Web 2.0 tool | Description | Potential uses for professional development | Potential uses for language learning classes |
Delicious | It is a book-marking service that allows interaction with other members. It is probably the most popular book-marking service online. | Keep track of all the websites that are relevant to my profession and share it with colleagues. | Know what the students are interested in, by knowing their most visited sites and find common likes among the class. |
Diigo | It is also a book-marking service, not as popular as delicious[1], but it does have more tools, like highlighting. | Keep track of all the websites that are relevant to my profession, highlight it and share it with colleagues. | As a reading strategy with in the class. To know if they are highlighting texts in a relevant way. |
Wall wisher | It is similar to a wiki. This website is for having a website that may contain ideas of different people towards a topic. You may add to your comment a URL address. | Brainstorm ideas for projects with my colleagues. | Brainstorm ideas about class projects and share relevant links. |
Friday, December 4, 2009
Some web 2.0 tools to analyze
Collaborative and Transformative Learning
of finding out whether or not you still have one.
Or even that minds are like parachutes,
that it doesn't matter what you pack
them with so long as they open
at the right time.”
Taylor Mali[1]
Just like this poem by Taylor Mali transformative learning is about transcending on your own perspective of life, in order to be able to change your mind. For me is the ability to re-learn and notice different perspectives in life. Its relation with ELT basically lies on the fact that we are teaching a complex set of codes that express feelings, meanings, anxieties, etc. In this sense Transformative learning is a way to open students the possibility of changing their mind about something, or give the opportunity of reaching a different perspective, probably far or not from the initial point of view.
Collaborative learning is simply the way we use each other’s thoughts in order to create new knowledge. Collaborative learning can happen in any educational context by achieving results in teams. In the ELT context this type of learning can be used for creating an environment of cooperation within the class, where the students know that they can learn from each other and not only from the teacher.
[1] Mali, T. (n.d). Like Lilly, Like Wilson. Retrived on November, 2009 from http://www.taylormali.com/index.cfm?webid=15
Educational Implications of Wikinomics
In the general context of education, the ideas of Wikinomics have enhanced the opportunity of promoting collaboration. Thanks to the new technologies of the Internet, we have been able to address specific issues on education. We can compare our educational context to those that are located in internationally. As an example of this, our NLE course has proved to be a great tool to reflect on the implications of learning environments by sharing our concepts from Colombian education, and our tutor presenting her context in Argentina’s perspective. Also, online journals have helped to know the perspectives of how people are teaching, and the way they are using online tools to enhance pedagogical practices.
In the context of ELT, the principles of Wikinomics, give opportunities for creating international collaboration. An example of this is a website called Live Mocha, where students can share their knowledge for learning languages just by the principle of collaboration. This is an example of mass collaboration put into practice for ELT purposes. As Wikinomic has proven to be a great help for companies all around the world, I believe that through our language learning practice, we must help students promote this types of interaction in a global framework. This means that from our context students must be familiar with how to create Wikis, how to create websites that promote collaboration, etc.
In conclusion the main power of the Wikinomic ideas is to allow a global perspective of knowledge. This is to allow knowledge to become accessible and enhanced by the world. More specifically in out ELT context, collaboration of sharing activities, experiences, feelings, etc. towards teaching can improve the ELT practice at a global stage.
30 most important factors in managing and moderating the online learning environment in order of priority
- Create a friendly, social environment.
- Make the technology transparent.
- Make sure participants are comfortable with the system – hold practice sessions.
- Be patient; speak slowly and distinctly.
- Be prepared, well in advance.
6. Clearly communicate expectations
7. Provide a weekly agenda of activities and assignments.
8. Value participation.
9. Facilitate discussion – present conflicting opinions, or ask open-ended questions.
10. Encourage participation through use of questions and probing.
11. Require participation as appropriate and/or request responses.
12. Build confidence by stating expectations clearly, and don’t expect too much at first.
13. Promote healthy and respectful social interactions.
14. Provide opportunities for establishment of independent groups.
15. Create opportunities to sustain discussions and interactions.
16. Recognize and deal with appropriate and inappropriate student input.
17. Set the agenda and pace, be prepared to adjust according to participant need.
18. Be flexible in schedule to accommodate student direction, need and interest.
19. Set clear objectives for the session.
20. Vary presentations with discussion and student-centered activity.
21. Encourage active use of peer messaging.
22. Create open debates with posted positions on topics.
23. Thank students publicly for comments that show insight or depth.
24. Generate ideas through active brainstorming and facilitate development of consensus.
25. Build relevancy into the materials.
26. Model online intellectual discourse.
27. Maintain a non-authoritarian style.
28. Become familiar and proficient at the use of the technology – practice in advance.
29. Provide an overview of timetable, procedures, expectations and decision-making norms where appropriate.
30. Use humor as appropriate.
Examples of how to change our Roles as students and teachers for E-learning!
Changing Instructor’s roles | |||
From | To | ||
Role | Examples | Role | Examples |
Lecturer | Explanation of how the present continuous work. | Facilitator | In the following website you can find exercises that will help you describe daily routines. |
Provider of content | Read the following tale. | Designer of learning experiences | Based on this reading, what personal experiences have you had? |
Source of information | What words you don’t understand in the reading? These are the meanings… | Presenter of critical or open-ended questions | Based on the expressions you didn’t understand in the reading, how can you find out the meaning? Share your strategies with the class. |
Objective-based | To understand and use the present continuous in sentences. | Project/inquiry-based instructional designer and assessor | How is the government helping the poor people in your country? Lets share ideas describing the different projects that can help poor people in our countries. |
User of ‘one size fits all’ approach | Create an essay on the way we can help poor people in our country. | Moderator for a variety of learning styles | Can you share us some videos you have found in any website that can give us information on how we can help poor people in our country? Or can you write an essay about this topic? Or would you like to create a podcast addressing this issue? Or Could you think of a project that could help the poor in your country? |
Controller of a teaching environment | Please access the following quiz when you finish doing the task. | Co-creator of a learning experience | Lets create a Wiki where we write the different ways in which we can improve the situation of the poor people in our countries. |
Instruction-presenter | This is what we will do, and this is where you can find the information. | Learning -facilitator | Lets analyze this information. How is it relevant to you. Respond to your classmates and tell him/her how you agree or disagree. |
Changing Student’s roles | |||
From | To | ||
Role | Examples | Role | Examples |
Passive vessels | Read information and answer questions. | Active builder of knowledge and learning | Read information and make questions, how is this information relevant for your context? |
Information gatherer | Read, read, read. | Problem-solver | How can you apply the information you have to solve problems in your context? |
Information remitter | This is what I read you can read this too. | Question researcher | What happens if I apply this knowledge in my context? |
Individual learner | I read, I answer. | Cooperative, collaborative team member | How did you use the information you got? Maybe I can use it in that way also. I did this, and it worked like this, your strategy worked for me, but I did this differently and it worked better. |
Instructor-dependent | What do I do now teacher? | Independent manager of learning | I believe that if we do this we can work better! |
Passive receiver | I understand. | Active contributor to the learning process | I understand what you say, but what happens if we add this? |
Passive observer | I see what you do. | Active participant | I did this, and this is how it worked! |
