Respond to this prompt after reading the required readings for January 23, 2o07. Respond on this blog by using the comment link below.
What has been your experience with blogs prior to this class? Are there any blogs you regularly visit? Do you have your own blog? Richardson describes the many potential uses of weblogs for classroom pedagogy and practice. Which of his ideas are consistent with the CALL principles and conditions for classroom learning outlined by Egbert? How can these help promote literacy for ELLs, as discussed by Cummins et al? Do you envision yourself using blogs in your langauge learning classroom at some point in the future?
(Response due 1/24/07)
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13 comments:
I have virtually no experience in blogging. I would have to say that I have a very thick accent in the technology world. That is why I took this class. The internet is a resource that is limited only by the imagination for ways it cam be used in the language classroom. The internet provides a very text rich environment and opportunities for the ELL to communicate in very real and authentic ways. I cannot speak to CALL as of yet because I still don't have the Egbert book, but it is not hard to see the vast potential of computer assisted language learning. I took this class specifically because I want to incorporate the computer into the classroom at every opportunity. I will use blogs and many other features computers offer for teaching English.
My experiences with blogging have been fairly limited, and all have been quite recent. I have read my friends' and cousins' blogs from time to time, as part of their My Space pages. I think blogging can be quite useful in the classroom if it is planned out and well-managed. There is a great amount of potential for classroom blogging to meet the CALL principles and conditions, especially in that it is interactive, but also respects the learner's autonomy, and it can be motivating and an efficient form of communication. That also fits in with the Cummins, et al. book. Another point it covers from the Cummins et al. book is that it can reduce the affective factors that may impede language learning. I like that blogging is an independent activity that links us to others with similar interests and that it opens up a way for people to express their reflections, ideas, and feelings on their own blog. I hope I can incorporate a blog in my future classes.
I have no blogger experience. I use the internet to look at world soccer, hip hop news, sports news, shopping, and world news, I also use it for school of course.
I also use messangers and skype to stay in touch with my family overseas. I got interested in computers when I heard Napster was going down. I want to steal as much free music as I could.
Now I am open to learning as much as I can about computers and I have taken 3 computer classes. I look forward to this class because this technology could become a norm in our classrooms.
In this day and age, technology plays a very important role in the lives of a human being, and more if we as teachers can incorporate it into our classrooms. Technology has the ability to benefit students regardless of culture, age, or race. Throughout human evolution technology has allowed benefits within various aspect of society such as education.
I have not experience using blogs, but I cant wait to learn new technology programs and putting into practice with my students. Using blogs in the classroom will promote efficiency, practicality, motivation and communication among other benefits. Bloggs will be very helpful and fun for my future bilingual students and also it will cover CALL’s ideology.
Honestly, this is the first time I hear this term, blog. Hence this is the first blog I have ever read. Now that I know what it is, I'm pretty excited to create my own. I agree with Richardson in that the potential use of blogs can transform and provide radical changes in teaching and learning. His ideas are most consistent, I think, in that communication would go beyond the classroom setting. We can interact socially, academically as well as visually across the world by blogging. I feel this can especially promote literacy for ELLs since we can focus on their home language rather than achievement in English only. I'd like to have the potential and expertise to use blogs in the future but probably more as a college professor. My experience working with teenagers and the limitation of resources tell me that there could be many potential drawbacks for using a blog at the high school level. It would need to be very controlled and use as a secondary teaching tool.
I have not had my own blog, but I have used the search engine of a blog site to find friends whom I have lost contact with years ago. It shows that blogging is multifunctional and definitely can be applied to the education field. For example, collaborative learning using blogs mentioned in Richardson’s book is an innovative way of learning. The fact that the author of the book Richardson’s students were studying became part of their blogging community has enhanced the depth of the students’ learning process. Using blogs to give opinions and receive feedback from others has supported the CALL principle that learners should have opportunities to interact socially and negotiate meaning. Trying to comprehend texts posted and express one’s opinions or reflection on blogs promotes authentic learning experience for ELLs. I think blogging is a great learning tool for both non-ELLs and ELLs. I definitely would use blogs in a language learning classroom.
Last semester for my paper in a graduate course in Gender Linguistics, I chose to look at German language blogs, and calculate the amount of English used by men versus women. So you might say that I have snuck up on Deutsche bloggers to learn how they use English words and phrases in their blogs.
I did set up an account for myself on Google under the name "linguistics research," and also on other blogsites. I have not maintained these sites, as, duh, school takes priority.
Regarding the intersection of Richardson's many ideas for stimulating thought and creativity compared to the Call principles mentioned by Egbert, the wealth of uses of blogging is a bit overwhelming at the moment. It would be helpful to review some of these ideas in priority order, in order to sort through what would be most useful for language learners. What are your ideas?
The engagement and creativity of blogging is great stimulation for students, who can express themselves without shame, and even autonomously on the blogg. How often have I received SKYPE messages in a "version" of English asking for a kiss, or more? It is clear that age is not an issue with these young people with fantasies from around the world! At least the author of these messages is doing his best to express himself in English.
This carries over into the vocabulary and reading difficulties which are highlighted as the crux of the problem for ELL's. The non-corrective, non-judgmental nature of the blog has the promise to allow the most tender of egos to acquire self-confidence with each entry. And not blogging is really not cool. . .
Not using blogs or other technological tools is a crime committed by teachers who are probably afraid of the technology themselves.
Thanks for this course which will provide all of us with better use of these tools in the interest in motivating our students to greater confidence in their academic performance.
Last semester for my paper in a graduate course in Gender Linguistics, I chose to look at German language blogs, and calculate the amount of English used by men versus women. So you might say that I have snuck up on Deutsche bloggers to learn how they use English words and phrases in their blogs.
I did set up an account for myself on Google under the name "linguistics research," and also on other blogsites. I have not maintained these sites, as, duh, school takes priority.
Regarding the intersection of Richardson's many ideas for stimulating thought and creativity compared to the Call principles mentioned by Egbert, the wealth of uses of blogging is a bit overwhelming at the moment. It would be helpful to review some of these ideas in priority order, in order to sort through what would be most useful for language learners. What are your ideas?
The engagement and creativity of blogging is great stimulation for students, who can express themselves without shame, and even autonomously on the blogg. How often have I received SKYPE messages in a "version" of English asking for a kiss, or more? It is clear that age is not an issue with these young people with fantasies from around the world! At least the author of these messages is doing his best to express himself in English.
This carries over into the vocabulary and reading difficulties which are highlighted as the crux of the problem for ELL's. The non-corrective, non-judgmental nature of the blog has the promise to allow the most tender of egos to acquire self-confidence with each entry. And not blogging is really not cool. . .
Not using blogs or other technological tools is a crime committed by teachers who are probably afraid of the technology themselves.
Thanks for this course which will provide all of us with better use of these tools in the interest in motivating our students to greater confidence in their academic performance.
January 29, 2007 4:40 PM
Hmmmm. Blogs. Nope, I've not done much blogging. The first time I heard of them was a little booth in the Blue Star complex. A couple of guys in their early 20s were demonstrating how to use blogs and discussing mini videos that people upload onto the internet.
I did not get into it then, until I attended a training provided by SAISD. The technology department had a couple of campuses that were beginning their blogging with classrooms.
Of course issues of confidentiality and anonymity were discussed as well as consent from parents. I requested that this program be installed in my classroom and while the initial steps were taken, progress was halted because my principal had a problem with allowing the students on the internet, in her quest for keeping children safe.
While I started up the blog, I did not maintain it. Perhaps the readings in this class will suggest other ways in which I can use the blog.
The trainers of course talked about the possible applications in the classroom. They also mentioned how the students became more aware about their work, especially when they had other people comment on it. Students tried harder to edit and put up drawings of their work with more detail.
In the classroom blogs can be useful, especially if other people give feedback to students about their work. Students would gain a sense that writing should be done for a purpose, and not just because they need something to keep them busy.
The only other place where I've encountered blogs has been in Myspace. My friends use their blogs as a diary. A couple of my friends actually develop ideas, but most just use blogging as one-liners to keep people updated on how they are doing.
I have never had experience prior to this class with a blog therefore I never visited on or have my own. Technology has a very important role in our everyday lives, I think this is a good way for students to communicate and for the ELL students it is a good way for them to practice their written skills especially if paired with a person who is bilingual they can learn a lot from each other. It is an interactive tool that teachers can use for their students, I know in being in the BBL classes that they always try to find new innovative ways for students to learn and this would be one of them.
My experience with blogs before this class has been rather limited. I have seen them in myspace accounts and other sources but I have never actively posted or participated in one. I currently do not visit any blogs with regularity nor do I have my own blog.
Richardson’s description of potential uses of weblogs is, in my opinion, quite consistent with the CALL principles and conditions outlined by Egbert. They both seem to agree that the potential blogs have as instructional tools is limitless when used with good pedagogical methods. Blogs are seemed by both as potential language learning tools that will enhance the learner’s experience by providing them with a variety of learning options.
The blogs can help the ELL student by complying with the four instructional components strongly related to language learning. These components include a longer amount of time for actual text reading, teacher directed instructional strategies, peer and collaborative learning, and an opportunity for one on one collaboration with the teacher. All these concepts seem to be in unison with the opinions of Richardson and Egbert.
Without a doubt, I see myself incorporating a blog as a language-learning tool in the future. The proposed benefits cannot be ignored nor easily disclaimed. It is my opinion that we, as educators, must use every available resource in order to give our students the best possible chance at achieving educational success.
I have been using a website called iwiw that is somewhat similar to a blog. Its primary purpose is to connect people who once knew each other. You need to be invited to iwiw by an iwiwer to be able to get access to the website. It will allow you to look up people, create your portfolio, and place postings. I like it.
I find it very intersting to incorporate technology into the ESL classroom - to go beyond showing movies and using audio recordings. I like the way Richardson points out the opportunities that wikis and blogs offer for languae learners to publish their works and learn the language in an interactive manner. I think this is what language teaching is or at least should be about - creating opportunities to produce the language in an interactive format.
However, I agree with Egbert in that teachers should use techonology with care. That is, it should be used as a tool to support effective language teaching.
Rita Radke
I really don’t have experience with blogs. I did subscribe to one in 2004, TESL-L for Research and Teaching English. I started visiting this site in 2004 because I was researching the ESL field. I am still a member; I enjoy reading what other teachers are doing in their classroom. I have found great web sites to utilize in the classroom. However, I don’t have time to read every single entry or participate and share my own classroom experience.
In my opinion, technology has to be used in the classroom, for young and older students. If students are not exposed to computers they are at a great disadvantage, because when they go into the working world they will be behind on technology.
I am planning to utilize the collaborative space web log in my classroom as indicated by the Richardson reading. This will promote interactions between students and increase their understanding for the language and most of all the students will enjoy doing something different and fun.
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