Nov 2nd Presentation at NYSTESOL

We recently presented at the NYSTESOL conference in White Plains, NY. It was standing room only, and the reception was very positive overall. We have published our lesson plans on the TESOL 2.0 wiki, so check it out and let us know what you think!

EdLab Seminar Group Ideation

The following comments are from the group ideation session we had during our TESOL 2.0 Seminar at TC this afternoon.

TESOL 2.0 Conference Video 1

Joachim and Skye introduce TESOL 2.0 and discuss their experiences podcasting in their language learning classrooms.

Words and Images Activity

We have three activities we do in class daily: blog discussion, Overheard in New York listening activity, and Words and Images. Originally Words and Images was titled Digital Picture Journal. We thought we'd have our students write about pictures the teachers (and later the students) shared with the class.
When I sat down to think about what we were actually going to do with this activity, I felt that it was too broad, would take up valuable interactive class time, and was something that the students could already do with the blog outside of class.
I thought about the needs analysis we conducted with our students. Many commented that they would like to improve their vocabulary. I felt that perhaps we can tie digital imaging with vocabulary building, hence the birth of Words and Images.
These are the specific steps for Words and Images:

1. T. models the activity by displaying an image on the screen. T. elicits interpretations of the image.
2. T. displays vocabulary word on the screen. Word and image are connected.
3. T. reads aloud an example sentence of the vocabulary being used in context.
4. T. reads the definition of the word.
5. Image, sentence, and definition are posted a separate blog dedicated to Words and Images.
6. Subsequently, the T. assigns the rest of the week for students to present their own words.
   

To get students interested in the activity after modeling it, I had them practice in class. First, I instructed them to bring digital cameras to class. I divided the students into pairs and assigned each a vocabulary word. Their task was to act out that word and capture it through their digital cameras. Finally they had to write a sentence using the word, and post everything to the Words and Images blog.

This activity seems to be working well. As you can see from the Words and Images blog, the students seem to really be enjoying themselves.

TESOL 2.0 Presentation at Teachers College

Yesterday Joachim and I presented at NYSTESOL Applied Linguistics Winter Conference, and it was a great success. We had many excellent questions and suggestions from the audience, which goes to show that the TESOL community is on the cutting edge of technology integration in the language learning context. I was especially impressed with the variety of questions concerning not only the how and why, but also considering changing the current paradigm of administrator's perception of various mobile technology. We believe portable technology such as iPods, cellular phones, PDAs, and even gaming products like the PSP are rich avenues to explore vis-a-vis language learning. An audience member raised an important point that while they may be interesting tools for our students, we must keep in mind how they are viewed in academic contexts. This can be an ongoing (and somewhat daunting) struggle at times!

Special thanks to Professor Combs and Professor Wagner for the opportunity, and Tara for doing a wonderful job behind the video camera. All in all it was a very enjoyable presentation, keep an eye out for it soon (we'll be posting it in 10 min segments...)

Tesol 2.0 Project Description

Tesol 2.0 implements a novel approach to ESL instruction: the integration of media and technology in an ESL context. Tesol 2.0 is taking place as a semester long project at Teachers College Columbia University's Community English Program's Advanced Study ESL class. The course weaves various media such as podcasts, film and video, still images, written text into the class curriculum. The class uses new communicative technologies such as blogs and instant messaging to explore new modes of communication to provide even more arenas of English practice and development. Linguistic goals are determined by the needs of the students. However, we intend to focus on spoken and written production in various contexts.