Final reflection

I think this course has been very useful, I did not know most of the tools we explored. I've learnt so much in such a such a short time....the best is that this subject has worked as an eye opener for me: there's a new dimension in ELT. And most importantly...I've learnt by doing and trying out new things.

Just a sample of what I'm able to do now...
Lorena by lorelau2011 on GoAnimate

Case study "Digital storytelling"

This experience was carried out by an Argentinian teacher and her 17- year old students.
Due to students' lack of interests in coursebooks, the English Department decided to replace them by material and curriculum created by teachers and the coordinator with a project based approach which considered students' interests.
Students were given authentic tasks for which they had to use 2.0 web tools. Assesment was carried out through a wiki which also conatined information and help for teachers. One of those projects was "Digital Storytelling". It was motivating because students were free to express themselves and use their creativity. It was also meaningful and could be shared online. They used a variety of tools: Movie maker, digital cameras, software Zimmer Twins. Their final work can be seen here. The capture below belongs to "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

As regards the SAMR model, this case belongs to the Redefinition level due to the fact that there's a transformation in the way the project was developed. Technological tools allowed students to create something they wouldn't have been able to create without them and they could share their final work online.

As for TPCK model, the content was mainly related to areas that were interesting for students. The pedagogy aimed at promoting collaborative work and introducing technology to improve students' skills. Finally, the following quotation by Barret included by Graham Stanley illustrates the significace of the project: 

‘digital storytelling facilitates the convergence of four student-centred learning strategies: student engagement, reflection for deep learning, project-based learning, and the effective integration of technology into instruction’

What I liked about this case study is its learner-centred nature that took into account students' interests. In addition, the project was not an isolated activity but the result of a completely new and different approach taken by the whole department.

How To Build your PLN by Seth Dickens. Have a look at this video!

PLN

I think it is important to build a PLN because a great part of what we learn comes from what other people share with us, and at the same time, we can offer what we already know or things we find useful to other people. My PLN is not too varied, I use Facebook and visit some blogs that I find interesting. I receive mailing on a regular basis from AACI and publishers such as  Macmillan and Kel which keep me updated about material, conferences and workshops.

Here are some tips to make your PLN grow:

Digital Play

Even though we're always looking for new games to use with our students, I feel we're not used to working with computer games though it could be very appealing for kids and teenagers. By feelig that they are in "their element", students will tend to become involved in the activity and they may feel motivated to contiue playing (and learning) outside the classrooom if they have acces to the game at home. Playing games could be also the starting point for other tasks, for example students could write reviews for a specialized magazine and give tips to the reader in order to improve their performance, they could record videos to share via youtube while they play as they provide an oral explanation of what they are doing or some advice on passing difficult levels.

Food for thought. Consider the following quotation from  Digital Play by Graham Stanley

Can computer games really help people learn a language? Given the hopefully convincing arguments we have been defending, this is in many ways the wrong question to ask. The question is: How do computer games help people learn a language? A game does not act alone. As we have seen, to be useful for language learning and practice, games need to have a context, which is usually provided by a task. The role of the teacher as facilitator is also crucial.

Now YOU are invited to think how to use computer games to help your learners....

I tried Dicken's game (from BBCi). I've found it very interesting because it has a lot of information for students to read and it could be used with a cross curricular purpose (History, Geography, Literature). In addition, many other tasks could be established after using the game (Writing, investigation, presentations, etc)

 

Speaking Skills

I've tried the following webtools and I think they could be very useful to develop students' speaking and listening skills. Some ideas....

Fotobabble: students could use it to tell their teacher and classmates an interesting and funny experience or anecdote in connection with the picture. It may be part of an special task that could be done after the winter holidays or a long weekend to practise past continuous, simple past, vocabulary related to places, etc. A variation on this activity would be to exchange pictures with a classmate and record the audio according to what each student thinks his classmate was doing,

Listen to my Voki's opinion about Blabblerize...





Voki can be used to play a treasure hunt. The avatar (created either by the teacher or (a) student/s)would be in charge of giving the clues. The winner will be in charge of the following hunt. This is useful to practise giving directions or prepositions.

Content Curation

Why is content curation necessary? Because...


Curating content is the human attempt at organizing the Web. Though Google is phenomenal and serves up results when we need them, nothing beats human interpretation. When humans, on behalf of businesses, locate and share relevant information, they are serving up content that their community might find useful—a win/win. (fromhttp://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/15_topnotch_content_curation_tools_15378.aspx)



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