"Ning-ing" in a Foreign Language

Have you ever though Facebook or Twitter would be a lot more pleasant an experience were it not for all of the pointless banter about celebrity gossip and sports drama? Or the inescapable flood of posts where the not-so-closest to you tell the world where they went shopping today and who they are watching a movie with? Even more extreme, do you ever just wish you could create your own social network for meaningful discussion and networking ONLY? Well, apparently the creators of Ning, Marc Andreessen and Gina Bianchini, didn't think this was such a radical idea when they launched it in 2005.

Ning is an internet-based platform for individuals and exisiting networks, companies, organizations or other institutions to initiate their own custom social networks. What's cool about Ning is that it provides users the ability to create that network as part of a larger community page with full customization abilities for settings, appearance, theme, and so on. Group administrators are even free to charge current and potential members of their social network. The social websites on the Ning Platform are referred to as Ning Networks, and currently over 90,000 of these Ning Networks are operating.

With that much freedom for the user to customize the network site to such a great extent, its logical that there would be an enormous amount of variety across the Ning Networks in terms of theme or focus for each group. Indeed, Ning Networks are based on everything from sports and entertainment (which you may want to avoid if the above circumstance applies to you) to professional networks of lawyers and educators. Included among them are language educators and those with interest in linguistics.

As a prospective language educator and someone with a strong interest in language diversity and acquisition, the ability to communicate with peers of the same interests in a focused, centrally-themed social network is great news. But is there a Ning Network out there that relates directly to my interests? Yes!

Though my studies focus on ESL and EFL, my personal interest is in French, both in terms of culture and as my L2. This Ning Network, simply titled French Language, aims to allow users to "discuss and learn French," including "French vocabulary, French grammar, French culture etc." A perfect match, or so say the administrators of this Ning Network. But what features make the French Language network worth visiting?

After a scouring of the pages of this network, I quickly found many helpful and centrally located, easil accessible resources to assist in advancing French language learning. The site is packed with links to French language videos, lessons for practice, a French-English dictionary page, vocabularly lists, and even links to French language apps for smartphones. This selection of learning tools is a great informal supplement to the language learnign journey.

But what makes it unique among a huge universe of language websites? Interaction with others. This Ning Network is complete with a list of members that you can contact directly, discussion forums for posing questions about difficulties you are having or just to share the joys of learning French, and best of all, a direct chat feature. Not everyone, even my close friends, has the same interests as I do. Perhaps I might be interested in discussing French with someone who is interested. This allows me to "chat about French" without boring my car-obsessed and sports-maniac friends to death.

Not to be lost on us is the usefulness that this Ning Network (and those similar to it) might have for us in education. As an ESL instructor, I would find it very appropriate to recommend a similar network oriented toward the English language to my students to supplement their classroom learning. The degree to which it benefits their SLA process will go as far as their interest and effort allow it.

I strongly encourage all educators, professionals, and hobbyists alike to give Ning a try. Perhaps you'll find a network that appeals to you or augments your current network of peers and resources!

From the edublog EFL 2.0... "You On You" videos in the classroom; and the death of textbooks?

David Deubelbeiss' blog, EFL 2.0 - Teacher Talk, presents and reviews many resources to ESL/EFL teachers from videos to lessons for the classroom and from educational tools to interviews with educators and techies. I find it useful as an introduction to many of these resources, most of which I have not previously encountered, but also interesting because the topics he discusses run the gammet, spanning all aspects of modern education.
One post I found to be of particular interest was his entry Listening - UGC (User Generated Content) from February 12th of this year. In this post, he discusses a new 'tool' for English language education. The tool is based on YouTube videos of a contest hosted by HP Computers titled Getting Personal: You On You where contestants made entries by submitting headless videos of themselves while giving a short biography about themselves. Deubelbeiss explains how he would use these videos in the classroom by letting EFL/ESL students watch them and record the information and try to identify the contestants. This would put into practice their listening comprehension skills and also their grammar skills in terms of verb tenses and syntax when re-supplying the information from the individuals in the recordings.
He goes into more detail on that activity but also suggests another use of the concept where the students produce their own videos of themselves. This is a more interactive use of the idea that allows students to not only listen and record, but practice original composition of their own. If you haven't followed the link to the video I am discussing, it is embedded below.



A second point of interest is the author's statement about the future, and even the present, of the language learning classroom. Here he says that the age of the textbook is over, and the "white men" who publish and profit from these are at the end of the road. He implies that activities such as that discussed above have replaced the need for structured, dictated learning. While I agree the days of the physical, paper-based textbook are indeed numbered, the notion that formal, published learning aids are obsolete is a stretch at best and possibly dangerous to rush to such a judgement. Based on substantial research by many language acquisiton experts, such as Fotos and Ellis' examination of task-based approaches to grammar-skill acquisition (TESOL Quarterly, 25, 605-628), formal learning methods based on explicit instruction of linguisitic forms and rules is necessary for many aspects of language learning. Of course, there is no authority on what materials are used to guide this explicit instruction. However, as helpful and convenient (and indeed beneficial) internet tools and user created educational approached are, they do not guide a course of instruction. Whether a textbook is found on paper or a disc, they do provide (a well written, carefully reviewed book, of course) a framework to evolve from beginning learning to proficiency. And, yes, the best textbooks would be ones that encourage and even incorporate those non-traditional means of education discussed above.
So while you may be first in line to trash those heavy, expensive, environmentally un-friendly books, just make sure you keep a .PDF on your hard drive first!

Yes, even in the barren pinelands of New Brunswick, 'edutech' is poking through (and out)

Without a doubt, the way our students (and ourselves) learn and how they should learn is changing dramatically. Not only are the methods of instruction changing by necessity, but what is learned is changing as well. Most would agree that teachers, administrators, policy makers and parents need to adapt to learning as it is and will be in the 21st century.

Most school districts and their administrative bodies are cognizant of this and have prepared their classrooms for the future. How have they done this? Aside from incorporating new technology like smartboards, laptops, and other physical technological tools into the classroom, they have also started to educate students on how to use new technologies through curriculum. Tech and computer-based skills are necessary to be successful in the current and future job markets. It’s difficult to picture an employee in almost any field who is not well-versed in the use of technology, not just in IT jobs, but in other vocations in economics or business fields and even environmental and education-oriented jobs.


The video below, from the Ministry of Education of New Brunswick, Canada shows that preparing students
for the 21st century classroom is not a cottage industry of Silicon Valley school boards. Educational systems (with the financial means) around the world are taking notice (and action).



The video is intended as a public service ad of sorts that explains to the public the importance of adapting to the fast-paced, techonologically-tuned version of learning that dominates the present and future. However, one could argue that it seems more like an advertisement marketing a product, or maybe an idea or philosophy in this case. So if the future of technology's role in education is so obvious, is there a justified need to convince us of this fact?


It depends on how you pose the question. The question is, how far can or should we stray from traditional learning goals? Can we really abandon traditional content? And is state of the art technology a suitable replacement for skilled instructors and tried and true educational methods? Even if we don’t intend to make this substitution, it is not a stretch to think that the inundation of new technology, which is constantly changing and growing, distracts students, teachers and the public from necessary content.


Some would suggest that maybe the content needs to change and we no longer need to teach our students the same subjects we learned, such as history, literature, geography, earth science and so on. But how do we know what our primary school students should learn when we don’t know what their future goals will be in regards to careers? Yes, a future history teacher or geologist or writer will need to be adept at using current technology. But they will also need a well-rounded knowledge base in their field. Students need to be able to practice critical thinking and analytic skills. The ability to look up all kinds of necessary information and facts on their smartphone or computer at the drop of a hat does not demonstrate a real knowledge of these topics.

Further, by being too absorbed into technology in the classroom, will students suffer in areas like social skills that are in fact maybe more important in primary and secondary school than even the content learned. It is true today and the trend continues to be that a college education is necessary for becoming marketable to employers. My only fear is that if we become too dazzled by the benefits of technology in education, we transform primary and secondary education into a premature vocational training experience that replaces the real and necessary roles it has in personal and interpersonal development. And when it’s all said and done, these students will be no more prepared for the job market until they get a Master’s degree anyway. Meanwhile, nearly all that they have learned about technology and how to use it in their earlier years will be obsolete.

This article from the New York Times points out that the future of learning, at least as some have defined it, does not present such a bright and clear future as the producers of this video might want to claim or hope for. While administrators and districts are becoming quick to throw millions of dollars at unproven methods of instruction (in a time when budgets, at least in developed countries, are as strapped as ever), the results are not justifying the expense, effort, or time involved. This does not mean that all
of the initial points made about the benefits of technology are fallacies, but only that we should be more hesitant to jump head-first into a territory we are no very familiar with.

So while we jump on the information highway 21st century-style, where it pervades our educational system and every facet of life, it’s important that we remain critical and fairly skeptical of how these technologies and new approaches really impact our students and the age at which it is necessary to incorporate this in their classrooms. Technology provides great new opportunities and means with which to learn, but not so much in how we develop into healthy adults. Let us not disregard the value of traditional education that falls outside of what any internet tool (or textbook for that matter) can teach.

For ESL, Podcasts Offer Flexibility, Variety

Whether or not you have ever listened to one via streaming or download on your phone or mp3 player, without a doubt everyone with any internet experience has come into contact with podcasts. For those who haven't listened to one yet, you may be asking the question what exactly are podcasts? Well in fact they have no specific purpose or subject. Generally speaking, any audio recording where a bogger, journalist, host, etc. speaks on a topic or a variety of topics of interest within a general them that is available through the internet for the public's consumption could be considered a podcast. Users can subscribe to podcasts from specific websites or hosts, usually for free but sometimes for a charge, and receive them regularly via automatic download or download/stream them one by one. Most commonly podcasts are about news, sports, music, technology and other mainstream topics. Less frequently, but maybe more practical, podcasts are designed and used for educational purposes.

Educational podcasts can be oriented toward common subject areas from science or history for kids, to business or computer science for more mature learners. And, for the L2 learner and educator, there are also podcasts available that aid in language instruction. Virtually every language with a significant number of speakers is represented through language acquisition podcasts, and more widely used languages like English, Spanish, Mandarin, French and so on have podcasts from hundreds of reputable sources. The manner in which they go about exposing the listener to the language, and to some extent putting it into practice, can vary greatly depending on the platform and intended audience.

As a student of French, I have used podcasts myself to increase the amount of input from the target language, or TL, that I take in. My favorite podcast source, and the one I use most frequently, is the French-based, multilingual news agency Radio France Internationale, or RFI. This agency, created by the government of France, has as a secondary mission (after news reporting, of course) the promotion of the French language throughout the world. For those who decide to use RFI for French language learning, there is an accompanying iPod app to get the most out of the podcasts. Ideally, one would have the app through which they can listen to a daily podcast focuses on the top world news stories in addition to some Eurpean economic and sports news. These podcasts are spoken in basic, simple French and are accompanied by a French-language transcript to follow along with. Of course, if someone had no knowledge of French (or whatever the TL may be) reading and listening may serve only to recognize the relationship between the phonology and morphology of lexical items. However, though even that may be quite useful, I don't think anyone would recommend podcasts as a stand-alone or introductory means of learning an L2. It serves best in a role as one tool of many, a piece of the puzzle.

Having learned firsthand the value of podcasts as a part of augmenting exposure to a TL and thus SLA, its only logical to implement (or at least suggest) them as part of a language learning curriculum for my ESL students. While I think the most effective podcasts for SLA, whether the TL is French, English or Afrikaans, are those accompanied by apps that are interactive or provide a visual aspect as well, it would be unfair to assume all students have or want an iPod or smartphone that is capable of running such apps. There are useful alternatives. One series that I have been exploring and find to have an interesting approach to basic exposure to spoken English is 6 Minute English produced by the BBC. These podcasts explore one story of general interest each week that range from the "War on Drugs" in Australia to cyber attacks in Bangladesh and even invasive plant life in Antarctica.

The podcasts are 'hosted' by two actors that go by the monikers of Chris and Rosie. Chris introduces the news report to Rosie and, by extension, the audience. While narrating the story, Rosie acts as commentator, sharing her personal thoughts, opinions, and questions. She serves as a learner, and it is through her simple questions in elementary English where an English learner at a low proficiency would gain some insight into the content of the conversation. An example of the general pattern of each podcast in the series can be heard in this episode titled Dream apps posted on Friday April 20th, 2012. Here, Chris introduces the topic, but before starting presents a multiple choice trivia question to the audience. He asks "what do Margaret Thatcher, Napoleon Bonaparte and Florence Nightingale have in common?" and presents three choices (  a. They all dreamt of becoming farmers when they were children; b. They all suffered from a recurring nightmare of being bitten by spiders; and c. They all usually slept for just four hours a night, for those that are interested), but does not disclose the answer. This is intended to keep the listener interested, perhaps even if they are not so enticed by the topic of the podcast, which is unrelated by design.

Moving on to the subject of "dream apps," Chris explains how researchers have developed an app for the iPone, soon to be released for Android phones, called Dream: ON that allows users to select the time they want to wake up in addition to their ideal dream scenario. The app uses a motion sensor to detect when the user is in a dream state and uses various "soundscapes" to induce desired scenarios in the sleeper via the subconscious mind. Researchers believe that positively influencing dreams can aid sufferers of sleep disorders and depression. As Chris shares the information about the app, Rosie frequently interjects to express her wonder at the idea and also to ask questions about it, some of which Chris laughs at and implies are silly. In some sense, though she sounds like an adult, she speaks with the mannerisms and figures of speech of a child. Rather than some form of veiled sexism that first comes to mind, I feel the real intent of the presentation of her character is, as noted above, to allow an opening for the listener to become engaged and follow the story through her elementary use of the English language and exaggerated emotion in speech. This emotion provides context and meaning to her speech that may be inaccessible to the learner in plain speech.

As we have seen, podcasts are in fact a very helpful addition to any language learner's acquisition process. The best part about podcasts for ESL or any TL is that there is such a wide variety of approaches to different types of L2 inputs and the learning process. At worst, any exposure to a foreign language is written or spoken form is beneficial by at least getting the learner accustomed to the sound and appearance of the language. Good podcasts (and the possible accompanying apps)however, like the two discussed above, provide an added aspect to supplement typical listening to bland, monotone speech. With podcasts, your ESL or other foreign language learner can choose when they listen, what they listen to, and the extent to which they engage the subject matter.

ePals: An Online "Teacher's Convention" for Social Learning

By the day, more and more educators from all subject areas are becoming more aware of both the value of social learning and the ways in which the internet can make this more and more feasible. Particularly in second language learning settings, the ability for students to interact with other learners and even native speakers is extremely conducive to an enhanced learning experience. However, until the last 10 years, and even less than that in some cases, classes and student groups connecting with these learners or foreign language speakers has been difficult and rare, if not impossible.

Today, with the ever-expanding internet where more and more of the world is connected and able to communicate in real-time while on opposing sides of the globe, learners and educators have a much higher capability to learn a foreign language in a social context ; the way which many researchers suggest it is best accomplished. A large assortment of tools make this possible: social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, blogs such as those found on Blogger and eduBlogs, and of course individual websites of organizations and teachers all provide (either directly or through reference/links to other resources) a sort of populist assortment of learning tools. The problem with such an expansive battery of resources is that there is, to date, no centralized collection of these user-created tools that saves an educator valuable time and attention by presenting a vast selection of tools that are "peer-reviewed"; not in the research sense, but in terms of user-ratings. Using the internet, it is indeed very possible to get completely lost from the comfort of your home. One site, ePals, is potentially the start of a solution to this enduring road block in using the internet for focused social learning.

ePals  is an education technology website that connects users to learning networks that are both safe for students of all ages and effective. The fields of study and project foci are greatly varied but are targeted on the primary and secondary school levels. The bulk of the site in terms of value are the Member Projects. These projects are social learning plans that are not only designed by educators, but are in practice now. Even more, the site allows registered users to rate projects. Of course this is subjective, but it provides at least some means of sorting through the fog in an open-community to find projects that are truly advantageous.With a self-reported 700,000 users, ePals does have what could be seen as an overwhelming amount of "stuff" to share with you, but keeps them all in one space where you can search it, sort it, sneak a peak it it, then use it. Or move on to the next project.

As an example, one project I find interesting and with great potential in the field of social learning of an L2 is Far or Close Language Always Flows (A Culture and Language Project) submitted by an educator in Turkey and a partner in Italy. The project aims to allow teachers and students from different language backgrounds to share and teach language to each other using lexicon from a number of practical topics such as household items, food, clothes, animals, etc. The project puts students from the larger group into pairings to provoke them to both teach and learn their partner's language socially. The aspect of this project that these learning exchanges was precipitated by an actual, physical visit to one anothers' home countries. This may or may not be feasible, depending on many contextual and environmental circumstances, but, while ideal, may not be necessary thanks to tools like Skype and web-conferencing. That's what the site is all about... finding projects out there that you can use or that inspire you to modify them so they suit your class' situation. Visit the project's own external site to learn more about it.

So how do you take the above project and make it work if you can't afford 20 airline tickets from Buffalo to Paris? Well, another project of value to me that would aid in putting a modified project, as discussed above, into fruition virtually is Connecting Classrooms with Skype submitted by educator Betsy Weigle of South Carolina. This project attacks the hurdles of distant social learning. The project synopsis linked above shares the teacher's goals for this specific project: "...to open my classroom to the world by bringing children from Washington state and South Carolina together virtually to share insights on Native American cultures".They did this in a shared virtual classroom by doing research, creating PowerPoint point presentations and other digital exhibits, and maybe most importantly, verbal presentations. "Combining these presentation techniques with Skype allowed in-depth, real-time interaction on shared content," according to the submitter.

Of course, the topic of Native American cultures may not at all be pertinent to my L2 classroom or your own. But, the topic of study in the projects you find on ePals is not necessarily relevant at all. The biggest advantage of the site is the ideas the projects provide regarding how to teach a lesson socially and how to use technology to do it. This is how I would use this site in the future; not to carbon copy a project and duplicate it with my students. Rarely would all of the circumstances be the same to make such a duplication as effective as it could be. The networking of information and ideas that you can incorporate into the best possible use for your specific classroom is what makes this site great. Again, these benefits are amplified by its centralized nature, ease of "search-ability", and its user-ratings.

No Good Videos to Use in Your L2 Classroom? Make Your Own with Stupeflix!

Various means of multimedia and entertainment, such as film, music, online digital photography and so on are, in my opinion, well underrated in terms of their potential in augmenting L2 education as a whole and are thus under-utilized. Surely upon consideration, nearly any L2 educator can see the value that foreign language media and art can have as part of an immersion in L2 language and culture. So it follows that if a student can not in fact be physically immersed in an L2 environment, then certainly a kind of "sensory immersion" would be the next-best thing.

This is not to say that the arts, again meaning to include film and music, are not already frequently used in foreign language and second language classrooms; indeed, they are, though maybe not as much or in ways that they should. In addition, maybe you can't find enough of them that are "just right" for your usage, you'd like to do more with multimedia. Now the internet and its seemingly endless supply of applications and websites, provide students and educators with an opportunity to experience and create these modes of L2 inputs (and outputs, as it relates to the creation of multimedia discussed below) via the "cloud" from anywhere at anytime with a computer and an internet connection.

Of course viewing and listening to foreign language films and music, respectively, on the web or at home is not a new possibility. But the capability to use these art forms to put SLA into practice using written and orally-based L2 compositions to produce a personal audio-visual presentation (without the need to purchase editing software at exorbitant costs) is a relatively new advent.

An example of, but certainly not the only, web-based application / website for user-created multimedia productions is Stupeflix.

Stupeflix allows users, aftera short registration process (or a convenient option to log-in with one's Facebook or Google accounts), to upload personal photos or downloaded images (appropriately licensed ones, that is!) and join them with site-supplied video-esque backdrops and transitions to liven up a typical slideshow to a more feature-like exhibition. Allowing the addition of captions to tell the story and backing music from your own audio files, you are left with the potential for fun-to-produce, fun-to-watch, and even fun-to-grade L2 assignments. Below is a silly Stupeflix production I created based on a vacation I took a few years ago. While watching it, imagine that this type of presentation was elicited from a non-native speaker of English as part of a skills task...





So how do you turn something apparently goofy like this into an assessable exercise? Simply supply your students with a language-learning objective, be it proper usage of verb tenses, syntactical features, pronoun selection, newly introduced lexicon, or the appropriate location of negatory clauses. In fact, the options here are as endless as they would be for any standard writing assignment. Then, ask your students to tell a story with their own images (I prefer the usage of personal photos, as they are more expressive) while following those linguisitc features being assessed. Now you have a fun (possibly even fun-ny), engaging task what will be entertaining for the creator/student, his or her peers, and you, the instructor.


A key to successful and consistent SLA is prolonged interest and attention from the student. A "changing-up" of the methods and  means of working with the TL is critical to this. In addition, an aresenal of varying forms of input and output exercises provide greater contextual expanse and depth for linguistic interaction, helping to bettew attain L2 proficiency. Stupeflix, and its numerous counterparts, are excellent for fulfilling these roles.

VoiceThread: Speaking Aloud in the Cloud

When teaching your L2 students, do you find yourself wishing you could expand the discussion beyond the walls of the classroom? Are you instructing a "distance learning" course and feel you are not fully connecting with the students because oral communication is absent? Well, VoiceThread may be just the web-tool for you.

After a quick registration that takes no more than 5 minutes, you can get started right away. After creating your account, just click on the "myVoice" tab for step-by-step tutorials on how to get the most out of this web-based application. Suddenly, you are verbally communicating with your students through the "cloud."
Since the discussions are recorded, class participation can occur at the convenience of the instructor and the students. (Of course, the creators of VoiceThread were thoughtful enough to include the option to type comments in addition to audio recordings.)


A screenshot of a prepared VoiceThread with several users.


As for the content and objectives when utilizing this tool, the choice is up to you. You can do anything from simple discussions on a given topic led by the thread initiator to activities based on images uploaded by users. Tools such as the color wheel allow users to interact with images and "virtually draw" on posted images. Other features include the ability to upload webcam and/or audio files directly to the thread from your computer.

For some ideas, check out the following VoiceThreads created by fellow instructors: This VoiceThread by Wenjing Zhao is an example of a basic open discussion-based thread, this one amongst educators sharing their ideas on how VoiceThread might assist learning in an L2 classroom. This thread by Meng Zhang is an example of a "hands-on" L2 activity that utilizes the virtual drawing feature. Take a look and poke around to see exactly how these users made the most out of their own VoiceThread accounts. These are great examples of how to get started putting VoiceThread to good use with your class. Of course, the discussion can be about anything, and the images can be of anything (withing the confines of classroom appropriateness, of course).

However you see fit to use this interactive, user friendly tool, it surely provides educators one more asset, a tool in the belt so to say, that can increase interpersonal dialogue and class participation.

Digital Storytelling in L2 Learning



Screen capture from the Bookr website


Digital storytelling has not only become an important form of social media and expressive creativity, but it is steadily growing in its importance educationally. While many varying forms of social media can be considered a means of digital storytelling, from short fictional films and narrated presentations to online documentaries and musically-backed slideshows, one very simple but unique and fun way to share a story is with the webtool Bookr. With Bookr, users can search for photos on flickr that are part of the Creative Commons' licensing and legally use them with their own writing to publish a virtual mini-book on the internet.

While it can serve only as a toy for some creative and amusing illustrated tales, it can also serve the classroom as part of a short assignment that incorporates creative thinking with a personal touch that keeps both the writer / student and the reader interested. Here is an example of a short Bookr creation I have made to demonstrate how simple it is to manage either for personal or educational use, though it is maybe best-suited for older adolescents and adults (the Bookr tool and the example!).
Specifically for ESL or foreign language classrooms, a creative writing assignment utilizing Bookr can be an exercise in compositions skills, with the objectives of putting into practice one's proficiency levels in syntax, grammar, and lexical depth and flexibility. Also, in examining fellow classmates' projects and being asked to respond to the stories, reading comprehension can be evaluated.

One can picture a lesson where students are asked to compose an illustrated Bookr story with a given number of "pages." Part two of the assignment would ask students to expand on each others' stories by adding one slide to all of the other Bookr creations (depending on class size, of course). This would lead to a progressive story construction that would certainly be amusing while watching where the story leads. This assignment would provide a reasonable opportunity for an informal or possibly a formal (depending on rubric flexibility) assessment that examines the skills mentioned above.

Telling the Story of Education

Since the beginning of civilization, storytelling, in its spoken or written form, has been a key means for people to communicate information to one another. And, just as storytelling served an important role as an important (if not informal) educational tool thousands of years ago, it still does today. While the so-called "art of storytelling" is ever-changing, its value and impact is not.
While we may not huddle around a campfire for orally-relayed tales and accounts of events as frequently as they once have, there certainly is no shortage of storytelling in the 21st century. In fact, it may be becoming even more frequent. The advent of social media and photo-sharing internet tools, coupled with new websites and technologies that allow even amateurs to produce their own mini-films and productions allows more individuals to creatively tell their own stories - and in ways that are more refined and reach wider audiences.

by  mollyjolly 

This method, using technology and the internet, is now commonly referred to as "digital storytelling." This article from educause.edu defines it more clearly as "combining narrative with digital content, including images, sound, and video to create a short movie ... a set of slides with corresponding narration or music." With the tools currently available and continually in development for this form of sharing of creativity, it is impossible to limit the number of ways in which digital storytelling can be used for entertainment, cultural enrichment, communication, and yes, even education.
For some fields, such as media arts and communication, the role of digital storytelling in the educational process may be fairly obvious. In the modern media production industry, both small and large-scale, skills in using various computer software and an array of online tools are not just new trends, but a virtual necessity. In fact, many schools of higher education across the United States are recognizing this and incorporating digital storytelling into their curriculum.  Again, educause.edu sheds some light on this topic, citing the growing number of institutions including digital storytelling in their coursework. For example, the University of Houston, Carleton College, Maricopa Community Colleges, and Ball State University all offer programs with specialization in digital storytelling, according to the article. This outlines the growing importance in preparing individuals in how to use digital storytelling both for personal growth and professionally as an artist of sorts.

  by  digistorytellin

But what if you are already a professional, a teacher perhaps? More specifically, an ESL or foreign language teacher? Well, there's a digital story to be told for that, too. On this webpage from the University of Houston you can find some concrete examples of how digital storytelling can be used in a language education context. The aforementioned webpage explains how a short video can be used to expand vocabulary by helping students make visual-sound associations with new L2 terms. Expanding on that, it's not hard to imagine having your students use digital storytelling to work on their composition skills such as verb tenses and various grammatical and syntactical rules for the target language.
With students both composing their own and experiencing those of their fellow students, digital stories can serve as a catalyst for the sharing of personally meaningful narratives that keep the "producer"/ student interested and engaged and learning all the while.

Teachers Tweeting on Twitter?

As Twitter has swept the U.S. and to an extent the developed world by storm, there are seemingly two main types of people created by its arrival on the web: those who use it and love it, and those who have not heard any compelling reason to get their feet wet tweeting with their thumbs (and fingers, if you're at your computer).

After all,  using Twitter effectively can appear time consuming and seems like a full-time job for some (or something that they just do all day AT their full-time job). There is a middle ground, however.
More and more, professionals and specifically teachers are diversifying what this application can be used for. Undoubtedly most people have the conception that Twitter is no more than an endless stream of celebrity gossip and pompous athletes spouting off in between fawning and attention-seeking by the laypeople who subscribe to their accounts. Well, that is in fact what most people using it do, but by no means is it limited to this role. As this article by Dr. Ernesto Priego notes, Twitter has an amazing potential to keep instructors, researchers, authors, and even students just as tuned in to what is relevant in their respective fields as it does for keeping teenagers informed who may want to see what Lady Gaga or LeBron James had for lunch this afternoon.

Even more, Twitter along with other 'microblogging' apps and websites is changing the way many educators and researchers go about sharing their ideas, findings, and experiences. In some respects, it is the embodiment of the term "peer review" on the grandest of scales. Twitter is a so-called two-way street, where everyone who has others following their posts on Twitter (and without followers, you may as well write in a journal as this defeats the purpose of social networking) is subjected to responses by those followers. And just as with the tweeting celebs, inevitably some of the responses will be critical, or downright negative, but this is the point - putting your ideas out there, along with recommended articles, possibly some original writing of your own, your research, etc. so that the tweeting public (including your colleagues, peers and even students) can check these things out, and Tweet back their opinion after following your links or reading your thoughts.

Beyond the dissemination of information and resources, it serves as a great tool to get in touch with others in your field of work. In this regard, it is as much a professional networking tool as it is a social networking tool, and you might find more people in one day on Twitter who can be of some use to you than you will in a life time of conferences and brunches through any professional organization. How much you pursue these new connections will determine where it takes you. If you're still not sold, check out this blog post by an edu-blogger for a first-hand account of how Twitter might impact you as a professional, teacher or otherwise.

Of course, I would be remiss to ignore the downfalls of Twitter, and there are indeed negatives that will turn people off. for instance, if you simply use a Twitter account and start following a educator or ESL researcher, you will get every post they make about ESL, linguistics, teaching technology, and so on. The bad part is, you will also be subjected to every tweet they post about their drive to work, the rude woman in line at the grocery store, and their complaints about their bratty kids (just examples of course). In short, anything they say, you will receive on your Twitter feed. There are ways around this with additional applications and tools, and this article is a good way to get started in figuring out how to filter out the junk from the meaningful information that really is available on Twitter.

As in the world in general, the seas can be rough, but if you navigate well, the journey through Twitter can be rewarding. Will it revolutionize the way education functions as the first article suggest? Well that's probably a stretch from someone in an early infatuation with the Twitter-verse, but nonetheless it is part of a networking revolution. It won't make one a better teacher necessarily, but it can definitely help you get there, and as a user, I would recommend it to even the very slightest tech-savvy individual.

A Learner in 2012 is Like...

Today’s leaner, in ESL, other L2 learning, and virtually all categories might be compared a helicopter pilot in a war zone. Of course, though sometimes painful, no one’s life should be at risk while enduring the learning process. Likewise, you probably would probably hope to never hear the word ‘learning’ if you were experiencing such a helicopter ride.

Nevertheless, the short-term chaos and ever-changing situation that a pilot would face while trying to complete his objective is probably a good metaphor for today’s learner in their long-term objective of gaining mastery over a certain field. Though the learning process never truly ends, if one were to examine this comparison in terms of reaching a certain stage in learning development as the objective, the analogy becomes more clear.

Basing this comparison on George Siemens’ theory of Connectivism (Siemens, 2005) as a model of the learning process, we can illustrate this idea more clearly. While connectivism would state that “a diversity of opinions” is the dominant factor over the learning and knowledge acquisition process, certainly in such a situation as navigating a chopper in a hostile environment would require not only trained skill and instincts, but also intellectual decision making. The best course of action for a pilot may vary considerably from one pilot to another based on his own ideas, what his instructors have trained him to do in the past, and what his superiors might be telling him at the moment. Likewise, learner must consider all that he has already been taught, his or her own experiences in the past and compare this with the task at hand.

The second principal explains that connecting “specialized nodes” and other information sources is how the learning process works. Imagine our pilot at the helm, taking advice and intelligence from other pilots, sources on the ground, his own visual field, and the array of dials and displays in his cockpit: fuel gauges, radar, infrared displays, and so forth. He must ‘connect the dots’, compiling and processing all of these inputs and formulate a course of action. A learner in today’s world also has an array of educational tools and resources, and must successfully make similar connections to acquire knowledge in a useful and efficient manner. Similarly, this same description can be used to draw comparisons to principal three, that learning may come from within “non-human appliances.” While a pilot will rely non-human tools like dials, meters, radars, etc. to complete his objective, a learner may use an assortment of technology tools in his or her journey, including internet tools like blogs, social networking, software applications and so on.

Building on those points, we can examine Siemens’ discussion in his video The Network Is the Learning. Here he says “Adding a node to a network increases the entire network.” Let’s say our pilot is suddenly given one more tool, or node, to add to his intelligence network, such as a location of an enemy threat via a source on the ground behind enemy lines. This piece of information, or knowledge, does not just stand on its own. It will change how every other piece of information is viewed and what steps will be taken. It increases the value of all the other ‘nodes’. Likewise, when a learner is given a new tool, or a node, his learning potential can increase ten-fold from that one new node. For example, an L2 learner may come across a new blog on ESL. Within this blog, the learner may find countless new learning strategies, links to additional sites previously un-encountered, and start networking with other learners and teachers. This provides new nodes, but increases the value of the old ones by providing new ways to use them, thus exponentially strengthening the network.

Principal four states that the capacity to know more if of greater significance than what one already knows. Of course a learner will continuously, and probably forever, draw on previous knowledge, it maybe even very old indeed. But much knowledge becomes obsolete very quickly. To stay relevant, the learner must be capable of further acquisition. Our pilot, too, will need to use what he has learned over the entire course of his training, but he also can’t go ‘stale’ , so to speak. His situation is changing every second and he must adapt and be able react properly in new, unseen circumstances.  Principals six through eight are similar to one another, seemingly echoing this point. This further helps us illustrate this metaphor.

If you’ve decided you would now rather like to become a fighter pilot and seek that path of adventure, good luck. But if you are still interested in learning more about theories of learning (that would also apply to ESL) and the effects of technology on the learning process, you can read the entirety of Siemens’ article on connectivism at via this link. The video on connectivism referenced above can be seen here: The Network Is the Learning.

8 Steps to Safe Surfing for Students

Students,

Using the internet and its many tools will surely be a fun and rewarding part of our learning experience this year. I fully encourage all of you to use the internet, blogs, wikis, and other resources to make our experience richer and more fun. However, like with anything else, there are some risks and dangers that come along with internet use. Fortunately, there are some key guidelines that, if followed closely, will make our improve our online experiences, but keep them safe and appropriate as well. Here are some keys to safe surfing that you can follow to ensure that you stay out of trouble:

1) NEVER give out personal information, like your real name, where you live or go to school, or anything that would let someone know how to find you on any blog, message board, chat room, or social networking site like Facebook.

2) Do not post a picture of yourself on any website, even if it is your own, without your parents' persmission. Also, do not send pictures to anyone you meet on the internet in an email or any type of message.

3) Do not meet anyone in person that you only know through the internet unless your parents tell you it is okay to do so.

4) If you receive or see anything on the internet that makes you feel awkward, uncomfortable, or scared, inform your parents, another adult in your home or someone who works at your school immediately.

5) If you are ever threatened or harassed on the internet, please inform your parents or a teacher. Even if you know the person who sent the message, such as a classmate or someone from an after-school activity, tell an adult immediately. Everyone should feel safe and comfortable while enjoying the benefits of the internet, so don't let someone else ruin it for you.

6) Remember that on the internet, people can very easily lie about who they are - even about their age or whether they are a boy or girl. Even if someone has a picture of they say is of themselves, they could be trying to trick you. It is nearly impossible to know for sure the truth about someone you meet online, so it is important that you are careful about what you talk about or share with these individuals.

7) Don't sign up for any contest, drawing, giveaway or any type of 'free' items online. Simply put, these are lies people use to get information from you. Nothing is free, and if, for example, you did win a contest, you would not be notified on a webpage. Steer clear of any site or any person who is trying to give you something for free.

8) It is important that you know I will be informing your parents of what websites and internet tools we will be using. In turn, they will be keeping an eye on what sites you are visiting and what kind of online activities you are taking part in at home. At school, your other teacher and myself as well will be able to see what you are doing on the internet - even after you're done using the computer! Remember, this is not to be nosy or to annoy you, but to protect you and other students. In short, if you have any doubts about the sites you are visiting or what you are saying or sharing on the internet, ask a family member or a teacher before doing it.

For more tips on safe surfing, visit the following websites with your parents or an adult in your family:

KidsHealth.org's guide to Safe Cyberspace

FBI and Kids' Safety

...and especially for your parents:

FTC Facts on Protecting Kids' Privacy

Remember, the best thing you can do is ask an adult in your home or school about anything you are unsure of on the internet. Please ask me or someone at home right away as soon as you have a question.

Safe surfing everyone!

Blogs and the ESL Classroom

Blogging can serve a number of roles in enhancing the education experience for both students and teachers alike. Regardless of the subject or curriculum, blogging can make for a unique tool in sharing ideas, strategies, questions, and concerns. It can also be useful as a means of completing and submitting assignments, assembling 'e-portfolios', reviewing other students' contributions, etc. The list of possibilities is as long as you make it. Its practicality for English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction and learning is no less substantial.

Three ways that I would make use of the 'blogosphere' for my ESL classroom, were I instructing a course of beginners in the acquisition of the English language, might include:

1) Connecting my ESL students with members of another class in another culture / country. This could work in several ways, but I will present the following example; if I were instructing a mono-cultural class, such as a group of Korean students in Seoul, or Polish speakers in Warsaw, or francophones in Kinshasa, I could have them network with another group that is also studying ESL. This would allow for a sharing of common or differing experiences students have already had or will have during the process of learning a new language. This would help students' encouragement and motivation level by seeing the unique difficulties other students (and cultures) face. This can be done by requiring a few blog posts by each student, one to introduce themselves to the rest of the group, and one to write a short, more formal composition on the difficulties, rewards, and reflections of learning English. Comments on other posts would be required, but the need for formality would be less of a concern as a demonstration of basic communicative ability is more important in this particular field.

This would meet TESOL PreK–12 English Language Proficiency Standard 1, which reads, "English language learners communicate for social, intercultural, and instructional purposes within the school setting." (PreK–12 English Language Proficiency Standards Framework at TESOL.org.)

2) Assigning an internet resource-based writing project. This can have any topic at its foundation, and it will serve both to enhance the users' abilities and experiences with blogging and internet tools and their use of the English language. For this example, I have chose a specific assignment.
Part of teaching a second language requires educating the learner on the cultural history, or a chronology of the language's development through significant world events, stages of civilization, contributions to the arts and society, and so on.
To meet this requirement, I would assign students to first research a distinct English speaking society, either in the past or present, that interests them. Their resources can be written in the students' native language(s) if they are at a very minimal level of English capabilities. If they are slightly more competent with the language to a basic degree, a requirement that the resources be published in English could be made. The students will then give a brief overview of that society, including its inception (and possible demise), its traditions, beliefs, values, etc. They will then present their personal reflections on that society - what they found interesting, why they chose that group, possible similarities between that culture and their own, differences, or whatever they would like to share. They can then read other students' submissions and expound on those through comments and replies.

This would meet TESOL, Inc.'s PreK–12 English Language Proficiency Standard 5, which reads, "English language learners communicate information, ideas, and concepts necessary for academic success in the area of social studies." (PreK–12 English Language Proficiency Standards Framework at TESOL.org.)

3) Requiring that all student assignments, both formally graded and informal exercises, are posted on the blog to compile what author Will Richardson refers to as an 'Online Filing Cabinet,' which can be in turn be used to create an 'E-Portfolio.'
This blog capability may be even more valuable to language acquisition than many other fields of study. The resulting e-portfolio can be used as part of a final assessment of the students progress through the course of the year or semester. All completed work will be easily accessible in one location where I, or any instructor, will be able to make a clear evaluation in how the learner has improved his or her adeptness with the English language from day one until the final assignment. Its a great way to summarize progress and evaluate successes without worrying about storing and organizing countless papers and other assignments or hoping that my students have not lost them or thrown them out.

This would meet TESOL, Inc.'s Technology Standards for Language Teachers Standard 3, which reads, "Language teachers apply technology to improve efficiency in preparing for class, grading, and maintaining records." This is part of Goal 4, that "Language teachers use technology to improve communication, collaboration, and efficiency." (Technology Standards for Language Teachers at TESOL.org.)

This is just the beginning of the educational opportunities blogging can bring to the 'English as a Second Language' student and teacher alike. Its doubtless that more uses will be discussed here soon!

Note: I have chosen to follow TESOL standards, rather than ACTFL, as I will be instructing ESL which is in fact distinct from the instruction of a English as a foreign language, with different teaching methods and philosophies. I will also be teaching outside of the public school system of the United States, so for the purpose of outlining blog uses that I may potentially use in real life circumstances, New York State standards, while providing a good, basic outline, are of no direct relevance or necessity.