Three Technological Blogs from Classmates

Podcasts (Heba Sami)

http://lincs.ed.gov/publications/pdf/technology_paper_2010.pdf

Heba Sami spoke about podcasts and their direct impact on learning languages. He states that it allows learners to listen to various audio materials and allows them to become familiar with the sounds and pronunciations of word (2016). With the widespread growth of mobile device users, people can tap into a body of knowledge and gain instant information. The ability to access multiple applications has become a thing of the norm and a level of connectivism has made communication and interactions between people countries away, possible (Tamarkin, Rodrigo, et. al., 2011).

This particular technology is very helpful for individuals learning languages as it provides an opportunity to listen to sounds properly. Language is learned by mimicking, repetition, practice and podcasts allows for continued rewinds and redoing which listeners can uses to mimic sounds and pronunciations of words and phrases. This can come in handy because the students can go home or practice at their convenience from any device that can access the particular application so when they do get in classes or have to speak they would have been listening and mimicking the sounds properly from these podcasts.

References:

Sami, H. (2016), Technologies to Enhance Adult Learning, Retrieved from: http://elgourbaguiheba.blogspot.com/2016/03/1-blogs-as-foreign-languageteacher-i.html

Tamarkin, M., Rodrigo, S., & The 2011 Educause Evolving Technologies Committee. (2011). Evolving technologies: A view to tomorrow. Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/evolving-technologies-view-tomorrow

Digital Citizenship – Using Technology Appropriately (Nancy Brown)   

http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/Home_Page.html

As children we were to be taught values and proper behaviors from our parents. The values we have now should extend into our classroom set of rules and a general understanding of what you are expected and how you are expected to do things, should be set. Nancy Brown highlights that it is important to create boundaries and rules to assist us in maintaining a positive level of communication to minimize possible offending (2016). This particular site expounds on this point for proper guidelines for developing reasonable expectations for decent digital behavior.

“Our intelligence tends to produce technological and social change at a rate faster than our institutions and emotions can cope with. . . . We therefore find ourselves continually trying to accommodate new realities within inappropriate existing institutions, and trying to think about those new realities in traditional but sometimes dangerously irrelevant terms.” (diFilipo, 2011).

We are in a constant state of change and some once accepted norms might become obsolete and offensive. It is important in classes to be clear as to the guidelines of what you want done and how you want students to behave for the best interest of developing a positive container and heightening participation and inclusiveness.

References:

diFilipo, S. (2011). Connecting the dots to the future of technology in higher education. Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/connecting-dots-future-technology-higher-education

Brown, N. (2016), Digital Citizenship- Using Technology Appropriately, Retrieved from: http://nbrownwaldenedu.blogspot.com/2016/04/be-good-boys-and-girls-play-nice.html

OER Commons (Yanmei Meng)

https://www.oercommons.org

If we are to advance in higher education, we will need to incorporate technology on a larger platform than we do now (Tamarkin, Rodrigo, et. al., 2011). We need to maintain and develop technology that will enhance the increased improvement of education and Open Educational Resources helps students and educators avoid the wasted time for searches and take them directly to the material they need (Meng, 2016). This particular search site allows you to search over 50,000 high quality resources and it is structured to be very user friendly. Open Educational Resources (OER) are learning an detaching materials that are free of cost and can be used and reused without the extra hassle of authenticity.

Students and teachers are in a constant need for materials, lessons, examples and the like to make what they do inspirational and authentic. I have struggled through site after site looking for simple examples to use in classes to help my students and OER’s help to cut the research time drastically and allows for authentic information to be used. This is indispensable for teachers and for students who need to find information on lessons, practice material or project information.

References:

Meng, Y. (2016), Open and Distance Education for Learning, Retrieved from: http://yanmeimeng.blogspot.com/2016/04/open-and-distance-education-for-learning.html

Tamarkin, M., Rodrigo, S., & The 2011 Educause Evolving Technologies Committee. (2011). Evolving technologies: A view to tomorrow. Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/evolving-technologies-view-tomorrow

Technology and Digital Citizenship

Digital etiquette in Education

https://www.brainpop.com/technology/digitalcitizenship/digitaletiquette/fyi/#tab=0  

This topic has been a very controversial topic for many scholars and educational systems. The use of texting and net vernacular has always been a particular point of consternation for educators and parents as they believe that it compounds the issues with their writing skills of children. However, like personal etiquette it is important that people participate in a manner that is positive, proper and relevant with the time. It is like speaking without the sound and certain rules apply that can improve the tone of messaging in any setting and to anyone. Whether it is knowing when to use the “caps” button or posting the proper emoticon, it is important that we have a grasp of how to speak to people over our net device.

I chose this particular technology because we live in a world where regular manners have become deplorable and people do not know how to talk to one another without sparking controversy. As well many people have become sensitive to everything and it is best that certain accommodations in messaging be known. We have numerous scenarios where we can have multiple people discussing controversial topics and a certain language should be used with supporting net emoticons. Schools have now adopted group work through the internet as a viable practice for education and learning opportunities for many different people from across the globe, so tensions can run high if a certain etiquette is not followed and misunderstandings can arise if people are not conscious of the use of this etiquette.

This particular site has a host of activities that make learning about digital etiquette fun and interesting. I think that a program like this at the beginning of your on line group centered class could help prevent many issues throughout the term of your course.  Just like the traditional classes where you have to put down rules for engaging in class discussions and group work, this site lays the rules for digital manners in digital settings. I find it to be non-threatening to egos and easy to understand for individuals who might not be as tech savvy as others.

Safety on the virtual playground

http://www.edutopia.org/article/digital-citizenship-resources#graph1

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/tool-weapon-addressing-cyberhate-classroom-jinnie-spiegler

                I found this topic to be very interesting as it highlights many things wrong with the use of social media and how people communicate. This site is about teaching people how to manoeuvre through and use strategies to handle cyber bullying and hate. This is a part of netiquette but I have to focus on it because our social sites have become a hotbed for flaming and postings degrading people. This site gives you a list of strategies and courses of actions on how to deal with and not support cyber hate.

                In our world of social media it has become very difficult to not see the constant defaming and bullying of people or groups of people. Many individuals have committed serious acts because of the bullying and hate being spread across these sites. In a classroom that uses internet groups it can be the same thing. A wrongfully framed post to severely criticize a comment by another student might cripple that first student’s drive to want to participate in the class.  It is just as easy to post a criticism in a positive tone as it is to do so in a negative one.

                This is very important in the classroom whether it be traditional or internet based. It is important to spread a sense respect for yourself and others when talking or messaging in discussions. This not only is useful in classroom settings but in personal development for the real world. Many jobs require personal interaction and a positive set of manners can be the difference between having a job or not. Plus in cases of bullying, we can learn strategies for handling events and not allowing them to affect us as they would normally have and at the same instance giving us an outlet as to how to prevent it from happening or continuing.

Technology in Open Education

Television in Open Learning Education

http://tojde.anadolu.edu.tr/yonetim/icerik/makaleler/23-published.pdf

                The television plays a large part in open learning classrooms as it is not only a valuable piece of audio visual equipment it provides other needed services for the learners. The television programs allows learners to gain instruction about difficult concepts in courses, provides for audio/visual presentations and communicate messages to learners in a more natural way than radio or written instructions. This type of medium also allows for a friendlier atmosphere for students who need a face to speak or learn from and motivate them. Downes states that we need to have symbiosis that allows us to share information and resources. That the killer of education and open minds is the stagnation of knowledge (2011).

                We are in the generation where the internet seems to have over taken the television like the television outsourced the radio, however the audio visual properties of the television, regardless of internet accessibility, has allowed it to remain a major player in how people learn. Young children watch Dora the Explorer and other children oriented programs and adults can watch programs that affect their knowledge on the television. Many of these programs spark motivation and arousing the attention of people to want to see more and learn more. Most people in the world might not have access to internet but most have access to a television and by having this it allows programs to be spread across a large range of geographical areas at the same time overcoming the problem of equality and imbalance as it allows instructors to reach a large amount of students at the same time.  

                I like using the television in classes as it provides a visual stimulation that could not be replicated on the blackboard. I have used it to play Shakespeare movies that if being read for the first time are extremely difficult to understand but by watching and listening to actors perform these plays, instruction and understanding becomes easier. Utilizing this medium is also efficient for presentations as it allows students to work together and produce an artistic work that should be self-explanatory.

References:

Downes, S. (2011). Free learning: Essays on open educational resources and copyright. Retrieved fromhttp://www.downes.ca/files/books/FreeLearning.pdf

Skype in Open Learning Education

https://education.microsoft.com/skypeintheclassroom

                Skype like many other programs has taken the place of regular telephone calls. This technology allows you to have real time conversations and share real time experiences over the internet. This particular program allows for teachers to do a host of activities for a class or classes of students. From virtual field trips to having guest speakers from across the globe participate in the educational process, this program inspires inclusion and a wide array of opportunities for learning to take place for both educators and students. Programs like Skype are soon about to render the telephone call obsolete (Downes, 2011).

                In a world where our students are used to instant access and response, skype provides an opportunity for this quick hitting, virtual classroom environment to happen. Students have plugged in to the internet world and skype provides multiple applications in the open education classroom.

                This program provides an opportunity to have classes in the “now” time and interactions happening between learners are similar to a real class. This video chat places a face on names and can inspire inclusion in shy students. This is a perfect tool to transmit presentations or share materials, cultures or any information pertinent to the development of the learner.

References:

Downes, S. (2011). Free learning: Essays on open educational resources and copyright. Retrieved fromhttp://www.downes.ca/files/books/FreeLearning.pdf