FINAL REFLECTION

My Final Reflection on the Course

I liked the way we worked over the subject in groups and through reflection and sharing personal experience. I believe integrating technology in the classroom is far from easy, particularly when the resources are limited. 
A short anecdote: two weeks ago I intended to work on a video session with my students at school. I had the file in my stick and when I was trying to watch the video there was a problem with the computer, which did not work well, and I 'wasted' 20 minutes trying to fix this, fortunately, with some help. In the end, we managed to watch the video and the lesson turned out alright. 
Technology integration takes time in every sense of the expression: it takes time to be incorporated and it takes time when the resources are not best quality, just as when the teacher is not perfectly trained to work with it. 
That is another aspect of technology: in many ways it requires training on the part of teachers! That is nothing to object, but again, it takes time, which very often we teachers lack. 
Despite the possible drawbacks, technology is an interesting way of integrating knowledge, content, pedagogy and activity, while engaging students with more real-like tasks. 

I am happy to have had the possibility of taking this subject and learn as much as I have, and I believe this is only the beginning of my long way in teaching and, in particular, when it comes to technology integration in my profession. 

Thank you for having visited my blog and I will certainly keep you posted on my further discoveries!!

PLN: Personal learning network

Why do I need to build a PLN? 

Networks fulfill many purposes, one of which is, for example, to keep you posted on issues in a certain field-- an example of this is the Facebook group for our teacher training college.

Here we can get updated information on courses and many other current affairs at school.

Personal Learning Networks are highly useful because not only do they allow you to concentrate your content, websites, bookmarks, and your own creations (i.e blogs and webpages), but it also allows you to share this with other people in your network. Thus, you have your own PLN, which is part of a larger network, with other members who share their information and content with you and who learn from you, as you learn from them.
For teachers, a PLN is a most interesting tool to enhance and make constant learning easier, as well as providing a great opportunity to contact other teachers and learn from their development.

I have recently found a site for creating PLNs, called The Educator's PLN. Here's the link to it:
http://edupln.ning.com/
I have just created my profile and I am still awaiting confirmation, so most probably I will update my post later on, when my account is confirmed.

Technology in the ELT classroom: Take a chance! : Listening and Speaking skills. Check Laura Manzanedo's post!

Technology in the ELT classroom: Take a chance! : Listening and Speaking skills: When it comes to practising listening and speaking skills, there are several webtools that can be used. I’ve decided to try Vocaroo ...

My reflection on the course.

Record music with Vocaroo >>

A Case Study: Digital Storytelling in Argentina.

Hi everyone!
I am working with one of the case studies in chaper 2. I have designed a mindmap to explain the basics of the case (problem and solution) and will give more details below. For this, I have used a programme called BUBBL.US, which I found useful for making mindmaps (the only drawback is that you need to register to save your production).
Here is the screenshot with the information and the site for you to visit.

One example of Vicky's work in the classroom is Digital Storytelling. Vicky tried this with a group of 17-year-olds. One of her projects was called "Art Stories": students worked in groups to choose famous paintings and they wrote a narrative that linked the paintings together. They used Windows Movie Maker to create a slideshow with a soundtrack recorded by students to go with the images.

Why is digital storytelling motivating? 

• it gives students a voice 
• it gives them freedom and creativity 
• it can be shared online with parents, friends and even people they don't know, from around the world. 

Thus, students will develop  DIGITAL LITERACY, defined as the ability to perform tasks effectively in a digital environment. 

Another example of technology enhanced learning is MALL: mobile assisted language learnning. The mobile phone is a valid device for 

• content delivery
• field work 
• data capture 

How does this interact with TPCK and SAMR? 

Content-aim: developing digital literacy, practising speaking skills, working with real-world tasks. 

Pedagogy: a narrative was elaborated and recorded by students, in relation to works of art of their choice. 

Technology: Windows Movie Maker was used for the students to link pictures and recorded text. 

As regards, SAMR, I believe this would be close to the Redefinition stage, since the students would be using technology to perform activities that otherwise would not be feasible: the recording of the text to go with the images in a slides presentation. 

This is a most interesting case study! Here's the link to the teacher's blog: http://vickysaumell.blogspot.com.es/

Digital Play

To be absolutely honest, I'd never considered gamifying my class, since I'm not a player myself. Still, I do agree with the idea that games engage learners more than other activities may do, and their integration into our lessons may positively surprise as well as enthrall learners of all ages.

The game I've tried is HeroMachine, which I believe is useful for SS to create their Hero and use it later for different classroom activities. Almost as a sort of Avatar. My hero is TechnoWoman!
http://www.heromachine.com

On Content Curation

I've just opened my account on Scoop.it. Here's the link to it: http://www.scoop.it/u/agostina-spinella-trapani

It's my first experience with content curation and I'm still exploring Scoop.it. I think it's a useful way of following experts in different areas of interest and get their latest updates.
I'll be able to comment on this more extensively once I've become more acquainted with content curation.

Practising Speaking Skills through Webtools.

Audio recording and upload >>

I've tried Vocaroo for the recording of one of the activities me and my group designed last Saturday. I am aware that the volume is a bit low but I have been trying to mend it unsucessfully yet (and I don't happen to have a microphone other than that incorporated in my notebook).
I think it is an interesting tool for voice recording, and now that I am working with my students on a unit called "On the Phone", I figured that the dialogues I've asked them to write (be it phone conversations or answering machine messages) they can later record using this webtool and share it on my class blog.

Here go the other two activities we designed:

A. Using Voxopop.
Target: 6th formers, primary school.
Level: Pre-intermediate
Goals: improving speaking and writing skills.
Activity: Collaborative story writing. SS work in groups of five. The teacher gives them titles to use as triggers for the stories they are going to invent. The groups receive different titles. Each student in the group is supposed to write a part of the story (in two paragraphs) and record it. This is what they will upload to the class blog, with each section of the story having its corresponding picture. Once their story is ready, the whole story (pictures and recordings) will be uploaded for other students to check it out and comment on it in class.

B. Using Present Me.
Target: 5th year, high schoool
Level: upper-intermediate
Aim: enhancing speaking skills while developing the ability to deliver a presentation.
Activity: SS will deliver a presentation regarding their course of studies. The teacher gives them guidelines as to what information should be there. Their presentations should be uploaded to the class blog using Present Me to be shared afterwards in class.

Very useful webtools for the practice of speaking skills!

My Avatar

Here's my Avatar again!!

On Nick Peachy's talk about Web Tools and Apps

I think the tools Nick presents are most interesting. I chose to try the Infographics tool: Draw.io, because I don't have enough time right now to try my favourite one: the Video Email. I will most certainly try it soon and post on it when I do.

As for the criteria, Nick mentions: Digital Literacy, Price, Authenticity; Accessibility; Learnability/teachability; Registration; Learning Goal/Outcome; Prolonged use. 

I believe Draw.io meets all of these criteria and it could be very useful for students to create their own drawings and networks of concepts and ideas for the class.

I hope you can all see my humble creation this time due to time limitations!

Twister message 2

Twister message 1

My twister post! 

A case study and the TPCK / SAMR models.

Case Study 1.4: Talking books. 

In the UK there is an organization called EMTAS (Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service) that, in working with pre-school children with English as their second language, spotted a difficulty: they had under-developed speaking and listening skills.
To tackle this problem and help the kids' parents improve the situation, EMTAS chose 10 books for children and had them recorded by bilingual professionals using Mantra Lingua's Talking PENs, a site specifically designed for this type of work. They recorded readings and retellings of the books both in English and in the various native languages of the children. Each book was made available for parents to share with their kids.
The project was reported to be successful.

TPCK: Technology- Pedagogy- Content- Knowledge -- applied to my case:

- Content: the aim was to help these pre-school children improve listening and speaking in English, and reading comprehension as well.
- Pedagogy: books were recorded in both languages for mothers to work on with their children.
- Technology: online reading programmes were used for the recording of the talking books. Mantra Lingua is the site mentioned in the article.

Personally, I had never heard of Talking Books. I believe, since what we are aiming at is student autonomy in terms of technology, that it would be a good idea for us to have our students record not just stories but why not drama plays online! Then we could post the recordings on a class blog and share it with other classrooms in the world.

DIIGO

I've just opened my DIIGO account and saved some of my favourite links. I'd never used it before and I already think it's fantastic!

Here's the link to my site: https://www.diigo.com/user/agostinast

The SAMR model and me.

The SAMR model: four levels of technology use.
Substitution
Augmentation
Modification
Redefinition

Ruben Puentedura, the creator of this terminology and framework, describes "substitution" as the "lowest level of technology used", where "we are looking at using the technology as a direct substitute for an earlier technological form, without changing anything about it whatsoever" (Puentedura, 2006).

Even if in his talk he goes on to describe the next three levels, I have decided to only post on the first one since it is the level I am currently working at. I still have not been able to get to the Augmentation stage, due to the limitations in my working environment.

As an example of why I believe I am in the Substitution stage: instead of asking my students to write a brief feedback and reflection on a video we have worked on in class, I ask them to post it on our class blog. Instead of revising concepts that they have discussed already, I ask them to visit the blog and work on their revision from there. Instead of checking a dictionary, they are asked to visit the online dictionaries via their cellphone.

I would like to move on to the Augmentation level, but I know it takes time and resources. I hope I'll be able to do so soon!

Hi everyone!
Check this TED talk out on the use of video to renew our teaching practices!
Comments welcome!

Avatars: our virtual selves

This is my first encounter with Avatars, and I must confess I find it a highly interesting tool to apply in teaching. Not only is it appealing in itself, but it also entails a process of creation: when one is involved in making up one's Avatar our mind undergoes a complex process of reflection, I believe, about what and how much of who we think we are we need or want our Avatar to reflect. 

Apart from the creative aspect, the use of an Avatar can also provide a useful opportunity for those shy students who tend not to participate in class to voice their feelings and ideas, so that, if their class participation is hindered by their shyness, participation can be done through their Avatar in the virtual world. In this particular case, I am referring to talking Avatars, such as Voki. 

What other advantages to the use of Avatars can we find? Opinions welcome!

On this blog

This blog has been created as a site for my reflections upon teaching practices related to technology. 
I will be particularly including my discoveries and experiences with new software and how I believe these could be integrated in the classroom. 
I hope we can all enjoy this technologizing experience!