June 2
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What will it take to help our colleagues (teachers and administrators) try technology infused teaching and learning, too??
Loved the Wordle. Actually, love using Wordle. I see this used in tech all the time.
Tuesday's question is: Clearly we can see the benefits of infusing technology into teaching and learning for low skilled adult students and are excited about the possibilities for our own teaching. Represented on this listserv are people who are doing it every day in a variety of ways and means. What will it take to help our colleagues (teachers and administrators) try technology infused teaching and learning, too??
I'm following the Twitterstream on ASTD (American Society for Training and Development, 10,000 training type people) and my elearning colleagues are lamenting about how far behind many of the training folks are regarding Social Media there at the conference. They would have heart attacks about what happens in adult ed, and in lots of K-12 unfortunately. There is a huge gap between the digitally savvy and the digitally uninitiated. For many it's fear. For most, it's lack of experience. We conducted a social media workshop last month in the Boston metro area for trainers and found that a large portion of our audience was scared that they were being left behind regarding a technology they heard about but were unfamiliar how to use or how to even get started.
For our peers in adult ed, it may be modeling, but in some agencies, it may be availability. Funding is so scarce, yet there are programs like TechSoup, and the Cristina Foundation that can help with software and equipment. Many of our peers are retired boomers who didn't need technology in their jobs, and learning to use tech is a paradigm shift that may begin with "this is a mouse". That's overwhelming. They may see computers as for the "young kids". They can learn, but it may be a change management process. In organizational development, we know that change put upon a person is resisted. Change a person wants is embraced. Part of change management is creating that buy in from them. Technology can simplify their work, but more than that it can open up worlds for their students. They get frustrated by students texting in class on their cell phones. Why not leverage that technology in class? Let them write some assignments using their cell phones and text the conversations in class. Use Twitter like assignments to create 140 character main ideas to codify their thinking. Set up a chat room and let them practice typing skills in a chat with each other. There are oodles of ways students can leverage technology. We may need to model the ideas for them and remove the fear that sometime might break.
Looking forward to the other thoughts.
Jean Marrapodi
Here are the phrases I pulled out of everyone's contribution. Thanks for making this SUCH AN INTERESTING activity!! Heidi
- rapid changes in technology
- expanded uses of cell phones, PDAs and other mobile devices
- greater need for services, fewer resources
- text to speech/audible
- web accessible mobile phones
- Continued (slow) expansion of online learning
- Online PD
- more young adults more comfortable with technology than their teachers
- big increase in demand for occupation specific Spanish language training
- ESL
- Waiting lists
- Elimination of technology trainers
- Google Wave
- personal and social learning networks
- range of buy-in of online opportunities
- digital divide alive and well
- lack of affordable access to tech
- increase in social networking
- H1N1virus
- Climate change
- instant global communication
- SKYPE
- 24/7 access
- Blocked content in correctional ed
- 15,000 Hispanics on Maui
- Broadband over power lines
- Rural divide
- distance learning readiness
- prepare
- effective distance learning mechanism
- sense of community
- facilitating interaction
- keeping up
- teachers participating in a web community
- too many platforms
- Integrated curriculums
- make the technology useful
- free access to broadband computers in public libraries
- Generation gap
- Length of career
- Personality factors
- Fear and embarrassment
Heidi Silver-Pacuilla
I would add the following to the graffiti list
- podcasts
- online dictionaries
- online language exchange communities
- vocabulary learning websites
- online grammar resources
- online language learning systems
Steve Kaufman
I would also add:
- "No print budget" (This creates both "innovation" and "dependency" on online communications.)
And, if not already noted add:
- Webinars
- Online training
- User-generated/Interactive content
- Google analytics
- RSS feed
- Blogs
- wikis
Tammy Pilisuk
I believe this topic is very timely and important and I would like to briefly introduce my website and some of my views.
PUMAROSA is a free, interactive, bilingual web site for beginning and intermediate adult Spanish-speaking ESL students. Because there is no registration, typing, or much navigating, PUMAROSA is extremely easy to use. Therefore, students with little or no computer skills are able to start learning English immediately – plus computer basics. Focusing on English pronunciation, PUMAROSA assists the students in their transition to English only classes.
PUMAROSA therefore serves as an effective teacher’s aide and can be used in multi-level, multi-lingual classes. The site was launched five years ago and we are now in the process of expanding its content. I recently finished the workbooks and I offer my students audio cds and dvds for home use. Students can also email their questions and, if they are willing, receive back a little homework. To pomote my course, I air a public access television program called Ingles Hoy, and for a while was writing a column for a Spanish language newspaper. I also teach at students' houses. Finally, for now, I would like to say that I believe that computer based distance learning should also be combined with a Computers For Families program and lots of outreach to churches, neighborhoods, libraries and community centers.
Paul Rogers
