Here is my screencast video explaining how to complete the online homework assignments for my students. Enjoy!
10/28/13
Post 5 - Building Good Search Skills: What Students Need to Know
The article that I read was written by Tasha Bergson-Michelson and the title is listed in the post title above. She brings up some good points about how a lot of teachers assign projects for students and assume that the students are fully versed in proper search techniques. More often than not, students head to the tried and true online search engine of their choice and do one search, click on the first link that pops up and that becomes their point of reference for their research project. Some students may scroll down further or make another attempt at searching for more specific information, but few are capable of doing a more in depth analysis such as using advanced search options.
I would have to agree that this is certainly a real issue that is worthy of attention. After doing a quick search I discovered a helpful site called studyvibe which is a great source for how to use web 2.0 tools to conduct research online. This is something that I am going to start introducing to my students to help them with their research products in my class as well as their other classes. The best part about this site is that it also talks about copyright and creative commons which I can use to make students aware of how to make use of pictures legally when they make presentations.
By the way, if you're like me and could use a refresher course in searchonomics check out this link.
I would have to agree that this is certainly a real issue that is worthy of attention. After doing a quick search I discovered a helpful site called studyvibe which is a great source for how to use web 2.0 tools to conduct research online. This is something that I am going to start introducing to my students to help them with their research products in my class as well as their other classes. The best part about this site is that it also talks about copyright and creative commons which I can use to make students aware of how to make use of pictures legally when they make presentations.
By the way, if you're like me and could use a refresher course in searchonomics check out this link.
10/25/13
Week 2 - Post b - "My Favorite Lesson resource"
My favorite lesson resource for adult classes is Breaking News English. It is a great source of lessons with a wide variety of topics for conversation and discussion classes. The lessons are available in different levels from "0" the lowest level to "7" the highest level of English ability. I am going to go through a typical lesson that I would go through using the following topic. The first thing that you will notice is that it consists of 26 pages of material including the answer key.
Since most of my lessons vary in length from 60-90 minutes it would be too much material to cover, so I only use some of the material. The first part of my lesson starts with the warm up and for this lesson I would start with number 3, the chart, to get the class talking in pairs or as a class discussion. If I had a small class of six I would assign one topic to each student and have them talk about some of the health benefits for each of the topics.I would allow about 10 minutes for discussion on this section before moving on to the 'Article'.
The articles are relatively short so I usually instruct the students to work in pairs and read a paragraph each out loud to maximixe their speaking opportunity. This usually takes about 5 minutes and I monitor the groups and listen for any pronuciation errors that I will write on the board, so we can review as a class.
The next step is the 'Before Reading / Listening'' section, which I go through one part at a time. I give the students a minute or two to complete the task and then we correct as a class. Each student will take turns reading an answer for each part. This part usually takes about 10-15 minutes to finish.
The last step is the 'Discussion' section which includes 20 discussion questions. Depending on the class size and the level of the students, I either set up the discussion as a class or have them work in pairs. This part usually takes about 20-30 minutes, which brings me to the end of my example lesson.
Feel free to make suggestions or add your favorite resource links in the comments section.
Since most of my lessons vary in length from 60-90 minutes it would be too much material to cover, so I only use some of the material. The first part of my lesson starts with the warm up and for this lesson I would start with number 3, the chart, to get the class talking in pairs or as a class discussion. If I had a small class of six I would assign one topic to each student and have them talk about some of the health benefits for each of the topics.I would allow about 10 minutes for discussion on this section before moving on to the 'Article'.
The articles are relatively short so I usually instruct the students to work in pairs and read a paragraph each out loud to maximixe their speaking opportunity. This usually takes about 5 minutes and I monitor the groups and listen for any pronuciation errors that I will write on the board, so we can review as a class.
The next step is the 'Before Reading / Listening'' section, which I go through one part at a time. I give the students a minute or two to complete the task and then we correct as a class. Each student will take turns reading an answer for each part. This part usually takes about 10-15 minutes to finish.
The last step is the 'Discussion' section which includes 20 discussion questions. Depending on the class size and the level of the students, I either set up the discussion as a class or have them work in pairs. This part usually takes about 20-30 minutes, which brings me to the end of my example lesson.
Feel free to make suggestions or add your favorite resource links in the comments section.
Week 2 - Post a - What steps can you take to sculpt your digital reputation into one that is more of your liking?
I think some of the most common ways to develop a digital reputation are through the usual social media methods of Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. After looking more closely at my own digital footprint made me realize that I have my work cut out for myself. So, to start with I will work on creating a LinkedIn profile and developing professional relationships within the LinkedIn ecosystem. There has been so much hype about getting on Facebook and I will eventually get more involved in that, but for now I will focus on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn has a more professional appearance and is directly connected to employers and like minded jobseekers. By maintaining an updated resume and staying connected with professionals in the same field it can result in potential job leads. There is also the opportunity to share information about training and seminars in any and all fields of interest to learn new skills. If anyone has any suggestions about using LinkedIn or any groups to join feel free to pass along your knowledge in the comments section.
LinkedIn has a more professional appearance and is directly connected to employers and like minded jobseekers. By maintaining an updated resume and staying connected with professionals in the same field it can result in potential job leads. There is also the opportunity to share information about training and seminars in any and all fields of interest to learn new skills. If anyone has any suggestions about using LinkedIn or any groups to join feel free to pass along your knowledge in the comments section.
10/18/13
Week 1 - Post b - October 18 - How can you become a more effective presenter?
Two of the most important things about becoming a more effective presenter is being prepared and learning from great presenters. One of my classes includes a group presentation and an individual presentation, as a midterm and a final exam respectively. I provide my students with the necessary material and instruction on how to prepare a presentation, but most importantly I emphasize the importance of preparation and performance. Each semester, the group presentations are interesting to watch as it quickly becomes apparent which students have put in the time and effort and which have not. The students that have prepared often put on a great show and try to emulate a famous presenter, such as Steve Jobs, and use a lot of gestures, as well as stress and intonation in their speech. However, the class also benefits as they are able to recognize the best individual presenters and learn from them. So, when it comes to the final individual presentations all of the students are better prepared and more effective presentors.
10/4/13
Week 1 - Post a - October 5
One of the ways that I would like to improve as a teacher is that I would like use technology to encourage student discussions in English outside of the classroom. One of the things that I have noticed about most students is that while they are in class they will talk to each other in English, but once the class is over they immediately switch to Korean. What I would like to do is to post a topic and have students post responses to create a discussion that I could moderate and monitor. One of the software options I am considering is voicethread. The program allows users to create, comment on, and share group discussions, which is exactly what I am looking for.
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