My goals are to use more real-world issues and to solve problems using digital tools. In addition, I can continue to grow professionally encourages my colleagues with the integration of technology in and out of the classroom. These indicators of NETS-T I can say I have some familiarity with and confidence to expand on to develop into a constant part of my curriculum.
In order to reach these goals, I will first begin with a small group of EFL students utilizing the language department’s computer lab. The medicine group is a great group to begin with using real-world situation of doctor to patient where students can mind map possible solutions to health problems. Students can work in pairs, each presented with a particular symptom or illness to map using downloaded software or online applications.
Being that students will be in a centralized computer laboratory I will be able to monitor and guide students. Furthermore, a benefit of being in the computer lab is having internet access where students can use online databases to reference the health issue they are mapping.
Another added benefit to the computer laboratory is it has a video projector that will allow students to present their mind map to the class. In this instance, I may be able to evaluate both the end products and their use of oral language skills to explain a final remedy or conclusion to original health problem.
I was thinking of you and your ESL students as I attended several breakout sessions of a conference this week, especially those that focused on digital storytelling. I thought it might be a nice change for them to illustrate conversant English in the form of a comic strip or 3D animation. While many world language teachers in the room were concerned with whether or not the language choices the characters would speak included French or Spanish, you would be all set as they use English as the base language. One of the easiest sites to manipulate was ToonDoo. It allows the students to click and drag characters, backgrounds, and props into the frames of their choice and type in the text. Others that were animated characters that spoke were xtranormal, scratch, and voki. Again, the students develop the script, type it in, and create the characters and settings.
ReplyDeleteSince your goal includes creating more real world situations with digital tools, these sites might be just what you need to break things up a little bit. The theme can be wide open enough to include any real world scenario you can imagine.
I hope these tools are helpful to you in attaining your goal.
Mary Jones
John,
ReplyDeleteI like how you have linked real-world situations to learning by using the computer lab. This is a great way to teach students how to successfully search the internet in order to solve their problem of a health issue. Since they are working in pairs, the students have the ability to help each other out by talking through the search to depict what would be best to solve their medical problem. You also have the ability to monitor and help those pairs who may need it as well. It is great that there is a projector in the computer lab. If the students are stuck and need extra modeling, you can easily show and model to the students how to complete a productive search. This is also a good connection where students can see pictures to help them gain a since of understanding for your ESL students. This would be a great way to integrate technology with real life situations that engages the students.
Malissa