Thursday, March 25, 2010
Reading Response Nine
Reading Prompt #9
BLACKBOARD - Barbierie, F. (2005). What is Corpus Linguistics?
Essential Teacher (Compleat Links).
BLACKBOARD - Conrad, S. (2000). Will Corpus Linguistics
Revolutionize Grammar Teaching in the 21st Century? TESOL Quarterly, 34(3), 548-560.
What is Corpus Linguistics? And why are some language teachers so excited about it? What applications can you envision for your current or future classroom?
"Corpus Linguistics, the empirical study of language relying on computer assisted techniques to anaglyze large, principle databases of naturally occurring language." (Conrad p. 548) An example of Corpus Linguistics is a concordancer. The advantage to Corpus Linguistics in teaching grammar is that, as a teacher, you can show your students how grammar is used as a natural occurance in spoken language, because how we speak the language is often different from how we would write it. Also, language is used differently in different written settings; such as newspaper writing, novel writing, or academic writing. By using Corpus Linguistics we can see how grammar and language are used in the spoken form. I believe this broadens the use of grammatical forms for our students, and they won't be bound to learning just the way grammar is used in it's written form. As a teacher, Corpus Linguistics and Concordancers give us a great advantage. We can illustrate to our students the many uses of grammar in the spoken language. We can also compare for them written uses and spoken uses. This may be helpful for them academically.
BLACKBOARD - Barbierie, F. (2005). What is Corpus Linguistics?
Essential Teacher (Compleat Links).
BLACKBOARD - Conrad, S. (2000). Will Corpus Linguistics
Revolutionize Grammar Teaching in the 21st Century? TESOL Quarterly, 34(3), 548-560.
What is Corpus Linguistics? And why are some language teachers so excited about it? What applications can you envision for your current or future classroom?
"Corpus Linguistics, the empirical study of language relying on computer assisted techniques to anaglyze large, principle databases of naturally occurring language." (Conrad p. 548) An example of Corpus Linguistics is a concordancer. The advantage to Corpus Linguistics in teaching grammar is that, as a teacher, you can show your students how grammar is used as a natural occurance in spoken language, because how we speak the language is often different from how we would write it. Also, language is used differently in different written settings; such as newspaper writing, novel writing, or academic writing. By using Corpus Linguistics we can see how grammar and language are used in the spoken form. I believe this broadens the use of grammatical forms for our students, and they won't be bound to learning just the way grammar is used in it's written form. As a teacher, Corpus Linguistics and Concordancers give us a great advantage. We can illustrate to our students the many uses of grammar in the spoken language. We can also compare for them written uses and spoken uses. This may be helpful for them academically.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Reading Response Eight
Reading Prompt #8
*Levy – Ch. 4 Computer Mediated Communication
*BLACKBOARD – Sauro, S. (2009). Computer-Mediated Corrective Feedback and the Development of L2 Grammar. Language Learning & Technology, 13(1), 96-120.
What are some of the technologies used for CMC? What are some of the promising features of CMC for language learning. Comment on any of your uses of these technologies, in particular if you have used any of them for language learning or practice purposes. Finally, comment on the findings of Dr. Sauro's research, and what the implications may be for future practice.
Email, chat, Moo's, conferencing,and mailing lists are examples of CMC or Computer Mediated Communication. My favorite of these are email and chat. Emailing someone who is a native speaker of your target language is a good way of practicing literacy. The book states that, "perhaps the most commonly cited advantages of e-mail as a learning tool are taht it provides access to authentic langauge and serves as a means of learning more about the target culture." (Levy p.86) All this in your own time without the worries of meeting for class.
Chat is done in real time. It is probably a more difficult medium to deal with, but has many advantages. "Because of the real-time interaction of chat in which participants negotiate meaning by modifying the input and output and responding to feedback, meaning by modifying the input and output and responding to feedback." (Levy p.89)
Both mediums are great tools for second language learning.
*Levy – Ch. 4 Computer Mediated Communication
*BLACKBOARD – Sauro, S. (2009). Computer-Mediated Corrective Feedback and the Development of L2 Grammar. Language Learning & Technology, 13(1), 96-120.
What are some of the technologies used for CMC? What are some of the promising features of CMC for language learning. Comment on any of your uses of these technologies, in particular if you have used any of them for language learning or practice purposes. Finally, comment on the findings of Dr. Sauro's research, and what the implications may be for future practice.
Email, chat, Moo's, conferencing,and mailing lists are examples of CMC or Computer Mediated Communication. My favorite of these are email and chat. Emailing someone who is a native speaker of your target language is a good way of practicing literacy. The book states that, "perhaps the most commonly cited advantages of e-mail as a learning tool are taht it provides access to authentic langauge and serves as a means of learning more about the target culture." (Levy p.86) All this in your own time without the worries of meeting for class.
Chat is done in real time. It is probably a more difficult medium to deal with, but has many advantages. "Because of the real-time interaction of chat in which participants negotiate meaning by modifying the input and output and responding to feedback, meaning by modifying the input and output and responding to feedback." (Levy p.89)
Both mediums are great tools for second language learning.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Response Seven
Reading Prompt #7
*LEVY – Ch. 7 Practice
*BLACKBOARD - Grgurović, M. & Hegelheimer, V. (2007). Help Options and Multimedia Listening: Students' Use of Subtitles and the Transcript. Language Learning & Technology, 11(1), 45-66. What did Grgurović & Hegelheimer find with regards to using subtitles and transcripts to help ESL students develop listening skills in English? What are some of the implications for instruction?
From your reading of Levy, comment on one or more of the issues related to the practice dimension of CALL what you would want to take into consideration for your own classroom.
The article is a study of the use of subtitles and transcripts when using multi-media materials in the classroom; for the use of teachers using CALL materials and for the software designers who design them. The participants were 18 ESL college students in an Academic English Listening class. The students were divided into two groups: higher intermediate and lower intermediate. The conclusion to the study showed that students used subtitles more than transcripts. “The higher proficiency group also used subtitles more frequently and for longer amounts of time than the lower proficiency group although both groups exhibited very similar behavior on the transcript.” (Grgurovic and Hegelheimer, p. 61)
I believe this study was very effective. They looked at other studies using Multimedia Listening and Help options before they conducted their study. This gave them a framework to start from, and they were able to design their study without some of the problems the other studies faced. For example, Pujola’s study was unable to draw any concrete conclusions because of the idiosyncratic behavior of his participants. The study can also prove helpful for ESL CALL instructors in designing their curriculum, as well as software designers.
I would take into consideration the outcome of this study when designing curriculum for my own classroom. Although I have no teaching experience to draw from, the conclusion of the study and my growing knowledge of CALL materials, I believe the use of Multimedia Listening and Help options are invaluable for a Listening class. I would also use the conclusion of the study as a guide in learning a second language myself; incorporating the use of subtitles in my multimedia studies.
The article generates ideas such as how to look at other studies when coming up with a study of one’s own, how to incorporate multimedia listening into your classroom to teach listening and proficiency, and to guide students into using the help option. Most of all, the article outlined the effectiveness of subtitles in the classroom when teaching listening.
In Levy, his description of Listening through the use of technology showed that when students used annotations and sound bites of the passage to decipher a passage, they were able translate the passage. With more options to use annotations the learners had a higher opinion of the exercise. Those with fewer annotations or none at all, had a lower opinion of the activity.
*LEVY – Ch. 7 Practice
*BLACKBOARD - Grgurović, M. & Hegelheimer, V. (2007). Help Options and Multimedia Listening: Students' Use of Subtitles and the Transcript. Language Learning & Technology, 11(1), 45-66. What did Grgurović & Hegelheimer find with regards to using subtitles and transcripts to help ESL students develop listening skills in English? What are some of the implications for instruction?
From your reading of Levy, comment on one or more of the issues related to the practice dimension of CALL what you would want to take into consideration for your own classroom.
The article is a study of the use of subtitles and transcripts when using multi-media materials in the classroom; for the use of teachers using CALL materials and for the software designers who design them. The participants were 18 ESL college students in an Academic English Listening class. The students were divided into two groups: higher intermediate and lower intermediate. The conclusion to the study showed that students used subtitles more than transcripts. “The higher proficiency group also used subtitles more frequently and for longer amounts of time than the lower proficiency group although both groups exhibited very similar behavior on the transcript.” (Grgurovic and Hegelheimer, p. 61)
I believe this study was very effective. They looked at other studies using Multimedia Listening and Help options before they conducted their study. This gave them a framework to start from, and they were able to design their study without some of the problems the other studies faced. For example, Pujola’s study was unable to draw any concrete conclusions because of the idiosyncratic behavior of his participants. The study can also prove helpful for ESL CALL instructors in designing their curriculum, as well as software designers.
I would take into consideration the outcome of this study when designing curriculum for my own classroom. Although I have no teaching experience to draw from, the conclusion of the study and my growing knowledge of CALL materials, I believe the use of Multimedia Listening and Help options are invaluable for a Listening class. I would also use the conclusion of the study as a guide in learning a second language myself; incorporating the use of subtitles in my multimedia studies.
The article generates ideas such as how to look at other studies when coming up with a study of one’s own, how to incorporate multimedia listening into your classroom to teach listening and proficiency, and to guide students into using the help option. Most of all, the article outlined the effectiveness of subtitles in the classroom when teaching listening.
In Levy, his description of Listening through the use of technology showed that when students used annotations and sound bites of the passage to decipher a passage, they were able translate the passage. With more options to use annotations the learners had a higher opinion of the exercise. Those with fewer annotations or none at all, had a lower opinion of the activity.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Reading Response Five
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Reading Prompt #5
•RICHARDSON Ch. 8. Podcasting, Video and Screencasting, Live Streaming: Multimedia Publishing for the Masses
•BLACKBOARD - McQuillan, J. (2006). iPods in Education: The Potential for Language Acquisition
•BLACKBOARD – Stansbury, M. (2009). iPods help ESL Students Achieve Success. eSchool News (May 11).
Do you have an iPod or another type of .mp3 player? If so, have you used it or anything other than listening to your own music, such as downloading and listening to podcasts? Note some of the points McQuillan made about how podcasting can support second language learning. Which of the ideas from the readings would you be interested in trying out in your own classroom?
I have an iPod, but I have never listened to a podcast. Although, now I am interested in doing so. I really liked the article about Poli, and how she used iPods in her classroom. I can see a real advantage in using iPods in the classroom. I liked how she created exercises using music for all different levels of students.
McQuillan's article on using iPods for second language acquisition was very interesting. He talked about comprehensible input being an important aspect of second language acquisition. He also talked about a state of flow. Here are some of McQuillan's suggestions for teaching a second language,
"• Slowing the rate of speech
• Providing contextual support for language
• Using vocabulary appropriate to the student’s level
• Building on the student’s existing background knowledge
• Fostering a comfortable environment
• Encouraging identification with people who speak the target language
• Creating a topic-driven rather than a grammar-based syllabus"
I thought these were good ideas to foster second language acquisition. Some of these points can be supported with the use of an iPod, for example, "providing contextual support for language, and building on the student's existing background knowledge".
Besides using iPods in the classroom, I liked the idea of using podcasts, and am excited about creating on for our blogs. This is something I would really like to incorporate in my own personal blog, as well. Over all, I really enjoyed the readings for tonight's class.
Reading Prompt #5
•RICHARDSON Ch. 8. Podcasting, Video and Screencasting, Live Streaming: Multimedia Publishing for the Masses
•BLACKBOARD - McQuillan, J. (2006). iPods in Education: The Potential for Language Acquisition
•BLACKBOARD – Stansbury, M. (2009). iPods help ESL Students Achieve Success. eSchool News (May 11).
Do you have an iPod or another type of .mp3 player? If so, have you used it or anything other than listening to your own music, such as downloading and listening to podcasts? Note some of the points McQuillan made about how podcasting can support second language learning. Which of the ideas from the readings would you be interested in trying out in your own classroom?
I have an iPod, but I have never listened to a podcast. Although, now I am interested in doing so. I really liked the article about Poli, and how she used iPods in her classroom. I can see a real advantage in using iPods in the classroom. I liked how she created exercises using music for all different levels of students.
McQuillan's article on using iPods for second language acquisition was very interesting. He talked about comprehensible input being an important aspect of second language acquisition. He also talked about a state of flow. Here are some of McQuillan's suggestions for teaching a second language,
"• Slowing the rate of speech
• Providing contextual support for language
• Using vocabulary appropriate to the student’s level
• Building on the student’s existing background knowledge
• Fostering a comfortable environment
• Encouraging identification with people who speak the target language
• Creating a topic-driven rather than a grammar-based syllabus"
I thought these were good ideas to foster second language acquisition. Some of these points can be supported with the use of an iPod, for example, "providing contextual support for language, and building on the student's existing background knowledge".
Besides using iPods in the classroom, I liked the idea of using podcasts, and am excited about creating on for our blogs. This is something I would really like to incorporate in my own personal blog, as well. Over all, I really enjoyed the readings for tonight's class.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Reading Response Four
Reading Prompt #4
* LEVY – Ch. 2. Design
* RICHARDSON Ch. 5. RSS: The New Killer App for Educators
Comment one one or two issues raised by Levy and Stockwell CALL educators must think about when it comes to the design of CALL products. Then, comment on what types of RSS feeds you might be interested in using with students or following yourself.
"The point where one begins in design is critical. Whether it is a theory, pedagogical model, course or syllabus, task, exercise, language skill, technology, or some kind of mix, the whole design unfolds from that point on." (Call Dimensions, Levy p.12)
The idea of language teachers being designers is an exciting one. It means that we can design our classes as creatively as we like. Using technology as a design tool is also very cool. I like what the book says about including the students in our design process so that they will have a chance to see the technology the way that we do.(p.14) I think that goes back to the article by Soares about her blogging experience with her class. The more time she gave in class for the students to blog the more they took part in the project. I think including students in the design of the class blog or of their individual blogs will enhance the learning experience. This leads into using RSS feeds. Rss feeds are a tool for the classroom that is valuable to teacher and students. The teacher is able to include all her student's blogs on her RSS feed enabling her to look at them and respond to them. Giving your students an RSS feed to use when doing research for a project not only ensures safety for young students while surfing the web, it allows students to have a 24/7 news feed to a particular subject.
* LEVY – Ch. 2. Design
* RICHARDSON Ch. 5. RSS: The New Killer App for Educators
Comment one one or two issues raised by Levy and Stockwell CALL educators must think about when it comes to the design of CALL products. Then, comment on what types of RSS feeds you might be interested in using with students or following yourself.
"The point where one begins in design is critical. Whether it is a theory, pedagogical model, course or syllabus, task, exercise, language skill, technology, or some kind of mix, the whole design unfolds from that point on." (Call Dimensions, Levy p.12)
The idea of language teachers being designers is an exciting one. It means that we can design our classes as creatively as we like. Using technology as a design tool is also very cool. I like what the book says about including the students in our design process so that they will have a chance to see the technology the way that we do.(p.14) I think that goes back to the article by Soares about her blogging experience with her class. The more time she gave in class for the students to blog the more they took part in the project. I think including students in the design of the class blog or of their individual blogs will enhance the learning experience. This leads into using RSS feeds. Rss feeds are a tool for the classroom that is valuable to teacher and students. The teacher is able to include all her student's blogs on her RSS feed enabling her to look at them and respond to them. Giving your students an RSS feed to use when doing research for a project not only ensures safety for young students while surfing the web, it allows students to have a 24/7 news feed to a particular subject.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
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