When starting this activity, I was a bit skeptic about the
group work that it involved; however, now that I take a look at the outcome, I
am glad that this was a group activity. At first, I found myself struggling to
understand what kind of technologies were the ones required; therefore, I began
by putting those that I definitely would use myself in my classroom and that I
have been advised by my teachers to use. Through research, I was also reminded
of some technologies that at first may seem obvious or familiar, but that as
future teachers, we rarely think about using. However, after looking into my
group’s findings, I realized how many of the technologies that they contributed
with, I have myself used as a student and as a student teacher. They also provided
technologies that I was instantly enthusiastic about using, like Slideshare and Mindmeister.
The technologies that I am most thankful for from the list that we
came up with are Google Documents and Evernote. Although, I did not think of Evernote at first, this weekend I decided to give it a try. I used Evernote to
type an essay for READ 411 on my Ipad and then print it out on the computer.
Evernote saves a lot of time because it does not require internet to type your
notes, but then when you are at home, the upload is automatic. As we all know,
the best technology out there and the one used for this specific project is Google Documents. We are all busy in our daily routines, but Google Document
offers us the possibility of doing group work without all of us being present in
the process because everyone contributes with their own ideas and just updates
the document as they go.
Anais, when I was beginning this project, I too was unsure of how many varied technologies that could be applied to my subject area I was going to be able to find. I started to consider the technologies that I myself have utilized or have witnessed others utilize in their endeavor to learn a second language. Besides the language courses that I have been taking at MSU, I have also resorted to language learning websites, videos, and audio lessons to supplement my knowledge acquired in class. There were several technology resources that I encountered in my research or in my group members' lists which I am eager to give a try. I was introduced once to the online virtual environment: Second Life. I have heard how it is a dynamic tool for genuinely interacting and being exposed to speakers of the target language you are acquiring. I hope to soon be able to discover how this virtual/social technology can grant me the opportunity to meet people from all over the globe and improve my Arabic language skills right from my computer.
ReplyDeleteI had the same feeling of hesitation when I sat down to find my English related technologies. I thought it would be very difficult to fine tools that could truly embrace the important aspects of our content area. I also have heard of Evernote but have never experimented with the program. I think ability to type notes and then upload immediately when you have access to the internet would be revolutionary for classroom note taking. It allows students to quickly take notes while also creating easy access to them. If my students are anything like I was, they will be constantly struggling with loosing notes and organizing they materials. Programs like Evernote and Dropbox allow this problem to be eliminated. Even more important is the aspect of mobility. The information is able to be accessed ANYWHERE. These technologies will truly change the way education will progress through the coming years.
ReplyDeleteAnais, do you feel that the process was authentic collaboration?
ReplyDeleteYes Kevin, I did. I do not think that we would have achieved the same results if we had not had authentic collaboration from all the group members.
ReplyDelete