LABOR DAY WEBQUEST

viernes, 29 de agosto de 2008



Read the following questions and find the answers on the URLS that are giving to you below each question.


1.- What does Labor Day means?

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/labor-day/index.html
http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/laborday.htm
http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&content_type_id=59226&display_order=3&mini_id=1060

2.- How do people celebrate in different states?

http://www.nyctourist.com/labor_day.htm
http://www.kentlaw.edu/ilhs/watts.htm


3.- Find the words that are hiding on the word search game. Click on the URL to play.
http://www.apples4theteacher.com/word-finds/communi
ty-helpers.html



4.- Follow your teacher’s instructions.




FIRST BLOG REFLECTION

jueves, 28 de agosto de 2008

"TO GLOSS OR NOT TO GLOSS":
AN INVESTIGATION OF READING COMPREHENSION ONLINE
Lara L. Lomicka
The Pennsylvania State University
Language Learning & Technology
Vol. 1, No. 2, January 1998, pp. 41-50

So many times in my years as a student of English, when I have had to read a text I have found myself trapped in a word I cannot understand, and if the dictionary is not near, I misunderstood the meaning of an entire paragraph.

This article makes a review in the use of glosses as a tool for reading comprehension and explores different uses of them and the introduction of technology to improve their results (using images and audio to support the word meaning). The article also describes an experience with a limited group of students using this kind of devices. Although more research is needed, the data from this pilot study suggest that the use of multimedia annotations may aid comprehension and the development of a situation model.

In my opinion when students read a text, one of the most difficult challenges they have is to get lost for not knowing a word, when this happens students feel frustration and the work becomes impossible to solve. Many times the solution is going to the dictionary when it is possible but I think that the use of dictionaries interferes in the process of reading. Glosses constitute a good possibility to help our students in their reading comprehension and in the acquisition of new vocabulary.

Is important to remark that the use of audiovisual aids that help in the contextualization of concepts is very important and has a direct relation with our learners’ styles. The use of a software that provide additional help in the understanding can gives us, as teacher an opportunity to be multimodal.
The article: http://llt.msu.edu/vol1num2/article2/default.html

Working with inspiration



During these days we have gone revising different aspect concern with the language teaching and the use of technology in it. We have been learning about the relation between this two fields and how they can work together, we have knew also the different visions specialists have about technology in language learning. There's people who thinks that technology always provide positive effects (Technofile), there's others who believes that technology is not the answer and they try to avoid it (Technophobes). The third group is related with the believe that the technology should be oriented with the proper activities (Instrumentals), the last group are the people who thinks that we have to be more carefully in the use of technology, we have to consider several aspect that the use of technology can produces in or students (their social context).
Another important part in these class has been the opportunity to get in touch with different technological devices (websites and softwares, mainly) we have learn how to use them, and discuss about their application in the Chilean reality.

USING WORDLE



miércoles, 27 de agosto de 2008

About Facebook as a tool for teaching language

Facebook

URL: www.facebook.com

In the last days it has become one of the most popular sites in internet, with more than eighty millions of users worldwide and valued recently in more than ten thousand millions of dollars. Facebook is by now, the best social network in the internet.
I would use facebook as a way to interact with my students and also as a source of authentic conversation with native speakers, through facebook I can also create quizzes about grammar easily.
Here are some comments based in the possible application of facebook to language teaching practice:


Interaction:
With this social network students are able to have interaction at two levels synchronized and asynchrony through its walls and with the instant messaging application it has.
Authentic audience:
This website allows our students to have interaction with people from English speaking countries.
Meaningful activity:
Interacting with real audiences, student can develop their skills to communicate efficiently.
Exposure, creation of varied language:
It can provide opportunities to use language for several purposes. Teacher can search for different people in order to make students have conversations or write posts each other.
Right amount of time and feedback:
Teacher can help students outside the classroom; classmates can help each other with their assignments.
Motivating:
Facebook can result motivating for our students in the way it is a popular site in our country, everybody is in Facebook nowadays.

Comfortable environment:
As a site that everybody uses Facebook can be seen as a common place for students.

The drawbacks in this social system are paradoxically related with the great amount of functions it has and how this can results distracting for our pedagogical goals.
Lots of games and quizzes not related with language learning can easily caught our students’ attention.

.,-{´+¿'01!!!!



Starting something ...

If I had known that I have to write something about my experience here (in English!) I probably had prepared a list of the things that have caught my attention these days. (squirrels, crows, pawaw, the food) There have been several things, here everything is a little different from Chile, there's so much to talk about, but I have already wrote some things about this on my facebook, so if you want to read about my days just go there, I don't want to write all the things again. sorry :)
I think that I going to write here from now on.