BBC English

Do you want to keep a conversation going? Go to the BBC podcast on "how to keep a conversation going. Select this extending a conversation. You can also find other interesting activities at BBC's web page so just follow this lesson.

Podcast Interivew

This is Ivan Da Silva. I interviewed him today on why he would like to have an advanced pronunciation and speaking course at MCTC. Go to the interview.



If you can't listen to the above interview click here to download the audio.

I think I would use podcasts in my listening and speaking course. It would be a good way for students to listen and take notes. I probably would interview one of the classmates too! I wouldn't expect studednts to do their own because quite honestly I think the technology has too many glitches and requirements that as Alyssa said it would take away from the language learning. I like the idea of using technology but I know from the past that my students have alot of difficulty with it. Many of my students are refugees and don't have a lot of money. This might be something I could have them do in the lab with a technician. That is something to think about. I will use podcasts and I like the idea of using the BBC English Language lessons. I just discovered that.

Using Podcasts in Lessons

I would like to create a link in my blog. I watched Alyssa's tutorial and I thought I would also try this so that I can use it in my own class. I listen to podcasts at home when I cook or sometimes when I am traveling. Here is a link to Marketplace and the various podcasts. Marketplace

Single Sex Classroom Debate

The character I chose is "neutral parent" and the name is Cynthia Whipple. Cynthia has two children, a son who is 15 and is attending Edina High School and a 12 year old daughter. Cynthia works at Hoover High School in the office. She has decided to participate in the role-play as a neutral parent. Through out most of the discussion she is mostly supporting the program, but after hearing a lot of discussion from representatives and reading articles that are presented, she starts to question her position. It is hard for Cynthia to take a strong stance on the subject of same-sex classrooms. Although she is quite liberal and has strong opinions about politics, she is having a difficult time taking a "strong" position on this. Her son is enrolled in a class called, "Guys and Literature" at Edina High and she thought this course will be helpful for her son. Her son has had some difficulties with English, but not major ones. She thought this course might inspire him to write more because in the past he had complained about the types of books they had to read in English. One of the books was, "The Secret Life of Bees". This book didn't seem to appeal to him and Cynthia could understand his point of view. One of the books in the "Guys and Literature" course was by one of his favorite authors called, "Looking for Alaska," by John Green. This was one reason why the class sounded interesting. Also, John Green came to speak to his class!

At Hoover High she has volunteered to participate in the on-line discussion because of her son's experience. Cynthia is well-educated and is working toward a teaching degree at the local university. She hopes to teach English once she completes her studies, but she is finding it difficult because she has two kids to raise and a household to manage. Although Cynthia is extremely busy, she is passionate about this subject and she spends a lot of time reading the other posts and the attached articles. She tries very hard to take a position but keeps finding that she moves between the two sides a lot. Her biggest concern is that this movement toward single sex classrooms is a way to shove the boys off into a room where they can be "handled" and so the teacher can be more authoritative. This idea concerns Cynthia because she wants her son to be challenged. Her son is smart and is an excellent reader. She doesn't want him to get the easy class and end up struggling once he goes off to college. She also is concerned that the move toward single-sex classrooms is just another trend without a lot of substance behind it. She is worried that the class is not focusing on academics and is focusing more on behavior problems. Another concern is that is this might be just another "no child left behind" gimmick. Cynthia did go to the English course orientation in September and had a chance to learn more about the single-sex English class and learn more about the curriculum. She was impressed by the quality of the program and the teacher. Cynthia is still pleased that her son is in the course despite her reservations. Why? This is still something that Cynthia needs to figure out. Stay tuned.

Making a digital story

I chose to use Voicethread for my digital storytelling. I used Jamaica Kincaid's story, "A Walk to the Jetty," which is chapter 8 in the book Annie John. I use this story in my ESOL Reading course and I thought a voicethread that introduces the author's background and additional information about the writer's intensions and reasons for creating this story would be helpful to students. I think adding visual to any story can make it more meaningful. I like the idea of the "comment" function because then students can also provide their own thoughts. I would encourage students to interact with the pictures and post a comment. We could also view the slide show in class and then I could have them write their thoughts or type them. The type function is really small so with a large class it might get cluttered. I think the voicethread would be a good way to present the story and get students more interested in reading it. I don't think I would have students create their own voicethread because I am afraid I would spend too much time teaching the technology rather than the content. That is a fear I have. I have found that students need a lot of instruction with technology, at least this is true with ESOL students. I think young kids who come out of the American schools are better prepared for that kind of activity. However, I like the digital story telling for another way to get my students involved with the text and the language. Certainly it is more engaging that a lecture.

How I will use a wiki?

I plan to use a wiki for professional use. After creating a wiki, I am not sure it is the best platform for my ESL students. I am glad I understand the technology and I can use it if I see that there is a clear purpose, but for now I will use it in meetings and for professional use. I created two wikis. One was for personal use. I am going on a short weekend trip with some friends of mine and it was a good way to share information. I collected some pictures of the trip and organized the categories as: menu planning, hotel, entertainment, and packing list. I could see using this in the future too. I got a few replies, but two women only looked and didn't use it as a communication tool. We met last night in person, so maybe they will begin using the Wiki. It is new to all of us. The second wiki I created is for my presentation that I will give at the MinneTESOL Conference in November. This is a conference for teachings of ESL. I am presenting on Learning Strategies and I thought it would be great to have a web page that we can all use. Also, after presentations teachers often want handouts and more ideas so this Wiki will save me from having to send out e-mails that takes time! I hope you like my wiki. I am sharing the second one for professional use: http://andrestrategies.pbwiki.com/

Brooklyn Bridge

I thought this was a beautiful picture. It took me a long time to figure out how to embed photos from flickr. I got a lot of error messages when I tried to load them onto the blog. Finally, after uploading the photos to the desktop I could attach them. I also noticed that many people were having troubles loading their images from flickr to the blog. After many hours and alot of attempts, I was successful. I have learned that I need to be very patient with technology!

A View of New York City