ESL/L2 Acquisition Via Technology

As I am on my journey to become an educator I am quickly learning that technology can be used to enhance most educational situations.  I have chosen to study ESL (English as a Second Language) as my minor so I decided to research how technology could be used to enhance an ESL classroom setting.  I came across an article that advocates using technology to increase success in an ESL classroom and in language learning (L2) classrooms in general.  In the article, Technology and L2 Learning, Dr. Gianfranco Conti uses the terms “interactional writing” or “writership” to define how people communicate via text.  Forms of technology such as social media, texting, email, etc. can expand language acquisition as it requires people to communicate effectively without using language cues such as, inflection, facial expressions or hand gestures.  People use such inferences to create an understanding and such inferences may be difficult to communicate via text.  

“Whether we like it or not, the vast majority of our students communicate via social media or other forms of instant messaging. Hence, if we are to prepare them for communication in the real world this phenomenon cannot be ignored. Teaching interactional writing skills is therefore a must, in my opinion.” 
-Dr. Gianfranco Conti

The article also claims that “writership” is an important component of ESL and L2 as it requires a certain level of comprehension of the language in order to do so.  Using “interactional writing” in language learning settings compels students to give more meaningful and coherent responses and generates conversation.  By having students engage with one another through technology via an online classroom environment, they will be more enthusiastic about responding and they will simultaneously be practicing communication in the language they are learning.    An online classroom setting also allows for teacher intervention, editing and assessment.  I believe if students are able to communicate through writing the language they are learning, they will be more comfortable speaking the language, making it feel and sound more natural.

Trends of Education

Web 2.0 changed almost everything, which includes the way of shopping, the lifestyle, the education and so forth. In this passage, I will talk about the trend of education. Because it can change the path of country’s future.

There are five trends in education technology in this year. (5 Top Trends in Education Technology 2015) Four fifths of trends are based on the web 2.0, which means that online learning do improve our skills and knowledge. Nowadays, learning are based on self-interests. No two people are same. “Online competency-based training” and “Alternative learning styles” focus on self-development with different learning methods. Comparing to in class teaching at school, students can have enough choices to make a decision in which way fits them best. “Flipped learning technology” allows students to learn with their own schedule at home. “Online corporate learning” consolidates what they learn by themselves.

Also, the web 2.0 connect world into a net. Thechallenges and opportunities for global education.

In one aspect, technology enhances learning in terms of the analysis of data, science research, and so on. It also help us get access to excellent education, such as the lecture in Harvard Health College, University of Phoenix. Internet allow students to access to the top school without moving. And it also change the function of the teacher. In the near future, teachers’ role will be similar to the guider. The most important change is that students in poor areas also can get a high quality education as the wealthy family students does.

In another aspect, we need to provide more relevant skills to students since not all of students want to be a scientist in the future.

Should Computer Science be Required for High School Graduation?

Technologically enhanced learning is making its way in education as more than just a cool or trendy way of teaching and learning.  It is quickly becoming an essential part of education as it provides the Digital Native generation with the educational information they need in forms that they are familiar with using.  Simultaneously, it is allowing students to fine tune their technology skill set .  What about making their technological skill set the focus in an educational setting?  

According to Code.org there will be one million more cumpter science jobs availabe than computer science students by the year 2020.  The stats page from Code.org also shares that, “computer science can only count toward high school math or science graduation requirements in 27 states”.  With stats like these, I think it is very important to assess the importance of exposure to computer science programs as a part of state educational standards and requirements for high school graduation.  The typical subject areas in college preparatory schools (such as math, ELA, science, etc.) are studied every year, the comprehension of these subjects is evaluated, all in preparation for our future as college students and eventually leading us to our careers.  Why wouldn’t we do the same for students that might be interested in computer science as a major or career?  At the very least, all students should be exposed to computer science in an educational setting and ultimately it should be incorporated into the requirements for high school graduation.

I feel that the rapid increase of careers in computer science is due to a lack of accessibility and the underutilization of technology by educators and students.  By looking at this huge increase in jobs in computer science that is supposed to take place over the next five years, I think computer science should be considered an important subject area to make available as a high school graduation requirement.

The Technology Gap in Education: Advantages and Disadvantages

The Technology Gap in Education:

Advantages and Disadvantages

     There is no question that technology is becoming (if it isn’t already) a necessity in everyday life.  We are constantly using technology for the simplest of tasks without even thinking about it, it is as if technology is becoming a part of our human nature.  For example, I recently had a conversation with a ‘tweenager’ that told me they made delicious breakfast and they were able to do so by “Googling – How to make a sausage McMuffin” on their iPhone.  Though I do believe making a sausage McMuffin could have been achieved through a simple assessment of the ingredients, I actually had trouble wrapping my head around the fact that “Googling” this not only seemed to be an instant, almost natural solution but that the information was so accessible - problem solved in a matter of seconds.  The caused me to question, what about kids that do not have the same accessibility to technology?  Would 'Googling' to problem solve be second nature to them?  If there is a technological divide socioeconomically, I am certain there is a technological divide on an educational level as well.

The technology gap between schools of different economic means is a major issue, as a lack of access to and use of technology in education will inhibit students of the poorer schools from learning with tools that are rapidly becoming essential in everyday life.  This also impedes students from becoming comfortable with using technology and keeps them from forming a skill set that is normalcy to many other students their age.  The article, Digital Divide: The TechnologyGap between the Rich and Poor, gives insight to the availability of internet and technology of different ethnicities and the effect it has on urban/rural on an educational level.  According to the article previously mentioned, “Fifty-six percent of teachers in low income schools say that their students’ inadequate access to technology is a “major challenge” for using technology as a teaching aid” (Liz Soltan, Digital Divide).  Having suitable access to the internet and various technologies provides an enhancement to education and affords the students with this type of enhanced learning a significant advantage that will carry through the rest of their lives.  This divide causes an imbalance in education and leaves many students unprepared for their future as students and as professionals.  With technology quickly becoming an essential tool used in everyday life, it is a serious issue that so many students are at a disadvantage because of where they go to school.

Assessing Playrooms

        

             The idea of assessing a playroom seems a little odd at first but the playrooms in the hospital are a vital part of a Child Life Specialist’s resources. Recently, a new rubric for assessing playrooms and their effectiveness came out. The rubric for the playrooms is available here.

There are a total of eighteen standards that Child Life Specialists can use to assess their playrooms.  Some of those standards include room accessibility, hours and staffing, gender sensitivity, staff training etc. While some of these standards seem straightforward a lot of them tend to be overlooked. Having a set list of standards helps a CLS keep all the playrooms up to the same safety standards as well as provide for all of the patients unique needs.

       Budgets are not tight in hospitals but funding for CLS programs such as playrooms is hard to come by without a proof of need. When an administrator not well versed in child life sees a request for playroom funding they may not see the need as clearly as someone who is well versed in child life. A clear and concise rubric allows the CLS to do an assessment for all playrooms that can be turned into administration and show a need for more staffing, a larger space or whatever else comes up on the assessment. 

       
       Another reason having this rubric is so beneficial is the lack of materials available to CLS. Since Child Life is a new field there are not nearly enough assessment standards available to show progress in a child life department. Putting this rubric into play in a hospital would give further explanation on why child life is an actual need in a hospital which is a constant battle Child Life Specialists face. This rubric is only available online at the website mentioned above and has only been available on Child Life blogs thus far.

The Power of Guiding & discussions

It is universal to use the mobile technology nowadays, but if we study via mobile technologies without doing what you need to do, then we will learn nothing at all. In other words, we will acquire little knowledge if we study on the mobile technology without any study guide or the outline [Evaluationof Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning (Conclusion Page 48)]. So as for an educator, this information may remind us that we need to focus on guiding students how to use the mobile technology to learn by themselves.




Another opinion is that we need more discussions and more debates within others (WhyOrganizations Need to Make Learning Hard).This passage told us that when we learn something new and it is a challenge for us, we always think it is easy to figure that out by comparing new one to the old knowledge. As a result, we may not know well about the new knowledge. The reason why we fail to master the new knowledge is that we just thought we could, but actually we cannot. So a better way to solve this problem is holding a meeting or a discussion. Let everyone explain their own opinion about the new knowledge. Then they will learn a lot. So for education, this idea is provoking. Even though we have mobile technology to study by ourselves, we also need to share our opinions with others in order to get a better understanding of what we learned. As a teacher, they may need to add the group discussions or debates in class or out of school on Internet. Combing online study with peer debates could enhance our learning efficiency.


Guiding and discussions online can help students study well.

Reading A Story Is Fun, Making One Is Fun Too.

Choose Your Own Adventure. These were books that some of us may remember growing up with and reading numerous times. Selling over 250 millions copies between 1979 and 1998, they were not your typical books that started with a brief introduction, story starting on page one, and then eventually reaching the last page. These books were all about letting the reader have some say in how they wanted the story to go. And the categories to choose to read from were substantial, 184 different books to choose from to be exact. With the advances in technology, how fun and educational would it be for teachers to be able to allow their students to create their own stories?

Inklewriter is a web-based site that allows its users to create interactive stories, completely free of any overhead costs. The aim of the website is to allow the students to be the main creators of the stories, so Inklewriter was created with a user friendly interface. One of the really satisfying features about it is that stories can be created and the work fully completed on them, all without the need of signing up. It should be noted though that if a story is began and the creator wants to come back at another time, an account will need to be completed. Considering the age group of the students who may be using this website, the account creation process was taken well into consideration. A standard email address and password can be used to create an account, but if there are students who do not have an active email address, a unique name entered "@inklewriter" will suffice. Some of the other features that are worth mentioning are the fact that Inklewriter will relay information in regards to what sections of the story have been finished and what sections still need to be completed. When a student is finished completing their interactive story, they can then choose to decide if they want to publish it to the internet or to social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr, just to name a few.

In my personal opinion, I believe that there's a multitude of possibilities that Inklewriter could be used for. Not only does it allow students to use their imagination to create any story they wish to come to life, but it may also influence them to take a deeper interest in reading and literature. It also gives the students a chance to practice becoming more fluent in educational technology use such as learning to post and share their works online with others. For teachers, it seems that it could be a great tool to include in their lesson plans since the cost is completely free, as well as its use is very straight forwards and simple.

To get a better visual understanding of Inklewriter, here is a video that shows it being demonstrated. An ongoing and regularly updated official blog can also be followed as well.