Implementing technology in the English as a Foreign Language classroom provides for setting to merge the best features of proven and familiar language teaching methodologies, and simultaneously offer motivating and meaningful activities planned to focus on the learning process of the content material and enable students to apply their technological and creative thinking skills to become self directed learners of the target language.
My GAME Plan
Goal
In accordance with the ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-T) and Performance Indicators for Teachers, my GAME plan involves adopting strategies to a) Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments and b) Model Digital-Age Work and Learning. A key factor in the success of incorporating digital age tools and resources concerns the effectively planning for authentic and meaningful lessons that are student-centered and interaction based to promote active and inductive learning.
Action
The actions recognized as critical to meeting the abovementioned goal is to continue my work with the Touchstone series for learners of English which encourage students to be self-directed learners and to apply critical thinking skills through the application of the interactive whiteboard, self-access software and online resources such as our online workbook which is managed through Fronter, a virtual learning environment, which enables students to foster the understanding of the course content.
To model digital-age work and learning, I have been working as project leader for our faculty development courses for the implementation of technological tools in our English program. My responsibility is to “collaborate with students, peers, parents and community members using digital resources to support student success and innovation.” This semester we have been successful in involving students and teachers in the use of webquests, blogs and wikispaces. I am especially proud of our teamwork for the preparing students to present the Institutional TOEFL exam through the use of online resources.
Monitoring
We have been constantly monitoring and being monitored on the progress of our program through class observations for peer feedback, class observations from our English Program Directors, analysis of quizzes, written exam and oral evaluation results, and teacher and student satisfaction surveys.
Evaluation
By identifying the strengths and weaknesses of our program strategies we can work to further develop our action plans to incorporate new strategies and ideas to strive for full student engagement
Miriam
References
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2010). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009a). Program One. Enriching Content Area Learning Experiences with Technology [Motion picture]. Integrating Technology Across the Content Area. Baltimore: Author.
National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T), Retrieved November 12, 2009, from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf.
Miriam,
ReplyDeleteThat is amazing that you are teaching English as a Foreign Language. My Uncle offered me a job in Hong Kong to teach English. What an exciting opportunity. Nevertheless, back to the topic of Technology integration. During my studies, I decided it was time for me to learn another language; so I decided to purchase the Rosetta Stone for Mandarin. I would like to share with you that I enjoyed it very much and still working on it. There is no translation for the words, and in fact, they do not want you to translate. The way of learning the language is through immersion and very powerful. I know that many schools are purchasing these programs (the one geared for schools) to better teach their students basic vocabulary. Perhaps this could be software that you may want to consider in the future. After completing certain sections, students could get into groups to practice their new vocabulary. This will create some authenticness since they are real pictures and getting into groups with their classmates, gives them the opportunity to use those words as well as learning to communicate in a different language on the topic they choose.
I think it would be quite a challenge to incorporate technology into an English as a Foreign Language class. It is great that you have been able to include blogs, webquests, and wikis in your classroom activities. I use my classroom blog on a regular basis. My students love being able to share their opinions with their classmates. Last year during one of my Walden classes, I had the chance to create a wiki space. I have not yet tried this with my students. I think it could be very beneficial for them.
ReplyDeleteHi Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteTeaching EFL is such an exciting and rewarding experience. I have had an opportunity to work with the Rosetta Stone software on a trial basis. Rosetta Stone is one of the most popular language learning software methods in Mexico. Although I have heard that students have been very successful in learning English with this software, I also understand it is expensive. The budget for our language department is very limited to say the least. Although we did begin working with interactive whiteboards this semester, we actually have to be very creative to create our materials. The free online resources, for now, are our best options.
Miriam
Hi Jodi,
ReplyDeleteWikis are a great resource for collaborative work. This is the link to the wikispace I created for sharing information among teachers and students to help prepare for our institutional TOEFL exam: http://sitesfortoeflpractice.wikispaces.com/?responseToken=085eff86147cb5d735a54e6b68f00ea4
I also found a space with examples of wikis that have been used in EFL classrooms:
http://wikisinefl.wikispaces.com/Wikis+in+EFL?responseToken=0cd89a4ac5996e1110fb07f25176c587b
I hope you find them useful.
Good luck on your wiki project.
Miriam
Hi Miriam,
ReplyDeleteI'm just in my 2nd year of teaching in Washington State and I graduated with my elementary and TESL endorsements. You are the first English as a Second Language instructor that I've came across through my Walden courses, so it's great to hear about how you are integrating technology into your classroom. I looked into the Touchstone program you mentioned and it looked like they offer a lot of audio,CD-rom,and workbook resources for ESL students. I'm wondering if it is easy to connect the material to other technology projects or tools you want to integrate or if you like to do things that are not related to the Touchstone program? I'm looking forward to reading more of your posts and hopefully connecting more during this course.
Jason Henne
Hi Jason,
ReplyDeleteHow exciting that you hold credentials for Teaching English as a Second Language. I hope to hear read more about your experience with language learners.
In regard to the Touchstone materials, as you mention, the series offers so many resources. I have to cover the 12 units in an 80 hour course. It is impossible to use all of the material but it is very easy to integrate other technology tools. As I have mentioned previously, this semester we started using interactive whiteboards along with the Touchstone software. Additionally, I bring other materials to the classroom, independent of the Touchstone series. This helps to avoid having students fall into the “The Boredom Crisis” Prensky (2008)discusses in his article.
Miriam
Prensky, M. (2008, March). Turning on the lights. Educational Leadership, 65(6), 40-45.
Where are you teaching? Is it like teaching ESOL students here in the states? Do your students respond well to technology use? My ESOL children have VERY little experience with computers. They are limited to turning them on and using pre-made/created links to sites and/or programs.
ReplyDelete