EFL Classroom 2.0

The EFL Classroom 2.0 is a online collaborative network for ESL/EFL teachers. This is an excellent tool for teachers because not only does it provide lesson ideas and other Internet resources but also a forum where teachers can ask questions, provide these resources, or answer other group member's questions. The members of this group are active, you can ask a question and receive a response by the end of the day. I also like the fact that some of the resources of questions relate not just to lesson ideas but theories or concepts grounded in second language acquisition. To me, this means that the members are actively seeking knowledge to further their development professionally as an L2 educator.

Connectivism - Why it works

A learner of today is like today's cash register. The function of a cash register is to hold money, but there are so many different types of money from tangible dollar bills, electronic funds, or gift cards. Yet, the cash register still process all these different of cash from either making change for dollars or deducting money from your bank account. A learner is similar in the fact that are supposed to hold on to knowledge, yet there are some different kinds of knowledge present in our social environment. Learners are in constant interaction with new knowledge and attempting to fit it into our existing schema. George Siemens, the create of the connectivist theory, states in his article Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age from International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning that

Connectivism is driven by the understanding that decisions are based on rapidly altering foundations. New information is continually being acquired. The ability to draw distinctions between important and unimportant information is vital. The ability to recognize when new information alters the landscape based on decisions made yesterday is also critical.

This quote explains the fact that as a result of our constant interaction with new knowledge, learners are refining their own mental system to make sure that knowledge reflects what the current environment emphasizes or utilized. Learners cannot use antiquated knowledge. Siemens clarifies this point in his video entitled The Changing Nature of Knowledge. He says:

Knowledge is rapidly evolving. It's not just what we know today that's important. It's our ability to stay current as knowledge changes.

Just like the cash register from 50 years ago is a completely different system that today's, knowledge is also changing. What we know know may not have been known 50 years ago. Therefore learners need to be able to recognize and acquire new knowledge while it is still novel.

We are digital leaners!

After viewing a short video entitled, A Vision of K-12 Students, I realize the importance of using new technologies in the classroom and just how important technology is to students. The video breaks down the amount of time they spend per week reading books (2 hours) to the amount of spend on the computer (5.5 hours). Students are spending twice the amount of time on the computer than reading a book and they would probably spend more time on the computer if parents or teachers allowed them.

The main point is that students want to learn by using the Internet or other web based technologies. They want to use their Ipod to learn, they want blog, they want to create something on the Internet. We, as educators of these students, need to follow their interests. We need to reach out to them digitally.

The sad fact is, as the video mentions, is that a majority of teachers are not familiar with wikis, blogs, and podcasts and therefore, can not incorporate them into the classroom. I can understand now why this course has been designed and how it will help to educate this new generation of educators in innovative pedagogical tools on the Internet.

Safety Tips for Using Web Tools in Classrooms

Listed below are some safety tips that both students and teachers need to be aware of as they begin to venture into using internet tools in the classroom.

• Define appropriate use for your students. Most districts have a general set of rules that covers the most inappropriate uses for the Internet; however, some other concerns may not be addressed. These concerns may be different for each classroom but there should be specific rules as to what is correct and incorrect when using the Internet. For example, is it appropriate for students to listen to music while posting a short story to their blog? Is it appropriate for students to access their personal email, Facebook, MySpace, etc. while using web tools? Is it appropriate for students to download files onto the computer?
• To maintain student privacy use either first names only or pseudonyms. There should not be any personal information such as full name, age, address, pictures, phone number on the Internet.
• Maintain a safe space by avoiding rude, insulting, or derogatory language. All students must show respect for other users in their blogs. Likewise, students should be advised to avoid blogs or other websites that are deemed as obscene.
  
• Explain to students that the Internet is a public space and that what you put on the Internet can be viewed by everyone and that even if a student forgets about a particular blog doesn't mean that it is deleted from the Internet.
  
• Remind students that not everything on the Internet is the truth, just as not everything is the paper is the truth. Students need to be able to discern between fact and opinion on blogs. Even what is presented as the truth must be researched and referenced.
  

Using Blogs in the Classroom

After reading the first three chapters in Will Richardson's book Blogs, Wikis, and Podcasts and other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms, I began thinking of how I can use blogs in my future ESL classroom. Here are my ideas:

• As a tool for professional collaboration. As Will Richardson suggests, many educators today are blogging about the classroom 2.0. I could create a partnership with many other educators to share ideas and make suggestions on how to use various web tools in the classroom. Collaboration does not have to strictly stay in the ESL realm but can venture into the how the content areas (science, social studies, art, etc.) use web tools.
  

• As a tool for developing critical thinking in my students. A student could take a topic or current event that they are interested and find different perspectives on the web. Take, for example, the current health care system. We all know that there are many opinions on the web. Students can explore these ideas and blog about them. This would be a good way for students to begin to see understand perspectives and also create their own opinions on topics that interest them.
  

• As a portfolio of student work. Students can keep a record of all of their written work over the course of a year and reflect on their progress, goals that they want to achieve, or areas of weakness that may need improvement. This could also be a good tool for teachers to use as a tool of assessment. I think it would would be amazing to see an ESL student's progress through the course of their academic career in schools. I also like that the portfolio can be easily accessed by parents or administration!

I know that I only need to post three but here's some more!

• As a class portal or announcement page. I could use a blog to post about different information that I think students or parents need to know, such as upcoming exams or field trips. I think that sometimes it's hard to get parental involvement in the class, this could just be one way to let parents into the classroom.

• As a tool for professional development. I could post segments of lessons and post about what I thought worked and what didn't. I could ask for suggestions or improvements from not only my students who might blog but also from the professional classroom 2.0 community.