Learning and Teaching in a Digital Age

In this post summing up all the information discussed in my previous posts I would like to speak about teaching and learning in the digital age. Recalling my first post about digital youth portrait it is interesting to discover the education and teaching portrait, especially in the country where I live and work as a teacher. Different researches show that the integration of Computer Assisted Language learning in teaching process is highly beneficial and effective. However it is not always easy and real to apply it in different educational institutions because of lack of technology and especially lack of knowledge. This is very much true about Armenia. To effectively use technologies in Education first of all there is a need to fill in the gap of knowledge of how to use technologies in teaching among teachers. Kids become digitally literate outside the schools however they see totally different approach inside the classroom. We speak very much about Mobile learning which allows students to learn anywhere and anytime but still in many schools of Armenia the use of mobile phone during the classes is regarded as something unacceptable. I myself recently faced this problem during one of my courses at Yerevan State Linguistic University, when I just tried to use my phone for taking notes and I saw the negative attitude of my professor. 

There are so many things that must be changed before technologies may be integrated in Armenian schools and educational institutions and it is, first of all, the philosophy of education. Connie Yowell (director of Education) in her talk mentions three shifts that are crucial in education for this digital age: the first shift is from education to learning. Today technology provide for kids every possible opportunity for self-learning and kids very much use this opportunities even without realizing that. Children today are all digitally literate and no one taught them it, kids get this literacy outside the school. Nowadays learning is taking place anywhere and anytime. Second shift is the shift from consumption to participation. Learners are no longer passive consumers, they need to be active participants, they need to be doers during the classes and so the lessons should be highly learner-centered. And the last shift is from institutions to network. Learning with digital media is fundamentally different. It requires different literacies and different skills from teachers and educators.

 It is natural that the integration of technologies in education may not be realized immediately. However,  if every one of us try to use in our classes one of the technologie-based activities, assignments or approaches discussed in my previous posts, we would very soon have totally modern language classes.

Google Apps and Language Teaching 

I’m very much speaking about how to integrate technologies in teaching foreign languages and how to make teaching process more effective and meaningful. Having experience in both learning foreign languages and teaching foreign languages, I believe that nowadays it is much easier to be the learner than the teacher. Nowadays learners best friend is Google and 21^st century learners are lucky enough to have Google search and thus to have answers to all the questions that they may have. It is not only easy but also very interesting and informative. I myself love to search for some information in Google; this has already become my hobby searching for books, pictures, useful websites etc. Perhaps Google is great for self-directed learners who like to find more and deeper information about different topics and subjects. 

However Google is very kind not only for self-learners but also for teacher. Different Google applications may be used in classes for educational purposes. First of all the most applicable one is Google Docs. This application gives users opportunity to simultaneously have access to a document and edit it, add or delete some information. This application is great for collaborative group work activities in an on-line environment. Learners may write summaries, make discussions or exchange ideas with the help of this application having Gmail account. 

Google Earth is another application which may be used in teaching for practicing the Country names, Ocean names or cities. The teacher may also organize information gap activities having learners give each other directions and find places in Google Earth. 

There are also different applications which are available only for those institution members, who use Google apps. I had an opportunity to use some of these applications. First of all I would like to introduce Google Sketchup. This application allows teachers and students to create three-dimensional designs and models. It may be used in teaching for describing these models or again for giving directions or different commands. 

Another Google App that may be used by teachers is Google Notebook. With the help of this Notebook teachers may take notes, save online content they’d like to organize and revisit later. The most exciting thing is that they may easily share this information with their students or colleagues.

It is very difficult to explore all Google apps in only one post, so I recommend you to Google for more information about the use of these applications for education. 

P.S. Thank you Google to give me opportunity to have this blog page. 

Cloud Computing

Some years ago when  I was working on one of the most important assignments of my University program I have had a big problem. After completing the task it was found out that my computer was at risk and suddenly I’ve lost all the information in it including the document of my assignment. This was really a tragedy for me and I remember this day as the worst day of my life. However after that day I’ve changed something in my life I’ve started to save all my important files in my e-mail’s “draft” folder.  This gave me opportunity to get my files from different devices and anywhere that I could get internet connection. At that time I thought that it would be great to have a website where I could upload everything, like “to have my computer online” with all the folders and programs. 

When I’ve first read about cloud computing it seemed that my thought came true. Today internet users have this opportunity to save their files in the “cloud” which is safe and accessible place from different devices and anywhere. Different companies suggest different services; you can upload your pictures, documents or music and sleep quietly without thinking about their safety because the company is responsible for them. Cloud computing also allows use some programs online, like converting formats, cutting music, editing pictures etc. In dictionaries cloud computing is defined as internet-based computing in which large groups of remote servers are networked so as to allow sharing of data-processing tasks, centralized data storage, and online access to computer services or resources (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cloud+computing).

This description of cloud computing may seem too simplified; you can always find more complex and profound definitions on-line. However before you do that I would suggest you to watch this video about how younger users define what cloud computing is. 

Distance Education 

Every time when I start working on my new post related to technology and education I realize to what extent Thomas Friedman was right claiming that “The world is flat” (see my 2^nd post).  One of these world flatteners may be considered distance education or distance learning. Distance learning occurs when students get knowledge separated from the instructor (teacher) by time and physical distances using technology.  Different articles discuss the advantages and disadvantages of distance education. First of all learner independence and learner autonomy is considered as a central place in discussions of language learning in distance education (White, 2003). Distance education presents learners with new demands and new opportunities compared to those experienced in face-to-face classrooms. In distance learning the degree in self-management and environment management are crucial. The learner is responsible to create a schedule, to choose the course, the time to devote to learning etc. So, distant learners are faced with numerous decisions and roles which are usually carried out by the teacher in classroom contexts in order to have effective results. 

As I’ve already mentioned learner independence plays decisive role in distance learning, that is why the main challenge is how to create a distance course which would make learners be motivated and best develop their autonomy and abilities to direct and derive benefit from their learning experiences. This issue shows the importance of the so-called context of delivery in distance education, which includes support services, organization structures, staff commitment, feedback options, response times, opportunities for interaction between course participants and numerous other more fluid course elements which may develop.

For me the idea of distance learning is great! First of all it gives opportunity to get education from different Universities of various countries. Nowadays most Universities provide discourse education. So, we can live anywhere and study from a different country.  Although in this case there may be a lack of face-to-face interaction or oral conversations however distance learning is still very effective way to get education for those who have jobs or lack of time.  

This video provides interesting information about teachers’ and learners’ attitude toward distance learning and education.

Open Educational Resources (OER)

In language learning the input plays a major role for successful learning (Krashen’s input hypothesis).  For this reason language teachers should have access to huge amount of materials in target language. Open Educational Resources are digital materials that can be used for teaching, learning and research and which is available for free use. OER include different kinds of learning content: courses, course materials, collections, and journals. I’ve discussed in my previous posts the influence of new technologies and availability of internet in language learning and teaching. It can be argued that the most visible impact of the Internet on education are the Open Educational Resources (OER), which has provided free access to a wide range of courses and other educational materials to anyone who wants to use them. (http://www.ocwconsortium.org/en/courses, http://www.coerll.utexas.edu/coerll/, http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm)

We are entering a world in which the main focus is on the interaction with others and the participation in an on-line environment. This fact is highly effective for language learners, as according to prominent language acquisition theorist Stephen Krashen "Acquisition requires meaningful interactions in the target language - natural communication - in which speakers are concerned not with the form of their utterances but with the messages they are conveying and understanding."  In this century there is a shift of attention from access to information toward access to other people. For this we all have to acquire new knowledge and skills on an almost continuous basis. Because new kinds of online resources, such as social networking sites, blogs, wikis, and virtual communities came to replace traditional ways of interaction which allow people with common interests to meet, share ideas, and collaborate in innovative ways. This is a great opportunity for language learners to interact in the target language and use the language for meaningful communication.

Perhaps the best known example of online open source is Wikipedia, on-line encyclopedia which is available for every user and which can be edited by every volunteer who has new information to share. Having in mind this fact, these open sources enable users a new kind of critical reading because it is up to the readers to consider what information is reliable or important in this huge open resources and which is not.  

References

http://www.sk.com.br/sk-krash.html

Mlearning

In my previous posts I've already discussed various ways facilitating learning process and making it more interesting and interactive. Another very useful and effective tool for language learning may be considered mobile learnig. Language learning is a continous process and it is highly recommended to try to emerge it to our everyday life and use the language in daily simple actions. Choosing English as a language for phone menu would already offer its users a huge vocabulary. The permanent exposure to such words as call, send, delete, set, contacts, missed call, and also days of week or names of months etc would be transferred u conciously to users active vocabulary.

One of the ways to use the mobile phone for learning is texting with friends in English. This is a very interactive and authentic situation to apply the language learnt in classroom. Integrating Mobile learning to language classrooms adds more creativity and gives learners huge implications for personal learning.

The key advantages of mobile phones are that they offer learners accessibility, mobility and flexibility. They can access a variety of content, from a variety of locations.And this helps them to create their own schedule.

Language Learning in Virtual World

The use of new technologies brought more virtuality to our life. Next to the real world there exists a virtual world which allows us do everything that we can do in our real life. As an example of virtual world I would like to speak about Second life. Second Life is an online 3D virtual world. Users choose an online identity - an "avatar" - to represent themselves within the Second Life community. The avatar can walk, run, dance and fly in the virtual world, and can also communicate with other avatars using chat and instant messaging.

There are different articles that discuss the language learning in second life.  Calongne, for instance, in the article “Learning in a Virtual World” claims that in order to have successful language learning in Second Life, it is very crucial to have the required technology, tools, engagement, course structure, feedback and a good orientation to use the tool. Second life gives us opportunity to create a safe learning environment. It is known that fear and hesitance are barriers in successful learning, and in the virtual world learners should know that it is ok to make mistakes and that they are required to actively participate in learning process. It is known that Ss best learn from mistakes and rarely forget them. So these mistakes are great opportunities for learning. Language learning in second life has focus on interaction. This method, surely does not replace traditional way of teaching, but it does offer additional ways of making students show what they know and especially how they can apply this knowledge.

One of the problems that I consider very important in the use of Second life is that this way of learning requires a lot of time spent on other things than learning. The problems in downloading or installing the program may take some students’ time and discourage them to go on working with it. Besides, in second life there are so many interesting places to go and things to try that may disturb language learners. To solve this problem a synchronous class session organized and monitored by the teacher may be the best solution. So, first of all, language teachers should be “experts” in using second life for learning purposes, and in this case, they may very successfully complement their traditional language classrooms with new interactive way of teaching. 

 

References

1.  M. Calongne 2008, Learning in a Virtual World, Educational Frontiers, Educause.

     2.  secondlife.com