Option #3: About 5 pre-existing Internet-based instructional activities
Exploring the listed “Internet-based instructional strategies” is really fun. Undoubtedly, I am led into an unceasing exploration in an unbounded world. I’m excited that I get much invaluable information in my interest. I’m majoring in ESL, so my attention involuntarily is put to language learning. Before taking this class, my knowledge of using Internet in language learning is limited to search information online. It’s an eye-opener to be exposed to the various instructional strategies exemplified by so many creative activities. I choose to tap the following five activities as resources for my future teaching.
1. Weblog
e.g. Activity: Ms. Howard's Writing Blog
This is Ms. Howard’s Grade 7 writing blog. I guess she is an English Language Arts teacher. All students in “ePortfolios” can post their writing on the blog and share with all the classmates and even all the visitors online. Writing is one of the basic and important skills in language learning. It is absolutely not novel to teach writing via emailing, conversing in chat room, discussing online. Blogs as a tool in language teaching may be still at the very early stage. (According to some articles I read, Blogs are still considered experimental in teaching field.) This tool, actually, provides students with new experience in writing, publishing, reading and peer reviewing. The below is one poem post on Ms. Howard’s Writing Blog (The layout of the poem may not be displayed as the origial one. Please click the link to view the poem):
Christmas Poem
Christmas trees are bright
They give off lots of light
Christmas trees shine when it is night
They are a pretty sight
Christmas trees can be green or white
And cheer you to your delight.
The student writer writes a simple but beautiful poem with rhymes. She also uses different colors to highlight some words which make me think of the shining lights and ornaments on Christmas trees. Also, the layout of the poem is just like the shape of a tree. So, on one hand, these posts themselves can be used in teaching ESL/EFL students. For example, these writing blogs may provide opportunities for Chinese EFL students to read American students’ writing. On the other hand, if I make a blog for my future students to post their writing, they will have a platform to communicate and review each other’s work. Some issues such as how to encourage students to keep posting (assignment or free posts), what writing is appropriate to post and etc.may be considered.
2. Telecollaborative Activities
e.g. Activity: Interpersonal Exchange
Many interesting activities are included in this web page. As the name “interpersonal exchange” suggests, there are many chances for students to make communications with others outside of their classrooms in the projects like “Keypals.” Also, since Internet has changed the world to a “global village,” students can learn much multicultural information. For instance, the information of schools in the United Kingdom and New Zealand can be found in “Global Classroom.” This page can be taken as great a teaching resource for teachers. These interpersonal exchange activities are very useful to expand students’ horizon of the world and make it possible for them to have authentic contact with the people who speak the language they are learning. I think the project of “Keypals” may need more teachers’ guidance to insure that they have “good” keypals to communicate. To me, “Global Classroom” can be used to introduce cultures and other aspects of English-speaking countries.
3. Podcasts
e.g. Activity: Educational Podcasting Network
This strategy is still new to me. Though I know there are many audio materials which can be used in teaching listening, it is the first time that I know there is such a stuff called “podcast network” where so many audio programs in each subject are shared. For example, in the folder of “English language arts,” I find “American idiom and slang lessons for learners of English.” Students can have authentic contacts with the language they learn. When I taught English in a junior college in China, many students asked about interesting listening materials beyond the “boring” listening in their textbooks. At that time, I just suggested they search the information online but I myself didn’t locate a great resource for them. Now, the first-hand listening materials can be recommended to my EFL students.
4. Multimedia Scrapbook
e.g. Activity: Exploring China Scrapbook
Indeed, all the strategies like “topic hotlist,” “knowledge hunts”, “subject sampler” and “Webquests” provide me with great examples to develop online projects for students. Here I take the activity of “exploring China scrapbook” as an example. In teaching ESL/EFL, students are not only learning the language of English but culture embedded in every aspect of the contents they are exposed to. This scrapbook activity can be used in a project of having a glimpse of a country or knowing a specific cultural phenomenon like holidays. The links offered are well selected by teachers can save students a lot of time from being distracted in Internet surfing. Of course, these links should contain multivariate information for students to explore the topics deeply. They can use their scrapbooks for further presentation.
5. Virtual Fieldtrip
e.g. Activity: Historic Brattonsville, South Carolina
This activity is especially attracting for ESL students who temporally may not have real experience abroad. Like the web page cited here, visual and audio experience can assist students understanding the places and gain a vivid and long lasting memory. Besides this site, I also search some other resources of virtual fieldtrip (e.g. http://iteslj.org/ESL.html & http://www.nvo.com/ecnewletter/virtualfieldtrips/) If my EFL students are interested in their peers in American schools, I can present a three-dimensional real school in the videos (http://www.cdlponline.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=stories&topicID=4) other than paragraphs of words and long strings of statistics. Learning for my students would be fun!
The information online is out of exhaustion for life-long learning.
Every weekend, I am happy because I do feel that I gain new knowledge. One friend in China who teaches English in a high school often discusses English teaching methods with me, since she believes that I am in the “front line” to get to know new teaching strategies and recourses. These days, she is still on vacation for Chinese New Year and seldom stays online. Actually, I can’t wait to share with her all the information I get in this course.
Go MSN to meet her now!
1. Weblog
e.g. Activity: Ms. Howard's Writing Blog
This is Ms. Howard’s Grade 7 writing blog. I guess she is an English Language Arts teacher. All students in “ePortfolios” can post their writing on the blog and share with all the classmates and even all the visitors online. Writing is one of the basic and important skills in language learning. It is absolutely not novel to teach writing via emailing, conversing in chat room, discussing online. Blogs as a tool in language teaching may be still at the very early stage. (According to some articles I read, Blogs are still considered experimental in teaching field.) This tool, actually, provides students with new experience in writing, publishing, reading and peer reviewing. The below is one poem post on Ms. Howard’s Writing Blog (The layout of the poem may not be displayed as the origial one. Please click the link to view the poem):
Christmas Poem
Christmas trees are bright
They give off lots of light
Christmas trees shine when it is night
They are a pretty sight
Christmas trees can be green or white
And cheer you to your delight.
The student writer writes a simple but beautiful poem with rhymes. She also uses different colors to highlight some words which make me think of the shining lights and ornaments on Christmas trees. Also, the layout of the poem is just like the shape of a tree. So, on one hand, these posts themselves can be used in teaching ESL/EFL students. For example, these writing blogs may provide opportunities for Chinese EFL students to read American students’ writing. On the other hand, if I make a blog for my future students to post their writing, they will have a platform to communicate and review each other’s work. Some issues such as how to encourage students to keep posting (assignment or free posts), what writing is appropriate to post and etc.may be considered.
2. Telecollaborative Activities
e.g. Activity: Interpersonal Exchange
Many interesting activities are included in this web page. As the name “interpersonal exchange” suggests, there are many chances for students to make communications with others outside of their classrooms in the projects like “Keypals.” Also, since Internet has changed the world to a “global village,” students can learn much multicultural information. For instance, the information of schools in the United Kingdom and New Zealand can be found in “Global Classroom.” This page can be taken as great a teaching resource for teachers. These interpersonal exchange activities are very useful to expand students’ horizon of the world and make it possible for them to have authentic contact with the people who speak the language they are learning. I think the project of “Keypals” may need more teachers’ guidance to insure that they have “good” keypals to communicate. To me, “Global Classroom” can be used to introduce cultures and other aspects of English-speaking countries.
3. Podcasts
e.g. Activity: Educational Podcasting Network
This strategy is still new to me. Though I know there are many audio materials which can be used in teaching listening, it is the first time that I know there is such a stuff called “podcast network” where so many audio programs in each subject are shared. For example, in the folder of “English language arts,” I find “American idiom and slang lessons for learners of English.” Students can have authentic contacts with the language they learn. When I taught English in a junior college in China, many students asked about interesting listening materials beyond the “boring” listening in their textbooks. At that time, I just suggested they search the information online but I myself didn’t locate a great resource for them. Now, the first-hand listening materials can be recommended to my EFL students.
4. Multimedia Scrapbook
e.g. Activity: Exploring China Scrapbook
Indeed, all the strategies like “topic hotlist,” “knowledge hunts”, “subject sampler” and “Webquests” provide me with great examples to develop online projects for students. Here I take the activity of “exploring China scrapbook” as an example. In teaching ESL/EFL, students are not only learning the language of English but culture embedded in every aspect of the contents they are exposed to. This scrapbook activity can be used in a project of having a glimpse of a country or knowing a specific cultural phenomenon like holidays. The links offered are well selected by teachers can save students a lot of time from being distracted in Internet surfing. Of course, these links should contain multivariate information for students to explore the topics deeply. They can use their scrapbooks for further presentation.
5. Virtual Fieldtrip
e.g. Activity: Historic Brattonsville, South Carolina
This activity is especially attracting for ESL students who temporally may not have real experience abroad. Like the web page cited here, visual and audio experience can assist students understanding the places and gain a vivid and long lasting memory. Besides this site, I also search some other resources of virtual fieldtrip (e.g. http://iteslj.org/ESL.html & http://www.nvo.com/ecnewletter/virtualfieldtrips/) If my EFL students are interested in their peers in American schools, I can present a three-dimensional real school in the videos (http://www.cdlponline.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=stories&topicID=4) other than paragraphs of words and long strings of statistics. Learning for my students would be fun!
The information online is out of exhaustion for life-long learning.
Every weekend, I am happy because I do feel that I gain new knowledge. One friend in China who teaches English in a high school often discusses English teaching methods with me, since she believes that I am in the “front line” to get to know new teaching strategies and recourses. These days, she is still on vacation for Chinese New Year and seldom stays online. Actually, I can’t wait to share with her all the information I get in this course.
Go MSN to meet her now!
posted by Zhuo(Joel) Li at
7:15 AM
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