"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!

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.

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.

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.