide their learners. ESL teachers may need to choose certain sites for use, adapt and create materials that are best, and constantly monitor the progress and actions of their students when on the internet.

Nonetheless, ICT within the ESL classroom cannot possibly be thought of as a burden for teachers. The opportunities are just too great!

Chao!

Department of Education and Early Childhood Development [DEECD]. (2009). ESL developmental continuum. Retrieved from http://www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/teachingresources/esl/secondary.htm

Department of Education and Early Childhood Development [DEECD]. (2010). ICT domain. Retrieved from http://www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/teachingresources/ict/default.htm

Feez, T. (1999, July). Text-based syllabus design. TESOL in Context. 9(1), 11-14.

 Narbutas, V. (2010). Teaching of English as a second language in ICT-based learning settings. Lithuania: KTU Panevezys Institute.

Scarino, A., Vale, D., McKay, P., & Clarke, J. (1988). The Australian language levels (ALL) guidelines. Canberra: Curriculum Development Centre.

Technology: A Common Language for Everyone

So far on rounds I've probably come across more frustration with technology than modern 'out there' learning opportunities for the kids.

Having said that, if it works, it's great.

Schools specifically for ESL students (such as my placement school in the block - Blackburn English Language School) are, in my opinion, just perfect for teaching through technology.

Why? 
- the curriculum at this school is sooo flexible
- the students struggle with English however often have experience with the web and technology as part of their own cultures
- it's an opportunity for students to join together and learn, in a way, 'another language' - their lack of English won't hold them back - they now have a common language
- it can enable those people that might otherwise be thought of as disadvantaged

And these kids really need a bit of spark. So many feel so out of their depth and disheartened. They've come to Australia, many haven't wanted to, they sit in 7 hours of classes a day all taught in English - a language some don't know AT ALL.

It's exhausting, it's disheartening, it's tough.

There are a number of things that could help to pull the kids from their slump.

One of them? The ability to do something for themselves and understand this language of technology - a language slightly more neutral to them, compared to English.

In a few days I'll talk about what I saw used at my school.

Chao

Later:

So, the question is, did I see much technology being used? Well yes, but mostly in the traditional sense (it's funny how we're now saying 'traditional sense' in relation to technology!!)

For example they had smart boards in some rooms but I only saw them used as glorified whiteboards, and they used the computers and internet mainly for word processing, powerpoint and information searching.

Of course that paints a dull picture of the school, which wasn't the case - lessons were quite short, resources were not extensive, and sometimes it was more fitting to do without whiz bang additions. 

Nevertheless I did see great use of an interactive maths program during a maths class where the students had their own log in and create their own port folio.

This allowed the kids to gain immediate feedback, and it provided them with an exciting challenges that progressively grew more difficult.

I was only in the school for three weeks, so I'm sure there was more going on - the teachers came across as quite creative and inventive.

Teaching Placements

My teaching methods are Japanese and ESL.

I'm at Koonung Secondary College teaching Japanese and Blackburn English Language School for the block teaching ESL.

So KaelaEd begins...