Blog #8: Open Topic / Reflection

For your final blog post, please feel free to write about any topic related to the course.  For example, you can reflect on what you have learned about in the course and your e-portfolio project and also discuss any future goals or plans you have to use technology in your classroom.

    This course has helped me overcome my fear of technology. I was unsure of myself at first, but I  became to know  some of the essential skills that I can use in my own classes in the near future.At the beginning of the course, It was really tough to follow all the directions. And I couldn't catch up even the basic terminologies related with course materials. I even had no idea how to embed HTML code before, that was my reality. Surfing the internet and writing e-mails are almost all the things that I used to do with computers. 

  

   Through the various assignments, I have mastered the use of technology as I never heard before.  Most of the time, I had to watch several different versions of 'YOUTUBE tutorials' to follow up the directions. It was really time consuming jobs, but It helped me to improved my listening skills, too.

   Prior to this class, I had never thought of my own teaching system could be possible through new  computer technologies. However, now I can imagine my self to assign the homework on my teaching site and check my students' work on the web. There are lots of teaching- assistant tools I can use. The key is how to well organise and use them to the right point. 

  I am interested in teaching middle and high school students. So I have a plan to open my teaching site to help them to improve especially their listening and speaking skills. I will introduce variety of listening sites and each site will be  divided by their levels and different topics. To facilitate the student's speaking skills, I will use of 'audiodropbox'. It is a really cool thing that I can check student's performing and give direct feedback to them.

  If I can have another chance to learn more, I want to study 'Course Management Systems & E‐learning Content Management'. With assistance of 'course management system', I want to build up my own site followed my curriculum. I think well-balaced online and offline class is the key to the success in 21st. 

In closing, I would like to add that I have really enjoyed the experience of this class. It has been good for me to learn computer assisted language learning skills.  Thank you for your help and patience.

Finally.....

Blog #7: Mobile App Review

Blog #7: Mobile App Review

Search for a language learning application designed for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.  Provide a link to the application's website. Write a brief review of this application that includes information about the app's functions, which devices it is compatible with, and how it can assist or enhance the language learning process.

ENGLISH POD

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tidahouse.englishpod&feature=related_apps

   This is an Android app that helps learners learn English speaking and listening via podcasts.  This app collects the most  practical, relevant and engaging lessons in spoken English. 

   This application has a feature to change playback speed slower or faster as you like. With it, you can improve your listening skills. 

   Video podcast provide subtitles.  Subtitles help you listen and understand better. 

   EnglishPod is very easy to use. If you touch the 'channels', it brings you to various selections of podcasts which are related to English learning.  I can reach  my favorite  pod cast  'BBC 6 minute English' through this app easily. 

     

  It has many useful features like....

      podcast list, play, pause, stop, repeat, A-B repeating, playback speed, and                 

       play video podcast.

    

  In my opinion, this application is very useful to boost up your listening skills. And by provided updated podcast, you can save time to search the latest information.

  Thanks for the Blog assignment, I can meet a chance to have  a good application for my own. 

Blog #6: Digital Storytelling

Blog #6: Digital Storytelling

Write brief reviews about the two tools you used to create short lessons with this week. How could these tools be used by teachers AND students?  How could they be incorporated into a class?

1. storybird

What is it?

   Storybird is a collaborative storytelling tool. It provides pictures for you and then either yourself or your students or whoever else has opportunity to write a story. In order to use storybird you need to create  an account. Teachers are able to create a class accounts so one account can be used by thirty different students.

   Once you've signed, then storybird will bring you to your personal homepage. There are lots of similar themed images, you can start just by choosing one visual and click on to start a storybird. Now you are able to build stories by dragging and dropping the pictures and creating a story to match. Storybird is a great way to get students using technology and working collaboratively. It also gives them to experience the joy of publishing their own books.

How could it be used by teachers AND students?

   Storybird is an extremely engaging site that allows students to focus more on the content of their writing. It can help the kids to think about what kinds of story can go with pictures.  Students can really feel like they are authors. It's also great for the teachers because they're able to easily create students accounts and assignments for students.

Application in class

  Storybird is a good way to allow students to develop their creative skills. I could use it in the classroom like this. I want my students to tell me about their experience that they had over the weekend or last winter vacation. Students can show their stories with pictures. 

  It also allows the students to interact with people outside of the classroom. Here is another activity that I want to use in the classroom. As a teacher, I can make my own book to practice 'adjective'. I make my book with a picture and make stories but there are some blanks in the sentences. Then I will ask my students to give their idea to complete the sentences. You can see this picture on my google sites. or

this link directly leads you my work...ENJOY^^

http://storybird.com/books/how-do-you-feel-3/

2. Xtranomal

What is it?

   Xranormal is a movie creation tool that uses text to speech technology. Users can crate a video by choosing characters, a background, and then typing the dialogue to be read by the computer program. Additional animations and sound effects can be easily added by dragging and dropping into the text boxes. This site allows you the to share your movies to SMS by providing embed codes. 

  Like many other sites, you need to create your own account in order to use it.

After creating your account then sign up for getting started. There are many different types of categories you can choose. Once you choose one, then you have to choose one actor or two actors. After that, you need to choose sets.

When you're gonna click on actors here, now you type in the text box what you want them to say. If you want to add motions, sounds, and faces, just drag and drop it. Then preview, and save your script. Now you have your own animated movie. 

   One thing you keep in mind is.... you can sign up for free, but you can buy sets, characters through points. It provides you 300 points to start off when you  sign up for a new account. So be careful not to spend more money on it.

How could it be used by teachers AND students?

   As a tool within the classroom students easily use Xtranormal to create stories, or recreate scenes from a novel being read in class. They could also use it for reflective learning to share what they have learned before. 

   Instead of just using the text from the course books, students get to create their own unique conversations. This will help them with their grammar, comprehension and listening skills. Teachers can assign each student, for example, a five line dialogue under certain topics. Then it can be increased according to their skill level. 

Application in class

   Xtranormal is one of the most powerful tools to create your own story. It has many aspects to be used in the classroom. 

   I can use it as a way of presenting my instructions for a lesson. Because it is an animated motion picture, it is easy to get students' attention easily. You can see my instruction for a lesson in my google site.

      https://sites.google.com/site/jiyeonshome/project-5

  It is also can be used to have your students to re-create a scene from the text or re-write the ending of a story. This works well at any levels. And it is also fun when the class shares the clips with each other.  

BLOG POST # 5 - Corpora, Concordance, Collocations, Word Frequency

Check out the following sites and report back on how they 

could be used to inform materials development and 

classroom instruction:

Compleat Lexical Tutor: http://www.lextutor.ca/
Corpus of Contemporary American English: http://corpus.byu.edu/coca/
Wordle: http://www.wordle.net/

These sites are all for helping  learners to develop their vocabulary skills.
Let's take  a look at them for a while..

   Compleat Lexical Tutor contains a vast range of resources of teaching and learning vocabulary and grammar. It is divided into three sections : Learners, Researchers, and Teachers. You can test your vocabulary level by visiting 'Test your lexis', then you can work on the words at the right level where you are weak.

  Corpus of Contemporary American English(COCA) is freely available online. The corpus allows comparisons between spoken, fiction, popular magazines, newspapers, and academic, or even between sub-genres such as movie scripts, sports magazines, newspaper editorial or scientific journals.  It contains more than 450 million words of text. It includes texts produced from 1990 to the present time.

  Wordle is a toy for generating 'word clouds' form the text  you provide. The clouds show 
which words appear more frequently in the source text. You can create interesting word pictures and save them into your gallery. 

  Like we check out, these programs provide great number of information about vocabulary and phrase.  
Students can obtain authentic examples of a word or phrase used by native speakers in various registers. Through the authentic examples, students can discover a lot of things about a word or phrase. Simple and quick research also give the learners interests and motivation of the study.

 They can be used in the ESL/ EFL classes in many ways. 

 Teachers can make handouts that provide the students with information about a word, phrase or topic that they can not be found in the traditional textbook.
  Here's an example..  
  "What is the difference between 'many' and 'much'?"
  For the beginners, it is sometimes hard to know the difference when and how to use 'many'  and 'much'. 
  But teacher can provide clear examples with sentences.  By understanding words in   different sentences, students become more aware of language use. 
  
  In my point of view, the greatest advantage  in using these sites is that we can access quantities of real language patterns in variety of contents. . 
  
  What about  'wordle' in the writing class? 
  Here's another example..
  I can ask the students to find several articles related one topic. (for example, 'how noise affects on our neighbours')
  When students gathered some articles, 
 Then, show them how to copy and paste their articles into 'wordle' and generate a word cloud. Students can analyse which word is important and which is less important for understanding topic. Now they can apply their findings into their writings.
This activity provides comprehension of the topic and help them to decide proper use of vocabulary.

Blog Post #4: Podcast Review

Blog Post #4: Podcast Review

- Listen to one or two of the podcasts.

BBC LEARNING ENGLISH - 6 Minutes English

- Provide a link to the podcast on your blog. Give general 

information about the content and quality.

BBC news provides an excellent learning English website. Click here :

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/sixminute/2013/03/130328_6min_is_silence_golden.shtml

to listen to the podcast - 6 minutes English.

You can download the audio file, and also the transcript. You can learn and practice useful English language for everyday situations with the BBC. It is published every Friday. Each programme is six minutes long and it contains examples and explanations to help you improve of the English language.It also provides the designated vocabulary besides the transcript.Many English Standardized English Test like TOEIC, TOEFL.. contains British accent listening questions, so it would be very useful to prepare that part.

- What do you think about the podcast?  Which type of 

learners could benefit from the podcast?

  Podcast is totally innovative and creative technology.So, for the people who is not familiar with computer and new skills, it even sounds strange.  I came to know the terminology 'podcast' through the famous Korean podcast "나는 꼼수다(I'm a Ggomsu.)" last year. Then I can expend my knowledge by visiting 'I-Tunes' more.And today, I finally broaden my knowledge up to ... There are countless podcasts are running today, and even my favourite 'TED' is one of them.
 Simply, podcasting is a form of audio broadcasting on the Internet.  The idea that I can make my own broadcasting is sensational and charming.  Many people must dream their own radiostations, and now that dreams come true. Podcast is used many different ways. Some create it for  speaking out their thoughts and opinions to the public, others make it to communicate each other... For the educational purposes, it well matched. You will be surprised by the number of educational podcasts available on the internet.  As we all know, learning a language isn't just about sitting in a classroom for 2 hours a week, hoping to absorb the information the teacher provides. It takes a  bit more effort than that. But one of the main obstacles that we have is 'time' Listing to short podcast is very convenient, since we can use this learning tool at any time, for example on my way home, during coffee breaks, or taking a walk. There are now hundreds of short, interesting files that you can save to your MP3 player. In that way, learners who are struggle with time and learners who wants to get various informations in handy can get their needs by learning through podcast. 

Blog Post #3. Synchronous and Asynchronous CMC Tools

Blog Post #3. Synchronous and Asynchronous CMC Tools

1) Brief descriptions of the tools and links to their websites

       - Scribblar (synchronous CMC tool)
 Scribblar is a multi-user whiteboard application that allows users to interact in real time.

Students can use it when they want to collaborate on certain project.

It also allows you to draw using simple drawing tools and you can add text, some images. 

You can chat with team members through a text chat window.

It allows your team members to make changes on the whiteboard in real time.

You can see what it is just click here : http://www.scribblar.com

       - Voicethread (Asynchronous CMC tool)

  Voicethread is a web-based application that allows you to place images, documents, and presentation. It doesn't allow real time conversation. It provides an asynchronous conversation. Voicethread allows students to have conversations by making comments or uploading audio files. You can upload media from a location such as a website, Facebook, or your computer. Then, people can add comments by selecting the appropriate source button for microphone, webcam, or audio file.

You can have more information by clicking here :  http://voicethread.com

2) Your thoughts about how the Synchronous CMC tool and the Asynchronous CMC tool could support learning and the development of language skills.  Are there any similarities and differences in how they could support language learning?

 I think that the Synchoronous and Asynchronous CMC tool can help the students to overcome the time and place limitation. By using this tools, students can work on homework problems together. Teachers can use this to help students with homework after school or on the weekend. 
  The differences in how they could support are,
Synchronous tools can be used to make a class in real-time but different places. They can share informations directly in real time, so their work can be more productive.  Synchronous collaboration, in general, is more interactive than asynchronous. 
  On the other hand,  Asynchronous activities take place whenever learners have their time to compete them. For example, viewing videos linked to the course site, reading a textbook and writing a paper are all asynchronous activities. Learners can get the information when it's most convenient for them. So there is less pressure to act directly and immediately. Learners can have a time to think over the project. 

3) Some of your ideas of possible activities and ways that the tools could be used in a language class to supplement in-class content and instruction.

  I can use the Synchronous tools to create a debate class.  I can design the class with people who have common interest and allow them to communicate in real time.
   I also can use the Asynchronous tools to have a journal reviewing class.
   I can upload a certain journal and ask the class to share their opinions. They also interact each other by commenting other's view. These activities allow them for more in-depth research and sharing variety of perspectives.

Blog Post #2. Presentation Tools & Screencasting Tools

Blog Post #2. Presentation Tools & Screencasting Tools

1. Describe the Presentation Tool or Screencasting Tool you used.  Provide a link to the website.  

 : I used "PREZI"  for making presentation.

    Let me explain about 'PREZI' briefly.

   
What is 'PREZI'

   
   1) It is a web-based presentation tool that allows you to create a canvas presentation.

   2) It allows you to create not only text and picture but also videos. 

   3) You can create your presentation on line and also you can download it so that you can

        display your presentation in both way on-line and off-line.

   4) You can get this program for free.

   5) This is a link to the website

         :  http://prezi.com

2. Describe the presentation or activity you created using the tool.  Provide a link to the location of your embedded presentation on your Google Site.

     The presentation that I made is 'Lesson Plan' for middle school English grade 1. The reference book that I use is 'YBM Middle School Text Book' which is my younger daughter's school book. 
     I want to use this presentation on the first day when new chapter starts. This shows you the brief but essential information about what you are going to study. 
     It shows key expression, grammar focus, and video link that you easily follow.
    
     Here's the link of my presentation. I hope you enjoy it.
      : https://sites.google.com/site/jiyeonshome/
    

3. Describe your experience using the tool.  Would you recommend it to other teachers?  Why or why not?

    It was hard for me to learn totally new skills( especially computer skills) , however, I found myself enjoying the work. 
    PREZI allows to develop structural pathways on a single digital canvas. It is like drawing a picture and adding anything that I want.
   I think It is the most appealing element that 'PREZI' has. 
   Users can zoom in and zoom out so the importance of items can be determined by the size.
   
   But it also has some weakness... Most people who use PREZI  are those who are more enchanted by the presented style. It can help to understand the audience well but it also can distract them. Zoom in, zoom out, moving fast may cause interruption so people can not focus on the content itself.
  
  In conclusion, I would recommend PREZI to anyone who wants to show a dramatic and impressive presentation to the audience. But, if your presentation is more academic and more focused on content rather than outline or summary, you should be careful to choose. 

4.  Describe potential uses the tool could have in the Korean EFL learning context.

     When teachers show lesson plan or outline to the EFL students, showing the presentation    

with PREZI  is useful. 

    And I'm sure that students can understand  the concept effectively. It provides variety of ways to give information to the learners. It is attractive so it is easy to get the learners attention. 

     If used wisely, PREZI can continue to fascinate both users and audiences well in the Korean EFL learning context.