Scott Lo asks:
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Arlyn Freed responds:It’s not all in the ‘program’ (software, that is). Technology can weigh us down – especially these days when the learning curve expands like Stephen Hawking’s theory of the universe. However, as it has in so many other aspects of our lives, technology can free us and create virtual universes to supplement our earth-bound classrooms.Addressing your 2nd question first -- issues encountered during this transition process can be greatly reduced by forethought and preproduction. Key issues: Identify potential barriers: Ability, access, and technology are just a few of the potential physical limitations; equally important is student mind-set. Physical: Ability What is the computer literacy of your students? Something as simple as keyboarding skills can slow everything down. A questionnaire or exercise can quickly highlight potential problem areas. Whatever the gaps, these must be addressed before assigning a task. Physical: Access:
The easier the access the more likely it is students will enjoy the process. Many college-age students work between 10PM and 2AM, so those with computers at home or in dorm rooms usually have the least barriers. If access is limited to on-campus open labs or language labs, teachers should give assignments with these limitations in mind. Oral tasks can be difficult to accomplish in a public space (but far from impossible). Are peripherals required (speakers, headphones, microphones, VCRs, internet access)? Who supplies them (i.e., is this an out-of-pocket cost to the student, available as a library loan, supplied by the teacher)? Software: is it provided by the institution, or available as freeware/shareware? What are the possible compatibility issues (platforms, operating systems)? Mindset: Depending on country of origin and economic status, younger students have been using technology for many years and can send instant messages in their sleep. However there is a large population that either hasn’t been exposed to technology or, because they are older, do not have computer skills. If the class is mixed (younger/older; experienced/inexperienced), some students have inferiority complexes that are more daunting than the skills they are being asked to acquire. Teachers must be sensitive to these feelings as they can cause very real disabilities; a little one-on-one tutoring usually alleviates these fears. Online Teaching in Use: Examples Now that you have addressed the potential obstacles, the fun begins. Opportunities are really endless and shift daily with the innovation of new software and hardware. I would to learn how you (and other members) have made this transition, but I will present two examples from my teaching history. Example 1: Writing This ‘idea’ was presented by Dr. Jian R. Sun (Chair of Humanities, the University of Rio Grande, Ohio) at Ohio TESOL 2001. To view materials from his workshop “E-Paper: Utilizing Technology to Enhance Teaching of Writing”, visit <http://www.rio.edu/jsun/conference/tesol/2001/index.htm>. I employed Dr. Sun’s methods in an advanced writing class, instructing students to write their essays in MS Word 2000 or higher (software was available on university-supplied open-lab computers), and deposit the papers in my ‘digital drop box’ (a feature of the university’s web courseware). Using Word’s ‘comments’ feature, I was able to highlight problem areas and type my feedback into the file. The color red was used to highlight grammatical issues, blue was used to comment on format, content, and organizational patterns; highlighted text appeared as black with a yellow background. The feedback file was saved with a new name and returned to the student’s digital drop box. Comments appear either by placing the ‘mouse’ over the yellow commented text, or choosing ‘show comments’ from the toolbar menu. (Printing the comments has improved with version XP, but is not ideal in versions 2000 or lower). In both cases I asked many questions, instead of supplying correction. The ability to write my comments, unlimited by paper space, let me create running ‘dialogues’ with the students. After the initial adjustment to the paperless environment, student feedback was very supportive. Many students felt our exchanges were effectively virtual teacher/student conferences, except the students were accessing my comments at 2AM! So using this method also deleted issues created by scheduling conflicts. Example 2: Listening/Speaking Another method: using (no longer free) Wimba voice-boards (a demo is available at http://www.wimba.com/forum_test.php) for an intermediate listening/speaking course. [I learned about this option from the Webheads community, one of the many techniques discovered through membership in this group]. A ‘voice-board’ is a speech-operated discussion board. It operates the same way as a text discussion board -- allowing users to add information to specific threads, or creating new threads -- only the comments are speech files. At the time, Wimba offered the voice-boards cost-free. Teachers created accounts and voice-boards for their courses, then posted the voice-board on their own web server or used Wimba's free server space. Using Notepad and following Wimba’s instructions, I pasted my course’s assigned html code into a html file and the board was ready. A few students owned microphones (used for voice-chatting with friends) and had computers with speakers at home. Others used university-supplied computer labs. I purchased microphone/headsets for those who didn’t own their own ($10 USD each). Each week I verbally posted a discussion topic; students posted their comments, listened and responded to others. We also used the voice-board to replace audiocassette speech journals. I posted corrections orally, allowing students to practice oral and aural skills. Eventually, students took the initiative and posted their own threads, as well as offered corrections to their classmates.
Advantages and Disadvantages: Without a doubt, the highlights have been positive student feedback and student progress. Additionally, many students who weren’t computer-literate and felt inferior to their classmates, gained skills and confidence for use in other coursework. Using these (and other) programs offers flexibility and alternative sources for exploration by both students and teachers. Low points have been students who refused to use the technology (there were some); for these few manual instruction was employed. There was positive correlation between the students who used the technology and skill improvement; those who opted out of the virtual environments did not improve as much as their peers. |