Garcia, A. ( 2008, Summer).Rethinking myspace. Rethinking Schools, 22, 27-29.
Garcia entails the many possibilities of MySpace in the classroom context. Here he pilots the use of MySpace and expands his methodological repertoire by connecting to his learners outside of the classroom. Some of the ways he draws his learners in is by leaving messages on MySpace and using this as a form of communication to gain attention and instruct his learners outside of the classroom context. The drawbacks he sees is that students may be shy to interact with their teacher thinking he might invade their cyber and private space, however, Garcia concludes that so far this seems an effective tool to reach out to his cyber techno savvy learners.
This article made me rethink MySpace. As we discussion during the last class about many uses of Skype, I am infusing some ideas how MySpace may and may not be an effective method to use with my learners and/or their parents. As we reach this society of technology and networking via computers and other gadgets, it can be a form of indirect communication (indirect meaning not face to face) between myself and the community I serve (student, parents, staff). I do like how Garcia emphasis the context in which this may work. He says that students who are more introverted can use this form effectively and that students now are more technoliterate, so this means will work for that context. On the other hand, I still stress the direct interaction (face to face) so that I am not just an id online. I am more of a person and not a user id. I want to feel approachable socially by my students and less intimidating in person.
So far my use of MySpace is to keep in touch with family and friends who are elsewhere, and I have not thought of this as a tool for networking with my learners. However, I do see the potential here. If I do plan on creating one for my learners, I would have to come up with specific goals and aims so that the use and engagements in this activity are clear and precise to my clique of learners.
McFarlane, S. H. (2008, Summer). The laptops are coming! The laptops are coming! Rethinking Schools, 22, 22-26.
McFarlane expresses her personal accounts of the laptop usages among the students she serve. She encounters the time when the laptops came and stressed some negative and positive insights here. The negative notions here were the lack of direction and/or goals, user conduct, and evaluation process on the tech curricula. She ends the story with ideas and visions of instilling within the students the power student can have to help build a world they want to see (pp. 26)
I like how she comes up with a list of Notes for the next time. As we read in Richards in creating and planning curricula, many things need to be in place for the effectiveness and the on-going successes of such lessons. Here in this context there seemed to be no direction. I see this at my school where we are given a bunch of computers and are expected to be technoliterate. I do wish to be more tech oriented and have students become more in control of technology and hopefully able to see themselves as builders of the world they want to see. On the other hand, in my context I need more training and to also write a tech philosophy for myself. I have not incorporated the use of technology so much and it’s about time I do; technology is here.
I do have about 3 iMac in my classroom. So, where do I go from here? I’m fortunate to have this class where I am pushed to learn all the tech methods I can utilize. I do want to add that savviness to my resume`. When I get back I do want to do a little needs and situation analysis of what’s available at my site in terms of program in the iMacs, and a little inventory of what’s available at my site. Once that’s done, I can begin creating more activities with and for the students. This will be my start to conquering my digital divide!
Thorn, S. L. (2006). New technologies and additional language learning. CALPER Working Paper No. 7, 1-26.
This article reviews context and uses of CMC (Computer Mediated Communication) in regards to language education environments. Some key features in this article includes synchronous CMC (SCMC) modes or chatting, ICL2E (Internet-mediated Intercultural L2 Education) or SCMC between people of different cultures such as the Americans chatting with the German or French), and some of the results conclude that CMC is used more for intercultural competence. Other points in this review highlighted use of blogs and wikis and how it related to L2 developments, and more research was needed for these modes. As for MySpace, Facebook, and Friendster, no research has been done to see if L2 learning occurs.
This review article just backs up the notion that multimodal learning and multiliteracies enhance language in learners. My connection here is that I am encouraged to try and learn new avenues in L2 education and the world is full of these technologies as an asset in language development and learning. I can’t see my learners chatting with foreign students right away, however I can see them chatting with other students in different villages and that is generally what happened via Yahoo Messenger, MSN, and other IM network sites such as MySpace. I have not seen this use in the classroom context and perhaps this is where I would have to write goals and aims for the use of these modes. After reading Richards, I seem to go back to the essential questions needed in planning curriculum.
Final points for me are that I need to become accustomed to the changes in technological use and its potential in language education. I know that a lot of my learners are online at home and are technosavvy as compared to when I was their age. So, where do I go from here (I ask again)? The world is full of possibilities and through the correct and appropriate use of technology with clear goals and aims, I am positive that students can develop and progress in language. It’s just a matter of approaching it from an educator’s, researchers, and linguistic perspective.
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