I found a .ning site designed for helping English educators connect with each other. It's titled English Ideas: The English Teacher's Network. Its URL is http://englishideas.ning.comhttp://englishideas.ning.com.
I would mainly use this site for grabbing lesson plan ideas. I will be teaching ESL, so the lessons would have to be modified, but the site could provide good jumping-off points. In addition, I might use this site to post open questions or concerns, or to establish collaborative relationships with other English/ESL teachers. One thing that is missing that might make this site more helpful is an .rss feed option.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Mod 4 Post #1
A learner is in one way like a baseball batter. (Throughout this example, I will use male pronouns for consistency.) A batter must make decisions about the ball that is being pitched to him. Is it something that will be useful to him? If it isn't, he should let it go without acting on it. If it is something that will be useful, he should act on it. Similarly, a learner today is presented with so much information that part of the learner's job is to decide what information is useful and what is not.
Before a person can go about deciding which pitches are useful for him, he must find a pitcher or a pitching machine. How can he find one? He may have a few different places in mind, and some are more reliable in throwing usable pitches than others, but batting cages sometimes go out of business, and human pitchers are highly mobile entities. Similarly, before a learner can decide which information is useful for him, he must have a way to find sources of information of the type that is potentially useful. He may have experience with certain sources (i.e., websites), but even the information on some of the more reliable sites is probably in a constant state of change. He can also go to different sources, looking for more specific and up-to-date information, but those sources may be fleeting. To find these, a knowledge of how to search is important.
Siemens writes that "the connections that enable us to learn are more important than our current state of knowing." In other words, being able to find information is more important than possessing a repertoire of specific knowledge. Further, he states in his video, "The Changing Nature of Knowledge" (deep embed) that "...it's not just what we know today that's important, it's our ability to continue to stay current as knowledge changes." To paraphrase, being prepared to find the most current information is more important than possessing a wide range of facts.
Before a person can go about deciding which pitches are useful for him, he must find a pitcher or a pitching machine. How can he find one? He may have a few different places in mind, and some are more reliable in throwing usable pitches than others, but batting cages sometimes go out of business, and human pitchers are highly mobile entities. Similarly, before a learner can decide which information is useful for him, he must have a way to find sources of information of the type that is potentially useful. He may have experience with certain sources (i.e., websites), but even the information on some of the more reliable sites is probably in a constant state of change. He can also go to different sources, looking for more specific and up-to-date information, but those sources may be fleeting. To find these, a knowledge of how to search is important.
Siemens writes that "the connections that enable us to learn are more important than our current state of knowing." In other words, being able to find information is more important than possessing a repertoire of specific knowledge. Further, he states in his video, "The Changing Nature of Knowledge" (deep embed) that "...it's not just what we know today that's important, it's our ability to continue to stay current as knowledge changes." To paraphrase, being prepared to find the most current information is more important than possessing a wide range of facts.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Reaction to Social Media Video
The numbers are huge but I'm not surprised. I was surprised that AOL Instant Messenger wasn't mentioned. When I was an undergrad, I was constantly logged into this program and so were most of my peers. I think I've been on twice in the past 3 years, and the number of people I know who are on this program is lower than it was a few years ago. To me, AIM was the biggest thing on the Internet, and I assumed that everyone knew about it and used it. When an Asian student mentioned she had never heard of it, and that she and her friends often used the Microsoft Network for the same purpose, it dawned on me that America Online might not be popular worldwide. Nowadays I hardly hear it mentioned.
Tangential:
One fun thing to do is to use the Google Trends site to see what words pop up in internet traffic at certain times. Within this site, you can compare to different internet traffic keywords and see if there is any correlation. If you compare "christmas" and "ipod," you'll see that both topics spike around the end of January every year ("christmas" and "ipod"). Interestingly, "ipod" traffic spikes just after "christmas."
Post #2
List of Internet safety tips for students:
1. Don't include personal information such as phone numbers, addresses, etc.
2. Depending on the type of assignment, blog, etc., it may be inappropriate to use your first name.
3. Before clicking on a link, mouse-over to see what the website address is. This may give you a clue about what type of site it is before you visit.
4. Similarly, if a web address ends in .exe, it is a program and is potentially something that could damage your computer. If the file extension is one with which you are unfamiliar, do a quick search (Google, etc.) to find out what type of file it is before opening it.
5. If you happen upon something that is inappropriate, simply click the "back" button on your browser.
6. Never post pictures of yourself that you wouldn't want your mother to see.
1. Don't include personal information such as phone numbers, addresses, etc.
2. Depending on the type of assignment, blog, etc., it may be inappropriate to use your first name.
3. Before clicking on a link, mouse-over to see what the website address is. This may give you a clue about what type of site it is before you visit.
4. Similarly, if a web address ends in .exe, it is a program and is potentially something that could damage your computer. If the file extension is one with which you are unfamiliar, do a quick search (Google, etc.) to find out what type of file it is before opening it.
5. If you happen upon something that is inappropriate, simply click the "back" button on your browser.
6. Never post pictures of yourself that you wouldn't want your mother to see.
Post #1
from NYS TESOL standards for grades 9-12:
Standard 1: Students will speak, read, listen and write for information and understanding:
If students are using blogs as a space to analyze websites and respond to them, then reading those sites for information and understanding is entailed.
Standard 2: SW SRLW for literary response, enjoyment, and expression:
If students are using blogs to respond to prompts related to classroom literature or if they are allowed freedom to post on their daily lives, this standard will be addressed.
Standard 3: SW SRLW for critical analysis and evaluation:
Part of understanding the world of blogging is understanding which bloggers are credible. By examining the blogs of other writers, students can develop the skills necessary to analyze information available to them.
Standard 4: SW SRLW for classroom and social interaction:
If students are permitted to comment on each other's blogs, this standard will be addressed. In addition, students can use blogs and comments to communicate with students in other classrooms in the school and beyone, as well as with subject area experts worldwide.
Standard 5: SW demonstrate cross-cultural knowledge and understanding:
One of the greatest cross-cultural communication tools is the Internet. This is not a uniquely American forum. Students who come from other countries may have experiences using Internet tools that are similar to the experiences of American students.
Standard 1: Students will speak, read, listen and write for information and understanding:
If students are using blogs as a space to analyze websites and respond to them, then reading those sites for information and understanding is entailed.
Standard 2: SW SRLW for literary response, enjoyment, and expression:
If students are using blogs to respond to prompts related to classroom literature or if they are allowed freedom to post on their daily lives, this standard will be addressed.
Standard 3: SW SRLW for critical analysis and evaluation:
Part of understanding the world of blogging is understanding which bloggers are credible. By examining the blogs of other writers, students can develop the skills necessary to analyze information available to them.
Standard 4: SW SRLW for classroom and social interaction:
If students are permitted to comment on each other's blogs, this standard will be addressed. In addition, students can use blogs and comments to communicate with students in other classrooms in the school and beyone, as well as with subject area experts worldwide.
Standard 5: SW demonstrate cross-cultural knowledge and understanding:
One of the greatest cross-cultural communication tools is the Internet. This is not a uniquely American forum. Students who come from other countries may have experiences using Internet tools that are similar to the experiences of American students.
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