Reflections on MD 400 course – What is useful? What is challenging? Hopes for the remainder of course? Suggestions for instructor?
Arguably, everything we have learned so far in the course is “useful,” in some way. The operative question for me is, which of the various technologies will be useful in my classroom? Sometimes I struggle to find an appropriate use for and/or the value-added to the technology covered in this course in view of the fact that most of the programs in which I expect to teach will have little or no technological resources available and my adult students have little or no access to technology at home. Many of the resources are geared toward K-12 classrooms and therefore are of limited use to me. This is a challenge that I have mentioned before in other blog posts because it is the primary issue that prohibits me from fully embracing the technology offered in this course. Frequently I wonder, how often will I actually use my learning in this course in the not so perfect real world? That being said, I find the possibilities that technology presents to be endlessly interesting and intellectually stimulating and despite my expectation of less than optimum usage, I have developed some teaching ideas based upon various components of this course. Currently, I am focusing on how I can use this technology to prepare materials for my classes and believe that this is where the value-added rests for me. Further, I am thinking about practical proposals for infusing technology where I teach to try to change the situation so that I can help my classrooms of adult ESL students move toward that more perfect world that includes technology. Therefore, all is not lost!
As the result of the course requirements, I have focused more of my energy on thinking about technology – its pedagogical implications, justifications and applications – rather than on the mechanics of the technology itself. For example, reading and understanding the articles on copyright law, universal design for learning, inquiry-based learning, etc. and my blog posts have required a lot of time and thought. Thus, one hope I have for the remainder of the semester is to be able to shift my attention to learning more of the nuts and bolts. The actual running of the programs such as Photoshop Elements and NVU are a challenge for me and I need to understand them better and to practice in order to feel more confident and to reduce the time it takes me to complete the assignments. Therefore, I wish we would spend more class time on learning and practicing how to use the technology so that we can go home armed and more fully capable of operating on our own. Specifically, the direct teaching of the steps to follow for building our websites is extremely helpful as are handouts such as the one we received for Photo Story 3. As a visual/kinesthetic learner, the most meaningful and valuable classes have been the ones in which we have practiced, step-by-step, with the programs upon which our assignments are based.
Unfortunately for some of us, the lab hours wherein the lab assistant is available to answer questions are not feasible times, meaning that some students are put in the awkward position of always having to ask for appointments or working alone. In the future it might be a good idea to vary the time blocks of the lab schedule, for example, one at 4:30 and one at 7 instead of both at 4:30 and/or vary the days, for instance, to a Monday/Thursday combination instead of only a Monday/Wednesday option. Even if I could attend the regular lab sessions, the Monday lab is often too late in the week to complete work in time for the Tuesday class if one hits a snag and the Wednesday lab is often too early in the week after the Tuesday class to be prepared to attack the next week’s projects. Nevertheless, I have learned an enormous amount already, gained satisfaction from my projects and enjoyed the creative challenges they present. Lastly, I am looking forward to improving my skills and the possibility of discovery as this field of educational technology unfolds before me in the remainder of this course.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Value Added of Technology / Fit With UDL
Thinking back to eTIPS and UDL articles, what is the “value added” for the uses of technology we have been discussing in class this semester?
So far this semester the types of technology we have discussed in class include: the use of blogs, digital photos and their manipulation with the program Photoshop Elements, concept maps using Inspiration, creation of websites using NVU, Inquiry-based learning, such as WebQuests and digital stories. Dexter’s article entitled, “eTIPS” says that technology provides “added value to the teaching or learning processes when it makes possible something that otherwise would be impossible or less viable to do” (p. 58). Through the lens of my area of concentration in teaching (TESOL/Adult Education), I see value added for blogs in terms of increased opportunities for my students to communicate and interact with others and thereby practice “real-world” writing and reading in English. In a class blog, students would be able to write posts and read those of others, maybe even partner with other classes or schools, utilizing a fresh way to express themselves in English.
Some of the value added from digital photos and their manipulation through Photoshop would be to allow me to create materials that are specific to the needs of my students and my classroom. For instance, by creating a picture using images for the vocabulary on which we are focusing, I could support my students’ learning visually. Similarly, the use of concept maps created through a program such as Inspiration would add value by permitting students to express their ideas visually and would be an excellent way to scaffold those students with limited English because they might be able to explain a complex idea more easily by visual means than they would verbally. With regard to the creation of websites, I doubt that I would ever be teaching adult ESL in a situation where it would be possible for students to create their own websites because of the scarcity of technological resources, however analogous to my thoughts above about blogs, I do see the value that could be added to the class if we had a classroom website. A well constructed class website would give students access to classroom information at their convenience in their free time, further enlarging and enhancing their learning experiences with English and expanding communication and learning beyond the few hours we spend together in class.
Again, since I expect to have limited access to technology in the classrooms in which I teach, I see less value added to the use of, for instance, WebQuests, a type of inquiry-based learning. Nevertheless, it might be feasible to teach students the principles of inquiry-based learning so that they could apply them on their own if they have access to technology outside of the classroom. Likewise digital stories would be difficult for my students to produce, given the lack of technology in the classroom, but it could have tremendous value added in the form of material I personally develop to use in the classroom to teach parts of lessons, to illustrate an important point or story, and / or to display student work.
How do they (or don’t they) fit with UDL?
UDL stands for Universal Design for Learning which is based on the idea that “curriculum should include alternatives to make it accessible and appropriate for individuals with different backgrounds, learning styles, abilities, and disabilities in widely varied learning contexts.” Thus, I think that all the uses of technology about which we have learned this semester fit well with UDL because these uses have potential to individualize instruction for students. For example as noted above, technology would allow me to introduce different, more appropriate and personalized visual materials into the classroom which could better address the learning needs of the visual learners in the class. Further, the use of technology could provide additional practice for those students in need of more attention than I am able to give individually in the classroom and might allow me to directly address the challenge of teaching learners with different first languages (L1) who are lumped together in the same class and require varied approaches based on their L1’s. Lastly, technology such as a class blog or website would fit with UDL because they could empower the students to pursue and practice their learning at their own pace, in their own way, outside of the classroom and thereby address and support their “uniqueness” as learners - an essential premise of UDL.
References
eTIPS - http://sdexter.net/Vitae/papers/etips.pdf
UDL - http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/ideas/tes/chapter3_9.cfm
Inquiry-based learning - http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/inquiry/index.html
So far this semester the types of technology we have discussed in class include: the use of blogs, digital photos and their manipulation with the program Photoshop Elements, concept maps using Inspiration, creation of websites using NVU, Inquiry-based learning, such as WebQuests and digital stories. Dexter’s article entitled, “eTIPS” says that technology provides “added value to the teaching or learning processes when it makes possible something that otherwise would be impossible or less viable to do” (p. 58). Through the lens of my area of concentration in teaching (TESOL/Adult Education), I see value added for blogs in terms of increased opportunities for my students to communicate and interact with others and thereby practice “real-world” writing and reading in English. In a class blog, students would be able to write posts and read those of others, maybe even partner with other classes or schools, utilizing a fresh way to express themselves in English.
Some of the value added from digital photos and their manipulation through Photoshop would be to allow me to create materials that are specific to the needs of my students and my classroom. For instance, by creating a picture using images for the vocabulary on which we are focusing, I could support my students’ learning visually. Similarly, the use of concept maps created through a program such as Inspiration would add value by permitting students to express their ideas visually and would be an excellent way to scaffold those students with limited English because they might be able to explain a complex idea more easily by visual means than they would verbally. With regard to the creation of websites, I doubt that I would ever be teaching adult ESL in a situation where it would be possible for students to create their own websites because of the scarcity of technological resources, however analogous to my thoughts above about blogs, I do see the value that could be added to the class if we had a classroom website. A well constructed class website would give students access to classroom information at their convenience in their free time, further enlarging and enhancing their learning experiences with English and expanding communication and learning beyond the few hours we spend together in class.
Again, since I expect to have limited access to technology in the classrooms in which I teach, I see less value added to the use of, for instance, WebQuests, a type of inquiry-based learning. Nevertheless, it might be feasible to teach students the principles of inquiry-based learning so that they could apply them on their own if they have access to technology outside of the classroom. Likewise digital stories would be difficult for my students to produce, given the lack of technology in the classroom, but it could have tremendous value added in the form of material I personally develop to use in the classroom to teach parts of lessons, to illustrate an important point or story, and / or to display student work.
How do they (or don’t they) fit with UDL?
UDL stands for Universal Design for Learning which is based on the idea that “curriculum should include alternatives to make it accessible and appropriate for individuals with different backgrounds, learning styles, abilities, and disabilities in widely varied learning contexts.” Thus, I think that all the uses of technology about which we have learned this semester fit well with UDL because these uses have potential to individualize instruction for students. For example as noted above, technology would allow me to introduce different, more appropriate and personalized visual materials into the classroom which could better address the learning needs of the visual learners in the class. Further, the use of technology could provide additional practice for those students in need of more attention than I am able to give individually in the classroom and might allow me to directly address the challenge of teaching learners with different first languages (L1) who are lumped together in the same class and require varied approaches based on their L1’s. Lastly, technology such as a class blog or website would fit with UDL because they could empower the students to pursue and practice their learning at their own pace, in their own way, outside of the classroom and thereby address and support their “uniqueness” as learners - an essential premise of UDL.
References
eTIPS - http://sdexter.net/Vitae/papers/etips.pdf
UDL - http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/ideas/tes/chapter3_9.cfm
Inquiry-based learning - http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/inquiry/index.html
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Inquiry-based Learning and Historical Thinking
Have you used inquiry-based learning as a teacher or as a student?
I have experienced inquiry-based learning as a student as well as observed its use in several classrooms. However, so far I have not used it in a formal way as a teacher of adult English language learners. As a student in several education classes, specifically methods classes, I have employed inquiry-based learning by working on group problem solving activities related to instruction. For example in a TESOL Methods class, I participated in team lesson planning in which we utilized some facets of inquiry-based learning, such as data collection, analysis, questioning and evaluation, in order to develop a plan that would meet student needs and standards criteria. In addition, researching a topic of interest is another form of inquiry-based learning that I have used as a student. Lastly, I have observed classrooms in which students utilize inquiry-based learning to write a personal family history, publish a magazine and research the answer to a scientific question.
What place would inquiry-based learning and/or historical thinking have in your classroom?
Based upon my reading of the online articles about inquiry-based learning and historical thinking, I believe these methods could have a prominent place in my classroom of adult English language learners. If utilized properly, these approaches could help my students to improve their English language skills while teaching them to find the answers to their language questions on their own. As a simple example, I can envision lessons based on the principles of inquiry-based learning in which commonly available resources such as the dictionary, library or computers are used as tools to explore origins and meanings of words, phrases and idiomatic expressions rather than just giving that information to the students outright. Other skills valued in inquiry-based learning, such as the encouragement of questions about and reflection upon their language learning, would contribute to communicative teaching techniques that are promoted in the field of TESOL. Furthermore, inquiry-based learning is in keeping with Second Language Acquisition Theory (SLA) which suggests that second language learners acquire language more readily when they are actively engaged in a task wherein they not only receive input but also, as Bill Vanpatten says, “interact” with it. This interaction can include the “struggle” for and / or “negotiation” of meaning which results in being “active” and not just passive receivers of information / language, much like the examples of inquiry-based learning described in these articles.
Historical thinking in my classroom of adult English language learners would have a place in helping my students to produce more language. Utilizing historical thinking, they would not only need to use their language skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking coupled with content knowledge of historical facts, but they would be required to interpret and analyze those facts, too. Interpretation and analysis of historical information would support greater production of language than just simply regurgitating in English historical facts they have learned. This is because students would have to negotiate for meaning, look at the facts from different points of view and develop their own conclusions about the meaning of those facts. For example, students could work in groups discussing a piece of historical information that they have read or heard, present orally their own interpretation or conclusion and/or write an opinion about an event and/or speculate on how the world would be different if a specific event had not occurred. In all of these examples, the student would be forced to use more language than simply saying, for instance, that Columbus arrived in the Americas in 1492, thus achieving the goal of increased production of English.
References: http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/inquiry/index.html; http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Historical_thinking
Vanpatten, Bill. (1987). On Babies and Bathwater: Input in Foreign Language Learning. Modern Language Journal, 71, 156-164.
I have experienced inquiry-based learning as a student as well as observed its use in several classrooms. However, so far I have not used it in a formal way as a teacher of adult English language learners. As a student in several education classes, specifically methods classes, I have employed inquiry-based learning by working on group problem solving activities related to instruction. For example in a TESOL Methods class, I participated in team lesson planning in which we utilized some facets of inquiry-based learning, such as data collection, analysis, questioning and evaluation, in order to develop a plan that would meet student needs and standards criteria. In addition, researching a topic of interest is another form of inquiry-based learning that I have used as a student. Lastly, I have observed classrooms in which students utilize inquiry-based learning to write a personal family history, publish a magazine and research the answer to a scientific question.
What place would inquiry-based learning and/or historical thinking have in your classroom?
Based upon my reading of the online articles about inquiry-based learning and historical thinking, I believe these methods could have a prominent place in my classroom of adult English language learners. If utilized properly, these approaches could help my students to improve their English language skills while teaching them to find the answers to their language questions on their own. As a simple example, I can envision lessons based on the principles of inquiry-based learning in which commonly available resources such as the dictionary, library or computers are used as tools to explore origins and meanings of words, phrases and idiomatic expressions rather than just giving that information to the students outright. Other skills valued in inquiry-based learning, such as the encouragement of questions about and reflection upon their language learning, would contribute to communicative teaching techniques that are promoted in the field of TESOL. Furthermore, inquiry-based learning is in keeping with Second Language Acquisition Theory (SLA) which suggests that second language learners acquire language more readily when they are actively engaged in a task wherein they not only receive input but also, as Bill Vanpatten says, “interact” with it. This interaction can include the “struggle” for and / or “negotiation” of meaning which results in being “active” and not just passive receivers of information / language, much like the examples of inquiry-based learning described in these articles.
Historical thinking in my classroom of adult English language learners would have a place in helping my students to produce more language. Utilizing historical thinking, they would not only need to use their language skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking coupled with content knowledge of historical facts, but they would be required to interpret and analyze those facts, too. Interpretation and analysis of historical information would support greater production of language than just simply regurgitating in English historical facts they have learned. This is because students would have to negotiate for meaning, look at the facts from different points of view and develop their own conclusions about the meaning of those facts. For example, students could work in groups discussing a piece of historical information that they have read or heard, present orally their own interpretation or conclusion and/or write an opinion about an event and/or speculate on how the world would be different if a specific event had not occurred. In all of these examples, the student would be forced to use more language than simply saying, for instance, that Columbus arrived in the Americas in 1492, thus achieving the goal of increased production of English.
References: http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/inquiry/index.html; http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Historical_thinking
Vanpatten, Bill. (1987). On Babies and Bathwater: Input in Foreign Language Learning. Modern Language Journal, 71, 156-164.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)