Coursera Teaching With Technology Readings.docx

COURSERA TEACHING WITH TECHNOLOGY READINGS Excerpt from "50 Ways to Teach Online: Tips for ESL/EFL Teachers" by Dr. Justin Shewell. You can purchase an electronic copy of the book at https://www.amazon.com/Fifty-Ways-Teach-Online-Teachers-ebook/dp/B01M5IS58Q

Glossary of Important Terms Here are some terms used frequently in this book that may be unfamiliar to you, especially if you are new to online learning and teaching. While some of the terms may have varying definitions, or be used differently by different people in the field, these definitions are the ones that make the most sense in the context of this book. Asynchronous – When students are online and accessing course content at different times from each other and the instructor. Most online courses function using an asynchronous model. Audio conference – Using a microphone along with a network connection to allow people in different geographical locations to hear and speak to each other. Audio conferences are often conducted over the Internet or via telephone technology. Blended learning – A model of instruction where online and face-to-face instruction are combined in a single course or context. Students will often complete a certain number of online learning activities before meeting in person with an instructor for additional learning activities. Courseware – Another term for Learning Management System (see below). It can also refer to instructional software or applications installed on a learner’s computer rather than accessed via the Internet. Discussion boards – A type of communication platform that allows students to send messages to each other. Messages are often grouped into threads, and most discussion boards are accessible by all students, which is different that some private messaging features. Distance learning or distance education – An educational context where the learners and instructor(s) are not in the same geographical location. Before the Internet and the Information Age, distance learning was conducted by mail and was sometimes called correspondence learning. Today, distance learning almost always refers lessons delivered via technology, usually via the Internet. eLearning – Short for electronic learning: any educational context where lessons are delivered via technology, such as a computer, tablet or other mobile device. Often eLearning is used in a distance learning context, but it can also be used in face-to-face contexts.

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FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions. Instructional design – The deliberate planning and development of educational materials to fit a specific learning context. The process of designing instruction generally involves determining the needs of the learners, defining clear learning objectives, planning learning activities that help accomplish those learning objectives, and designing assessments that effectively determine if those learning objectives have been met. LMS – Learning Management System. The software or website that stores and distributes course materials to your students. An LMS usually features a way for students to communicate with each other such as a discussion board, and a way for students to submit assignments. Common LMSs include Blackboard, Canvas, and Moodle. Some online education companies, like Pearson or Coursera, have developed their own LMS for their courses. MOOC – Massive Open Online Course. While there is some debate about the details of what a MOOC is, generally a MOOC refers to a course that is available to anyone online and has hundreds if not thousands of learners all accessing course materials and assignments at the same time. Obviously there will be some differences between MOOCs and other types of online courses that have fewer students or where student enrollment is more controlled. Media – Images, audio, video, or text. Multimedia – The use of different types of media together to deliver instruction. Netiquette – A combination of the words “net” and “etiquette.” This usually refers to a set of rules and manners that guide students in how they behave and interact with others in online settings. Online learning – Generally similar to eLearning, except that the lessons are delivered via the Internet. Social media – Media (see above) that are created and/or shared on a social network (see below). Social network – A website or platform that allows its users to connect and share ideas and media with others. Common examples of social networks include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and many others. Streaming media – Instead of downloading an entire file to a computer before playing the media, streaming media begins playing as soon as enough data has been downloaded, and continues to download in the background. A common example is a YouTube video, where the video begins playing before the entire video file has been loaded; and as the video plays, it continues to download until the entire file has been downloaded.

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Synchronous – When students are accessing instructional materials and lesson activities at the same time. Examples of synchronous activities might be a video conference (see below) or online chat session, or when students login to watch the instructor deliver a lecture live rather than watching a recording. Q & A – Question and Answer. Video conference – Using cameras and microphones combined with some type of network connection to allow people in different geographical locations to see and hear each other synchronously. Virtual classroom – A digital space where learners and instructors can interact and conduct learning activities. Most virtual classroom software provides a way for instructors to share media with learners, hear and sometimes see learners, and record the interactions so they can be played back later. Webinar – A seminar conducted through a video or audio conference, usually via the Internet. Webinars are often recorded and distributed to a wider audience for those who could not attend the live session.

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Excerpt from "50 Ways to Teach Online: Tips for ESL/EFL Teachers" by Dr. Justin Shewell. You can purchase an electronic copy of the book at https://www.amazon.com/Fifty-Ways-Teach-Online-Teachers-ebook/dp/B01M5IS58Q

Designing Instruction While you may be able to walk into a face-to-face class and “wing it,” doing so in an online setting will only result in disaster. Your students will not know what to do and where to go without specific instructions. They will not accomplish your learning objectives if you do not lead them in the right direction. Creating a successful online learning experience begins with deliberate application of instructional design principles. There are almost too many different theories of instructional design to count, but hopefully these tips will get you headed in the right direction. ... 3. Keep the technology as simple as possible. Just because you have the ability to include advanced technology doesn’t always mean you should. Design with the lowest common denominator in mind. If you expect to have learners from a third-world country, for example, you may not want to include a lot of online videos that require a lot of internet bandwidth because those learners might not be able to access them. Or you may want to provide the same content in two different ways: videos for those who can access them, and readings for those who either don’t want to or can’t access the videos. Keeping the technology as simple as possible also means you won’t have to spend as much time teaching students how to use the technology you have included in your course. 4. Alignment, alignment, alignment. As with any course, your content should be in direct alignment with your assessments, and your assessments should be in direct alignment with your curricular objectives. Just like the alignment on your car, if one of the wheels is out of alignment, it can do great damage to your remaining tires and result in high repair or replacement costs. If one of the pieces of your instruction, such as your content or your assessment, is out of alignment with your learning outcomes, your learners will not be able to achieve what you’ve set for them to do. Similarly, it is sometimes possible for all four wheels to be aligned with each other, all pointing the same direction, but just not straight ahead. Your learning activities and content may be aligned with your assessment, but those two pieces may not be aligned with your learning objectives. Or you may have chosen inappropriate learning objectives for the context of your course. Ensuring that all pieces of your curriculum are in alignment will help ensure a better learning experience for your learners, whether it be online or not.

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Excerpt from "50 Ways to Teach Online: Tips for ESL/EFL Teachers" by Dr. Justin Shewell. You can purchase an electronic copy of the book at https://www.amazon.com/Fifty-Ways-Teach-Online-Teachers-ebook/dp/B01M5IS58Q

Create Cognitive Presence Cognitive presence refers to the depth at which students interact with the content of the course, think critically about what they’ve learned, and apply it in meaningful ways. For learning to take place, online or otherwise, the brain must physically change. New knowledge must be integrated with existing ideas and understanding in a way that makes sense to each individual learner. New neural networks are created, and meaning is constructed within the mind of the learner. The next few tips focus on how you can create cognitive presence in your online courses. ... 16. Provide multiple interactions with the same content. This is another seemingly simple principle, but essential to the success of your learners. Learning occurs in steps; very rarely are learners able to construct new knowledge and meaning in one sitting or lesson. They need to interact with the content multiple times, each time approaching it from a slightly different angle. As you plan your course structure, don’t forget the importance of revisiting previously taught concepts and recycling content in new contexts. For example, you might present your students with a problem, sometimes called a triggering event. Students then have to explore the content you’ve provided to find ways to solve the problem or complete the challenge. During this process, they are inquiring, exploring, and reflecting on what they’ve learned. They share their ideas with their classmates and brainstorm solutions to the problem. Finally, they apply what they’ve learned to create a solution, which they present to others along with clear reasons and opinions. Structure your course assignments to be progressive, with the first easier assignments naturally leading to more complex assignments that require students to use things they’ve learned previously in new ways. 17. Use inquiry-based projects. In inquiry-based learning, the learners come up with a question and then find the answer or answers. Inquiry-based projects are common in science subjects, where students hypothesize and then test out their hypotheses and draw conclusions based on their tests. However, this type of project can be used in a variety of subjects with enough planning.

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For example, if you were teaching American history and had a unit about the gold rush, you might ask students, Why does society need rules? Then students would be asked to research some of the problems gold rush boom towns had and create rules that would help solve those problems. They could present their rules to the class or a wider audience via the internet. Inquiry-based projects typically have an “essential question” that guides the research. There is also a task students are required to do in order to answer the essential question and show their understanding. ...

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Excerpt from "50 Ways to Teach Online: Tips for ESL/EFL Teachers" by Dr. Justin Shewell. You can purchase an electronic copy of the book at https://www.amazon.com/Fifty-Ways-Teach-Online-Teachers-ebook/dp/B01M5IS58Q

Student-to-Content Interaction This refers to students learning from course content and participating in course activities. Creating dynamic content that is delivered in a way that motivates students to learn from the materials and participate in course activities is essential to successful online learning. Studies show that students have greater interaction with content when teachers provide opportunities for continuous contact with the content, provide opportunities to participate in course discussions, and deliver the content in an interesting way for students. The following tips focus on these areas. ... 27. Remember the multimedia principle. People learn better from pictures and words than from words alone. As you design and present your content, think about how you can incorporate multimedia – videos, images, music, etc. – to help your learners grasp important concepts. Research on the human brain has shown that humans are generally visual learners, and that the brain is able to process much more visual information than any other type of sensory information. So use visual representations as much as you can. 28. Remember the interactivity principle. This principle states that people learn better when they can control the pace of their learning. In online settings, this is almost second nature because much of the content presentation happens through videos, where learners can pause, go back, speed up, etc., if they want to. If you have chosen a course platform that prohibits these actions, think about changing platforms. Additionally, depending on the context of your online course, being flexible with assignment deadlines and course enrollments allows learners to set their own pace and have more control over their learning and interaction with course content.

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Excerpt from "50 Ways to Teach Online: Tips for ESL/EFL Teachers" by Dr. Justin Shewell. You can purchase an electronic copy of the book at https://www.amazon.com/Fifty-Ways-Teach-Online-Teachers-ebook/dp/B01M5IS58Q

Supporting Students Online settings can lack the interaction and connection that inherently exists in face-to-face teaching situations. Several studies have shown that in courses that do not provide support to learners, students reported feeling isolated and unmotivated, and were less likely to begin assignments and projects on their own. Students need to feel the instructor cares about their success in the course. Additionally, online learners need different types of support than face-to-face learners may need, so it is important to consider your learners and prepare to support them accordingly. The next tips will help get you started in supporting your online students. ... 44. Provide instructions for using technology tools. One of the biggest differences between face-to-face and online teaching is, of course, the technology. Most of your learners will probably have sufficient skills to navigate the course materials and submit assignments, but some learners may need tutorials including step-by-step instructions on how to use the different features of the LMS. Additionally, if your course requires any specialized technology, or perhaps uses existing technology in a new way, you should provide clear instructions on how to use it. Not only will this help students be more self-sufficient, it will save you an enormous amount of time that would otherwise be spent responding to questions of How do I…? 45. Scaffolding, scaffolding, scaffolding. The concept of scaffolding in instruction comes from the work of Vygotsky and his Zone of Proximal Development. Essentially, you provide the learners with a structure that builds on what they already know and guides them through new tasks step-by-step, gradually allowing them more autonomy until they can complete tasks on their own. You may need to provide background knowledge to some of your learners that other learners already have. You might want to enlist the help of more knowledgeable students as mentors to help you assist less skilled students as they complete coursework. In short, provide students with the tools and guidance they need to complete their assigned tasks.

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Example Technology Survey 1. How often do you get online? 

At least once a day.

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2-5 times a week.



Once a week.

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A few times a month or less. 2. How often do you check your email?



At least once a day.

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2-5 times a week.

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Once a week.

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A few times a month or less. 3. We will be exploring some very exciting technologies in our Technology in the Classroom course! We will need to use computers EVERY DAY in this class. Are you able to bring a laptop computer with you to class?

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Yes.



No. 4. What technology do you have access to on a daily basis? (Check as many boxes as apply.) *



Personal computer



Smart phone or tablet

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Computer at your school/workplace

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Projector in the classroom

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All of the above.

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None of the above. Using the numbers below, please rate your skill level with the following technology tools: 1- I have never heard of this tool. 2- I have heard of this tool. 3 - I have used this tool personally.

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4 - I have used this tool with students. 5 - I have taught others how to use this tool. Technology Tools 1. Word processing software (e.g. Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Apple Pages) 2. Presentation software (e.g. Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Slides, Apple Keynote, Prezi) 3. Spreadsheet software (e.g. Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers) 4. Email software (e.g. Outlook, Gmail, Hotmail) 5. Search engines (e.g. Google, Yahoo, Bing) 6. Typing Club 7. Blogger 8. Popplet 9. Bubbl.us 10. Lingua.ly 11. Visual Thesaurus and Vocab Grabber 12. Scoop.it 13. Google Bookmarks 14. Twitter 15. TedEd 16. Storify 17. FlipGrid 18. Padlet 19. Socrative 20. Jing 21. Vocaroo 22. SpeakPipe 23. Schoology 24. EdModo 25. EdCreations 26. Study Stack 27. Quizlet 28. Khan Academy 29. English Central

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30. Wimba Voice 31. My Homework App 32. Teachers.IO 33. Grammarly 34. Camtasia 35. Hello-Hello English 36. Phonetics Focus App (Cambridge) 37. Digital recording devices (e.g. smartphone, digital voice recorders, online web tools like Audacity) 38. Rubistar 39. SurveyMonkey 40. Google Forms

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The Pedagogical Foundations Of EnglishCentral By David Deubelbeiss EnglishCentral is a company that takes pride in having experienced teachers on staff and designing a product that will help students learn and acquire English, particularly for international communication. Too often technology is designed without the control or voice of educators. Technology for technology's sake. We have tried to avoid this error and build an e-learning platform that puts pedagogy and learning first. Here are the key aspects of English Central's pedagogy: 1. Motivation. We live in a visual and digital world. Students consume enormous amounts of video content and video has become the new textbook. EnglishCentral harnesses this built in, intrinsic level of motivation - why not learn English while viewing videos you love? EnglishCentral publishes 30 new video lessons per week and its vast library of video lessons and courses offers every student the chance to study what they want and listen to messages they want to hear. 2. Comprehensible Input Not only do students need to listen to messages they want to hear - these messages must be level appropriate (Krashen, 2001). Each EnglishCentral video lesson or course plus our vocabulary is leveled and can be assigned to students based on their level of English. This provides appropriate practice maximizing language acquisition. 3. Precise, Timely Feedback EnglishCentral provides instant feedback to students. Students begin to "notice the gap" (Schmidt, 1990) and begin to self-correct as they compare their speech to the original. Tools are provided so students can "dig down" and understand the language and get the answers they need immediately. EnglishCentral works to promote learner autonomy. 4. Lowered Affective Filter Many students go through a substantial "silent period" (Krashen, 1985). Others need the time and space given through self-study before they are ready to excel in the very socially

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demanding classroom. EnglishCentral provides a safe, low anxiety environment where learners can proceed at their own pace and practice speaking in a non-threatening place. Teachers are often amazed how the quiet students in their class "bloom" on EnglishCentral. 5. An Oral Language Focus The 21st century workplace and global nature of communication demands that students have strong speaking skills. The importance of written communication is receding. EnglishCentral's proprietary speech recognition system IntelliSpeech™ trains students to produce, clear, intelligible speech for effective communication across cultures and borders. 6. Blended Learning The future of education lies in blended learning (Arne Duncan, 2014). EnglishCentral partners with schools and teachers offering a unique blended learning model and platform. Courses and video lessons can perfectly compliment what students learn in class, providing students with extra practice matching the class curriculum. Our free LMS lets teachers extend the curriculum and track student achievement. 7. Structured Learning Our simple Watch | Learn | Speak methodology provides low cognitive overload and an easy to follow learning pathway. Courses and video lessons are leveled and vocabulary is presented with spaced-time repetition. EnglishCentral monitors every word or expression students study and provides a simple interface where students can use the feedback to improve their pronunciation and build their vocabulary. 8. Gaming Students are highly engaged by the gaming dynamics of EnglishCentral. Students compete for XPs (Experience Points) and ranking through their study. However, we don't go overboard and aim to keep the focus on the learning, not the gaming. 9. Ambiguity Tolerance Language is a vast and unpredictable space. Successful language learners are risk takers. Critical to being a risk taker is having a strong ability to not be stressed out by what you don't understand (Brown, 2007). EnglishCentral provides authentic content that challenges students to focus on the general meaning and gist and strengthen their level of ambiguity tolerance. Interested in reading more about EnglishCentral and why it works? Try this post on our blog or visit our Academic area for some case studies on how teachers have used EnglishCentral successfully at their school.

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David Deubelbeiss is a professor, educational consultant and teacher trainer currently at the Schulich School of Education, Nipissing University, North Bay, Canada. He is a leader in promoting the use of technology in language teaching and the use of social media in education. He is the Director of Education at EnglishCentral. Find him online at his professional development community for teachers, EFL Classroom 2.0 or through his LinkedIn profile. He espouses the simple teaching philosophy of “When one teaches, two learn.”

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