APLING678 Week 1 - Intro

My first course (Spring 2016) is called APLING 678 - Technology in Language Education. Week 1 of the class focused on introductions and getting to know Blackboard - the Virtual Learning Environment used in this class.

Guiding Questions:
- Introductions - Who are the learning community members in this class? - What is technology? How do you define or classify it? - How has technology changed over your lifespan? - Where and how does technology fit in the language classroom?

My Substantive Discussion Post:

Robert Cole's article

COLLAPSE

Top of Form

I found Robert Cole's article on the basic issues in a web-based pedagogy extremely relevant to my particular situation. This is the first on-line course I have taken. I've done bits of a few Coursera courses and learned things on Khan Academy (all in support of my son while I was homeschooling him), but this is my first true on-line course. When I first looked into getting a Masters' degree, I sought out an on-line German MA program. Despite the prevalence of web-based programs, there was not much out there for German language. I concluded that it must be difficult to offer language classes at that high of a level over the Internet. In-person communication must be necessary; "the on-line student and teacher cannot stroll side by side" over the Internet (Cole 11). It is somewhat ironic that my first course as a graduate student is about technology and language teaching after having reached that conclusion in my graduate school search. I believe that effective language learning is possible through a web-based course, but in-person interaction and communication would definitely enrich a student's learning. It is difficult to have genuine interaction and immediate responses through discussion threads. Integrating the use of technology into a physical classroom is perhaps the ideal combination for language learning.

I think of technology as a tool, usually electronic in our current day. When I was teaching full-time in the late 90s, the technology available in my classroom was a "language lab" (headphones for the students, connected to a cassette tape player), one classroom computer with CD-ROM software from the textbook publisher, and VHS player on a rolling TV cart that could be borrowed from the library. Those seem simple and old-fashioned, but as Leloup's review stated, there is an advantage when "the increased access to target language input [is] presented in a variety of ways. The multimedia capabilities of CALL enable learners to engage in a complex listening experience, complete with visual cues from the interlocutor" (Leloup). This was possible even with VHS tapes. Now, classrooms in our area in Colorado often make use of iPads, smart phones, and class sets of laptops with Internet access. There are so many more possibilities and avenues for technology enhanced learning.

Technology has changed significantly over my lifetime. I am 42 years old. In early elementary, the most advanced technology I saw in the classroom was a filmstrip machine with a chime that told you when to advance to the next section of film. I was introduced to a computer in 4th grade, but only had access to it once a week, when I attended the Gifted & Talented program. We learned to program in BASIC (my first foreign language!). Shortly after that, my family got a personal computer, which I mostly used to create art on the Paint program. It wasn't until college that I learned about email and the Internet. Now, everyone has a computer in their pocket or handbag. There are many new technologies for foreign language practice now. I have learned some Korean using Rosetta Stone on my desktop computer. I used Duolingo on my computer and an app on my iPhone to learn some Italian before traveling to Italy this past summer. I was impressed with how much could be learned (at least for a beginner) with a free app. I also listen to a couple of German language Podcasts to keep up with my German. I use technology all the time in my everyday life, and I am looking forward to learning more about how it can be effectively used in the classroom.

References:

Cole, Robert A. (Contributor). Issues in Web-Based Pedagogy: A Critical Primer. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2000. Print.

Leloup, Jean W., and Ponterio, Robert. "Second Language Acquisition and Technology: A Review of the Research." Eric Digest December 2003. Print.