As we have shared before, Kristi has been selected for the
statewide technology Integration Mentor Academy. She will learn best technology
integration practices and then mentor interested faculty. Kristi
provided the handout. Using Starboard with the
Internet at Fall Orientation. As more instructors have access to Smart Rooms
and training, I want to be sure you take advantage of this great handout. Here
is Kristi's First Technology Report and information about her
exciting Monthly Tech Integration workshops.
What is new in technology integration for ESL instruction? by Kristi Reyes
Technology Integration Workshops
Now we have more ESL classrooms at the CLC that are technology enhanced (TECs),
so let’s share what we have been doing in our lessons to integrate computers!
Starting in January, noncredit ESL instructors will share lessons, techniques,
websites, and more in a series of monthly presentations. Ellen Fatseas
and Angela Webster will present their ideas for technology
integration at the lower ESL levels during two sessions:
Morning session: Tuesday, January 24, 11:30 – 12:15
Evening session: Wednesday, January 25, 5 – 5:45.
Won’t you attend and share your ideas or volunteer to assist in the professional
development of your colleagues? If you would like to present (15 to 20 minutes)
in one of these workshops, please Email
me!
I have been learning about several exciting possibilities for technology integration
participating in TIMAC workshops, attending conferences and serving on MiraCosta
College’s TAP (Technology
and Pedagogy) committee.
Yahoo Freebies
With a yahoo e-mail account, you or students can set up a yahoo group. Go to
Yahoo Groups to start your own group.
I made a yahoo group for the VESL class on which students posted their photos,
their own writing, and their favorite websites on their career choices, their
current or past occupations, their hobbies or interests, their hometowns and
more. See the VESL group page at MCC
VESL Yahoo Group (you will need to join the group to see the documents and
files). The yahoo group is a great way for students to communicate online and
lets them share their ideas and writing!
A yahoo account also gives you free webspace through Geocities.
There is a webpage wizard that is very easy to use or the webpage launcher that
has a tutorial to show you step by step how to use more add-ons in your webpage.
See the webpage I made for the ESL 899 Term II evening class at MCC
ESL 899 Geocities Webpage. During the spring semester VESL students will
create their own geocities webpages.
Podcasting
Do you use CDs or cassettes for listening or pronunciation practice in your
classes? Do you ever wish you could alter, personalize, or customize these recordings
or create your own sound recordings and make them accessible online for students
to listen to again and again? Your wish can be reality with podcasting.
There are three ways to make sound recordings. First, you can make effortless
sound recordings on a computer with a built-in microphone by choosing Accessories,
Entertainment, and Sound Recorder from your start-up menu. A second option is
to download Audacity, a free program
originally created for music mixing, which allows you to edit, create special
effects, and more. You will need a microphone. Third, recordings can be made
with an MP3 voice recorder. These devises are similar to the old mini cassette
recorders but don’t use cassettes and can be linked to a computer for
uploading. Save your sound file, which you can copy onto a CD or flash drive,
e-mail to yourself to open, or e-mail to students or to a yahoo group. Save
as an MP3 file and students will be able to download the file into their MP3
players and listen at their convenience.
Last, you can “cast” your sound recordings on a podcasting site
or create your own website. For examples, see Englishcaster
(which also includes advice and instructions) or the TIMAC podcasting siteTIMAC
podcasting site. In VESL, we plan to convert all the old cassettes and language
master cards to sound files that can be podcast, accessible online for VESL
students anytime, anywhere.
As you can see, Kristi will lead us on exciting technology adventure. If you want to visit two popular ESL sites and try out podcasts, go to
1) http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/podcast.html
and
2 http://www.manythings.org and look
under "What's New!"
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