Japanese class

I have just read Julie Lindsay’s blog and I thought her presentation slide was amazing. I was really excited to read her blog – it’s a great opportunity to find out about Qatar Academy. I was impressed with the presentation 2. As people use mobile phones constantly now, in the future students might carry mobile computing devices around school instead of carrying their textbooks. I think having their own PC in the class is great idea if all technical problems, school budget problems etc are solved out. They can use them anytime and everywhere. Teachers can also focus on student – centered teaching, which will connect to the idea of ‘higher order thinking’. But if this happened, ensuring an adequate level for teachers’ computer skills would be essential.

I have just read this article. In terms of language teaching, I think the use of technology is essential. As you know ‘language’ is a tool of communication. As other articles say, the styles of communication have changed over the 10 last years. Getting information from the internet is more real for young people rather than getting it from newspapers. Also it is very useful when they study culture. For example, students can watch YouTube on sports, food and festivals in different countries etc. The visual image is really important when they learn language and culture. Different types of technology such as podcast, webquests, blogs and powerpoint can be used in language teaching and this will create a student–centered learning environment. However, I still think it is important not to overuse technology in the class. I think balance is important. Teachers should be aware of what is happening in the real world and use all kind of communication styles in the lesson. They have to satisfy the contents and outcomes in syllabus. Therefore, it is important for language teachers to focus on the idea of how people use four skills (reading, writing , listening and speaking) in real communication. Then we can think about the right kind of technology in the class.

I read Miriam’s blog and I found that Voicethread is wonderful tool for language teaching/learning. Students can look at a picture (eg: Japanese food, sports, family photo etc) and discuss what they think about this. As Mike Smith says, students can post their verbal comments and verbal tasks on Voicethread and it is good for speaking exam practice. When I was in ESL schools, I recorded my voice on tape and listened to it by myself, which was a boring practice. However, we can listen to other students’ verbal comments many times on Voicethread and can learn from them. I would like to see how teachers actually use Voicethread in the class.

I have just read this article. I am thinking about how I can use a Massively Multiplayer Virtual World (MMVW) in my teaching area (language). The virtual world such as ‘Second Life’ seems to be attractive for students. However, in real language learning students have to look at people’s facial expressions, gestures and hesitation etc when they are talking to someone. Because of this they can learn cultural differences (eg: intonation and gestures etc). Antonacci says we can choose our avatar and also we can change it. Also, he says that the students who have physical disabilities wouldn’t be looked down on by others in the virtual world. However, the students have to live in the real world and they have to deal with the difficulty and also we have to help and learn from them. If the students with physical disabilities found the virtual world comfortable, I think they would eventually run away from reality and start living in the 3D world.

Antonacci mentions the importance of the idea of constructivist learning. This is true in that students can create their own characters and stories etc. However, it is important for educators – especially language teachers – to focus on real communicative practices which connect to the world outside the school, not to the virtual world.

I have read this article. I found blogs are a wonderful  tool in terms of education. I actually learned the importance of blogs through this ‘edu blog’. I was not really interested in blogs before I set up my edu blog. However, it has motivated me to write and has connected me to people. I can also learn from my colleagues and can compare/share ideas with them. The idea of ‘publishing’ also makes me think about the contents of my posting carefully. As the article says, blogs are useful not only in terms of posting your diary or essay but teachers can also use it as a part of management (eg: post class times and rules, assignment notifications, suggested readings, and exercises. (Downes, 2004). This is a student centered activity (constructivist idea) so they can create their own ideas and can learn through the process of making their blogs. However, if teachers fail to set up a clear task (or the purpose of making blogs), students might find creating blogs pointless. So it is important for teachers to set a clear purpose and give directions at the beginning. Also, teachers should monitor their progress and give advice and feedback. I think if all students have opportunities to use computers, they should set up their blogs like ‘edu blog’ in the class.

I have just read this. As the article says, ‘Constructionism’ holds that learning can happen most effectively when people are actively making things in the real world’, I think it is important for students to learn something actively. When I was in high school in Japan, students were very passive. Teachers talked all the time and students were busy taking notes. I hardly remember any active learning (student-centered). The constructionist idea will help students think and find problems/gain knowledge by themselves. I think that giving opportunities for students to make (create) things is important so that they can learn from the process.

The idea that ‘‘from constructivist theories of psychology we take a view of learning as a reconstruction rather than as a transmission of knowledge’’ is also interesting. The learners construct the idea (knowledge) and learn by themselves. I think it is also important for teachers to participate in seminars for IT so that they can deal with students effectively. Additionally, I think that teachers should tell students the purpose of the activity when students use computers etc so that students know why they are doing the task.

I have just read this article – which is about WebQuests. I think WebQuests is a wonderful learning idea for students. As the article says, this can motivate students to learn something by themselves. I used the WebQuest approach in my practicum and my students really enjoyed it because they could use the internet and they could do the task at their own speed. It seemed that students learned more effectively when they used computers. The Webquest page at San Diego State University (http://webquest.sbsu.edu) shows clear directions for making WebQuests and this will also help students do the task because it shows directions step by step. Students can use their skills on computers. This is a good example of student centered activity. As the author says, it is important for teachers to focus on creating/making a task which connects to the world outside the school and will help students gain knowledge from their browsing.

I have read a posting on Naomi. I agree with Naomi’s idea. I was thinking about this when I was commenting on the article of ‘Does Easy Do It? Children, Games, and Learning’. Using new technology in a class is attractive, however students might think of it as a ‘tool’ or ‘toy’. They might enjoy using technologies but some students will not understand why they are learning and what they are learning. When I observed one of the technology classes, students were excited but some students were playing with the characters on the screen and did not focus on the task at all. The students might have seen the computer (task) as a ‘toy’. So, teachers should explain the purpose of the task clearly and say what they are going to learn from it when new technologies are used.

I have just read a posting on Kayla. I found this very interesting because she and I are from different generations and therefore we have different perspectives. I am generation X, so I clearly remember when the internet was introduced. I was working at the time. I liked using computers but it was something that I had to learn and use in at work, and it was not a part of my everyday life. I now use the internet everyday at work. Because of this I try not to spend too much time on the internet at home. The one good thing for our generation is that we know the balance and know the difference between old and current days. This might apply to my lesson in school. In terms of education, we can compare and choose the best way to make lessons. The article mentions age. However, I know many generation X people who have deep knowledge about new technologies, so I think it really depends on the person.

I have just read this article. I think the important thing is that the fact students like and are interested in the subjects they learn in schools. To get students interested in subjects such as maths, I think that using computer game is a good idea as a start. However, educators have to think about the balance in terms of teaching styles and learning styles. In the real world people do not learn everything from interesting games. Once they start working they have to read many documents, write letters and talk to people (customers etc). Using games for learning some subjects seems to be attractive but educators should also help students link students’ knowledge obtained in the classroom to the world outside the school.