Dear all,
It is very nice to share my reflection of what we have learned in week III with all of you again. I do realize that we as language teachers in the era of technology have to inevitably rely on CALL. This week, I learn a lot from the websites suggested by Robert and my classmates. I can be able to create my own Delicious site: delicious.com/panidatasee to keep my favorite webs, learned about new perspective in teaching pronunciation, and known how computers are used to improve language learners’ four skill.
Following the instruction of creating Delicious site is not difficult. However, I missed one point. That is, I used a space bar when naming tags. Consequently, I had separated tags so I had to go backward to combine the words into one; I always learn from my mistakes! To me, the Delicious site is now like the big door of a house leading to other rooms.
Regarding sharing bookmarks among group members or social bookmarking, you all have numerous interesting and useful bookmarks. After having surveyed some of your Delicious sites, I tried some and found that they fascinate me to go further to other topics in the same site. However, using Delicious site helps me store my online finds and I am able to access the desired sites more rapidly. In addition, my students and my colleagues can share their favourite websites with me. I think this could promote learning atmosphere and rapport between teachers and students.
One more point I would like to share with you is that I am concerning with my students’ computer use. In class, we can set things for them to follow but we cannot do that when they are out of class. I am afraid that they might be virtual Internet surfer and might lose their studying track. At my university, some students failed in their studying because they exceeded the Internet games. With this respect, teachers play an important role.
Best,
Moo
Hello Moo! I like the way you identify the Delicous page with the Door into the world of Technology. When I discovered the Delicious page I found out that it is a great opportunity to share the links and gather the bookmarks into one list and moreover we decide what to add ourselves. Thus Delicious is a great opening for us all!
ReplyDeleteNice flower you submitted here! Blossom which is going to open like our course is just beginning to develop...
As concerns your students and the computers in their everyday life, it is really very important to show the right way in using computers and internet. I agree that it is so difficult to make them study online instead of playing games. It is really hard, but we should try to change the situation, make them like online English.
In my case I had been thinking long who to choose for working in Nicenet and it was also hard to define the right students as not all of them could like the idea of discussing the subjects online. Of course it is easier to work with older students in this case as they can comprehend that this kind of activity may be helpful indeed.
I support you in your activity! Good luck!
Hey Moo,
ReplyDeleteInternet gaming is indeed a problem for children at home because it's very easy to get addicted to it. However, one solution I found to that problem was diverting their attention from the violent games they use to more friendly games which expose them to more language. My favorite games in that field were Pokemon, Digimon, Final Fantasy, and my most favorite is the Avernum and Geneforge series found on the spidweb.com website. These are all Role Playing Games (RPGs) which encourage the students to read and widen their imagination.
I hope that helps,
Charbel
Hi Peritzat and Charbel,
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your comments. Peritzat, I agree with you that discussing on line (in English) is very useful because it enhances language and thinking skills. However, it is quite difficult for our students if they do not devote their time for their learning achievement.
I use Google to find 'Role Playing Games as Charbel introduced through http://www.play-free-online-games.com/games/games_rpg.html. Even the homepage of the site astonishes me. There are many fascinating games so I no longer wonder why students are easily addicted to the games. All in all, the games can promote language learning but they have to control time when playing.
Best,
Moo