I created this blog some months ago as part of one unit I was teaching with a focus on technology in the L2 curriculum. I blogged every week with a summary of the week’s topic and a challenge for my students. That unit is over, but I keep on blogging!
I decided to continue this blog as one way to keep on reflecting in my teaching and explore some potential pedagogical innovations considering their affordances and constraints in specific contexts. I have been teaching, mainly languages (English and Spanish) for a long time (longer than what I would like to admit sometimes). The range of students I have had vary from little children to mature students, in EFL and ESL contexts, at formal settings: schools, universities and at informal ones, too. Not only my experience validates my knowledge, but also my formal studies in English, Spanish, language teaching, applied linguistics, learning theories and education. However, I can’t just rely on the things I had done before to face new teaching opportunities.A new unit and new students always bring different challenges. One thing that I have confirmed very vividly this semester is that as a teacher, not only you need to know the subject matter and how to deliver that content, but as importantly, you need to know your students and their motivations. Isn’t this obvious? So how can we, teachers, get to know our students better?
Does knowing which technologies our students use for their learning help us to know our students better?
Probably yes, or better said.. there is a a potential! For example, if I consider my students’ use of technologies for learning Spanish, I can say that they use different dictionaries on line, google translator, forums, youtube, conjugation websites, blogs, scribble, flashcards, grammar quizzes and moodle. My observations confirm that students tend to rely on the use of online dictionaries more than any other tool. This might reveal that students prefer using online tools that provide them with straightforward responses to their language requirements, especially in relation to vocabulary acquisition. Regarding tools such as blogs and moodle, they are mostly used as it is required in the class, but not much used after the her is over. Every time I have asked students if they have enjoyed blogging and if they would continue with their blogs, most say that they they see the benefit for their language improvement. However, they don’t think they will continue blogging. I guess, in the end, for most of them it was just another assignment. http://tallerescritura2014espanol.wordpress.com
What did I learn about my students knowing about their technologies for learning?
I guess the most obvious thing is that my idea of the tools that could contribute my students’ learning is different from my students. For example, I do believe strongly that their writing can improve highly with systematic writing tasks. This can be achieved by means of the blogs, however, students would only use them as it is required, but not beyond the class requirements and not initiated by themselves. No doubt that online dictionaries are very useful and powerful tools, but will not necessarily contribute to students’ acquisition of vocabulary in the longer term. My observations suggest that students tend to over rely on online dictionaries and google translator undermining their confidence to write anything without the use of a dictionary.Probably I need to study their use of online dictionaries a bit further, and find ways to help them break the dependence on online dictionaries.
Something else I have learnt from my students is that they are becoming more autonomous and independent learners. This is inline with the study of Steel and Levy (2011) which supports the argument of more autonomous learners as a result of using CALL tools. If I analyse my Spanish class, for example, my students were requested to write a review of a play as the major writing task of the workshop. My teaching of specific lexicon was limited. I focused on the structure of a play review and appropriate discourse markers for text coherence.They needed to practice the specific lexicon by themselves, and they they had to be able to use it appropriately in their writing. They did it very well. Some of them used a very sophisticated language in their reviews. Some others over-relied on google translator and their writing was not coherent and misused lexicon.However, nearly all of them wrote relatively well structured reviews of 600-700 words and in average 6 posts of at least 300 words each plus comments. I confirmed that they can overcome the challenges and that the tools they used were effective in most cases.
So what?
Well, the semester is over and I continue evaluating my teaching before the next semester starts.
My next post on this blog will be about learning analytics and how they can inform teachers about students’ use of moodle and their engagement in a course.
Can learning analytics inform about students’ learning?
Technology in L2 curriculum 