L530 Website Evaluation #2

   I am sorry to be late in this posting. The flu is ravaging my classroom, and of course, I had to catch it.

The website I evaluated is called Kiz School.  The address is http://kizschool.com/index.html.  It is an online learning and teaching website for ESL/EFL children approx ages 3-14.  The graphics are not so young that adults learning the language would be embarrassed to use it however.  The site is a subscription site so I wasn't able to view everything, but they do show enough that I feel confident discussing the site. A very cool thing is that the site can be viewed in the learner's home language. Most countries' languages are available. Once you choose the country's language the text immediately changes to that language. When you put your cursor over any part of the text that part of the text reverts to English while the rest of the site remains in the native language. So, older students and adults could do a lot of self teaching.   There are multiple levels.  Each level has between 9 and 11 units.  Each level has a placement test to help the teacher or the learner decide where to begin. Every unit has video tutorials, interactive games, and animated PPT lessons. There are also printable worksheets and flash cards. All of these allow many opportunities for practice   There is an advertised self grading component, but I wasn't able to view it without subscribing to the site.The site moves the learner from simple identification words with pictures of the object (cat, dog, etc.) to phrases, and through to informational small books on things like Fire Safety.  There are lesson plans available for teacher and parents.There are also the tutorials which appear helpful.  The website is very attractive, with bright primary colors that will appeal to children, but as I said earlier, not so childish that an older learner would be turned off.  I think this would be a very effective site for teaching and learning English.  It is a simple site to navigate and the layout is easy to follow, although I wasn't able to access all of the areas.  What I did see was very simple to use.  I especially like the fact that the learner can read the information in his/her native tongue.  This would make following the directions so much easier for the older learner or adult to move forward at his/her own pace. It's an excellent site. I wish it weren't a subscription site, but otherwise I really don't see any other needed improvements.

corpus based language learning

   It's always good for me to have an experience like reading the two articles for this week's discussion. I read and reread the articles and remained about as confused as the first time I read through them.  It reminds me of how my students frequently feel in their own readings.  The lexical approach was pretty straight forward.  I agree that words and word combinations are important in language instruction.  I think all programs for the computer assume that the teacher is merely a guide.  Whereas I think a truly great curriculum includes as much technology as possible, but is managed by a qualified teacher.  For example the COBUILD indicates that 700 of the most common English words account for 70% of all English text.  I would assume that the most frequent words are articles. and not much good by themselves.  I think the function of the word should determine how it is taught. For example of all the Greek I relearned for our trip the word for bathroom was one of the most important words we learned.  Computer assisted programs that include correct pronunciation would be helpful to the independent learner, but even then, if you don't have a teacher who actually knows how to help you learn to say the correct pronunciation, the computer program would be pretty useless.  My husband and I utilized a variety of Greek language programs, but only when we were able to hear Greeks using the words did we realize how far off we were.  I had a French teacher in High School who only allowed French spoken in her classroom.  This immersion approach was very effective.
     The Johns article was so convoluted I kept reading the same sentences over and over.  However I can see where the use of the concordance exercises would be helpful in any form of language instruction.

Reading Reflection #2 Anderson

    Terry Anderson presents an equivalency theorem for Distance Learning.  He basically states that there are three important part of a meaningful education experience; Teacher-student, student-student, and student-content. He says getting the right mix is essential for distance learning to equate to a traditional classroom experience.  He states that interaction is a defining and critical component of the educational process and context,but it's difficult to find a clear and precise definition of this concept in the educational literature.
    He seems to say that more student-student interaction can substitute for and even replace teacher-student interaction. In Anderson and Garrison (1998) he extends the discussion of the three components of the educational process to include teacher-teacher,teacher-content, and content-content. He goes on to discuss the merits and cost effectiveness of various modes of interaction.  He seems to think teachers can be replaced by the correct combination of content, student-student interaction, and technical support personnel who can answer a specific st of student questions. He acknowledges that many teachers will feel threatened by models of distance education designed to reduce costs and access by primarily eliminating student-teacher interaction.
But, Anderson believes these alternated models can be both cost effective accessible alternatives for meeting the demands of life long learners.
     I understand his ideas, and I am certainly grateful for the opportunity to take this class on line.  It's a whole new experience for me.  I am learning a lot, and I really appreciate everyone's comments, but it doesn't seem "real" to me exactly.  I think distance learning is a trade off. Convenience and time effectiveness is traded for a sense of really knowing either my teacher or my fellow students. However, I  don't text or tweet and I use facebook basically to see pictures of my friends' children.  I think for those of you in the class who use these other tools this class feels more real to you, and you are more comfortable with this model of interaction.

Website evaluation #1 Starfall.com

   The website I am evaluating is Starfall.com.  The website URL is http://www.starfall.com/  .
The website is for PreK-2nd grade, English development (ELL, ESL, ELD), and Special Needs.  The website is all in English.  It was designed as a free public service to teach children to read with phonics.  The website is very colorful and user friendly.  It is designed for parents and teachers, and many children could easily navigate the website.  I can see it as very helpful to language teachers because the student sees the letters and words and hears the correct pronunciation.  It is divided into 4 sections with mini lessons in each general section.  The main areas are ABC's, Learn to Read, It's Fun to Read, and I'm Reading.  The website is probably most useful for students with a little English who can benefit with additional vocabulary and reading instruction and practice. However, it could be used with non-English speaking students because it begins with the alphabet in several very engaging mini lessons and moves through to teach phonemes, phonics and reading..  The website is very bright, cheerful, and engaging. The mini lessons in each section provide repeated opportunities for practice and assessment.  Students are often reinforced with increasingly sophisticated songs, action, and images.There is also an Educators link that provides lesson plans and worksheets for practice and assessment.  The strengths of the website are it's attractiveness, it's ease of use, and the engaging images and stories.  There is a white, middle class ambiance with certain sex stereotypes.These issues are not so pronounced as to discourage teachers or parents from utilizing the website.Both the fiction and non-fiction stories in the main section I'm Reading include more ethnic abd female representatives.  My husband uses this website site with K-3 students in a very multicultural classroom, 1/3 of which speak Spanish as their primary language. The students love using the website. 

How to Bring our Schools Out of the 20th Century

  I agreed with much of the article.  Technology skills are vital for students.  Learning to be citizens of the world is also important. All of my 5th graders are pen pals with 5th and 6th grade students in Kampala,Uganda.  I don't agree that it is unnecessary to know certain facts because they are easy to find on the internet. For example, fewer and fewer students come to fifth grade knowing their multiplication and division facts.  This is the result of several years of well meaning teachers who have given them charts so they can spend their time "more fruitfully" in math. What I and my fellow 5th grade teachers have found however, is that it is very difficult to think on higher levels when you have to first search for the answer to 9X8.  Whereas it is easy for me to make the jump from one problem to another my students struggle to connect the two ideas because of their deficit in basic math facts.  To truly prepare our students for the 21st century we must learn how to combine the necessary facts from the past with the important skills of the present and to prepare them to ready for the future.  It isn't enough to just teach what is considered important now.  When I was in elementary school computers were giant machines that were housed in separate buildings.
     Two important factors left out of the article were parents and students.  Students must be held accountable for their own learning.  Students are refusing to do homework in record numbers in all grade levels. Parents sit at tables in restaurants with their children talking on their cell phones while the children play hand held games.
     Certainly it is important to look at all areas of the complex issue that is education today. I just ask that each part of the problem receive equal consideration.

About me

My name is Julie.  I have joined this class late. I am a 5th grade teacher. I know technology is going to continue to be ever  more important in schools.   I am excited with this opportunity to increase my knowledge and skills.
My goal is to be even more comfortable using technology in all aspects of my students' learning.