ESL Pod: Podcasts for ESL Classrooms

Tonight I browsed through a site called ESLpod to find ways to incorporate technology in my future ESL classroom lessons. This website provides over a thousand podcasts, created and shared by a team of experienced ESL professors, with years experience in the ESL field.  The podcasts are provided in English use guarded vocabulary and recorded at a slower rate of speech.  Each podcast also provides a transcript of the conversation with specific new vocabulary words bolded that relate to the theme of the dialogue  The site provides foundational information of the ESLpod site stating why their podcasts are different from most listening exercises in ESL learning. "Well, first, all of our podcasts are free to anyone who wants them. Second, ESL Podcast uses a very different approach than other courses or websites. We believe the fastest way to improve your English is to listen to conversations and discussions you can understand. Many people try to improve their English by listening or reading things that are too difficult. They understand only 40-50%, which means they are wasting half of their time!

At ESL Podcast, we provide English at a slower speed and use everyday phrases and expressions. We explain what these expressions mean and how to use them. That’s all! It’s simple, it’s obvious, and it’s very powerful. WOW! It seems as if this group of educators have really thought out each podcast, making sure that the discourse is meaningful and authentic to help students succeed in their English language learning experience! I spent some time listening to different podcasts offered on this site and came across one that sparked an interest to me titled Types of Humor. In this particular podcast, the conversation is between a man and a woman describing their thoughts about sitcoms using idioms and metaphors.  

This particular podcast could be used in an intermediate advanced ESL classroom for students. With the transcript readily available on the site, I am able to give this to the students as a hand-out to complete a pre-reading exercise before they begin listening to the mp3, the possibly making meaning of the new words using the context around them. After the students listen to the dialogue, the host of the podcasts provides a mini explanation of the conversation and the meanings of each bolded vocabulary word. Here is the transcript below to check out!

Types of Humor Transcript

Kyle: Are you watching that sitcom again? It’s so stupid. There’s nothing witty or original about the humor. 

Paulina: I don’t need highbrow jokes. I enjoy all kinds of comedy. 

Kyle: You mean you like screwball and slapstick humor. 

Paulina: Yes, so? 

Kyle: So? It’s so juvenile. 

Paulina: I know that it’s hard for people like you who like satire to appreciate the more wacky kinds of humor, but you might try getting off your high horse once in a while. 

Kyle: I’m not snooty. I’m just discriminating. I like comedians with a dry sense of humor like that self-deprecating guy on that show I watch. 

Paulina: That show is a snoozefest. That guy bores me to death. 

Kyle: And this show does it for you? 

Paulina: You bet. 

Kyle: There’s no accounting for taste! 

I hope you enjoyed reading this blog and will consider using this podcast site in the future!

ePals Where Learners Connect: An Involvement of Classmates Around the World

Students today are not restricted to collaborating with the students physically beside them in the classroom, they are also given the opportunity to communicate with other students around the world! They can do this through the involvement of projects and activities that other students across the world are participating in. How is this possible?  A recent global community that I have explored, ePals, allows this interaction to effectively take place through their website which is safe, secure, easy to use, and manageable for educators. You are able to manage what children see, whom they speak with, and what they can post. 

Educators across the globe can add their project onto the ePals site to share and collaborate with other classrooms. You are able to read the objectives of the activity, the procedures they completed with their students, pictures of student's work, and the outcomes at the end of the project. Similar to blogging, you are able to filter through projects with tags to find an appropriate lesson to fit the needs of your students. A specific project I read was titled, Collective Detective Story and featured a 'Teacher in the Spotlight'. The following information about the activity was listed as such:

Description:

Students learned the concept of writing a short narrative detective story with twists and turns in collaboration with their foreign friends. The project motivated and engaged students in reading stories in the crime fiction genre. They used logical thinking and reasoning skills to brainstorm the future of their composition. They also learned about the culture of another country and gained an understanding of another countries' education system. .

Outcomes:

1. Students will compose a short narrative story.

2. Students will practice Netiquette skills.

3. Students will create a Wiki page.

4. Students will learn about the culture of another country.

5. Students will develop skills in recognizing relationships.

6. Students will make comparisons and inferences as well as reflect and interpret reading between the lines.

This description allowed me to quickly determine if this was something I would like to use in my future classroom. The format of each project on the site allows for educators to collaborate with other classrooms because of the detailed description and outcomes listed. 
As a future educator, I am excited to see that there are other opportunities for me to involve my students with not only through textbooks. I will be able to now rely on technology to share and reflect the activities I create for my own classroom, collaborate my students with classrooms around the world, and have a solid foundation of networking with other teachers. The more cultural involvement for me as an L2 educator, the better. This website has much more to offer than projects and collaboration.  It has a resource section for teachers that are also filtered through tags. I highly recommend visiting this site and signing up!

Short Comics with Idioms

Idioms are a significant part of the English language that many ESL students find hard to understand. By offering visual/audio short comic clips to students, it will provide a more meaningful and engaging language learning experience for the students. Too often do you see idioms presented to ESL students through textbooks, role playing, or 'out-dated' videos. By using this site, GoAnimate you are able to create your own comic clips and modify them to fit the needs of your current students interests and level.  I found this site very easy to use and immediately thought of idioms when creating a story line. 

The title of my comic clip is called Shy George. Just like my previous post using the Animoto site, you are able to create a free account using limited tools.  The pricing site is located on the, Our Plans for Personal Use Link where you can explore a variety of pricing plans to use personally or within a business or school district. I find this website to be very useful and engaging for students to watch and/or create their own! 

Animoto! A Great Digital Story Telling Program!

Recently I have been exploring Digital Story Telling! Digital Story Telling can be as simple or complex as you want to make it. However, to be able to use it beneficially in your classroom, I feel like the simpler you make it, the better. This will allow students in your classroom be able to learn how to use these resources on their own, and if they choose to explore more options to enhance their videos they can. I was introduced to a website called, Animoto.  This site allows you to sign up for a free version and create 30 second photo videos including music and text.  Your options are limited as to what you chose to create but sufficient enough to produce short video clips to engage students' learning. As an educator, if you feel as if you want to use this tool in your classroom at a higher level, you can purchase your own package on their pricing page here: Personal Pricing Plan.

When creating my own short film, I thought of using this video in my classroom as part of an introductory video of myself. (I would modify it depending on the age and level of my students). One of my favorite activities in life are spending time with my pets. I can foresee using this video in an EFL class, using basic vocabulary to enhance the students interest in learning the language. The students would also be given the opportunity to create a video of their favorite activity or pet, on their own, in the beginning of the year. The students could first create a video in their first language and as a mid-way or end of year assessment, the students can create their video using the English language to show their developing vocabulary and English language skills.The title of my video is called, Midnight and Shadow's First Christmas and was created through the free account Animoto provides.

What is Digital Storytelling? How Can I Use it in an ESL Classroom?

Digital storytelling is a way in which students or educators can create a story through technology using: audio recording, images, text, music, animation, videos, etc.  A digital story focuses on a specific topic, allowing the creator to reflect and share their work in a creative and unique way.  

According to The EDUCause Learning Initiative Site, they provide 7 things you should know about Digital Storytelling. The most informative part of the article is under the subtopic of 'Why is Digital Storytelling Significant' where they explain how digital storytelling is meaningful for students learning. "Digital stories let students express themselves not only with their own words but also in their own voices, fostering a sense of individuality and of “owning” their creations. At the same time, digital stories give students an opportunity to experiment with self-representation—telling a story that highlights specific characteristics or events—a key part of establishing their identity, a process that for many is an important aspect of the college years." It is crucial for ELL students to hold a sense of individuality and purpose of their learning experiences. Story telling in their L1 and L2 would give them a wonderful opportunity to reflect and share their journey of learning a second language, living in another country, and adapting to an entirely new culture. 

In the next section of this assignment, I will explore first hand how the process of digital storytelling works, and have a better sense on how develop, share, and utilize this tool in my future classroom.  What I read to be the finest aspect of digital storytelling is from a very informative website, Educational Uses of Storytelling. The site provided very convicing information regarding this educational tool in all levels of education. 

According to Bernard Robin, Ph.D., "Today the use of digital storytelling is being practiced in neighborhood community centers, schools, libraries and businesses, by novice technology users to those with advanced skills. In the field of education, teachers and their students, from early childhood classrooms through graduate school, are using digital storytelling in many different content areas and across a wide range of grade levels." The research and information on this site gave me a true understanding on how digital storytelling is used by many different individuals in various fields.  I look forward to creating my own! 

Gamification: Serious Games

For the 'serious game' category, I decided to try a game called, 3rd World Farmer. I had to play this game a couple times before I understood the complete object of the game. After I played around with this particular serious game, I browsed around some other ones on the website, Games for Change.  This website offers a variety of other games that are purposely created to relate to real-world events to foster learning in defense, scientific exploration, agriculture, etc.  

For this particular game, I would like to incorporate different language learning objectives. Due to the higher level of vocabulary used in this game, I feel that incorporating this lesson with another content area such as science or math would be more appropriate and meaningful to the students.  The language learning objectives would require the students to recognize and label farming/agriculture vocabulary.  I would like to later assess the students again by providing visuals away from the game, to truly see if the vocabulary is retained. Another language objective that can be incorporated into this game would be the use of their oral fluency. The student will fully describe the steps they used to complete and build their farm. This will build their confidence in speaking because they are able to describe something that will hopefully be interesting to them, while the teacher can assess at the same time. 

Gamification: Escape the Room Games

Educators are continuously trying to explore and implement new innovative ways of learning through technology. One specific example is, Gamification. According to a recent journal article I have read, Seven Things You Should Know About Gamification, "Many instructors implement gamification because they believe the rewards or the spirit of competition will spur students’ concentration and interest and lead to more effective learning"(Educase, 2011).  This new approach to learning can truly benefit the learner in their language learning skills including, listening, reading, and writing. Specifically in a L2 classroom, educators can easily incorporate gamification into their curriculum, and also modify the gamification process to meet the needs of their own levels of students. 

Gamification is a term which, I am sure, many educators will decide to look away from. However, after watching Tom Chatfield's video 7 Ways Games Reward the Brain, he emphasizes the notion of immediate feedback and the power it has on truly feeling and learning a lesson. To be able to rationalize gamification in the classroom may seem puzzling and distracting to many educators, but the way I see it, it gives students the opportunity for continuous rewards, immediate feedback, and keeps the students interested and engaged for the next level of learning.  According to Tom Chatfield, "It's very hard to learn, to feel a lesson. But if you can model things for people, if you can give things to people that they can manipulate and play with and where the feedback comes, then they can learn a lesson, they can see,they can move on, they can understand" (TedGlobal, 2010). 

A type of game that I recently explored was posted on a blog site written by Larry Ferlazzo, The Best "Fun" On-line Video Games for English Language Development.  The type of game is considered an escape room game titled, Phantasy Quest.  This type of game allows for the student to explore an island using strategic 'point and click' skills to help navigate an adventure. To complete the game, the student must be able to use their reading skills to unlock puzzles, and eventually, reach an end goal.  A great modification an educator may use for this type of game is called a Walkthrough, which often times is readily available on the website.  A walkthrough gives step-by-step instructions on how to complete the game.  Therefore, the teacher can read these instructions to the students to develop higher level listening skills or have the students read them independently or with pairs to further enhance their reading skills, too.

Personally, over the past week, I have tried to play and 'beat' Phantasy Quest more than five times.  By no means can I say that I am at all experienced with video games, so I struggled.  Once I realized that I could not navigate this adventure any further, I printed the walkthrough instructions and completed the game.  Boy did it feel good!  So I then thought about my future students and how much they would enjoy playing this game, or would they get frustrated too fast and give up? First, I took into consideration the language level of my students in an ESL classroom.  I felt that my students would have to be placed in at least an intermediate level to truly gain a meaningful language learning experience playing this game. 

Language learning objectives that can be actively involved in this game would be the use of vocabulary, listening skills, and reading skills.  By searching other escape the room games it seemed clear to me that modification of the game(s) can easily be achieved.  An educator can incorporate any vocabulary he or she chooses to adapt to the students' levels.  Another language learning objective could be listening for instruction. The student would have to listen for the next strategy step in completing the game.  Reading is the last language objective.  If the student is working interdependently, they must use the language clues that pop up on the screen each time they click.  

How can I assess my students while they are activity engaged in this game?  As the students are working independently, I would walk around the room to check for comprehension when giving them the next strategy step.  By utilizing the walkthrough in my hand, I am able to check to see if students are using their listening skills from my clues and if they are reading/comprehending the clues written on the screen. In a later activity, I would provide visuals/images of new vocabulary they learned throughout this game to better assess their level of understanding.