I think that Second Life has a lot of potential for educational uses. It definitely offers an outside-the-box way to learn/use English. Students are also granted a certain level of control although the teacher can remain an integral part of the process.
Second Life can be a useful tool for students to use English beyond the books, software, and other technology they might be given access to in a traditional classroom. SL requires students to use reading and writing and can also use listening and speaking skills if they choose. The students can explore a 3D world that they won't get on most websites. They can explore lifelike and fantasy virtual worlds and use English at the same time. I also saw that SL expands on other existing tools such as WebQuests.
One of the problems that I found (which is true of any chat-room-type atmosphere) is that the English used is not necessarily correct. Even native English speakers may use a different language for speaking and for writing. Therefore, "omg" might mean something to certain groups, this is not something which is used outside certain environments and therefore can make input confusing for students. Also, because SL has international access, English is not necessarily the only language that students will encounter.
Another problem that I encountered was when I attempted to enter one of the educational sites on the list, the "Solar Eclipse Planetarium". SL said that this world was not available and would send me to a nearby location. I ended up in a world where they were speaking some Spanish (and other languages) and the topic of conversation was having online sex. For this reason, I would only send my students to areas which I knew I could trust (for example a private area that I set up).
Monday, May 11, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Podomatic!
I don't have a good quality webcam/microphone so I didn't create my own podcast but I was surprised at how simple it was. I absoulutely think that students would be able to use it, either on their own or with some assistance. I could see myself setting up an account for the entire class and having students make podcasts during the year which would all be posted to the account. The podcasts could be about predetermined topics such as introductions, talks about family, etc. or the students could choose their own topics. I watch People's Court and they advertise podcast court where two people post their sides to the court of public opinion online and the viewers decide the outcome. I could give students topics and have one student argue one side and the other student argue another side. The class could decide the outcome.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Student Produced Videos
What do I think about the projects?
I think that the projects are an interesting and creative way for students to take what they've learned and apply it. Projects which allow students to talk about something that they're already familiar gives personal meaning to the learning process. It allows them to share something about themselves with their classmates and gives students an opportunity to learn about each other. It also allows for creativity and humor, as shown in the Phrasal verbs videos. For example, one video which described "walk in the park" showed one student explaining to another that the tests are a "walk in the park" for him. He never fails because he pays the professor $100 after each test.
Can I use these in the my needs analysis class? How?
The videos that I saw were made and geared for more advanced speakers. I wouldn't expect students in my needs analysis class (beginning level at Wintersteing Adult Center) to understand or be able to recreate such videos. I do think that the project could be adapted for their level. For example, students at this level are learning to talk about themselves, their work, and their family. They could create a video talking about topics like this which are familiar to them. We did similar type projects in my first year of Spanish. I would expect students to need a lot of time to practice but I absolutely believe that they could do it. I also think that students could create a video talking about their home country and their culture. Each year, Winterstein has each classroom take on the task on presenting one country and then all of the classes move from one room to another to learn about the different countries. I think that this could be taken to the next level with video.
I think that the projects are an interesting and creative way for students to take what they've learned and apply it. Projects which allow students to talk about something that they're already familiar gives personal meaning to the learning process. It allows them to share something about themselves with their classmates and gives students an opportunity to learn about each other. It also allows for creativity and humor, as shown in the Phrasal verbs videos. For example, one video which described "walk in the park" showed one student explaining to another that the tests are a "walk in the park" for him. He never fails because he pays the professor $100 after each test.
Can I use these in the my needs analysis class? How?
The videos that I saw were made and geared for more advanced speakers. I wouldn't expect students in my needs analysis class (beginning level at Wintersteing Adult Center) to understand or be able to recreate such videos. I do think that the project could be adapted for their level. For example, students at this level are learning to talk about themselves, their work, and their family. They could create a video talking about topics like this which are familiar to them. We did similar type projects in my first year of Spanish. I would expect students to need a lot of time to practice but I absolutely believe that they could do it. I also think that students could create a video talking about their home country and their culture. Each year, Winterstein has each classroom take on the task on presenting one country and then all of the classes move from one room to another to learn about the different countries. I think that this could be taken to the next level with video.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Hot Potatoes
I really enjoyed the Hot Potatoes website. My only regret is that I didn't look at the link earlier. The fact that the program is so easy to use is what makes me want to use it most. I like that I can customize quizzes and exercises. I've been looking for this type of material on the internet but being able to create my own is what I really look forward to. I admit that I would like it more if it looked a little more professional, but a lot websites that I found using similar exercises aren't any more sophisticated.
I am least confident about using Hot Potatoes with Dreamweaver. Fortunately a couple of my classmates helped me to publish the urls. Even still, I had a lot of difficuly pulling them up. I even thought they didn't publish and tried to make a couple quizzes to post (which didn't work). When I use it in the future, I will likely post it to a website or wiki that I already have established and am familiar with. I am most confident about making the exercises/quizzes because the website makes it so easy to use.
Hot Potatoes is something I will definitely use when developing a lesson plan for the class that I observed. I've seen the teacher use similar types of exercises in class but she pulled questions from a pre-made quiz of the internet. I think that she would love to be able to make her own quizzes based on what the class is learning at the time. I can't wait to show her this site. I also do private tutoring and I set-up a website on Wetpaint that we've been using. I am interested to see if I can get Hot Potatoes to work with Wetpaint. If not, I'll try with Wikispaces to see if I have better success. Both the class that I observed and my tutees are at a beginning level so I think they can really benefit from this type of practice apart from what we do during our lessons.
I am least confident about using Hot Potatoes with Dreamweaver. Fortunately a couple of my classmates helped me to publish the urls. Even still, I had a lot of difficuly pulling them up. I even thought they didn't publish and tried to make a couple quizzes to post (which didn't work). When I use it in the future, I will likely post it to a website or wiki that I already have established and am familiar with. I am most confident about making the exercises/quizzes because the website makes it so easy to use.
Hot Potatoes is something I will definitely use when developing a lesson plan for the class that I observed. I've seen the teacher use similar types of exercises in class but she pulled questions from a pre-made quiz of the internet. I think that she would love to be able to make her own quizzes based on what the class is learning at the time. I can't wait to show her this site. I also do private tutoring and I set-up a website on Wetpaint that we've been using. I am interested to see if I can get Hot Potatoes to work with Wetpaint. If not, I'll try with Wikispaces to see if I have better success. Both the class that I observed and my tutees are at a beginning level so I think they can really benefit from this type of practice apart from what we do during our lessons.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Dreamweaver or Wiki???
I rated Dreamweaver a 5. I am not seeing the benefit of the technology because I am so new to it but I believe that I would like it more if I learned more about it. Professor Heather mentioned that the software is expensive and that professional web designers use the software. If professionals are willing to spend the money to use it, it must be worth something. For this reason, I would love to learn more about it. I understand, though, why he wants to use future classes for different projects. Even if Dreamweaver could create a better website over all, he has provided us with other sites that can achieve a similar result. Although Wikispaces or Wetpaint might not offer all the features of Dreamweaver, they offer the features that I need to use. They are also much easier to use. For this reason, I plan on using Wetpaint of Wikispaces for my e-portfolio.
As a teacher, I think that I would use online resources such as Wikispaces or Wetpaint for my students. First, it's easier and less time-consuming for me to use. When I'm teaching I will not have a lot of extra time for complicated processes. These types of websites are also easy enough that my students can use them as well which is a big plus. I like the idea of students being able to create their own webpages or editing pages which are already created. If I became more well-versed in Dreamweaver, though, I might feel differently.
As a teacher, I think that I would use online resources such as Wikispaces or Wetpaint for my students. First, it's easier and less time-consuming for me to use. When I'm teaching I will not have a lot of extra time for complicated processes. These types of websites are also easy enough that my students can use them as well which is a big plus. I like the idea of students being able to create their own webpages or editing pages which are already created. If I became more well-versed in Dreamweaver, though, I might feel differently.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Group Project 1
How did we use technology to work collaboratively?
Although SacCT has discussion capabilities for groups to use, Sunyoo came up with the idea of setting up a Wikispaces page for our group to use. I think that page has a nicer format to communicate on than the SacCT discussion forum. Thanks, Sunyoo! We also used e-mail to submit different aspects of our project for our group members to review.
How could we have used technology in additional ways?
To be honest, I don't think we used the discussion tool as much as we could have (myself included). On the next project we're going to have less class time to create our project so I think it will be important for us to take advantage of this site.
What did I learn from the experience?
I think that we got caught up in the details, especially for something that was only worth 5 points. I the group dynamic, at least for me, made the grade more important to me. Though I would have tried to create a good project if I was working by myself, I wouldn't care so much if I personally lost a point. The fact that others were depending on my work being good, though, made me work harder. From working with the WebQuest page online, I learned a lot about setting up webpages that I had never known before. It actually inspired me to set up a webpage for the class that I volunteered with before which I showed to the teacher I worked with. She was excited about the page. From what Sunyoo has told me, the Wikispaces website is even easier to use so I'd like to try that website next for creating similar projects.
How can I apply this to my future classroom?
More than anything, I think that I have to realize that things will take longer to do and will be more involved than I first anticipate. For that reason, I will need to plan well in advance before presenting something to the students.
Although SacCT has discussion capabilities for groups to use, Sunyoo came up with the idea of setting up a Wikispaces page for our group to use. I think that page has a nicer format to communicate on than the SacCT discussion forum. Thanks, Sunyoo! We also used e-mail to submit different aspects of our project for our group members to review.
How could we have used technology in additional ways?
To be honest, I don't think we used the discussion tool as much as we could have (myself included). On the next project we're going to have less class time to create our project so I think it will be important for us to take advantage of this site.
What did I learn from the experience?
I think that we got caught up in the details, especially for something that was only worth 5 points. I the group dynamic, at least for me, made the grade more important to me. Though I would have tried to create a good project if I was working by myself, I wouldn't care so much if I personally lost a point. The fact that others were depending on my work being good, though, made me work harder. From working with the WebQuest page online, I learned a lot about setting up webpages that I had never known before. It actually inspired me to set up a webpage for the class that I volunteered with before which I showed to the teacher I worked with. She was excited about the page. From what Sunyoo has told me, the Wikispaces website is even easier to use so I'd like to try that website next for creating similar projects.
How can I apply this to my future classroom?
More than anything, I think that I have to realize that things will take longer to do and will be more involved than I first anticipate. For that reason, I will need to plan well in advance before presenting something to the students.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Wetpaint.com
Before deciding which website to review, I checked out the homepage of each. I felt that wikispaces and wetpaint were the most inviting from the beginning. The site pbwiki had too much information of the first page which would discourage me from using it for an ESL classroom. If a group of students were to use it for the first time, I think I've have to guide them through more steps to get to page they can start to use themselves. Both Wikispaces and PBwiki have links to pricing on their home page whereas Wetpaint wasn't so blatant. For this reason, I decided to try out Wetpaint.
Signing up
Establishing a website is done in 3 simple steps. Before doing anything else, you create a url right from the homepage. You then follow the clear directions for each step of the process. Despite the step-by-step directions, I would still expect to offer some guidance to an ESL class regardless of their fluency level.
How does it compare Google sites?
For the most part, both sites offer the same features: Creating a homepage, building pages off the homepage, and adding video/images along with a personal touch.
One thing that I found with Google sites that I have yet to find (if it exists) on Wetpaint is the option to revert to an older version of the page. I like the idea that old work isn't lost even if things get changed around. Allowing old versions to be retrieved offers the freedom to try something out with the option to change your mind if you don't like how it looks.
Despite that, I still like the Wetpaint site better than Google sites. Now that I've tried both, I feel that Wetpaint is more intuitive than Google. For example, the sitemap is off to the side without having to click another link first. This makes it easy to move from one page to another. In Google, we had to create links to each page we created in order to find our work without too much searching. Adding photos and videos is easier because everything is clearly labeled.
Wetpaint also offers tips on how to run a successful site. These tips are invaluable for users who are still new to the process.
Between the two websites, I feel that Wetpaint feels more like an actual website that I am running. The options that it offers to me make me feel like I'm designing a community atmosphere (membership, discussion groups, invites, etc) rather than just a page for people to look at. I like that.
Can I spread the word?
I definitely feel confident with my ability to move around the site and to help others with their own site creation. This is only my second website creation so the fact that I can figure it out is indicative of its ease of use.
Signing up
Establishing a website is done in 3 simple steps. Before doing anything else, you create a url right from the homepage. You then follow the clear directions for each step of the process. Despite the step-by-step directions, I would still expect to offer some guidance to an ESL class regardless of their fluency level.
How does it compare Google sites?
For the most part, both sites offer the same features: Creating a homepage, building pages off the homepage, and adding video/images along with a personal touch.
One thing that I found with Google sites that I have yet to find (if it exists) on Wetpaint is the option to revert to an older version of the page. I like the idea that old work isn't lost even if things get changed around. Allowing old versions to be retrieved offers the freedom to try something out with the option to change your mind if you don't like how it looks.
Despite that, I still like the Wetpaint site better than Google sites. Now that I've tried both, I feel that Wetpaint is more intuitive than Google. For example, the sitemap is off to the side without having to click another link first. This makes it easy to move from one page to another. In Google, we had to create links to each page we created in order to find our work without too much searching. Adding photos and videos is easier because everything is clearly labeled.
Wetpaint also offers tips on how to run a successful site. These tips are invaluable for users who are still new to the process.
Between the two websites, I feel that Wetpaint feels more like an actual website that I am running. The options that it offers to me make me feel like I'm designing a community atmosphere (membership, discussion groups, invites, etc) rather than just a page for people to look at. I like that.
Can I spread the word?
I definitely feel confident with my ability to move around the site and to help others with their own site creation. This is only my second website creation so the fact that I can figure it out is indicative of its ease of use.
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