Wednesday's Jam Session Summary
I need to thank Graham Stanley for taking what was written last week and putting it into a really nice summary:
Dana Watson in East Lansing, Michigan,USA,
Yu Hua Chen (Stella), in Changhua City, Taiwan
Jason Reagin (
ME) in Suzhou, China
The three guests have recently started blogging and have been involved in some interesting projects.
Dana first started blogging when she first went to Japan to avoid sending out mass emails, and was more than happy when she realised she ended up with an excellent record of her time in Japan. she also realised that because she was blogging, she also started noticing things that she otherwise would have missed, while looking for something to blog about.
Stella came to blogging through her Masters course, and weblogs ended upbeing one of her research areas. She created a personal linguistic blog, and a Taiwanese community blog. She is now very interested in how blogging can improve proficiency in English (especially speaking and listening), especially as most of her classes are held online.
Jason was introduced to bloggign by the IATEFL Issues article 'Introducing your students to blogs' and also was invited to present a paper at a conference in Beijing, and decided to do so on blogging. He started his own professional / personal blog, and has been blogging ever since.
General comments and observations:
Dana commented that blogging has now become accessible to more people, and that blogging helped her learn more about computers in general.
Stella mentioned the difficulty in keeping interaction with students going without pressure and has experienced problems with student motivation because they are afraid of making mistakes.
Jason said he believed learners liked the idea of being published, and of having a voice, and that blogs give opportunities for learners to be individuals and to receive instant teacher feedback in the form of comments. another advantage was the increase in learner confidence and pride in student work.
Motivating students:
From the discussion that followed, it was clear that how students take to blogging was mixed. It might well depend upon their age (Stella's learners are college slackers, Bee's students were much younger, and more exctited about blogging).
Susan pointed out that students were motivated by the novelty of blogging and of CALL in general, and that this usually wore off.
Dana's way of dealing with this was by focusing on the content, as she got the students to turn their blogs into personal reporting projects.
The key, believes Bee, is in encouraging the students to be productive and active.
Aaron suggested centring the blogs on the students' interests to help keep momentum when the novelty factor disappears.
Correcting student writing:
The question of correction arose, and Bee stated that her learners preferred her to correct them, whereas Stella's learners seemed to fear correction.
Bee said this was a change from normal classes, when the student would not take notice of corrected written work. The difference is probably due to the fact that when the learners know that there's an audience for their written work, they pay more attention to mistakes, preferring the work that is published to be as correct as possible.
The pros and cons of compulsory blogging
This subject came up, and Stella said that her students were excited about blogging at first, but after a few weeks they stopped blogging if teachers did not give them assignments to do in their blogs.
Dana said she gives her students a standing assignment, expecting 3 posts per week. +
Other benefits of blogging
Stella believes that blogging benefits shy students, and is very happy that some of her students have found a voice through blogging.
Time constraints
Jason mentioned the time constraints of the teacher as being a problem, and that checking blogs and writing comments is very time consuming. RSS feeds, and aggregators have helped with this.
A suggestion for helping the teacher's workload was by getting outsiders involved in the blogging and encouraging the students themselves to write comments on their colleagues' posts.
Feedback
The importance of feedback was stressed, and how this contributes to keeping the students motivated in posting to their blogs.
THANKS GRAHAM!
USA Today does SUZHOU....
I happened to be reading the USA Today website and after visiting the travel section's 'City Guides' I noticed the section about Shanghai and there was even a blurb on Suzhou!
"Suzhou, China's garden city — Known for its classical Chinese
gardens, canals and bridges, Suzhou is one of the most popular weekend
stops for Chinese and foreign tourists. Today, much of the city looks
like modern China, but there are pockets that still have the
feel of dynastic times. The traditional tree and rock gardens are
beautiful, but not exactly tranquil because of the number of tourists.
Many consider the small Master of Nets Garden (Wangshi Yuan) to be
Suzhou's best. Other renowned gardens include Humble Administrator's
Garden (Zhouzheng Yuan), the Lion's Grove Garden (Shizi Lin) and the
Lingering Garden (Liu Yuan)." - USA Today
Evo2005 Prep - Part 4
Here is the final section to my thoughts about bloggin in ESL classrooms:
How to create a blogging habit
I think that by developing a regular routine that includes blogging will be the fastest and the most longstanding in habit formation. If it is included at the most basic level of instruction it will lead to more students using it over the long term.
Benefits of teachers blogging
The first step to a sound blogging habit is an example of blogging. By teachers blogging they can keep in touch with parents and students. Since beginning my blogging journey I have noticed an improvement of my written English, as well as, my typing speed has increased. These are just two benefits that I have seen in my short blogging life. Imagine what kinds of benefits we will see in students if we are setting a good example for them to follow.
Evo2005 Prep - Part 3
Today is a double treat for you folks out there is the blogosphere:
Young students and college students:
The main thing that I see as different for younger and older students would be content. I have found that in teaching younger students they really enjoy blogging about 'fun' stuff like animals, funny stories, family, etc. With older students a teacher is able to assign or suggest more in-depth topics for discussion. Furthermore, the students I teach are not even old enough to have their own e-mail account. This makes it very difficult for them to have their own blog account. Most of them lack the skills to maintain their own 'online-space.'
Structuring assignments
Since my learners are much younger (grade 5) I have found that the more structure I provide the better (at first at least). I usually structure it like a normal writing assignement. I maintain the blog and they comment on the entry for that assignment. In the beginning I would talk them through the process, however, now (4 months into the school year) they are able to just surf to the blog and begin. I suppose it is like anything else, with practice makes perfection.
Evo2005 Prep - Part 2
In my ongoing reflection of blogs and ESL/Education--
Pros and cons of offering blogging to students:
Pros--
1)Using technology is exciting for the learner,
2)Because blogs are a form of publishing, the learner will be ‘published’,
3)It creates a forum for the learner to be an individual,
4)Teacher feedback can be given instantly in the form of comments or as a response to what the learner has written,
5)Gives the learner confidence and pride in their work,
6)The teacher, as administrator, has control over the content of the blog,
7)Can lead to a life-long habit of journaling for the learner,
8)Makes the learner more prepared for future educational and professional opportunities,
9)Provides an opportunity to individualize instruction for multi-leveled classes,
10)Allows for flexibility in the schedule of the learner and teacher.
Cons--
1)Connection options,
2)Software is not always user-friendly,
3)Some learners and teachers lack typing skills,
4)Some learners are ‘technophobic’,
5)Lack of computer availability,
6)Learners cannot understand the instructions on the website,
7)Time constraints for the teacher.
Evo2005 Prep - Part 1
As I mentioned a week or so ago, I will be taking part in the Evo2005 online forum discussing uses of blogs in ESL/EFL classrooms. In preparing for that event I have had to think about some important questions regarding the use of blogs with my students. Over the course of the next few days I will post some of those thoughts:
How & why did you start blogging?
After reading the article "Introducing your students to blogs" in "IATEFL's Issues,"
by Graham Stanley, I felt that it would be worth looking at blogging further. At the same time I was planning to attend an ELT conference in Beijing, China. The organizers asked if I would consider writing and presenting a paper. I saw the excellent opportunity to do both. I started my own personal/professional blog and then started writing.
My article (
or PDF here) was later published in a Chinese-based ELT Journal. I have been blogging ever since.
Want to tell me how you started? Let me know by commenting to this post...
Updates...I LOVE UPDATES!
I have just a few spare minutes today, but here are a few updates:
1) My grandfather seems to be making some headway for the better. He is starting to get up with assistance and stand-up and walk a little.
2)
Blinger, a blog located in South Korea and one that I have been reading regularly, is finally back to where I can view the site again. For the last few months I have not been able to view the site or get the RSS feed. Today, when I started up my PC and the RSS feed program started up it showed that the feed were now ok. I was really exicted to see that I can now get back to reading one of my favorite blogs!
3) WOW, my students are really progressing! I have just finished marking their end of term assessment papers and well, they have out performed my highest expectations. I even had a few surprises with students that I did not expect a high mark from, scoring higher than most of the others!
4) The past few days I have been writing reports for my students. In the states I am used to just having a 'report card' with grades and some comments (maybe). Well, here at my current school we have a very detailed and in-depth marking system. We need to comment on most areas of learning for each student. I actually don't mind writing these reports, it is just VERY time-consuming. It does give me a forum to really make note of student weakness, strengths, & true progress. Sometimes just a mark does not really give a clear picture of how a student is really doing.
5) I HAVE AIR-TIX in hand, will travel! Feb 6th I am off to HOTlanta (don't know how HOT it will be when I am there). It happens that I will be arriving at the exact time of kickoff for the superbowl! I told my dad that I was very sorry to do that too him, but he said that picking me up was about the only reason he would have to miss the kickoff, but that we would listen on the car radio on the way home and catch the end of the game at home.
Too Busy to Post
I hope to be over this busy period very soon. We are having end of term assessments this and next week. On a very nice note, my students have seen much improvement in their overall English levels. 
Another reason that I have been so busy has been my grandfathers illness. As I had feared the broken hip has started a chain of events that I had worried about for years. 
It is always horrible to see someone that you care so deeply about hurting. I will not go into details, but just to say that during the upcoming three-week observation of Chinese New Year, I will be returning to the Atlanta area. I had planned to spend this time with my wife and her family in NorthEastern China, but not now. My wife will still be headed back to her hometown, but I will not. 
Hope to post more soon!
Hips, Heat and Hobbies...
On Saturday evening my grandfather (83 years old) fell and broke his left hip. When things like this happen it makes living overseas very difficult. 
I just spoke to my dad this morning and he told me that the hip-replacement operation only took one hour. It is amazing what modern medicine is able to do now.
Living in China during the winter is a little like living in an icebox. All of the buildings are made of SOLID concrete. Therefore no insulation in the walls! That means that my wife and I have to heat the rooms of the apartment one at a time. To say the least we are heating one or two rooms and just living in them. We usually heat only the living room and office during the day and then the bedroom at night. I just makes cooking really crazy. I heat my hands over the stove while I am cooking!
I have almost finished Halo 2! After my XBOX was repaired about two weeks ago I was playing other games, but now I am back at trying to beat Halo 2 and I must say it is such a GREAT video game! I am also playing Need for Speed Underground 2 and it is also really great!
Some Links to More FREE Academic Blogging Information
Through several participants in the Evo2005 Forum comes a few links to articles that may be of assistance to anyone interested in blogging and using blogs in your classrooms. First, is a link to a section of the LORE online journal. In the area called, "Digressions" and have several articles about blogging. Also, there is an online collection of articles about blogging called Into the Blogosphere. I have scanned over the titles and intros, and I must say that I will be reading several of them...
Evo05! & More Student Blog Examples
...this year's title is: Using Weblogs in ESL/EFL Classes: New Developments, Uses, and Challenges The online forum starts up the week of January 17th, but the sign-up and registration is already happening. There will be several very exciting chat sessions and events covering the 6-weeks of the course. I have been invited to 'jam' on the 26th of January at 12:00 GMT (that is 8pm here in China). You can see all the events on the forum homepage. I am totally honored to be part of something with some of the educational blogging 'BIG WIGS'. Anne Davis, Will Richardson, Graham Stanley, Barbara Dieu, Aaron Campbell, the list is long and impressive. I hope to see many of you there. It is not exclusive to ESL/EFL teachers, but most of the subject matter will have an ESL/EFL slant to it. 
STUDENT BLOG EXAMPLES from this week:
when my mother is young^^
my grandfather likes my mother very much >_ my grandmother born 5children.
that time my mother was live in countryside=_=^
@#~%$%$$+__+
my mother like ski,but my mother didn't go to ski place.
Because countryside have ski place.
there is mountain=_= -_-^#$% #$
my mother said there's speed is 70km=_=....
In winter countryside's field was freeze.So sometimes I played sled>_ And when my chick became a hen I take my hen to countryside.
I like chick very much and I bring up that But my hen is died because cat ate my hen ㅠ_ㅜ
Once Upon a time, have two cat.
One cat are cute,one cat are ugly.
They live in the palace.
Princess like the cute cat.Don't like the ugly cat.
So,princess always play with he cute cat,Don't play with the ugly cat.
And the princess give the cute cat eat fish,milk and chicken.But princess give ugly cat vegetable and water only.
Somethings ugly cat eat not good,he eat cute cat food.cute cat very angry, the cat tell the princess and the princess will angry.
So the ugly cat want to find mouse to eat.
One mounth,the ugly cat are stong.
The princess like ugly cat,don't like cute cat.
The princess think she don't give the cute cat to eat
Blog Readers up to 27%!
I read a story from USAToday online this morning that says that blog readership is on the up and up! According to the story:
Twenty-seven percent of online adults in the United States said in November they read blogs, compared with 17% in a February survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project. "Blogs have been around for several years, but because of the coverage in the political campaign, a lot more people became aware of the idea of blogging and certainly went online to read blogs," Rainie said. Though blog readership jumped, the percentage of online Americans who write blogs grew only slightly — to 7% in November, up from 5% early in the year. Blog creators tend to be male, affluent, well-educated and young; 70% of them have high-speed connections at home, and 82% have been online at least six years. Despite the attention to blogging, a large number of Americans remain clueless — only 38% of Internet users know what a blog is: online agglomerations of ideas, information and links, usually presented with the most recent postings on top, and often offering a mechanism for visitors to post comments. Software tools developed in recent years have made blogs easier to create and maintain. Newer technology, known as Really Simple Syndication, or RSS, make it easier to read blogs. RSS software regularly pulls headlines from news sites and Web journals and presents them within e-mail software, Web browsers or standalone programs known as readers. The Pew study found that 5% of online Americans use them.
Happy New Year...
...I have several GMail invites to those interested. Most people who want the gmail accounts already have them, but some may just be finding out about it and want one. What a great way to start the new year!
Active Words and G'Day World
While on vacation about two weeks ago I was listening to the "G'day World" podcast. On this particular podcast they were talking with Buzz Bruggeman from ActiveWords. After hearing the show I decided to try out the program.
According to their website: ActiveWords adds words to Windows, providing a personal, portable, context free user interface with immediate response. Your words launch programs, jump to websites, send email, substitute text, search, and more. Receive information about any word or phrase in any context. Enter or select words in any context and your computer immediately delivers the results you want.
Basically, once you install the program it runs on your desktop (either as a toolbar or in your system tray) and if for instance you type in 'mff' and then hit the F8 key it automatically starts up the Mozilla FireFox. It is designed to run things more smoothly and faster. I have been using it for just over a week and like what I have seen so far. It has a number of options and settings that can help make running your computer better. I will keep posting anything relevant to my ActiveWords experience!
