Reflective Journal #5 - Second Life as Language Teaching Tool

Okay... so when I first heard about people learning English via Second Life(SL) sometime last year, I have to say I was somewhat impressed and anxious to explore this possibility (and perhaps make some $$ doing so!)... However, after merely just sampling SL, I feel much different about this possibility...

As an educational tool in general, SL might provide more use than its functions as a language teaching/learning tool specifically... it could be used to help socially challenged children to interact in environments which mimic real life situations, or it could be used to provide a long-range teaching solution for a school which may operate across many countries... it offers a number of different avenues for acquiring information, such as the ICT lab or the Ancient Egypt area... so the overall learning potential is high, but SL fails in one major area: focus.

SL avatars are allowed too much freedom... from creating objects to simply flying away from the current position, SL avatars can basically change the environment to match their current urges... this is what would happen if Adam and Eve had kept going... the world of SL is filled with potential, but that potential is muddied by gross freedom... while this may be enticing for casual users who wish to escape the monotony and dismal everyday drone of their own lives, it is detrimental to learners who are attempting to achieve some kind of focus... at every turn is a distraction... and I do not see much of a future for learning tools in something so un-structured...

I do see a small window of opportunity for langauge learners to experience authentic communication; however, the laborous task of setting up, signing up, and creating a SL account is a hassel far beyond the benefits of what may be achieved through SL...

SL is a disaster... there is way too much freedom and not enough learning potential to outweigh the install time, loading time, registration time, and SL specific adaptation time... I give the software a D- as a language learning tool... exception: a language learner who is used to virtual worlds and is intrinsically motivated to learn and not easily distracted... I challenge you to find a whole class of them! :)

Boo SL!
Go Wings! Hockeytown 4Ever!

Did I Miss Something?

Obviously I did... I have a strong inclination to think that I missed doing my post on the Adobe web-creation program, Dreamweaver. Personally, I must say that this program, while providing a smooth, hassle-free, streamlined process for web page creation, has taken away from the true art of constructing an HTML document. In all honesty, I feel like I am cheating while using this program... Some might say the plethora of features and options in Dreamweaver allow for an extensive, in-depth, truly unique web page to be created, but it all just confuses me. I would much rather toil for hours over notepad, wordpad, or some other simple text editing program writing the real HTML code than sit down for 20mins and cut/paste or click on buttons. To me it just seems more intimate... more true... more like you care about your webpage... I guess if all you care about is pumping out webpages to make money, Dreamweaver is a a good $300+ investment, scratch that... I just looked it up on the Adobe store... this program is over $1,700... can anyone say RIP OFF!? Truthfully, anything you can do in Dreamweaver is achievable through a simple text editing program... don't fall for the hype, and don't get caught pirating it because it's "too expensive" or you'll be wishing you didn't, because the price for piracy is far more than the raping of your wallet practiced by Adobe. It's not worth it, notepad is free, and so is the information on how to code HTML, GOOGLE IT!

Hot Hot Starch!

This post is late... just as it seems everything is at this point.

I decided, for future benefit, to download the HotPotatoes program for my Macintosh.  Unfortunately, the only available version for my type of Mac was the Java version.  It was not much different from the Windows version, except that all of the programs are integrated into one interface.

I enjoyed the HotPotatoes program, and I felt its ability to simplify interactive website creation was superb.  Most people with intermediate computer knowledge should be able to create the activities, however publishing the sites requires a somewhat in-depth knowledge of how website publication works.  I was most confident using the JQuiz application, as it is the most straightforward.  JCross is rather fun to play with, but requires a previously planned set of information.  In fact, JCross is something I could see myself using for my needs analysis class, as it was a class devoted to Literature and Film.  I would be able to use the names, places, and situations in the books or films to create a very in depth crossword for the students, in some cases increasing their vocabulary.

This program will definitely be getting some use from me in the future :)

Group Work and Problem Solving (Reflective Journal #3)

Our learning group has just completed a project on problem solving aimed at designing a lesson plan for one class period of an English learning class; the class could have been the example on the handout given to us by Professor Heather, or one which a member of our group has observed.

Our group came together in many different ways to complete this project. Our first goal was to decide which class we would model our lesson plan upon, and just what activity would be appropriate for the topic of "problem solving." After a lengthy face-to-face discussion, we settled upon an idea of using an observed class which was studying future tense, and involving them in discussions on ways to save energy.

One day we decided to use internet based chatting on SacCT to talk about our project, and it presented a number of difficulties. There was a large amount of cross-talk, and some group members even made comments which were misinterpreted by others and possibly damaged group relations. Eventually, the group was able to come together, and we utilized the internet to our full advantage while talking to each other face-to-face, to maintain the cohesiveness of our group. We eventually agreed to use SacCT's discussion board and email features to communicate and transmit files both inside and outside of class.

We scoured a number of websites aimed at spreading information about saving energy, finally agreeing to use the Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) website [http://www.pge.com/] because it had flashy animations explaining about energy production, storage, and delivery along with a good list of energy-saving tips. Ann did a wonderful job of putting together a handout meant to guide students to the proper site; at first she was unsure, but after being shown how to use the "Print Screen" button and Microsoft's Paint program to make images of her computer screen (screen-shots), she went wild and we ended up with an amazing handout!

Ann also was able to find a website that allows one to make their own word-searches if provided a list of words [http://www.armoredpenguin.com/]. Ann seemed to be a powerhouse and producing handouts!

I'm not sure how else we could have utilized technology in our group to a better end; we tried web-chat, but it only created more problems. We ourselves were subject to our own bit of problem solving in that communications seemed scattered when we used technology, and it was difficult for us to divide the work evenly so that each member felt included and important. This was an important excersise in learning how to create a cohesive group effort, it will definitely impact the way in which I view group projects and collaborative technology projects in the future.

Journal #2 - WIkis

Ack! This is very late! But, all I can say is, oh well.

I chose to check out Wikispaces for this journal entry which unfortunately will be short and sweet.

The Wikispaces site was super-easy to sign up for: a username, password, and email address is all you need! Once you sign up they instantly give you a mini tutorial in which they teach you the basics and even some of the more in-depth stuff.

The site seems comparable to google sites in features and options, and they even offer news and discussion boards. What's more amazing is the small link at the bottom that read "did you know Wiki Spaces is hiring?"

I could say that teaching this to a group of second language learners shouldn't be too difficult given enough preparation and an anticipation of possible hiccups/questions. This was not very complicated and it is a great way to collaborate on ideas.

Well, sorry to say but that'll have to do it for tonight.

Reflective Journal #1 - Task 1A... and Being Sick

Well, here I am again...

I planned on getting this out at an earlier time, but as the title says: I've been feeling a bit under the weather. That said, I've taken a quick look over the two pieces of "critical thinking" software suggested by Prof. Heather.

Rationale

What I Liked/Didn't:

This seems to be a serious piece of software for serious people who are interested in serious critical thinking skills and improvement. There seem to be a large number of options for each style of "mind-mapping" available. At this point in time I haven't had a chance to use the demo (the trial is only PC compatible), but it looks very involved. Will update when I take a look at it further. I can't say that I'm too happy about the limited compatibility, especially since Macintosh is making its way into the classroom more readily.

Is it Useful in Promoting Critical Thinking?

If you are serious about mapping out your thought process, and can be dedicated to a piece of software like this, definitely. However, I have never been able to sit down and do this. Many of my friends have tried to introduce me to "mind-mapping" software, and for me, it is just too much time thinking about the process. I usually just like to jump right into my tasks and let things sort themselves out as I go along, but I assume that tis way of doing things might not be the best for a teaching career. Rationale could certainly be useful for lesson planning and classroom activity flow charting, maybe even realtime idea mapping in-class.

What Challenges are there if I were to Use Rationale in the Classroom?

Teaching patience is a large challenge with software like this. As I stated, I am not someone who would be found using this kind of software for too many things, and thus, I might have some issues trying to teach others to patiently diagram a thought process. Usually, for me, the "process" of thought is hashed out in the doing of the thing, so I might be inclined to encourage aggressiveness in terms of the assignment rather than patience and "critical" thought.

The "$64,000 Question": Does the Potential for Learning Enhancement justify the Resources?

As stated, my experience with the software is limited due to its compatibility issues; that said, the price for a single "education" license (not sure what that means), $69, is fairly reasonable. If one were to simply use it for classroom planning/realtime idea-mapping, I could see it being very useful and important to learning environments. The price for other licenses is unknown, but I definitely think the potential outweighs the price.

Inspiration

While this assignment only required us to look at one piece of software, I felt the need to explore Inspiration as well. I'll lay out a few brief points about my thoughts on this software:

-First, the software was cross-platform compatible, and I was able to download a trial for my Mac. This was most pleasing, as the cross-platform capability would allow me to move between my home desktop PC and my portable Mac laptop, they even have a version for Palm OS, which means even more on-the-go "mind-mapping" in case you have an idea and you aren't able to access your computer.

-The interface is a bit less "serious" than Rationale, which could influence users either way. I think the built-in icons allow for a more "fun" experience, but I still have yet to explore Rationale to see if they have a comparable feature.

-One-click map-to-outline button makes producing outlines from your idea-maps extremely simple.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Both pieces of software offer potential for learning enhancements.  Both pieces of software are $69 for a single license, which is reasonable. With a bit of research one might be able to find a freeware program that does things comparable to these programs, but these professionally developed tools come with support staffs and the opportunity for multiple licenses for full classroom use. I'm very interested in the possibilities for this type of software in my upcoming teaching career!

* * *

I've been sick... It sucks! That's what I'll say on that... Hope you enjoyed tonight's entry :)

Charles Louis Hanks

First Official Post

Hello,

To those who are in my group I apologize for posting this so late... to anyone else reading who has no idea what I am talking about, read on, you shall embark on a wonderful adventure of learning and technology! :)

Anyhow... This assignment hasn't been too difficult for me.  I usually am interested in how things work, especially "technology" oriented items.  I like to click on everything and see what it does.  I've never taught a group of students, but I have had some experiences attempting to teach people who weren't necessarily technologically adept how to use technology... that said, I'm not so sure that teaching students would be very easy.  I'm sure it certainly depends on what generation they are from.  Today's generation of children are growing up surrounded by Google search keywords and myspace page URL's; I see my younger sister (she's 9) making better use of the family computer than my mother, and even my stepfather who proudly displays a certificate from a computer course of which the name escapes me.  I certainly am not trying to suggest that my mother and stepfather are not intelligent people, they simply are either uncomfortable using, or unfamiliar with technology.  I believe anyone can learn anything if only enough effort if exercised by both instructor and student.

Well... That's what I believe at this moment in my student career; I'll be sure to let those of you who stay following this blog know if my views change! :) With that said, for those interested, I'll paste the "practice" first blog below.

Keep Current!

Thanks for Reading,

Charles Louis Hanks

(Spidey C)

PostScript:

"Well, hello there.  If you are reading this than you are either in the ENGL 110/210C course atCSUS, or you have stumbled across this blog accidentally.  If you have ended up here accidentally, welcome.  You may soon feel one of many ways which could include: bored, overwhelmed, happy, excited, or just plain disappointed; if that's the case, I apologize in advance.

First let me say that this class has my full and upmost attention.  I hold two different technology degrees, so I feel this course is integrating a number of my passions, which is allowing me to be excited, and take in the information quite readily.  Today I am only supposed to write a small amount, so I will leave you, readers, with this:

We all struggle at some point, whether it be in learning, work, or maybe just in life in general.  What I've found is that the struggle, while difficult, is never lacking for excitement.  Enjoy the excitement that are your daily challenges, and live life to the upmost, learning everything you can at each separate moment.

That's my two cents, hope it buys you a nickel's worth of contentment! :)

Charles Louis Hanks

(Spidey C)"