PART B: Three emerging technologies.
1) I.W.B.’s
Being an older student, the introduction of new technology can be really daunting although I recognise that understanding application of technology will make me a more thorough teacher. That is why I have enrolled in this unit.
Years ago, I attended a parent/student orientation night for incoming year 7 students at a private college at which my son had been accepted. I remember being totally mesmerised by a demonstration of some new technology. At least, it was new to me. The Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) was a new feature at the college and I, along with most other parents, was fascinated by its capabilities for classroom teaching shown to us by one of the teachers. As he progressed through the many applications of the software, I heard sighs of amazement all around me. This thing was incredible! Everyone was experiencing the ‘wow’ factor referred to by Dudeney and Hockly when they explain that the IWB's ‘look and sound impressive’ (2007). The teacher presenting the demonstration was so familiar with the technology; clearly he'd benn well trained. And yet, he too was excited about the possibilities this technology offered for teaching and his enthusiasm was contagious. I couldn’t wait to have a chance to use an IWB and use it to teach ESL students. Now I have the chance to learn more about them. I look forward to the class in which we actually learn how they function. Still, it’s terrified anticipation!
What do you know about IWB’s? How do you use it for ESL/EFL teaching?
2) P.E.D.’S
Portable Electronic Dictionaries (P.E.D.’s) are used extensively in second language learning contexts. Is this a good thing? Johanna Stirling’s article titled ‘The Portable Electronic Dictionary: Faithful Friend or Faceless Foe?’ (2003), draws on various studies to present arguments for and against the use of P.E.D.’s in ESL/EFL learning.
Surveyed students consider P.E.D.’s a quick way to look up words; a convenient, manageable size and user-friendly. Some models offer audio functions for pronunciation and memory storage for search history. Students also identified negative aspects. No English to English dictionary function on some models was one problem although Stirling noted that even the few students that could access this function (a bilingual application where students type a word in English and get both a translation into their L1 and a definition and sometimes, some synonyms) still looked first and foremost to the L1 translation. Learners also suggested insufficient examples of contextual use are given and while some explanations were ‘over-simplified’ (2003) other words were given too many definitions which confused rather than clarifying contexts. Lastly, some admitted that the audio function produced inauthentic pronunciation and that many functions claimed by the manufacturer were seldom used.
Five positive points were made by the teachers that were surveyed. First, they acknowledged that students could check definitions and translations fairly quickly. Secondly, seeing L1 translations gave students a sense of confidence and therefore improved affective factors of learning such as motivation. The improving autonomy of learners as they used their P.E.D.’s to solve misunderstanding or non-comprehension of words or concepts was identified. Further, the use of these devices encouraged the use of dictionaries as a resource in general applications and finally, using P.E.D.’s is better than students remaining confused about what was being taught.
Several disadvantages to P.E.D. use, some of which were identified by students, were recognised by the surveyed teachers. Many believed that the use of, and the noise produced by P.E.D.’s created distractions for everyone in the class. Some students became over-reliant on their P.E.D.’s resulting in their lack of concentration and class participation. P.E.D.’s often produced inaccurate, sometimes innumerable meanings for words and lacked aspects such as collocations and intelligible pronunciation from native speakers which led learners to incorrect application. Finally, the teachers believed that P.E.D.’s were deficient compared to the amount of information provided in paper dictionaries.
Read the Stirling article at http://www.elgweb.net/ped-article.html#_edn1 and add your opinion about P.E.D.’s in an ESL/EFL context.
3) ePortfolios
As I am aiming to teach adults in ESL or EFL contexts, scales of achievement, particularly those used by TAFE colleges – the CSWE scales, have become familiar to me. I believe they present the opportunity for accurate and unimposing assessment of learner achievement through a continual collection of work samples collated into a portfolio. In the modern classroom this task becomes more interesting for students and teachers alike through the implementation of electronic portfolios (ePortfolios).
Dudeney and Hockly (2007) explain that ePortfolios are advantageous over paper versions because they can include electronic media such as video, audio including music, blogs, websites and documents. Powerpoint and other presentations on IWB’s can be saved and posted to ePortfolios. Electronic applications are limitless and any computer-assisted classroom tasks can be saved and posted to the ePortfolio for more convenient, summative assessment by the teacher or external assessors.
An ePortfolio continues to grow as the author progresses through courses and other life experiences. It can be sent quickly to interested parties within or outside the educational institution; such as prospective employers. It can show a person’s skills and attributes in a range of areas not reflected by straight out test scores and can demonstrate such skills as group/team work and a record of the owner’s reflections on stages of achievement. On the other hand, it can be limited to elements collaboratively chosen by teacher and learner for assessment of specific outcomes. Dudeney and Hockly (2007) advise that free software packages are available to guide the creation of ePortfolios. They point out that ePortfolios are able to be kept private and access allowed only with the permission of the owner.
ePortfolios are convenient and efficient methods of storing achievements for assessment purposes, employment opportunities and self-reflection and analysis. ePortfolios are an ideal application for ESL/EFL contexts.
Pebble Pad is one software program available for creating ePortfolios. The website has a great range of videos describing the many applications it provides. You can browse this site at http://www.pebblepad.com/about.asp
References:
For part B of Assignment 2, the only resource accessed, apart from the websites listed at the conclusion of each identified technology, was:
Dudeney, G and Hockly, N 2007 how to teach English with technology. Pearson Education Limited. Essex, England.
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