#8. Open Topic / Reflection

For your final blog post, please feel free to write about any topic related to the course.  For example, you can reflect on what you have learned about in the course and your e-portfolio project and also discuss any future goals or plans you have to use technology in your classroom.

1. What I have learned about in the course.

The core of CALL class left me two words. < Authenticity and Efficiency >

In school practice, there are some irrational and inconvenient problems. For example, Gyeonggido Office of Education normally directs all teachers to conduct a survey about students’ life or any subjects. It can be a search, that is, how many times school violence happened or what subjects or classes they liked. Some assessment and total research made me why I did waste my time and my students’ times. If I had taken this course earlier, I would have work naturally and efficiently. But I know regretting is no use and I am content that I can adapt to collect students’ works easily, make formation assessment with the Potato tools, project my online classes, and stimulate th cooperative mind, etc.

2. What I remember especially

Ryan professor drives me write and read a lot because of submitting many reviews and essays and lesson plans. But I know that is all essential things I should have learned. Whenever I came into CALL class, I had the pounding heart thinking of finding treasures. All tools and amazing websites seemed to be a gold and silver.

3. What plans I have to use technology in your classroom.

I can be a nice teacher like iron man. Before I took this course, I was a naked and alone fighter in my elementary school. But now I feel like wearing iron suit. Even though the suit needs to be fixed a lot, I would like to practice going up the sky. Korean kids normally used to access internet environment because they played a lot of online games. But I want to show them a new world. To post their essay, make UCC, meet friends on Skype, publish their own books in a story bird, etc. I will adjust this course appropriately to meet elementary level. So I hope my students can share their second life and live freely.

#7. Mobile App Review

Search for a language learning application designed for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.  Provide a link to the application's website. Write a brief review of this application that includes information about the app's functions, which devices it is compatible with, and how it can assist or enhance the language learning process.

What can you use the app for?

Busuu is an online web-based application that was developed to assist a worldwide community with learning various languages while the user is offered the opportunity to share native language skills with others. Writing exercises and interactive tests include grading as well as different levels such as advanced, intermediate or beginner. Awards and badges can be earned as fluency develops. Native speaker members offer support through grading and online video chat. Busuu offers users access to a variety of audio and visual learning material exams and testing. Busuu basic is free and upgrades are available for separate purchase to enhance and extend the learning process. Various languages are offered and expanding as Busuu's membership base expands worldwide

What are the differences to other apps?

Busuu offers online language exercises, exams and testing including grading and correction. Different levels of fluency are available for the user to choose from such as advanced, intermediate and beginner. Native speakers offer live conversation to experience, hear and see the language lesson first hand. An onsite video tour is available to better acclimate the new user. Awards and badges can be earned as the language student gains fluency and/or instructs and corrects others. Busuu offers iPhone (iOS, iOS4 and Android) and iPad, iPod Touch availability and no internet connection is required. Busuu was developed to assist a worldwide community with learning a variety of languages. Extensive audio and visual learning material is offered involving written exams and language testing at different levels.

How does the web app look and feel to use?

Busuu appears to be fully functional and is well designed. New user's navigate the site easily and an instructional video tour is available to acclimate the new user. Numerous features are available for the user to try and free trial periods are offered as well as discounts. Pricing is available after registration. User's sign in with a registered email address and create a password. Busuu offers online language exercises and interactive testing as well as grading and correction with different levels of expertise. Native speakers offer live conversation to assist with learning. Awards and badges can be earned as the language student gains fluency or instructs others. Busuu offers applications for hand-held media devices such as iPhones or iPads or iPod Touch and Android Smart phone.

Who would you recommend the application to?

Busuu would be of value to all people interested in expanding language skills particularly teachers and students, public service employees, doctors, firemen, police, real estate agents, social workers, politicians, clergy and missionaries. Extended families that face language barriers might be candidates. People looking to expand a circle of friends from around the world might consider Busuu. 

#6. Digital Storytelling

Write brief reviews about the two tools you used to create short lessons with this week (Digital Storytelling through Storybooks, Cartoons & Comics).

 

-With Pixton, I made a worksheet <Introduce yourself>, that is, the cartoon with bubbles. In the cartoon, the two characters have just met for the first time. So students should imagine what they talked about and fill their thought in the blank bubbles.

This site consists of intuitive, expressive tools, so that users can play and make arts and works having fun. It provides a variety of characters, background pictures, situations to elicit your curiosity. And it helps you to make each picture very elaborately. For example you can pick up and change your character’s facial expression, location of body parts, habits of posture in natural way. If you want to create your own cartoon, it might take time to make appropriate plot that comes from your experience or imagination.

 

-Storybird has a number of pictures painted by amateurs or professionals. You can pick up and rearrange the pictures according to your ideas. There are many pictures in sophisticated and varied styles. These pictures are so inspiring that you can make a new story related to pictures. You should drag each picture and write a lot of useful words, phrases, sentences on the letter-board (besides each picture) in this site. But you might have difficulty writing first without plot even if you get many ideas from pictures. Creating stories with even given pictures can be challenging and it might be demanded a lot of work.

 

 

How could these tools be used by teachers AND students? 

 

▪ I’m going to explain how to use these tools in my class which teach about “Introduce yourself”.

▪ It is difficult for anyone (especially young learners (6 and above years old) to describe themselves suddenly without guided frame.

▪ This tool http://www.pixton.com/ can provide many opportunity to encourage students.

-a willingness to fill in the bubble of cartoon.

-a wish to explore and express personal experiences and ideas

-a delight in images and language

-a wish to communicate clearly and simply

-a wish to communicate to others.

▪ Also Pixton can be a craft of story-making. You must not let children think there is only one way to make a story with only a pencil. Students can brainstorm characters and background, plot of their own story more easily with playing Pixton. Of course, creating new a story’s plot might be very difficult. But when your children look and wander around Pixton’s world, they can find the seeds of stories that make them get desire to write something.

 

▪ I’m going to adapt <storybird> to teach making prediction about a fairy story.

▪ When you read a story, you can make learners involve the story with beautiful and interesting pictures.

▪ The learners try to write their own fairy tales for homework. (e.g. The learners can use this tool from http://storybird.com/create/) They then read them in class. They can stop after the title for the rest of the class to guess a few words they think will come up in the story. Also the child can stop halfway through the story for the rest of the class to guess the ending.

▪ If the children are not able to write their own story, give them the option to choose a story (for example, the children can search various story in http://storybird.com/explore/) not known to their classmates and follow the same procedure.

 

 

How could they be incorporated into a class?

 

These tools can elicit children’s creativity. Some learners cannot apply their full intelligence if they are not given the opportunity and encouragement to be creative with the ‘new’ language. With these tools, children can make their own story playing these. Also it is much easier to invent a totally imaginary story with limited language. And their work can be published to everyone. Stories they make with these tools can be performed for other groups in the class, for other classes, or for an end-of-term show for parents.