There's a (bloomin') app for that …

Allan Carrington of the University of Adelaide explains how he built upon the work of others, who had built upon Bloom's taxonomy, to get The Pedagogy Wheel with iPad Apps.

Here is Allan's blog, which is a wealth of information. And, here's his youtube video explaining the iPad App-enhanced Pedagogy Wheel.

I can't wait to explore this a bit more. Since I don't own an iPad (although "I'm a MAC") and since many/most of my students don't have iPads, I'd like to explore what shareware and free websites might be added to each area, for I do believe the simplicity of this wheel is a powerful tool!

Using CANVAS in the ESL Classroom

I recently completed the Washington state CANVAS training, and I must admit that I was more than pleasantly surprised by the simplicity, quality, and versatility of this platform and its obvious superiority over Blackboard/Angel. My college is adopting it as of the next academic year, so I'll be able to really begin working with it in Summer 2013. I anticipate it being beneficial in so many ways, for students, for instructors (me), and for the ESL program. 

Possible benefits for students
I work primarily with students at the upper-intermediate/advanced level (CEFR: B1/B2). Currently, I ask them to use the pbWorks site I have designed specifically for our classes in order to participate in online journaling (and discussions), complete other work online, view homework assignments, and find documents/materials necessary for class. It works wonderfully but is limited. It also does not help students become familiar with the college platform, currently ANGEL. So, with the college's change to CANVAS, I'll be able to do everything I do with pbWorks (and so much more) AND students will get to know CANVAS before moving into regular college classes. -- Let me mention that some of the "so much more" that will be possible with CANVAS involves videos (perhaps using TEGRITY), exercises and quizzes, vocabulary practice, etc.

Possible benefits for instructors
As I mentioned above, CANVAS is very simple to master and offers so many options. It also makes communicating with students and monitoring progress very easy. One additional (major) advantage will be that instructors can link Course Learning Outcomes with assignments/quizzes/tests as well as grading rubrics/comments.

Possible benefits for ESL programs
Because it seems quite easy to transfer the CANVAS course from one quarter/semester to the next, I'm hoping it will be just as easy to copy a CANVAS course to another instructor if he/she is asked to teach the class. In addition, instructors in one program could view each other's CANVAS courses (at different or the same proficiency levels) and learn from each other. Finally, being able to link Course Learning Outcomes should make norming a breeze.

If you've had experience with CANVAS in the ESL classroom, please leave a comment below. 

Spokane Regional ESL Conference 2013

Attending the Spokane Regional ESL Conference 2013 today gave me the opportunity to hear several  stimulating presentations. I tweeted about them @ablizzard. However, I'd liked to share here the great online resources Eman Elturki (WSU) offered in her workshop on "The Internet: A Magic Box of Teaching Resources." As Elturki explained, she selected these resources because they met 3 criteria: (1) free, (2) easy to use, and (3) helpful for students and teachers. Here they are (hyperlinked - just click):

(1) Wordle
(2) Tagul
(3) Tools 4 Noobs: Online Summarize Tool
(4) Super Lame
(5) Story Jumper
(6) Glogster
(7) English Central
(8) Voxopop
(9) Voice Thread
(10) Guide to Grammar and Writing
(11) Planet PDF
(12) Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs
(13) Citation Machine
(14) Penzu
(15) Spelling City
(16) Crocodoc
(17) Weblist
(18) Wikispaces
(19) English Club
(20) RubiStar
(21) Voice of America - Learning English
(22) String Net
(23) Eggtimer

Some of these I am familiar with and have used or use in my ESL classes, for example, Wordle, English Central, Spelling City, VoA. Yet, I'm excited to try out many of the others. And, I'd love to hear about your experiences with them as well. 

Thanks again, Eman!

The Flipped ESL Classroom

Recently, my colleague Sheri Decker passed on to me the link to an article entitled "The Flipped Classroom Defined" on the Mind/Shift blog. What is especially noteworthy about this particular article is less the concept of the flipped (or inverted) classroom, which has been around for quite a few years now, and more that it is presented in a great visual format:  

Because ESL classes are primarily focused on skill building and only secondarily  on content, they tend to be "flipped" in the sense that the majority of class time is dedicated to "learning through activity." 

Yet, some of the elements mentioned in the article require adaptation for ESL classes. For instance, recording entire class-length lectures for students to view outside of class might be overwhelming and less beneficial for ELLs, but recording shorter mini-lectures (or explanations / demonstrations) of one concept  (at a time) would be an excellent way for students to prepare and review. 

Of course, when I do create my videos, I'll follow the beautifully simple and effect approach Salman Khan used in creating the Khan Academy. (I was first introduced to his vision in his Ted lecture "Let's use video to reinvent education.")

Yet, even without the mini-lectures I have yet to create, I have long been passionate about  the inverted teaching approach. I dedicate the majority of all class time to active learning. And, I assign listening from Ted.com (and other websites) as well as reading from various sources (our textbook, newspapers, magazines, websites) either as preparation or review. To state it more simply, I try to use the majority of class time for productive skills (writing and speaking) and the majority of homework time for receptive skills (reading and listening). 

So, what have your experiences been with the flipped ESL classroom?  

Technology in the Classroom

We instructors use and encourage the use of technology in the classroom. Or, do we? 

One of the first things I do when I come into my classroom each day is log in to the computer station located at the front of the room. I use the computer for innumerable aspects of my teaching. For example, I use it for everything from showing documents (class handouts, student work, models, etc) via the projector or document camera to demonstrating how students can use a web 2.0 tool when we go to the lab to providing visualizations (pictures, maps, video clips, etc) of the topic(s) at hand to listening to lectures (either online, from a CD, or from the ELL software connected with the textbook) to making a note on engrade.com of attendance or even looking things up. 

On my syllabus, I have clearly stated that the use of cell phones, laptops, iPads, etc is restricted, not banned, and  may be used depending on the task at hand. However, I have am ambivalent about my own "rule." The title of the article  "Digital Distraction or Helpful Classroom Tool?" articulates that ambivalence quite clearly. 

On the one hand, I am fairly certain that the ELLs in my upper-intermediate classes would be distracted by the free use of electronic devices, especially because (I fear) they would spend quite a bit of time translating and possibly even more time just chatting with friends in their native languages, which would likely lead to the proverbial "checking out." 

On the other hand, I can agree wholeheartedly with the author, Anthony Iton, when he explains that "if an instructor acts as a learning facilitator who empowers students to learn by showing them how to apply the wealth of information accessible through the web then classroom technology can be an integral part of the teaching process."

Do you feel this ambivalence? How is the multilingual language skills classroom different from a monolingual content classroom? What middle-ground can be found?

EQUELLA: Getting Started with a Digital Repository

The ESL program at my college has expanded to a second campus within the district, and with additional faculty and additional sections of classes, we are finding that our current method of sharing materials and storing documents is problematic. Therefore, when I recently came across EQUELLA, my interest was instantaneously peaked. Here's the pitch from Pearson:

According to the website, there's a new version (6.0) that's now out, and it has even won awards this year.

Seems great, right? Yet, as with any product, actually trying it out in real-world/real-work situations is the only way to know for sure if it meets one's expectations.

My questions:

• Do you use EQUELLA? Or, have you had any experience with it (a trial, a webinar etc)? Or, have you heard (even through the grapevine) anything about it that might be useful?
• Do you know of alternatives to EQUELLA that I should look into? 
• What tips do you have for sharing and storage across multiple campuses?

SLEP Alternatives

For many years, we've used the Secondary Level English Proficiency (SLEP) test from ETS for the Listening and Reading sections of the placement testing in our college ESL program, which is geared at ELLs who are learning English for Academic Purposes (EAP). We've been (mostly) satisfied with the results of using the SLEP in conjunction with the Writing and Speaking tests we developed ourselves. We've had very few students that have been incorrectly placed over the last 5+ years. In addition, we've been using the SLEP as one part of the exit criteria. Again, this standardized test has offered a point of reference that seemed less likely to be influenced by subjective ("human") factors. This is important not only for the instructors but  also for students, who may doubt the validity of the holistic evaluation approach we apply to the Writing and Speaking tests.

It seems, however, that ETS SLEP test materials will no longer be distributed as of this year. Therefore, we are searching for and discussing alternatives. On the one hand, the transition would be easier if we could find something that would simply replace the Listening and Reading tests of the SLEP.  On the other, we are open to more comprehensive tests ... if they meet our needs ... and would consider trying something entirely new. We'd also be very interested in tests that have been aligned with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). One final factor is cost, of course. Even soft money programs have to be frugal in times like these, so we're looking to keep the price down and to avoid passing any additional costs on to students.  

Possible Alternatives:

• TOEFL ITP 
• ESL Compass
• Michigan Test
• PTE
• CAE
• LEA
• Others???

If you have any advice for us or would be willing to share your experiences, it would be greatly appreciated. (Thanks!)

Blogging for ELT

On TESOL Connections (April 2012), I found an interesting article "Using Blogs for English Language Teaching" by Kristina Scholz. I have not tried this out myself, but it seems to me that it would be a very interesting form of collaborative writing that could be beneficial at various proficiency levels. The suggested writing activities look enticing to me. However, I wonder how many students actually find this form of writing, blogging, "authentic." My students (upper-intermediate/advanced students in an EAP program from all over the world)  spend a great deal of time using various forms of social media, in particular Facebook, and they are compulsive "texters." Yet, they do not read or write blogs on their own, of their own initiative. So, would they see this as yet another "artificial" form of writing, one that is possibly even less related to their academic goals than paragraph and essay writing. Or, would they see this as a fun and/or effective endeavor? 

[http://geekandpoke.typepad.com]

Textbook Series: Academic Connections

Academic Connections by Betsy Cassriel, Marit ter-Mate Martinsen, David Hill, Julia Williams (Pearson Longman in conjunction with ETS) is an integrated skills (reading, writing, listening, speaking) textbook series that recently caught my eye. I've reviewed it fairly thoroughly and have read a lot about it online (e.g. this press release gives a pretty good overview -- note the "guided tour" link in the middle of the page). It has an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) focus, which seems to fit the curriculum of my program. It also seems to have a great online resource called the "MyAcademicConnectionsLab." However, I have not yet taught from it, so I'd love to hear from anyone who has used this book in the past. 

• What was your impression? 
• What did you find to be the pros and cons? 
• Did your students seem to like the book and/or the online lab? 
• What experiences did you make with the online assessment tools?
• Do you feel that this series helped prepare your students for college/university classes? for the TOEFL test? 
• Any advice? 

Online Journaling in the ESL Classroom

At the Spokane ESL Regional Conference 2012, I was able to present on the kind of journaling I am having my upper-intermediate/advanced level students engage in. The title of my presentation was “Online Journaling: An Integrated Skills Approach to Independence” (view my prezi).

Summary:

A traditional journaling assignment is a wonderful means to get students to write more or more freely. An instructor may connect some reading or a discussion of some sort. In dialogue journaling, the instructor carries on a written conversation with the student, encouraging students to find their voices, again with the possibility of connecting reading or speaking in a later step. Yet, in these forms of journaling, the instructor functions either as the primary target audience and/or as some sort of referee/mediator/editor. I’d like to expand the skills horizon of journaling and free it from the looming oversight of the instructor. Therefore, I have been developing an approach to journaling that integrates listening, reading, writing, and speaking, not to mention intercultural awareness, on an online platform. In fact, it facilitates student acquaintance with and development of a variety of listening, reading, writing, and speaking forms and formats. Furthermore, the instructor steps out of the picture almost entirely, a move that fosters student autonomy, which in turns allows the connections and conversations between students to grow organically over the course of the quarter. 

Brief description of the actual online journaling process:

I use pbWorks as the platform, which enables me to give each of my students his/her own journal page that he/she can write on and that all others in the class can view and comment on. 

Students listen to reports/podcasts/lectures from a selection of websites (VoA, On Point with Tom Ashbrook, and TED). They choose their listenings themselves. The expectation is that they listen at least once without reading along. If a transcript or text is available, they read and listen at least once. Then they journal in two parts: a brief summary and a response (including, of course, the URL). This is due every Monday. During the week (by Friday), each student reads the journals of two others and comments on each. They are encouraged to respond in an academically-appropriate manner and even to keep the “conversation” going by commenting on the comments on their own pages. 

Later, students choose one of the topics they have encountered during the quarter for a presentation. 

Assessment:

Once this project is underway, it takes on a life of its own. I step into the background, and students interact with each not for the grade but because they enjoy it. I’m always impressed by the level of energy, interaction, and professionalism that develops throughout the quarter. 

I feel that this integrated skills style of journaling is quite successful. My students, although they grumble a bit at the beginning of the quarter, seem to appreciate both the skills development and the independence. 

Adaptations:

I’m fairly certain this approach would work well for students at all levels (except perhaps absolute beginners). For the more advanced, it could be made a bit more challenging; for lower proficiency levels, less difficult listening opportunities could be used and instead of a two-part journal, one with leading questions could be used.

Questions:

• What have been your experiences with journaling? With online journaling?
• Can you suggest other websites that would be good for listening (listening and reading)?
• Any suggestions/comments?

[picture from http://www.soulschoolonline.com/toolbox/journaling/]