Electronic portfolios, also known as e-portfolios or Webfolios, are a compilation of text and multimedia resources used as tools for assessment, learning and reflection. Over the last few years, schools and universities worldwide have been …
Read the full story »
Annotate for Word is a comment plug-in for Microsoft Office Word developed by 11trees.com. This simple, yet versatile add-on allows you to insert pre-designed comments to a Word document. In this review, I will be highlighting the different features of Annotate For Word, and I will also share my own experience using it this semester with one of my intensive English classes.
Popularity: 14% [?]
This semester I decided to experiment with Moodle’s Glossary block and so far, the results are great. Vocabulary development is an important component of both classes I’m teaching this semester (Integrated Skills and Listening/Speaking). Moodle’s glossary is a simple, practical and effective tool to help students acquire new vocabulary. Here’s how we do it:
It’s been a while since I last posted. Over the last 5 weeks, I’ve been very busy teaching a technology-enhanced integrated-skills course. As opposed to a hybrid course, students were required to physically attend all classes. It’s a small class of only 7 students, but it’s been quite demanding in terms of preparation and instructions. During the orientation session, students were informed that all course materials and assignments will be shared on the learning management system. Pratt Institutes uses Moodle, but they’re a few versions behind. The system, however, has been very stable, so we never encountered any technical issues while using the LMS. My overall impression of this technology-enhanced course is positive despite a few reservations here and there. Most importantly, my students found it to be quite useful from an organizational perspective. The appreciated the fact that activities, resources, important dates and announcement were all in one place and organized weekly. This format made communicating a lot easier compared to email or handouts. In other words, using Moodle helped students stay on task and ensured that assignments were submitted on time (I didn’t even have to use the prevent late submissions function).
Voicethread is a wonderful resource to promote learner interaction in a collaborative environment. I discovered Voicethread through a colleague who used it in her speaking/listening class with intermediate students. Lindsey used Voicethread as a follow-up activity after a field trip to P.S.1. She uploaded 4 pictures of an exhibit and added audio prompts to each individual image. Students listened to the instructor’s prompt and posted their answers. Since this was a homework assignment, students were able to work at their own pace and practice their answers before sharing them with their instructor and classmates. According to Lindsey, the timing of the activity was important because it was the beginning of the semester, and the majority of her students were not yet comfortable expressing themselves in the classroom. This activity provided a safe environment for them to speak and hear each others ideas and perspectives. It was also a great opportunity for the instructor to assess students on fluency and accuracy. I can’t wait to try this with my own students in a few weeks!
It’s incredible what you can do with technology these days. What better way to teach ESL students how to ask for directions and give directions than to actually take them on a virtual walk of their neighborhood? You can now accomplish that thanks to the magic of Google maps street view http://maps.google.com. This technology allows you to locate a place on the map, drag a tiny icon over a street and voila! You are now looking at a detailed image of the actual street. At this point you can drag the little icon and navigate the entire neighborhood. “Wait! I think I just saw my house!”
This video explores the use of instructional technology for the past 100 years. It’s a simple 5 min slideshow featuring images of classrooms and various technology tools that have been used by schools and universties to enhance the learning experience. It is fascinating how much technology has evolved in the last century while the traditional classroom has resisted change. This video raises interesting questions about the future of education and the role that technology will play in shaping our perception of learning and teaching.
Annotate for Word is a comment plug-in for Microsoft Office Word developed by 11trees.com. This simple, yet versatile add-on allows you to insert pre-designed comments to a Word document. In this review, I will be highlighting the different features of Annotate For Word, and I will also share my own experience using it this semester with one of my intensive English classes.
This semester I decided to experiment with Moodle’s Glossary block and so far, the results are great. Vocabulary development is an important component of both classes I’m teaching this semester (Integrated Skills and Listening/Speaking). Moodle’s glossary is a simple, practical and effective tool to help students acquire new vocabulary. Here’s how we do it:
