ONLINE ESL Project Planner

Presented by:Ian RogersAwil Hashi

Kavita Jadhav Min Zi

Current Scenario

Current ScenarioStudent – Some common classroom learning barriers . . .

Language taught in the classroom is not authentic;

Student/Student and Student/Teacher Interaction not meaningful;

Instruction not motivating, uninspiring and uninteresting;

Lessons too focused on grammar translation or repetition;

Activities too one dimensional;

Technology not used by many traditional instructors.

The Teacher – Some common concerns . ..

Hard to motivate and inspire indifferent students;

Difficult to cater to learners of varied proficiency levels, learning styles, first language, and goals.

Materials available not conducive to developing authentic language lessons;

Too many resources, hard to find and choose the best ones;

Developing authentic and meaningful materials is a time consuming process.

Research Reviews

Designing Websites for ESL Learners: A Usability Testing Study Liu, Min; Traphagan, Tomoko; Huh, Jin; Koh, Young Ihn; Choi, Gilok; McGregor, Allison-http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal?_nfpb=true&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ESL&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=kw&_pageLabel=ERICSearchResult&newSearch=true&rnd=1223078346695&searchtype=basic

Stephen Krashen’s Theory of Second Language Acquisitionhttp://www.sk.com.br/sk-krash.html

Project-Based Learning for Adult English Language LearnersMoss, Donna; Van Duser, Carolhttp://www.ericdigests.org/1999-4/project.htm

Research Reviews

Content-Based ESL Instruction: Long-Term Effects and Outcomes English for Specific Purposes, v25 n4 p420-437 2006

Learning Languages through Technology - Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. (TESOL) – http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal?_nfpb=true&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ESL+blog&searchtype=basic&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=kw&_pageLabel=RecordDetails&objectId=0900019b8016e657&accno=ED496773&_nfls=false

Using Wikis to Enhance and Develop Writing Skills among Secondary School Students in Hong Kong – System: An International Journal of Educational Technology and Applied Linguistics, v36 n3 p437-455 Sep 2008

Users

For Teachers

For Students

Intermediate/Advanced ESL International students Students in an English for

Academic Purposes program.

Comfortable with and able to access technology

ESL Instructors EFL Instructors EAP Instructors Distance Ed Teachers Teachers of any second

language

Comfortable with and able to access technology

Solutions

For Teachers

For Students

Interesting, fun, exciting and engaging materials that are easy to use, easily adaptable and easily accessible from anywhere and that promote authentic and meaningful communication with both their peers and native English speakers.

To develop project based, thematic units, integrated with technology and the Internet that encourage authentic communication in speaking, listening, reading and writing English.

Research Methodology

Questionnaire

Interviews

Observations

Project Goal To provide an online ESL learning center for

ESL students and teachers to plan, build and deliver projects that can be shared and discussed with their classmates and other people on the net.

To supplement class instruction by giving students something fun and interactive to do when they are working with the peers and doing individual work outside the classroom.

Project Goal

To develop all four macro skills of the language:• Listening and Speaking (developed through

group discussion, video and classroom presentation)

• Reading and Writing (developed through online journal posts and commenting on others’ entries.

To deliver a central website that links a few commonly used online social networks together and provides clear instructions and visual guidelines to help students navigate on their own.

Conditions of Use

Usage

Used as a supplemental resource for classroom ESL/EFL classes; Students work in groups in the classroom, determine the objectives of their

project and work individually from home by submitting content and commenting on the submissions of others;

Open ended – potential and topic is limited only by the creativity of the user 

Environment

Approximately half of the work can be done individually as homework. Reduces learner’s affective filter by developing authentic, language intensive

material of interest to the learner from the comfort of their own home. An interactive and communicative online forum allows students (and others) to

speak their mind without the fear of making mistakes.

Conditions of UseEquipment

Available from any computer with internet access; (home, school, library…)

Requires a digital camera with video/audio capability.

Development Choices

Blended - face-to-face and online, both required.

Although it can be further developed for distance education in which there is no face-to-face contact.

The scope of the internet allows for communication with people outside the classroom as well – online interaction with native speakers.

Interactivity is limitless – learners will also be encouraged by grading on the frequency and quality of their comments.

 

Media and Information

Ideas derived from the reading of:Norman, D. (2004) “Emotional Design”. Cambridge, Ma: Basic Books.Vicente, K. (2004). Ch3 in “The human factor”. Toronto, On: Vintage Canada

Jacobsen M(2008) “An Educational Technology Vision of 21st Century College Classrooms”.Mindshare learning report [http://www.mindsharelearning.com]Nielsen, J (2000) Gospel of Good Design. Business Week.

Q & A

Thank youIan

Kavita

Awil

Minzi