Anderson's article Getting the Mix Right Again: An updated and theoretical rationale for interaction discusses interaction and the development of "distance education systems that are both effective and efficiant in meeting diverse student learning needs" (Anderson 2003).
Before reading Anderson's deifinition of the article, I wanted to try to define interaction on my own. In my opinion, interaction occurs in language learning when a student takes input and finds a way to use it. As for Anderson, he agrees with Wagner's 1994 definition of interaction as "reciprocal events that require at least two objects and two actions. Interactions occur when these objects and events mutually influence one another." According to the author, "interaction between students and content has long been recognized as a critical component of both campus-based and distance education" (Anderson p. 3).
The author continues by discussing the different categories in which interaction can be divided into teacher-student (such as a lecture lead by a teacher), student-student (such as a conversation between two students), and student-content (such as a student sending an e-mail) interactions, known as the equivalency theorem. We also learn that the amount of each interaction type depends on its learning community and that at least "one of the three forms of interaction is at a high level" (Anderson p. 7). Anderson's equivalency theorem is meant to help teachers evaluate the effectiveness of their lessons and other material so that they may attempt to amelioriate their students' learning.
Before reading this article, I never even thought about interaction in a formal education subject matter without the presence of a teacher. When reading about Anderson's equivalency theorem, I asked myself what type of interaction was the dominate type for our CALL course (student-teacher, student-student, student-content) and my answer was student-content. I think that this is the case because the manipulation of the course resources and assignments appears to be the main contributor in furthering my education in CALL (especially through these reactions). In this class, the student-teacher and the student-student interactions certainly add to and improve my learning experience but certainly do not provide as much as the student-content. This is my first time in a dominate student-content learning environment. I enjoy it because I feel like I am in more control of what I am going to learn, unlike in a student-teacher environment where I follow the teacher.
As for the French classes that I have taught and teach, I believe that there is a pretty good balance between the different types of interactions. The student-teacher interaction is of course the dominant type because I provide a lot of information to the students but at the same time, there is a high level of student-student interaction and student-content interaction. There are even moments where multiple students interact with content while I provide input when needed. In order to keep the students' level of participation high, I think it is necessary to constantly change the types of interaction.
Question:
What is the level of a conversation class when thinking about Anderson's equivalency theorem? I think that in order to get the most out of a conversation class, a perfect balance between the three types of students' interactions is needed. This summer, I taught a French conversation class and I found it rather difficult to find that perfect balance between the three and I found myself leaning towards a student-teacher interaction.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Software/Website Evaluation #1
Laura’s French Language Blog at http://french.about.com/b/
Websites about the French language are almost everywhere and I found that a lot of blogs out there for the French language can be very cultural at the same time. An interesting amount of blogs about French are kept by people from an English speaking country that live somewhere in France. There are even more blogs out there that document an English speaker’s adventure in France. Unfortunately, there are quite a few French language blogs that try to get you to purchase something from their site, such as software or a book published by the author of the blog. For my first website evaluation, I would like to discuss the blog that I found to contain a lot of information that did not try to get me to spend money on something: http://french.about.com/b/
The information on this blog is free but the user in bombarded (just like with other websites) with ads. It is sometimes difficult to know where to look.
The blog is entitled Laura's French Language Blog and it is located on the about.com website. If you are not familiar about the website, it is "an online neighborhood of hundreds of helpful experts, eager to share their wealth of knowledge with visitors." For more information about the general site, you can click the link: www.aboutmediakit.com/about/
If you have ever type a French grammar question into google.com, there is a good possibility that you will be directed to her site. Her blog is a good source for learning more about the French language.
Laura K. Lawless, the contributor to Laura’s French Language Blog is one of the 750+ guides on about.com. She is a non-native speaker of French but has a good level of French. The purpose of her site is to provide the learner with information about the French language and Francophone cultures. Her site mainly serves as a site that will help the learner understand the written word.
Her blog has a large number of followers from both sides of the pond. One strength of her website that makes up for her non-native skills in French is the myriad of Francophones from all over the world that visit her site and leave comments and/or corrections to her posts.
The interesting thing about her target audience is that it is so broad. You can find useful information for middle school students, high school students and adults just starting out in French to more advanced information such as how to write a formal business letter. The information that she posts is extremely helpful for learning more about the French language and culture. It is a practical blog for someone who would like to one day travel to or live in France along with being an excellent resource.
Her blog contains a lot of information and could be a little overwhelming the first time you look at it as she posts on it several times a day. In her blog, one can find lessons and quizzes, word a day posts, audio files, articles, translations, and other useful information (such as traveling to France) and links (such as links to dictionaries or videos). Feedback for French learners can be instant from online quizzes and French proficiency tests can assess the student’s level. The problem about the tests and quizzes is that they are completely multiple-choice. Students can also practice by exchanging comments with native speakers in French and can also have their questions answered about the French language or culture.
One way that this blog could be improved is by adding video such as presentation of vocabulary words, video of her trip to Grenoble, or leaving a section for native French speakers to leave a video of themselves on the blog. Another way to improve the blog would be to make it easier to access and use is to remove the numerous ads. I am sure that this would be impossible because the ads most likely pay for her paycheck.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Principles of CALL reflection
This weeks article discusses Egberts' Principles of CALL. It discusses items such as the basic and elaborated definitions of CALL, the basic conditions desired to optimize language learning and standards, and the guidelines for using technology in education.
I am glad that we were assigned to read this article. It is now the second week of this class and my definition of CALL was still a little fuzzy. Egbert made things a lot more clear for me when he wrote that "CALL is focused not on technology but on language learning. The words enhanced or assisted indicate that technology only facilitates the language learning process." I can relate CALL better to my own experiences when thinking about the fact that my PowerPoint presentations for my French classes are an example of language learning through technology. It is a way to make language learning more efficient. The article made me think back about my experiences as a high school student learning French. I will always remember the day where we went into the computer lab (for the sake of going to the computer lab) and we all answered grammar questions about French conjugations. Although the computer program was extremely basic, I remember getting instant feedback on my mistakes and I actually progessed (which was rather rare in my high school French class). The practice that I received in that computer lab was more than I got during a normal class day.
It is interesting that Egbert stated in the second item in the general list of conditions for learning a foreign language that "In more advanced stages of learning, students must have access to sympathetic fluent speakers who are willing to adjust their language to the students' ability." I have recently learned in my Methods of College French class that in order for a student to progress, the student must attempt to interpret a higher level of language. Although this is very difficult to accomplish, I suggest that the fluent speakers keep their language and attempt to bring their students up to their level.
The quote that "technology does not enhance language learning across contexts as much as it inspires positive attitudes toward technology in those who use it (Egbert 5)" made me think. Do my PowerPoints enhance the students learning? Sometimes in my classes, I feel that I might be too dependent on technology. I use the PowerPoints as I guide and as a result, I am very much locked down to the computer and fixated more on the screen than on the students. I probably spend 60 to 70 percent of my class time at the computer. Although I believe that the technology enhances my teaching, I feel that I am not using it as well as I should be. I hope that as I learn more about CALL and the research that has been done, I will learn to better my presentations and my way interacting with the students. I hope to gain more insight on how to implement variety in my lessons. Maybe I could use the second example about the elementary school students of EFL using Puzzle Power. This is an extremely good idea that I would like to suggest to my students for learning vocabulary, even if my students are much older. Variation in my teaching style could be the solution to my problem. One important aspect of the article discussed the importance of group work where fellow students provide feedback. In my own classes, I do my best to have my students work in groups in either a daily basis or in a larger group project. The University of Oregon English Language Institutes' practices appear to be similar to the IP schools that we read about in the previous article. In both environments, it is the student that controls his education and the teachers assist. In a well equipped classroom, CALL is a way of permitting the students to become more interactive in their language learning and control his or her learning pace.
I am glad that we were assigned to read this article. It is now the second week of this class and my definition of CALL was still a little fuzzy. Egbert made things a lot more clear for me when he wrote that "CALL is focused not on technology but on language learning. The words enhanced or assisted indicate that technology only facilitates the language learning process." I can relate CALL better to my own experiences when thinking about the fact that my PowerPoint presentations for my French classes are an example of language learning through technology. It is a way to make language learning more efficient. The article made me think back about my experiences as a high school student learning French. I will always remember the day where we went into the computer lab (for the sake of going to the computer lab) and we all answered grammar questions about French conjugations. Although the computer program was extremely basic, I remember getting instant feedback on my mistakes and I actually progessed (which was rather rare in my high school French class). The practice that I received in that computer lab was more than I got during a normal class day.
It is interesting that Egbert stated in the second item in the general list of conditions for learning a foreign language that "In more advanced stages of learning, students must have access to sympathetic fluent speakers who are willing to adjust their language to the students' ability." I have recently learned in my Methods of College French class that in order for a student to progress, the student must attempt to interpret a higher level of language. Although this is very difficult to accomplish, I suggest that the fluent speakers keep their language and attempt to bring their students up to their level.
The quote that "technology does not enhance language learning across contexts as much as it inspires positive attitudes toward technology in those who use it (Egbert 5)" made me think. Do my PowerPoints enhance the students learning? Sometimes in my classes, I feel that I might be too dependent on technology. I use the PowerPoints as I guide and as a result, I am very much locked down to the computer and fixated more on the screen than on the students. I probably spend 60 to 70 percent of my class time at the computer. Although I believe that the technology enhances my teaching, I feel that I am not using it as well as I should be. I hope that as I learn more about CALL and the research that has been done, I will learn to better my presentations and my way interacting with the students. I hope to gain more insight on how to implement variety in my lessons. Maybe I could use the second example about the elementary school students of EFL using Puzzle Power. This is an extremely good idea that I would like to suggest to my students for learning vocabulary, even if my students are much older. Variation in my teaching style could be the solution to my problem. One important aspect of the article discussed the importance of group work where fellow students provide feedback. In my own classes, I do my best to have my students work in groups in either a daily basis or in a larger group project. The University of Oregon English Language Institutes' practices appear to be similar to the IP schools that we read about in the previous article. In both environments, it is the student that controls his education and the teachers assist. In a well equipped classroom, CALL is a way of permitting the students to become more interactive in their language learning and control his or her learning pace.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
