Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Online Social Media for Language Teaching and Learning

Wednesday, March 30, 2016




cup.linguistlist.org


Nowadays, young people most likely use online social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram to communicate with their friends. By having an online conversation or chatting, sending private messages, reading news can be done by on social media. Online social media itself is the relationship among users through the digital media to bring people together as communities. Social Media on teaching and learning is a new community where teachers and students do not have to communicate by means of the traditional face-to-face classroom environment. 

In my previous class in Advanced Listening Comprehension, my lecturer used the Edmodo as the online media learning. Edmodo is an educational website that takes the ideas of a social network and makes it appropriate for a classroom. Using Edmodo, students and teacher can reach out and connect by sharing ideas, problems and assignments. A teacher can assign and grade for every work that be done by the students. It is a safe environment because there is no bullying or inappropriate content because the teacher can see everything that is posted on Edmodo. It is a good educational website to collaborate within the teacher and students outside the class. 

The new changing way of teaching-learning environment in using Social Media brings about the impact of how the teaching-learning process and teacher-students roles. In teaching-learning process of Social Media, the teachers are combining between of online and formal teaching. They are assessing, reflecting, implementing and revising the online teaching plan. The teachers also need to provide the appropriate material related to the lesson plan and the online website that they used. 

With the social media integrated as the new environment of learning, the teachers’ role is less controlled. The teachers should be an instructional designer and the facilitator when the online course begins. They also had to be aware of a balance of flexibility of the teaching time and problem-solving tasks that might occur anytime while working on a lesson. The students have to engage the online task-based learning discussion. They also expected that the best online teachers must be able to provide useful feedback, advise them for discussion and encourage them to have critical thinking. In social media, it allows the students to overcome their shyness in asking questions outside the classroom and they feel limited by boundaries between lectures and themselves.

Outside the Edmodo, there are many of social media are being used for language learning and educational purposes such as Edublog, Moodle, Google Forms and Animoto. However, it is the teacher’s own premise to select what is the considered best to apply for their students. It might be the case that works best for others may be the worst for oneself. Teacher must be carefully monitored to avoid some misunderstandings in the learning-teaching process.



References Links:

Blended Learning

Wednesday, March 30, 2016


blog.insynctraining.com/enabling-virtual-learners-by-design-creating-a-blend


Blended learning is the combination of digital content and activity using a technology. It is a part through online learning which some element of student control over time, place, path and pace and the modalities along each student’s learning path within a course or subject are connected to provide an integrated learning experience.

Blended Learning Model :
•    Face-to-Face Driver
Face-to-face teachers deliver most of the curriculum. A physical teacher employs online learning in a technology lab or the back of the classroom to supplement.
•    Rotation
Within a given course, students rotate on a fixed schedule between self-paced online learning and sitting in a classroom with a face-to-face teacher.
•    Flex
An online platform delivers most of the curriculum. Teachers provide on-site, as-needed support through in-person tutoring or small group sessions.
•    Online Lab
An online platform delivers the entire course, but in a brick-and-mortar location often students who participate in an online lab program also take traditional courses.
•    Self-Blend
Students choose to take remote online courses to supplement their school’s traditional curriculum. This model of blended learning is extremely popular among high school students.
•    Online Driver
An online platform and teacher deliver all the curriculum. Students work remotely and face-to-face check-ins are either available or mandatory.

Teaching Roles :
The teacher or usually called as the facilitator focus on four key areas:
-    Development of online and offline course content
-    Facilitation of communication with and among students
-   Guiding the learning experience of individual students and customizing material wherever possible to strengthen the learning experience
-    Assessment and grading

Blended learning model uses the classroom time for activities that benefit the most from direct interaction. Traditional education (especially at the college level) tends to place an emphasis on delivering material by way of a lecture, while in a blended learning model lectures can be videotaped ahead of time so the student can watch on their own time. The classroom time is more likely to be for structured exercises that emphasize the application of the curriculum to solve problems or work through tasks.


References Links:



Thursday, March 17, 2016

Global Education Network (GEN)

Friday, March 18, 2016


http://asiasociety.org/global-cities-education-network/teaching-best-practices-around-world


New technologies and telecommunications networks have dramatically transformed all facets of life, from medicine to agriculture, entertainment to politics, and economics to service industries (Milken Foundation, 1999). The rapid development of global technological capacity and abilities create opportunities for students worldwide. Institutions and individuals recognize the importance of education to national economic development. Most observers acknowledge that there are barriers associated with technology acquisition and use, no matter what the intended purpose. Sometimes, in the restrict access for political reasons, as in China, for example. Cultural conventions often do not value outside information. A lack of knowledge of the possibilities associated with technology often prevents acquisition.

GEN is a strategy to empower the education entities and support on the learning leadership transformation to the third millennium education strategies based on the following analyzing, planning, designing, implementing, and developing strategies to greater education world.

Why Global Education Network? This is the way of learning that using technology to create global learning experiences. In Technology for a Global Early Childhood Education’s site, educators working with young children and interested by using technology in the classrooms. By creating global learning experiences, early childhood teachers have the ability to expose children to concepts of diversity, multiculturalism, and multilingualism at an early age.

The next question can be why we should use technology? Technology can be instrumental in creating global learning experiences because technology has the power to connect from one country to other countries and easily send the information around the world.
Our new challenge is how we can develop and use the information positively. However, there were many obstacles to prepare students for global education such as limited resources, language and lack of mobility of the students. The new technologies provide ways to overcome the traditional barriers to global education and language learning. The 21st century ushered in an era with the highest level of global interconnectedness in human history. We can access the information from the internet in anywhere in the world - 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. We also can communicate with a click on a cellular phone or a computer.

There are significant benefits to global education network:
1.    Improve language skills
Through the internet, students are able to communicate using their own devices peer-to-peer video conferencing. And it can be accomplished from anywhere – opening the world to students who do not have time or resources to travel. Peer-to peer video conferencing can create the opportunity for students to build an international network of friends and contacts. The contacts itself can help students to develop business, find new job, and increase their knowledge of other countries and cultures.
2.    Online classes
Students now on can have a class without having any room to learn. They can learn anywhere they like and the teachers can teach by using any media such as through Skype, Website or even social media like Facebook and Edmodo.

Using Online access tools provide many advantages to students including:
•    Choice
Large choice of tutors and others with varying ages, backgrounds, and geography.
•    Flexible and convenient scheduling
Wide calendar availability, on demand, cancellation policy
•    Pricing
Variable pricing, no contracts, trusted payment methods
•    User experience
User interfaces tailored for language learning & cultural exchange
•    Social attraction
Personal interactions that reach across cultures and borders for friendly fun while learning
•    Safety
Proper consent policy, policies to prohibit inappropriate conversations
•    Privacy
1-to-1 classes using secure video
•    Rating
Options for students to rate their experiences with tutors


References Links:
1.    http://e-teachingweb.blogspot.co.id/2016/03/global-education-network.html?showComment=1458117836732#c4136067453003231933
2.    http://horizon.unc.edu/projects/issues/papers/Veitch.html
3.    https://globalearlyed.wordpress.com/
4.    http://elearningindustry.com/global-education-%CE%B1nd-language-learning-technology
5.    http://www.edtechroundup.org/home/do-you-engage-in-technology-supported-global-education-practices-in-your-classroom
6.    http://www.getint.net/
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