Now We're Using Technology!

The school year is now solidly underway and I hope you have been hearing about the progress your child has been making in the classroom in regards to technology.  Our latest assignment is a spin off the classic public speaking lesson that is normally done.  The students will prepare their speeches as normal, but this time they will be recorded with a video camera. 

After each speech, classmates will have to fill out a short survey about pros/cons of the speech, what they thought about it and pointers they think the student should keep in mind.  The comments will not deal solely on the content of the speech, but delivery as well. 

During the next class, students will have the opportunity to watch themselves from the recording and make their own notes about what they saw now that they can see themselves and how they think they can improve.  Afterwards, they will receive the comment cards made by classmates and will have the opportunity to compare the two.  The students will take the stock footage and edit it into a more poignant speech by cutting out extraneous “uhms” and digressions.  These finalized versions will then be shown in class so everyone can see the difference.

With the use of these video cameras and editing software, your student’s speech giving ability will rapidly improve.  They will be able to critique themselves and see if they disagreed at all with their classmates.  Then, but editing the speeches on the computer, they can see what a polished product should look like.  This will build their self-efficacy by demonstrating that they are capable of giving a quality speech and what they should aim for in the future.

Practice is still what is necessary to go into a good speech, and as their parents, you are a great tool for them to use as well.  Encourage your child to practice in front of you, but try to keep all comments until the end so they can see what it is like to go through the whole speech uninterrupted.  For some tips to help your child give the best speech possible check out  Speaking and Speeches or this helpful Youtube video.

Is Technology Really So Important?

As parents that grew up in a different time than your children, you may be wondering why people are trying to integrate technology into the classroom.  Obviously you did well enough without it, and how can technology really affect an English class?  Do the students even want it?  It seems the do!  There is a class in Texas that put together a little video about what technology means to them.  They are a third grade class and if you think about how excited about technology they are, and how much use they have been able to find for themselves in their classrooms, can you then imagine how high schoolers would find it even more useful?

This technology gives the teachers more effective means in which to reach your children.  We have interactive white boards to make diagrams and concepts easier to understand, powerpoints to make information more accessible, and we have websites where we can communicate  with you, the parents.

Technology might not seem like the most effective way to teach English because of it's roots in classical literature and grammatical rules, but there are tons of Web 2.0 tools that can highly enrich a lesson.  One such tool is Crocodoc.  Crocodoc allows teams of students to upload PDF files, Word documents or even Webpages.   Once uploaded, other team members can log on to Crocodoc and make trackable changes without the hassle of having to email attachments back and forth.  It's a remarkable tool that allows multiple people access to the same document to make changes immediately and allows areas for comments and discussion.  I like using Crocodoc in teams but also for peer editing on different assignments.  

Powerpoint presentations are also a succinct way to present information.  Rather than traditional means of lecturing and having the students take notes, I can create a powerpoint presentation that displays all pertinent information in a clear way with pictures and diagrams.  When class is over, I can then upload the powerpoint to my classroom's website to aid students in studying and homework.

Along with being a place to store uploaded lecture notes, a class website is a great way to foster a sense of community.  With a discussion board, classmates can ask and answer questions and can work through their own problems together.  By figuring out answers to questions themselves, they can  learn a lot more in the process than just asking me for an answer.  The website is also a great place to upload short stories or assignments as examples for what to do, along wit rubrics to see how I grade.  With it all available online, the students can check anytime, and not just in the class--and it's good to get your student thinking about classroom material outside of school.

Technology also allows for an easier way for me to communicate with parents.  Not just through email, but we can have tele-conferences through web-based services like Skype.  This is particularly helpful in instances when it would be difficult to find a suitable time to have a conference on the progress of your child, and could be done from the comfort of your home or office.

So, technology can really aid in a student's learning  and in your involvement!  I look forward to helping your students learn more about English and technology.