Week 13

This was a productive week. The learning curve is finally curving. I just took a while to catch on to the website things. I really think I've got a lot of what I need to do figured out. I did not look at the templates that Leping found, that was too big a jump for me today, but I did get the one we all have working for me.

I feel like I can actually get the basic page done before our next class and maybe even find a way to make it fancy.

Progress

Thea's Plan

Week 12 Figure out how to access MavDisk at home--done--doesn't look right

Make 4 changes to my website--done--name, link names

Come up with overall plan for Activity 5---------keep changing my mind

Week 13 Have two things loaded to website (don't laugh at my terminology)--done plus---links to activities (2 or 3) Changed email on index and...one other page

Have specifics planned for Activity 5

Week 14 Create the projects for Activity 5

Week 15 Finish Website

Week 16 Everything that I didn't get done

Last week we worked on our activities and web pages. I did figure out a lot about my webpage, but have run into a snag at home. I'll keep plugging away at it. If I can't get it to work I'll use my flashdrive and do the work on campus.

Two weeks ago I thought I had this great idea for the final project. But last week I couldn't seem to get the same feeling. I worked on some good ideas, but nothing cohesive. I'm feeling stuck. I think I'll get it all straightened out soon. I'm just on information overload right now.

Week 11

Last week was a good class. We talked about a lot of different things that have been confusing in class. I enjoyed seeing what Esther was doing with the research from class. It was very interesting.

Week 11 Reading

I already talked about some of my thoughts on the reading in Stephanie's blog. A common comment in public schools is as long as you aren't caught you are fine. Public school teachers copy, cut and paste all the time. I'm sure that if the copyright police were to look at public schools that 98% of the teachers would be in jail. Schools are underfunded and teachers have to choose between textbooks and technology. Often we view textbooks as something we can make due with and choose to buy supplemental materials we would need with new books too, but have to choose between the two.

As far as movies go, they are such a great tool for teaching. I used an episode of "The Unit" to talk about civil rights in conjunction with "To Kill a Mockingbird" I also have the students compare/contrast the book to the movie that we watch as well. Social teachers use Schindler's List to help them understand the holocaust better. The choir teacher uses different musicals to help them understand different concepts. 10% of any of these videos would be absolutely insufficient to meet the needs. Teachers won't quit until we are all in jail.

Class 10

Looking at HotPotatoes last week was interesting. I think that the types of activities that can be built on the site are useful in the classroom. Those types of quizes take time to write and time to grade. By taking the time to write it the time to grade it with Hot Potatoes is eliminated. That is a great thing for a teacher. Time is so darn precious when working in the classroom that anything that saves time is worth the effort. These are things that can be designed and used over again without comprimising your integrety. I greatly dislike reusing tests and rewrite them every semester, taking bits from here and bits from there. But the type of activity here is more like a worksheet or a quick check of comprehension. This is something I can wrap my brain around. It's too bad I'm not teaching right now, because by the time I get back to the classroom I may not remember about the site.

I'm still struggling with the webpage. I understand the concept and what I need to do. I just need a decent amount of concious time at my computer. All the documents I would use on the website are on my home (desktop) computer. It would not make sense for me to devote a ton of time on campus to this, because I wouldn't actually get anywhere. The biggest obstacle right now is figuring out how to access my mavdisk at home. That is an issue I have with MSU. Students who did their undergrad recently here (or probably other colleges) have a great grasp on what is available and how to get there. I graduated college in 94 and 96-we didn't even use email for classes. We were excited that we could register for classes by phone. This does not mean I don't know how to use computers. I find information, email, play games, watch tv and use discussion boards on-line. I play games, write papers, and even used to program at home. I digress.

When I came to MSU I was never given any information about what was available here. In my first class the instructor was talking about deeTool (d2l) I had no idea what dee Tool was. I was pretty sure she was insane. Then I remembered my student teachers talking about d2l and I was able to search the site and find it. We went to a computer lab that week too. I couldn't get in to the site...my college registration was wrong and I did not have an account. They'd established an email account, but not a d2l account. I never knew we had money to print anything on campus, so I've exclusively used my home computer, paper and ink. I would think this was totally unfair to me, but I know other grad students who are in the same boat. The things that are available to us were never told. I've never had a tour of campus, a list of things available or any type of orientation. I think I'm doing well for the little information I've recieved over the past year. I use d2l fairly well. I send papers via email that everyone can open, even though I can't open theirs. I download programs for test taking, audio files etc with no problem. But I never knew, until this class, what MavDisk was...let alone how to access it.

Yes, I find technology to be a huge pain in the kiester, but I also value it. There are so many ways I use tech, but if I don't have a specific goal I don't really find the uses. Personal mental block.

Class Week 9

I still have issues with online chat. It doesn't always come through. I don't mind the typing kind of chat. I thought the video was going to give me convulsions.

Working in groups on the web site from last week was difficult. It was hard to see anything on the computer or to know what buttons to push. I think I need to take a few minutes to actually look at the technology to make any real decisions, but currently would not use it.

Rdg 10

I always just assume that you can't copy something. I pretty much figure it's covered by copyright laws. I did know that to copy something to use while you save your original to keep it from getting ruined.

I figure treat software the same way I treat texts. If I want to use something I write for permission to use the materials.

Reading Week 9

Keypals-I remember using penpals at various times as a student and being extremely frustrated. It took so long to get a response I would lose interest. I see this being a difficulty still. To properly monitor the letters requires extra time on both ends of the dialogue. On the other hand, the quick nature of email could overload the students. They may tire of the project quickly if the responses are swift. They could run out of things to say, vocabulary and suffer from the lack of variety.

I do think that email would be more useful than instant messaging, especially at early levels. This is because students need time to think about what they are going to say. And the nature of an online chat situation may intimidate them to stillness.

Week 8-what happened

OK-finding the room we met in last week was a challenge. When I got to the classroom I vaguely remembered seeing something about meeting in the library. So I wandered over. On the way I passed three people from the other class and kept turning around before I realized they were in the other class. Finally I got to the library and checked my email and d2l...I couldn't find anything. Then Chris miraculously passed by and said he'd checked everywhere else...so off we went. If Inna hadn't been holding the door for princess Chris I may have decided to go home and try again later. After all, this must have been a bad dream.

Since I have developed a reputation as being against technology, I'll play that role. The problems we encountered in the illuminate presentation make me wonder if computers are the way to go for this. The nature of an ITV classroom seems more useful, in that everyone can be heard and seen (depending on the camera being used). I would imagine that computers paired with ITV would be a wonderful combination. The immediacy of the television, with the internet capabilities of the computer would make everything very quick. I know that not all schools have ITV capabilities, however most do. On the other hand, pod casts, and online teaching have caused the server at my old stomping grounds to freeze up.

Back in the room I was happy to learn how to access my mavdisk....I've never used it and was surprised to see that somehow I have used it, unintentionally.

When I was walking today I thought about our conversation about buying domain names. I'm curious, MSU owns the MSU.edu name, however, what about the pages that belong to the different departments? Are they just part of the big name or do they have to buy their names too?

Reading Week 8

In reading the article on weblogs I found the section on the Tutor Log to be idealistic. I think that an instructor could keep up the amount of Blogging this would require for a very limited amount of time. One would have to blog AT LEAST once a week, but it read as if it should be daily. With the amount of other lesson planning, student interaction, and other responsibilities a teacher wouldn't have enough time to thoughtfully blog and find enough relevant websites to showcase. Of course I'm looking at this as a public school teacher in MN. Out of class I am expected to coach/advise something all school year. If I were to prep the materials over the summer they would not have immediate relevance.

The culturequest article was very confusing. The first time through I couldn't have told you a thing about it. I felt as if I were reading something full of randomly generated English words. I'm always hesitant to do a project that relies on other people to get it done on time. By counting on teachers in other cultures there is no way to tell how long the responses are going to take. Even if the people are extremely quick to respond to everything they don't have control over nature. Yes, we contend with nature every day, but this is contending with nature in multiple parts of the world. Does this mean I'd never try doing a culturequest? Not at all. I just think that this would have to be a very long term plan to take into account other issues.

React week 7

Last week we worked on creating websites. When we started it I got very frustrated...I need to learn to read instructions. I didn't understand that when I was looking at the Kompozer information that I was not actually in the program. Therefore I couldn't actually do any of the things in the tutorial. This was a very basic step that I missed. I'm still frustrated at the situation...but with myself because I didn't pay enough attention to the details in the steps.

Once I understood those instructions things went better. Now that I, finally, understand why we are making the websites I think it's a good idea. I'd like to see a sample of one, I am a digital immigrant. I don't automatically think I should jump in to the internet to post or find everything. I haven't seen a website designed to advertise my skills. I feel frustrated with my lack of expectations of the internet...while everyone I know was figuring out quick ways to access information I was figuring out my characters onstage. Blogging, discussion boards, personal web sites-just don't fit into my personal identity.

I can figure out how to use any program or software. I can create interesting lessons, activities, displays...but putting personal information out there is disturbing to me. I have an unlisted phone number. I try not to work in the same town I live in and I go by a different name at my part-time job than I do in the rest of my life. Making this website is a very difficult concept for me.

Class Week 6

I'm not sure how I feel about podcasts. I definitely would not use them to comment on papers because of the privacy issue. To comment on papers I would make tapes or cds. Then only the person the comments are for would hear them.

I can see using podcasts to make recordings of lectures that you do often, or a big idea that you want to make sure everyone has access to (in the case of an absence). I had a student with CVS (Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome) which meant he had to miss a lot of class. However, he could use the internet at home and if I would've had the ability to make podcasts of class it would really have helped this boy keep up with his class.

Growing up we had reading lessons that were individualized. You would get a story from a file (the files were coded by level) read it and answer questions. As you improved you would move up. I can see using podcasting in a similar way. Not as a "move up the ladder" tool, but one that could be used to let students review material, or get explanations of common issues as they need them. Some examples: review differences in sound (minimal pairs), lesson on third person singular -s, prepositions.

I think the GLL was a difficult place to make the recordings, because in order to hear what I was saying I could hear what everyone in the room was sayig. I found it very distracting and hard to focus on the words coming out of my mouth. It was necessary to do it in there, becasue many of us do not have microphones at home...so it was a useful learning experience.

I did like that I could edit my recording in audacity. I took about ten seconds out of the middle of my recording, because it sounded terrible. I had hesitation, ums and silence (background noise had distracted me). My recording was shorter, but it flowed a lot better. So I found that to be an advantage over the easier to do phone recording.

Reading Week 7

There were several things in the Smith and Rawley article that intrigued me. First off I thought the reference to people using commercial slogans in everyday life was funny, and true. When I was in college I used to hang out in the music lounge at the PAC. This is where the vending machines were kept. While visiting with friends, or studying, we'd hear people come in and try to decide what snack they wanted. Most of them chose Snickers bars, because "Snickers really satisfies."

The other really big thing in that article was how it aligned with the lesson I analyzed for class. I knew what things I liked about the lesson originally, but now I have a better understanding of why I felt it would work (small chunks of language, repetition, complete stories, etc.).

The King article was also full of ideas that worked in my mind As a language arts teacher I often used video to illustrate concepts we'd been working on in class. Oddly I never really thought about doing that in an ESL room, ironic really because that was something I enjoyed adding to my Spanish learning. It makes sense that video is a good resource to add to the ESL classroom. The use of extended dialogue that is fairly natural would encourage students to listen so they could understand the story. The visual elements help connect to the story more than a radio program does.

When the article talked about using small clips of the film I felt a little less sure about it. One problem I have with that is, to me, it is very difficult to exclude a scene from a movie. The director put it in for a reason, who am I to change their vision? I feel that to not use the whole movie the students lose out on the flow of the story. On the other hand I can completely understand only usin gone or two scenes from a movie to get at a point. (That may make me a hypocrite.)

I was very interested in the section on sub-titles. Last year I tried watching movies in Spanish (after not using Spanish to any real degree for over 10 years). I got a little frustrated and turned on the sub-titles, in Spanish. It helped me understand the movie a little better. As the movie went along I would turn off the sub-titles for a while (I also cheated with English sub-titles for a few lines at a time when I got really confused). As time went on I turned the sub-titles on less often, I was concerned that I was practicing my reading instead of my listening skills. The article backed up my concern. However, I still think that using sub-titles is helpful to get them started on the lesson. Perhaps the sub-titles could be used for the first part of the movie and then turned off, just to help them start thinking in English.

I don't know the answer, I do know that being able to pull in programs that have recently been on tv or movies new to dvd capture student interest much more quickly than those that are a couple years old. Interestingly, students are more willing to give an older (10, 15 20+ years) movie or show a chance over something that came out during their memory.

Reading Week 6

Yes, I totally agree that computers give us access to better/more sound and video clips than we used to have. It is much easier to store a series of computer files, for film/sound clips, than it is to make a vhs tape of scenes for a lesson. The equipment is also much less bulky. However, here's Negative Nelly again, there are issues.
A vcr/dvd player with a TV is much more accessible for the whole class. Everyone can see it without a special projector, or enough computers for each individual (which is often not available). Secondly sound is a major issue. When using a tv or cd player one has much more control over the volume, with less loss of sound quality. I've used recordings, such as War of the Worlds (1932 Broadcast) both through my computer and on a cd player. The cd player was much more successful. You have control over where in the room it is located, the speakers are more powerful and if the server goes down it doesn't affect the playback. When I used the computer the speakers were poor, and at top volume over half the students couldn't hear it.

I don't believe online sources are really the best way to access sound and video. As we've mentioned in class before it is best to have audio/video clips downloaded to the computer to save time during class. I'd take that to another step and say burn it to a disc. You'll have better control.

I do/did have to provide my own cd player while the computer was provided, this was a small price to pay for convenience and control. The school does provide vcr/dvd players, but you can't count on being able to have it exactly when you need it, therefore (to guarantee it was there when I needed it) I brought in my own.

Class

Last week was rough. Several of us were feeling rather ill. That completely changes the atmosphere of the class.

I found the pod cast thing to be difficult. I could find and open them without any trouble, but I couldn't understand a thing being said, because we all were listening to them live. It was too noisy and distracting.

Then when I had one, I thought, that might be good and tried to post it...well. I had the URL, but it wouldn't let me copy it. I had to type it in manually. Not really a big deal, but as I pushed post the lock was stolen and it disappeared. That was the end of my rope. I wasn't finding anything that seemed pertinent. Mostly I found podcasting to be a disappointment. I had considered participating in a study for my school, to develop podcasts of certain lessons...I'm doubting the usefulness at this point.

As I reread my posts I'm thinking that I should become a Luddite and shun all technology. Paper and pencils with dictionaries and only paper type books and journals for this little red hen.

BAH HUMBUG!!!!!!!!

Alright. Now I'll try again tonight, but no guarantees. I'm especially anti-computers this week.

Reading Week 5

In the Brandl article it talked about how students interact with what they read. It mentions the common practice of having students write about their reading which is very effective in helping them retain and comprehend the readings. It also talked about this being important as a LL and when using electronic sources.

I was thinking that it wouldn't necessarily have to be writing though. Students could talk about the readings in groups (or as a class), they could create art that represented what they read (pictures, posters, movies, sculpture, song). The most important thing is that they understand what they read and have a purpose to read for.

The other big thing from this article was about whether the internet was the best resource for the intended reading. Sometimes giving a handout or an assigned reading from the book is more efficient than using the internet. It's a matter of using your discretion. Are there enough visual aids in this reading that it's more effective on line? Then use it on line...if not is the eye strain worth it?

Yes, I'm someone who prefers reading on paper. This could be because my bifocals are not set for computer use, or from my desire to color on the pages. But I like to be able to pull out the text while I'm on the bus, in the car, at a meeting...wherever and show the text to someone else. There is a certain level of comfort in that. So yes...I find more reasons not to read online, but I never penalized someone for feeling differently about it. As long as they didn't try to get credit for reading porn.

Reflections

After class last week I called my mom. She's used Picasa...but not much. She thinks the program is nice, but she has other things to work on. I'm undecided yet.

Esther asked us about how the things we've looked at apply to TESL. I'd been thinking about it, but I don't necessarily have an answer. I usually start with my experiences as a Language Arts teacher. I wonder how each thing would work with my variety of kids in the room (low level ESL to English Geniuses in the same room). I more often see how it wouldn't work in that situation. Then I try to apply to just an ESL room, which is the actual goal. However, I don't know.

First of all, when does a student become intermediate or advanced in English proficiency. Everyone talks about it, but I have no idea what the boundary is. I find it incredibly frustrating to try to say, "well in my beginning level..." because I don't really know what that means. I'm wondering if any of the CALL ideas we've looked at could work with beginning students.

Oh, and about Chris's presentation. I loved it and hated it at the same time. It was clear and easy to follow (well done) I got frustrated at the repetition of everything because I understood the spanish the first time through. Which makes me wonder, how do we avoid this trap in our ESL classrooms which will have a variety of levels?

What happened?

Ok, so apparently having a conversation about what you've read for class with some friends is not the same as writing it down.

I found the promotion of YouTube interesting. Prior to this class my only real experience with it was when my students would come in and say, "Miss, I found the coolest video..." I've seen videos about Brazil, different bands and even one made by the brother of a student. The students were very excited, but I never considered it an actual resource for the classroom.

Having responded to Stephanie's post I can see an application for it, but I just haven't examined it on a personal level.

It's a sci-fi experiment!!

I don't exist

I maintain that I was thinking and according to DesCartes that means I exist, but Google disagreed. Oh well, we found me and life can continue. (I know everyone was very worried about my (and Leping's) temporary lack of existence.)

The difficulties of logging in to Google Docs aside there were some interesting things tonight. As I wrote in my blog about the reading for today I was interested in the idea of Digital Immigrants/Natives. At some point Esther said she believed it might be more of a continuum than the extremes set out by Prensky. This makes sense to me. I typically prefer to read on paper over on the screen, but I actually kind of like to read the shorter articles on line. The longer (denser) articles are easier for me to read in print because I mark things on them and can keep track of my place. This doesn't work on the computer, when I scroll the highlighted items don't match...maybe I shouldn't use a highlighter. ;)

Just in reading I was feeling a little of the combination Native/Immigrant. Sometimes I copy and paste bits in a document when I read online, and print out those ideas later (to carry in my notes), sometimes I jot them down on paper. Both are effective.

Esther also asked us about writing. Do I always write by hand before typing? NO!!! Sometimes, I do write by hand. I do this when I've been taking notes from books, or happen to be somewhere else when the perfect beginning strikes me. Because the handwrite, then type philosophy was so drilled into me as I went through elementary and high school it is hard to escape. I feel a little guilty that I don't want to write a perfect outline with color coded note cards everytime. And there is something a little soothing about the feel of a good pen (or pencil) going across the paper.

However, I often grab my notes and sit down to write. I type much faster than I write and can edit very swiftly. I've never been afraid to just set my words down on the screen. I don't feel very Immigranty about writing, I feel very native.

Having taught writing at the 7th grade through 12th grade levels I must confess to a desire to edit/correct student papers by hand. It is easier for me to talk through the changes with a student when we have the paper in front of us rather than the computer screen. The other advantage is that a piece of paper does not block the view of the other students while a computer may do just that. So in the proofing of paper I feel like I'd probably be more immigrant than native.

I realize we talked about a lot of other things today, but that darn Prensky article was the one that tripped my inner dialogue.

Reading for 9/3/8

Some of the reading for tonight was too intense...my brain is slow to come back from summer. I don't know what it's doing, but it is not comprehending the written English word.

However, the Prensky article about digital natives/immigrants struck a chord with me. As I grew up there was always a new computer, video game, vcr, cd player. We were never the first to have these things, nor were ours the best, but we always had them early on. So I'm not really a digital immigrant, on the other hand technology moves so fast I don't really feel like a native either. My father is an 8th grade earth science teacher (for over 30 years) his classroom uses computers for interactive learning, videos for instruction and review. He created a way for his computer to "air" on the television in his classroom and that is where students get/got their assignments and the plans for the day. He's done this since the early 90s. He is a digital...mobilizer, I'd say he tries to be at the forefront of the movement. Heroworship aside that is the kind of class I believe students thrive in, a mix of digital technology and hands on real people work.

The most interesting thing in this article for me was the idea that students' brains are physically different now than when I was learning. When I think about the many students I've taught the past few years that would be one step in explaining the problems some of them have in class. I still don't think it is my job to entertain the class, but very likely there are things I haven't thought of that would reach these kids. I believe I need to go to the kids who are struggling and find out what kinds of things would appeal to them. I'm not sure there' s a lot I can do about it, but sometimes they still appreciate the effort.

First Night

This has been a difficult evening because the computer and I were fighting. However, I think I've got it under control now.

I'm concerned this class will be like most other technology training/classes I've taken. Where one person stops the entire group from moving on because they just don't understand. In all fairness, the "lost soul" is a traveling role with everyone taking a turn at some point. My past experience in learning new programs has been frustrating because everyone is in a different place.

That said. I enjoy the dynamics of this group and am interested as to how this will turn out.