How can Social networking group
help you as a language teacher?


Social networking is quite amazing tool for language teachers. IT can connect us with other teachers and from that it can help each other and make us get useful information from that.
Ning service is very famous one that provides free social community for everyone.
I am very interested in this group, "Teacher 2.0".

In this group, I can find every material when we teach various subjects as an EFL teachers.

http://community.eflclassroom.com/forum/topic/show?id=826870%3ATopic%3A10395

There are many useful sections in this site such as "Teach/Learn/Play/Read/Video/Resources."
Each section has sub categories and each categories have tons of useful material. For example, in "TEACH section", I can enter in elemtary part and there I can find many good songs and stoires for EFL students. I thought if teachers  knew this group site before they start teaching, they could save time to prepare for their classes.

Even though we study hard individually, we might be a good teacher but we can't be an excellent teacher. However even though we are not good teachers, if we knew this group, we can be an excellent teacher!

The Teacher of Today!

                                                  The Teacher of Today!

I think a teacher of today  is  like a provider and connector which means teachers don’t have to teach everything.  The main work for teacher can be absolutely teaching but that is not only work for today’s teachers. George Siemens said in his articles that “Including technology  and connection making as learning  activities begins to move learning theories into a digital age.  We can no longer personally experience and acquire learning that we need to act. We drive our competence from forming connections. “ Traditional education theories are not enough to fulfill our students needs so the teachers had to change their minds for catch the student’s interest and also follow up all the provided information through internet.

Therefore today’s teacher should be familiar with this new theory called “Connectivism”. Siemens is saying that “connectivism is driven by the understanding that decisions are based on rapidly altering foundations. “. Among the tons of information,  teacher should know what is important and what is unimportant because decision-making is itself a learning process.

In addition to that, connectivism is very useful for teachers to stay current for their professional fields. Siemens mentioned on the video that “what we know today is not as important as our ability to continue to stay current. So if what I know today is going to change because the knowledge changes rapidly. If I am not continuing the  learning I might  become obsolete in  my particular field or particular knowledge space. The solution is using network because network continue evolve and reform itself.” Teacher should try to develop themselves in the education parts because learning is a continual process, lasting for a life time as Siemens mentioned.  If the teacher can do not only teaching but also providing good materials from others (using technology), they can be a good teacher that nowadays education field requires. This is because learning is no longer individual activity but it is about ability to use a variety sources though internet and modern technology. Therefore teachers should make an effort to adjust this new current.  

http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Jan_05/article01.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpbkdeyFxZw&feature=PlayList&p=3E43054A8703F57A&index=4 Retrieved January 10, 2009.

Very useful blog! I love spiders!

 

http://kinder-pond.blogspot.com/search/label/Spiders

Blog title: Kindergarten happenings

title of te post: Spiders… the cute kind

the comment that I worte in the blog's post:

I love this blog and this artile about spider! Children would love spider after they finish this worksheets and activities. I will use this methods and worksheet in my future class! Thanks for the nice material

I added this blog to my Google Reader!
The reason I love this post is that this post makes the children love the animals.
Some children might hate spiders even though spiders are very useful animal to humans.
Through cute spiders, children can reach the language goals and learn the mind of loving animals.
This blog first introduced good books related to the spiders.
And with the cute spiders pictures, the students can learn numbers, alphabets, phonics, words, sentences, song and fun making activities.
Also this blog is providing the work sheets so the teachers can use this material and activities in their blogs. Throught spiders students can learn so many fun things related to the studying.
I can apply this kinds of methods into other subjects for example, rabbits or kittens.
Children usually love and are interested in animals so I think this kind of method will be very useful for children's learning.

Pay attention! (Using Techology in Your Teaching)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEFKfXiCbLw&feature=related


I watched the "Pay attention!" Video.
It really made me pay attention about the subject.

I totally agree with the opinions on video.
The students in nowadays are  digital generation.
They are very used to use computers and mordern technologies.
I have 6 year old neice who can handle all technologies.
Nobody taught her how to use computers, internet and cell phones but sometims she made me surprised. I didn't know my cell phone had such a many kinds of functions before she found and let me know them.

However in the reality in school is quite different that chileren expected.
The teacher teach this digital generation using old methods so the students feel boring and tired.
Before we scold them and blame them, we have to think about  what we have to change.

We have to find out to make them being interested in school works and studying.
If we try to find the way, there will be a way.
Using technology can be an effective way for grasping our students' interest.
If we have difficulties to find the good way of using techonolgy, we can ask our students what the good way  is. Maybe they have better idea than teachers.

As the video suggested, we can use our cell phone text messages for our writing class of second laguage. That would be a creative way for both of us;students and teachers.

After I watched this video, I really want to find a creative way for teaching language using technology. I think I have to make an effort to seach and collect the materials about this issue. 

Let's make the students think language learning  is interesting! 
If I can make that, I will use the technology even though I have to spend more time to do this!

Technology can be a solution for your SLA!

Learning a second language can be difficult for learners if the language input is not sufficient.
Almost everyone has had experiences of difficulties to learn or teach second language. To learn the new language, we should be provided enough input.

Robert J. Blake( 2008, Brave New Digital Classroom Technology and Foreign Language Learning) said in his book that "Comprehendid input is one of the basic cornerstones of current SLA theories." To reach the goal(usaually communicative goal) of the second language, we have to be exposed by many materials and environmet for second language aqusition. However preparing many materials can be burden for second laguage teachers. Robert suggested us technology can be a good way to give input for their SLA.

The most impressive part in this books is in page 9. He explained various kinds of  technological platforms to assist language learning; the web, CD-Rom or hypermedia applications, and network-based communication. 

I think web can be a good tool for the students to expericence the world and the culture of the target language. According to his book, he said that "The web offers a variety of authentic target-language resources; a virtual trip to Peru, a guided bicycle trip to Satiago de Compostela, and a wine guide for la Rioja, the murals of Orozco, to name only a few examples of Spanish...". Though the web, the students can get tons of authentic materials, nowadyas they don't have to go the country and this means even though they are not in condition for going to the target language country, they can have experience the world. In the past, people who learn about the other country, they only can read but nowadays they can see, read and talk through the web. What a wonderful invention! I think if we can use this techonology for our learning, we can get many advantages.

In the futuer, I think the teachers who don't use technology in their language  teaching can have difficulties in their career. Like Rober cited in his book(page 14), "Teachers who use techonlogy will probably replace teachers who do not (Clifford 1987, 13)".

Therefore the teachers have to be used to utilize the technology for their language teaching. Even though we are not a professional users, we have to try our best to do this because the students have intrests for this technology methods.Also they have to find out which materialas are good for their students and how we can use and organize those effectively in their class.

How to keep yourself safe in cyber world!

List for Cyber safety


1. Don't write your name, address, phone number, school or photos on your blog.

2. If you can see any bad language that hurt you, please tell the teacher or your parents.

3. When you see some bad or strange photos on the internet,
    pelase tell the teacher or your parents.

4. Don't use any bad language on line.

5. If someone asks you money, ignore it.

6. If people say they give you money or presents, don't listen to them.

7. Even though you want to buy something, you must not tell
    the detail of the credit cards or bank information.

8. If someone wants to meet you face-to-face, first you have to tell the teacher and your
    parents. Any meeting that your teacher and parents not accompanied with you is not   
    allowed.

(Link)
http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=cybersafety-quiz
http://www.cyber-safety.com/parents.html
http://www.cyber-safety.com/safetytips.html

Three ways that I can use blogs in my teaching!

Are you using the internet everyday?
Are you making friends through internet?
Are you get some information through internet?

But have you ever used internet for teaching your students?
Here are three ways you can teach your students by using blog.
Students already have much knowledge about using the internet and blog.
If you decide to use that, they will follow you easily.


First!
You can use blog for teaching writing. Make the blog for your class or have them make the blog for thier own. And then let them write in the blog. Even thought they are very young like elementary school students, they can write!
For example, how about having them write some simple diary. They can write some sentences about their day.  When they write diary, you can write some coments and other classmates can write comments.
Reading other people's comments is quite interesting to the student who wrote the diary. This can give some motivation for writing and make them think writing is interesting.  In Korea, many teachers give homework about writing diary but if you give them as just paperwork, the students would be bored because this writing is not communication. However if they write the diary in their blog, adding comments make this writing task as the ways of communication.


(Standards related to digital writing)

12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

PreK–12 English Language Proficiency Standards Framework
Standard 2: English language learners communicate information, ideas, and concepts necessary for academic success in the area of language arts.

Writing
English language learners use written communication for a variety of purposes and audiences. Writing can be used to express meaning through drawing, symbols, or text. English language learners may come with writing styles influenced by their home cultures.


Second!
You can use blog to seach and collect the resources for reading and writing class.
In the sea of internet, there are tons of authentic materials you can use in your English class.
If you are teaching young studets, you can use fairy tales but if you are teaching middle or high school students, you can use literatures and novels.
Only you can do is just writing down the proper link. Otherwise you can join the reading education website. It allows you to read many reading materials in cheap price. May you and your school purchase this together.
In EFL situations like Korea, the students have less opportunities to improve their English. That means by reading, they can have more chances to contact with English. Almost every children like stories so through stories they can access the English and English and American culture. Therefore this is a good way to teach English.
Find proper reading material for you students level and put them on the blog. Make the students read the stories and write about their short book reports.

(Standards related to digital writing)
1.  Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.

PreK–12 English Language Proficiency Standards FrameworkReading
English language learners process, interpret, and evaluate written language, symbols, and text with understanding and fluency. Learning to read in a second language may be enhanced or hindered by students’ level of literacy in their native language. Students who have a strong foundation in reading in their first language bring with them skills that can be readily transferred in the process of learning to read in English.



Third!
You can use blog for giving homework assignments. There are many ways for giving homework assignments. First, you can set the students homework by providing the worksheet. You can upload your worksheets and let them do that. And then you can make them upload their homework on your weblogs. You don't have to print out or copy for the worksheets and it can save your time.
Aslo, you can make the students search the material that is related to the thing they are going to learn or they already learned. For example, you are going to teach the protection of environement, you can make them search for the ways about how to protect the environment before the class. If they searched them, they have background knowledge and this can make concentrate more in class.
Lastly, you can post the assignment on your blog. Students always assess the blog and then there they can know what the homework is. If they have questions, they can ask you in the weblog. How convinent it is!

(Standards related to digital writing)
5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
7. Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, and people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.



If you try to find your way of using blog for your teaching, you can find out the better methods than this. How about letting me know your ideas for this? I am really looking forward to hearing your creative ways! If you have any, don't hesitate writing the comments in my blog!