Week 2 thoughts
January 24, 2008What are the benefits/constraints that these open environments may bring in your context? Without a doubt, the major benefit is that social media provide my students with a different voice. I always hark back to the first class with which I used blogs. A lovely Chinese girl, very shy and at intermediate level, told me (in writing in a questionnaire) that her blog ’is the first time I have used English to communicate’. It blew me away then, and still does! So the benefit is the communciation… Constraints? Well, the technologically literate students have a distinct advantage.
Are you promoting open participatory skills in ELT? How? I commented on someone’s blog about the institutional imperative to use our LMS (Blackboard and which no doubt we pay megabucks for) who have just introduced built-in blogs, wikis and podcasts. There are limits to what they can do, but they would provide a safe environment for my students rather than an open one. So I guess the question is who do I want to participate with my learners, and what value do I place on the openness?
You see, this is very much a reflection – and lacks connection !
If we consider the pros and cons of using this kind of resources in class perhaps one of the last reflections I posted on my own blog may be good food for thought:
http://english_studio.blogspot.com/2008/01/good-blogging-habits.html
Now, let’s move on to some administrative / practical / likely to be realistic -common situations/ decisions when the issue of online participation in class arises.
There is a very good document in pdf format that you can download from this link http://www.thethinkingstick.com/?p=616
It deals with interesting issues that need to be considered when dealing with budgets invested on context for the use of technology in ELT. That is only one of the subjects present on the document.I found it really interesting and made a kind of summary on this online ppt that I posted here: http://english_studio.blogspot.com/2008/01/setting-up-internet-lab.html
I dare to disagree with you. There is very much a connection! Here I am responding to what you are saying, and indirectly to your previous post
The college I teach at also uses Blackboard and I have tried using the wiki and blog on it and failed miserably. OF course, this could be because the student teachers have no time next to their studies, but I personally didn’t enjoy using them. Not only did I find them inflexible and bland, I also resented the fact that there was no possiblity for the students to engage in communication with others outside the classroom.
Have you used these tools on Blackboard? Were you successful? Perhaps I have missed something.
[...] communicating with others. Diverse learners deserve diverse conduits for expression. I appreciate Karen’s post where she says “Without a doubt, the major benefit is that social media provide my [...]