Useful Yahoo Group -- Learning with Computers

  

Today I found a very interesting and useful group in Yahoo Group, which is named Learning with Computers. There we can meet different kinds of teachers who teach different subjects and courses. And they all there to learn how to use computers more effecitively as a teaching tools. It's like a discussion board that every teacher can ask and answer questions of other teachers and discuss topics or subjects together. Through these ways, we can learn much more experiences and teaching tips with just sitting in front of a computer. I think it can be a powerful knowledge base for my future teaching.

Connectivism --- Education becomes no longer internal, but more external now!

At this time and age, technologies are changing rapidly and developing forward. We, teachers, should be aware of the influences of modern technology and learning tools, in order to act as a compass of knowledge for students. It’s a teacher who always leads the non-direction students understand their purpose of learning and light up their ways of learning. As George Siemens mentioned in the article -- Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age, “The pipe is more important than the content within the pipe. Our ability to learn what we need for tomorrow is more important than what we know today.” And we can also share and learn more teaching experiences from other teachers with technological tools.

Also, George Siemens said in the video the Changing Nature of Knowledge that, “The learners themselves, the connections they form with each other, the connections they form with databases, with other sources of knowledge, is really a primary point of learning”, which means, “The network becomes the learning, the network the learners create.” Because of the changing knowledge and information, students will meet more challenge when they learn with technological tools such as computers. At this time, teachers should be a compass to connect students with learning, and in the meantime, connect different students with matching models and styles. In order to do this, teachers need to understand students capability and characteristics to help them and make right connections.

    Google Reader is really helpful and saving time. Once we add blogs addresses we can see all the new posting in the Google Reader at the same time.

    This is one of the interesting posts I found from Google Reader. It's from one blog named Free Technology for Teachers. In this blog, we can find many useful technology we can use in teaching.

    This post is about use YouTube Teachers, which teach you how to use videos in the classroom. I think almost every teacher use videos in teaching in recent time. However, many times, we spend much time for accessing problems. This technology can help you with all these tasks.

    Click on the below address and learn more about YouTube Teachers:

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2011/09/youtube-teachers-ideas-for-using-videos.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+freetech4teachers%2FcGEY+%28Free+Technology+for+Teachers%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Education is changing

Education change challenge



I strongly agree about this video says: "Teachers need to exist in the spaces the students exist, understand their culture. You have no credibility if you are not where they are."

A good teacher should always think about what students think, what students want, and what students need. As the Cisco Systems said, "Moving from the one-room schoolhouse to the one-world schoolhouse is now a reality". With the changing and developing of the web and technology, we teachers should not only consider more about the tools and technology we use in the class, but also explore the most effective ways of teaching, always depending on students.

I dream to be "a good teacher" someday, who is loved by students inside their mind.

Technology and Web give a channel to Everyone

Every teacher should be aware of the strong importance and benefits of using technologies in the classrooms. As Blake J. Robert said that, “All language professionals need to become acquaint with the potential advantages of using technology in their programs. Without some general claims to success and media superiority, chairs, deans, and other decision-making bodies won’t understand or support new ways of teaching second languages with technology.”(page4) For example, with a class blog, the teacher can review students’ learning capacity so that adjust his teaching methods.

Students also can receive different kinds of advantages through using technologies such as webs. “It is misleading to talk about technology as if one were dealing with just a single, homogeneous tool; different technologically based tools render different advantages for L2 learning.”(page4) With blogs, students can not only use discussion boards to discuss some questions and issues in the class, but also talk about interesting experiences and stories.

“More important, the web gives all peoples a channel to express their voice, promote their self-image, and legitimize their goals. This sense of authenticity provides endless topics for cross-cultural analysis and discussions in any content-driven classroom.”(page5) As Blake said, both teachers and students can be given a route to enforce their teaching and study.

Blake, Robert J. & Dorothy M. Chun. (2008). Brave New Digital Classroom: Technology and Foreign Language Learning. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press.

Protect your information on the internet

Dear students, 

When you do some activities on the internet, please take care of all your information. Here are some tips for you to protect your information.

1. Do not tell any other people your personal information such as name, address, phone number etc.

2. Do not tell any other people your password even though they are your friends.

    Do not make your passwords with your name or birthday.

3. Do not accept some strangers' application or gifts online.

4. Do not visit a strange website including unhealthy information.
    Your computer may be hacked by others or attacked by viruses.

5. Do not make a face-to-face appointment with strangers you meet online.

Here are more details about internet safety and keep your privacy.

Click the links to know more:                                                       

internet safety

 

Knows the Risks - Privacy Invasions

 

 

 

Using Blogs in TESOL Teaching

    Nowadays, people use more and more scientific techniques such as computers, internet, and websites. With this, teaching methods are also changing and many techniques and tools are used in teaching. One of the most popular and effective way is to use blogs in classrooms.

    Here's some standards about "national standards for foreign language education", which is from ACTFL(American Concil on the Teaching of Foreign Languages). Click the article name, you can see more information.

 

COMMUNICATION

• Standard 1.1: Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions
• Standard 1.2: Students understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics
• Standard 1.3: Students present information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics

    It's a good way to encourage students show themselves and make progress through practice. Also, teacher can understand more about students' capability and choose a suitable way to teach them.

CULTURES

• Standard 2.1: Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices and perspectives of the culture studied
• Standard 2.2: Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the products and perspectives of the culture studied

   It's a good place to meet all your classmates from different countries. Through blogging, students can share their personal experiences such as interesting stories, traditional culture, and special holidays.

COMMUNITIES

• Standard 3.1: Students use the language both within and beyond the school setting
• Standard 3.2: Students show evidence of becoming life-long learners by using the language for personal enjoyment and enrichment

   It's a good habit to blogging and sharing. Students can use their second language to communicate and discuss with each other on the blog. What's more, they can continue blogging after one course, the class blog gives them a platform to write and comment in a second language.

Through blogs, students can discuss everything including articles, texts and research. All the way, Teachers can track students assignments, discussions and improvement in order to adjust their teaching methods. This is why we teachers are suggested to use a blog in our teaching.