38 perforated shelf edge labels
3 years ago
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Reading Response - Writing to Mean
Unfortunately, this article is an opinion piece with research done that was very limited in scope. With only two participants, it would be difficult to extend any conclusions beyond the bounds of this study. It does seem intuitive that writers would respond by expanding upon their thoughts given content-based feedback than when given form-based feedback. It is nice to see this hypothesis operationalized and tested. It doesn't seem to really get at whether question forms are more valuable for processing and revision than declarative feedback. It would be interesting to see the work expanded, and the researcher design research that would be more demonstrative of the efficacy of different types of feedback.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Blog # 6-Jeffrey and Jessina's Google Reader in the classroom
RSS Readers for Extensive Listening-Google Reader
Google reader is a tool that can be used to post anything and share with anyone. So a teacher can post a reading, podcast, audio, photo, really any media, and then share with the students in the class. The students can access this from any computer, anywhere and then can also write comments and share the comments with the teacher and the classmates, what ever the teacher prefers.
You can subscribe to a number of RSS feeders online. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication, it is basically a live feed of any new information. Here is a picture of what the RSS icon looks like;
You can also use the "bookmarklet" tool to book mark any internet page that doesn't have an RSS option, and you can include a note with what has been book marked.
The benefit of using Google reader in the classroom is the realia of the media used, interaction between the students, practice writing, discussion in the classroom, convenience, etc. One of the drawbacks might be whether or not students have access to a computer, but assuming that they do this is a great tool.
Below is the podcast of a dialogue between two teachers. One has experience using the Google Reader tool and is explaining the benefits and showing how to use this online tool to the other teacher.
Google's introduction to Google Reader can be found at http://www.google.com/support/reader/bin/answer.py?answer=113517
Google reader is a tool that can be used to post anything and share with anyone. So a teacher can post a reading, podcast, audio, photo, really any media, and then share with the students in the class. The students can access this from any computer, anywhere and then can also write comments and share the comments with the teacher and the classmates, what ever the teacher prefers.
You can subscribe to a number of RSS feeders online. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication, it is basically a live feed of any new information. Here is a picture of what the RSS icon looks like;
You can also use the "bookmarklet" tool to book mark any internet page that doesn't have an RSS option, and you can include a note with what has been book marked.
The benefit of using Google reader in the classroom is the realia of the media used, interaction between the students, practice writing, discussion in the classroom, convenience, etc. One of the drawbacks might be whether or not students have access to a computer, but assuming that they do this is a great tool.
Below is the podcast of a dialogue between two teachers. One has experience using the Google Reader tool and is explaining the benefits and showing how to use this online tool to the other teacher.
Now that you've listened to the podcast, here are a couple of bookmarklets to get you started-> just drag them to the toolbar of your browser and you are good to go!
This one allows you to subscribe to feeds on a given page.
This one allows you to share any page on the web with a note.
Google's introduction to Google Reader can be found at http://www.google.com/support/reader/bin/answer.py?answer=113517
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Podcast - Using Google Reader for Extensive Listening
Here is Jessina's and my podcast in which we discuss the use of an Google Reader for extensive listening. It is more about the pedagogical and practical merits of the tool than about its technical aspects. Check back in the future for a screencast demonstrating how to set things up. In the meantime, here are a few terms that will probably be useful.
RSS - Really Simple Syndication
RSS feed - a source for updates on a given website
RSS reader - a tool that aggregates feeds
Google's introduction to Google Reader can be found at http://www.google.com/support/reader/bin/answer.py?answer=113517
Share
Now that you've listened to the podcast, here are a couple of bookmarklets to get you started-> just drag them to the toolbar of your browser and you are good to go!
This one allows you to subscribe to feeds on a given page.
This one allows you to share any page on the web with a note.
Google's introduction to Google Reader can be found at http://www.google.com/support/reader/bin/answer.py?answer=113517
Share
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
VoiceThread
Robinson's article does not seem to relate directly to the concept of VoiceThread. Given his focus on interpreting the psychological states of others in managing communication, article seems to relate most directly to synchronous activities. While VoiceThread could be used synchronously, it doesn't seem particularly suited for that purpose. There are tools out there that might allow for asynchronous communication that would require learners to negotiate meaning and perhaps be suited for the kinds of tasks that Robinson discusses. I can imagine uses of Blackboard's Voice Presentation that could promote these kinds of interactions, but I'm not sure doing so would allow for the need for fluency that Robinson's concepts seem to entail. Am I missing something?
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Podcasts
The Learn Hindi from Bollywood Movies podcast provides a way of learning vocabulary while having a few laughs. The podcast includes audio snippets of dialogues from Bollywood films with a translation into English provided by the podcast host. One would think such a technique would be most useful at the beginning levels, but I believe that, for the intermediate to advanced learner, the podcasts serves as a way of refreshing words that may be fading from the learner's receptive vocabulary. The beginner would probably only benefit if he or she were a fan of Bollywood films to the point of seeing the film after the podcast or recognizing the film from which the snippet was taken. The use of humor does keep listeners going back - whether it is beneficial to their Hindi skills or not.
http://www.cuttingchai.com/HouseFull/
In terms of an English language podcast, the podcast I am most drawn to is the StoryCorps Podcast from NPR. The podcast provides authentic dialogues between people on a variety of topics. The podcasts are all recordings of pair of real people in which one person acts as interviewer and the other interviewee. The site offers a great variety of interviews. Most of these interviews deal with topics that are accessible to English language learners from a variety of cultures. There is enough background information written about each podcast for the learner to get his or her bearings before diving in. For those learners who need extra support, the transcript is available just a click away. This is not a podcast catered specifically to English language learners, but I believe it is well suited to their needs and provides a snapshot into the lives of real people that would be a wonderful springboard for discussion.
http://www.storycorps.org/
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4516989
http://www.cuttingchai.com/HouseFull/
In terms of an English language podcast, the podcast I am most drawn to is the StoryCorps Podcast from NPR. The podcast provides authentic dialogues between people on a variety of topics. The podcasts are all recordings of pair of real people in which one person acts as interviewer and the other interviewee. The site offers a great variety of interviews. Most of these interviews deal with topics that are accessible to English language learners from a variety of cultures. There is enough background information written about each podcast for the learner to get his or her bearings before diving in. For those learners who need extra support, the transcript is available just a click away. This is not a podcast catered specifically to English language learners, but I believe it is well suited to their needs and provides a snapshot into the lives of real people that would be a wonderful springboard for discussion.
http://www.storycorps.org/
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4516989
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