S.M.A.R.T. English Teaching with the Internet: Critical Links and Tipping Points

1
S.M.A.R.T. English Teaching with the Internet
Critical Links and Tipping Points

• I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order
  to learn how to do it.Vincent Van Gogh

2
Before We Begin

• Presentation focuses on Internet, but concepts
  apply to traditional teaching as well
• Plenary serves as an example of
  technology-enhanced presentation
• You can access the PowerPoint presentation at
  http//www.lclark.edu/krauss/hondurasweb/honduras
  .html (address on your handout).
• Handout provides main points of the talk.
• Try to predict meaning of terms on handout.
  Revisit after talk.

3
Internet Magic Trick Competition

• Why did I begin my talk with The Virtual Mind
  Reader?
• How does the Virtual Mind Reader work?
• First three teachers to turn in correct answers
  in writing to both questions each win a book!
• Good luck!

4
Use of Internet to Prepare for Trip to Honduras

• Emailed friends and family
• Checked online maps
• Checked weather for this time of year
• Checked for electric current and plug info.
• Checked for airline travel information
• Gathered information on Honduras

5
Use of Internet to Meet Tegucigalpa

• Over one million residents
• TegucigalpaNahuatl nameSilver Mountain
• Mining center during colonial times
• Tegus nickname
• La zona viva commercial center
• Christ of the Picacho monument depicting Tegus.
• Felt familiar when I arrived

6
Use of Internet to Prepare for Conference
Presentations

• Emailed conference organizers to plan
  presentations
• Found and bought books online
• Consulted online resources/journals
• Downloaded Web pages/images to enhance talk.
• Published plenary and workshop materials for you
  and a worldwide audience

7
Personal Uses of Internet

• Read online newspapers to keep up with world
  events
• Reserve books from the local library
• Help my son with his homework
• Read movie reviews
• Make travel arrangements
• Send greeting and holiday electronic cards
• Check weather to plan outings
• Many many more! The Internet empowers me!

8
Skills Students Need Reading

• Finding appropriate information to read by
  searching the Internet
• Evaluating the source of information
• Determining whether to follow hyperlinks
• Deciding whether to save or catalog information
  for later access

(Warschauer, M. (2001). Millennialism and media
Language, literacy, and technology in the 21st
century. AILA Review 14, 49-59.)
9
Skills Students Need Writing

• Incorporating text, graphics and audio into
  multimedia pages for the Web
• Creating and making effective use of hypertext
  links to convey the message
• Tailoring the writing to a hard-to-predict
  Internet audience
• Using appropriate pragmatic strategies for the
  intended electronic forum

(Warschauer, M. (2001). Millennialism and media
Language, literacy, and technology in the 21st
century. AILA Review 14, 49-59.)
10
Our Challenge as Teachers

• To help our students acquire these 21st century
  educational and workplace skills.
• How can this be accomplished?
• Become adept at these tasks ourselves first
• Join with our students in meaningful, motivating
  classroom activities incorporating these skills
• Practice and master the skills in the context of
  English language study.

11
Barriers to Overcome

• 63 of those in U.S. have Internet access
• 20 in Honduras (estimate)
• Limited supply of computers in home/school
• Slow and/or expensive Internet access
• Lack of time required to learn new skills
• Lack of teacher training in CALL
• Risk of working in an unfamiliar teaching
  environment
• (Greenspan, 2002)

12
Honduran Comments on Rewards of Using Internet

• Obstacles
• Limited access
• Physically and mentally taxing
• Cut into time with family
• Fear of making errors
• Benefits
• Learned modern skills for self and students
• Formed new professional relationships
• Became a better teacher
• Created Web-based lessons
• Gained new confidence in using technology
• Can help students be successful in 21st century

13
Internet Use in the U.S.What Teachers Say

• 98 of schools and 77 of classrooms have
  Internet
• 84 of teachers believe Internet access improves
  quality of education
• BUT
• 2/3 of teachers say Internet not optimally
  integrated into curriculum
• Only 20 of teachers consider themselves well
  prepared to use technology in the classroom
• (Cradler, Freeman, Cradler McNabb, 2002)

14
Internet Use in the U.S.What Students Say

• The quality of Internet-based assignments is poor
  and uninspiring.
• Students want to be assigned more--and more
  engaging--Internet activities that are relevant
  to their lives.
• Implication Teachers are the key!
• The digital disconnect the widening gap between
  internet-savvy students and their schools.
  Available online at http//www.pewinternet.org/re
  ports/toc.asp?Report67

15
Critical Features of Teacher Training

• Opportunities to explore, reflect, and
  collaborate with peers
• Work on authentic learning tasks
• Engage in hands-on, active learning
• In essence, the principles for creating
  successful learning environments for children
  apply to teachers as well.
• Cradler, J. (2002-2003). Effective Integration.
  Learning and Leading with Technology 30 (4)
  49-56. Available online at http//caret.iste.org
  /caretadmin/resources_documents/ 30_4.pdf

16
Integrating the Internet into the
Classroomhttp//www.lclark.edu/krauss/usia/

• Offered three times per year
• Enrolls from 20 to 40 teacher participants
• Designed to be teacher-lead but . . .
• Free and open for teacher self-study.
• Use with students if appropriate
• Web address in your handout.

17
S.M.A.R.T. Framework

• Synthesis of language and thinking skills
• Motivating content and meaningful communication
• Appropriate for culture, age and language ability
  of students.
• Relevant to curriculum and to students lives
• Tangible product with evaluation and feedback.

18
Integrating Course - Week 1

• Teachers learn about
• Communications tools
• Mailing lists, Web bulletin board, Chat
• A framework for organizing Web content
• Activity Formats
• Hotlists, Subject Samplers, Treasure Hunts,
  WebQuests

19
Integrating Course - Week 2

• Teachers learn to
• Develop effective Internet searching strategies
• Evaluate Web materials for authority, accuracy,
  objectivity and more
• Create and post to the Internet Web-based
  activities designed for their students.

20
Integrating Course - Week 3

• Teachers are
• Exploring telecomputing projects to facilitate
  meaningful communication
• Designing Web pages for the classroom
• Creating Web-based quizzes, surveys, puzzles and
  games to enhance learning.
• Reporting the results of research done with
  colleagues during the online course.

21
Communications Tools Email

• Important form of business communication
• Higher frequency than telephone or face to face
  contact.
• Excellent communicative potential in classroom
• Students need guidance and practice with
  discourse and pragmatics rules

22
Communications Tools Web Bulletin Boards -
Nicenethttp//www.nicenet.org

• Free, reliable, low-tech requirements
• Post class schedule
• Share ideas for content- learning
• Interactive journaling
• Link and document sharing
• Easy to learn
• Unlimited of classes.

23
Communications Tools Online Chat - Tapped In
http//ti2.sri.com/tappedin/

• Free global forum for educators
• Individual virtual offices
• Text-based chat
• Private messaging
• Bulletin boards
• Chat transcripts
• Calendar of professional development events.
• Start with virtual tour.

24
Pull out, Betty! Pull out! . . . Youve tapped
into the Internet! http//www.funny-city.com
25
Categories for Organizing Web Contentby Tom
March

• Enrichments
• References
• Resources
• Lessons
• Tools
• Projects
• Activities

26
Directory v. Search Engine

• Human-organized collection of resources
• Often organized by topic
• Often annotated and sorted
• Often searchable
• Many high quality educational directories

• Computer-collected resources
• Findings depend on search terms
• Rankings depend on key words and site popularity
• Results depend on skill of searcher

27
Blue Webnhttp//www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/blueweb
n/contents
28
Marco Polohttp//www.marcopolo-education.org/inde
x.aspx
29
OELP Online English Language Centerhttp//oelp.u
oregon.edu/
30
KidsClickhttp//sunsite.berkeley.edu/KidsClick!/
31
Enchanted Learninghttp//www.EnchantedLearning.co
m/Home.html
32
ESL Independent Study Labhttp//www.lclark.edu/k
rauss/toppicks/toppicks.html
33
Embarrassment of Riches

• The Internet is an embarrassment of riches thats
  next to worthless without an educator.
• Tom March

34
Web Site Evaluation

• Anyone can publish (pros and cons)
• No editors to insure credentials
• Evaluation is critical skill for teachers and
  students
• Evaluate Web sites with your students using
  simple but effective checklists

35
Web Site Evaluation A Harmless
Examplehttp//www.malepregnancy.com/
36
Web Site EvaluationA Dangerous Example

• 14 year old Zack Im working on a paper on how
  the Holocaust never happened.
• Teacher responds, Zack, where did you hear the
  holocaust never happened?
• The Internet. Its on a page at Northwestern
  University.

37
Basics of Web Site Evaluation

• Work hands-on with students. Use a basic
  checklist. Help them to
• Decide if material is comprehensible for them
• Determine motive of author inform or persuade
• Evaluate authority of author
• Check for accuracy of information and links
• Establish whether site is current
• Determine if coverage is complete

38
The Humanitarian Aspecthttp//www.infed.org/image
s/freire.jpg

• If education is to be truly liberating, it must
  focus upon the existing situation of people,
  allowing them to reflect upon their condition and
  empowering them to change it. --Paulo Freire

39
The Hunger Sitehttp//www.thehungersite.com
40
The Hunger Site - Details

• 222,000 people click free food every day
• Value of 1.1 cup of staples for each click
• 100 of site advertising donated in 74 countries
• What could students do?
• Research/report on how site funded/food
  distributed
• Research/report on other hunger efforts on Web
• Get involved with local hunger relief efforts
• Join with other students in global projects
  through groups such as iEARN (International
  Education and Resource Network).

41
Digital Vision Programhttp//reuters.stanford.edu
/
42
Digital Vision Program - Detailshttp//reuters.st
anford.edu/

• A sabbatical program for technology professionals
  at Stanford University
• Access all facilities for up to one academic year
• Each fellow undertakes ICT project that addresses
  developing world problem
• Projects all have practical emphasis

43
Bollywood Jukebox for Literacyhttp//www.planetre
ad.org/

• SLS-Same Language Subtitling
• Objective Increase Literacy in India
• Subtitle lyrics of music videos on T.V.
• Subtitles and audio in same language
• 150 million viewers weekly
• 90 of viewers prefer programs with SLS
• Heres an example of SLS

44
Critical Links

• Internet is more than computer network
• Internet is a network of people
• Unparalleled ability to collaborate
• Universal Internet access does not guarantee
  success in education
• Teachers are the critical links

45
Role of the Teacher

• Teacher should not be a sage on the stage
• Teacher should not be a guide on the side
• Teacher should be an expert learner
• Teacher should be part of the learning process
• Teacher should model learning for the students
• Teacher should help students construct new
  knowledge --Tom Carroll

http//www.ncl.ac.uk/math/assets/photos/group_comp
uter.jpg
46
The Tipping PointHow Little Things Can Make a
Big Difference
47
The Tipping PointCritical Actors Required

• Connectors - Have special gifts for bringing
  people together and for working well in groups.
• Mavens - Possess special knowledge and are
  willing to share and mentor others.
• Salespeople - Are gifted at persuasion and have a
  positive attitude when advocating for an idea.

48
Tipping Point People
400 Teachers From Over 20 Countries
49
Helping to Negotiate the Learning
Curvehttp//www.austlii.edu.au/au/special/rsjproj
ect/rsjlibrary/car/wtno24_mar1999/
50
S.M.A.R.T. English Teaching with the Internet
Critical Links and Tipping Points

• Knowledge is of no value unless
• you put it into practice.
• Anton Chekhov