Training Teachers in Web2.0 Tools for Teaching and Learning EFL

Thinking SMALL: Training Teachers in Web2.0 Tools for Teaching and Learning EFL

Vance Stevens, UAE: HCT / PACE

eLearning in Action Conference

April 2, 2013HCT Sharjah Women’s College

TESOL in Dallas, Texas, March 22, 2013

CALL-IS & Elementary Education InterSection SessionNew Tools/Techniques in CALL

Updated April 7, 2013

Vance Stevens - eLearning in Action - Sharjah 2013

You don’t need to take notes!All my slides are online: http://slideshare.net/vances

Recordings of the version of this talk given during CALL-IS & Elementary Education InterSection Session: New Tools/Techniques in CALL panel presentation at TESOL Dallas, March 22, 2013• Bb Collaborate / Elluminate recording of entire panel:

https://sas.elluminate.com/p.jnlp?psid=2013-03-22.1054.M.7AE801FFB697DA460D4BF25AA8C21B.vcr&sid=75

• Mp3 of just my talk:http://vance_stevens.podomatic.com/entry/2013-04-02T11_58_03-07_00

A write-up of this presentation will appear in the proceedings of the 2013 eLearning in Action conference, April 2 in Sharjah, UAE • Sneak preview: http://tinyurl.com/sharjah2013stevens

SMALL is Social Media Assisted Language Learning

http://slideshare.net/vances




http://vance_stevens.podomatic.com/entry/2013-04-02T11_58_03-07_00

http://tinyurl.com/sharjah2013stevens

http://tinyurl.com/sharjah2013stevens


Tale of three challenges

• Challenge 1Engage students in one-to-one laptop context in task-based / projects-based curricula in their classrooms

• Challenge 2Design and implement a blended program of training teachers to do the same in another context

• Challenge 3To assess results in terms of teachers ability to grasp the rationale and its relevance to them


Challenges 1 and 2Students and Teachers

• Challenge 1 with students at navy college– To engage students who were abusing one-to-one laptop

access– To get these students work on projects using Web 2.0

tools and task-based approach• Challenge 2 with teachers at aviation college– To implement similar courses to that accomplished at

navy college– To train teachers THROUGH blending learning to set up

such courses by setting up their own blended environments


Challenge 3: Training goals• When master learners (Warlick, 2010) – working as teachers – find time to learn what affordances of technology

work best with novice learners, – and can direct these affordances to outcomes

targeted at curriculum goals, • then powerful, some would say

transformational, learning can resultFrom the paper in the proceedings (Stevens, 2013, forthcoming)


Dave Warlick addressing Challenge 3• “A connected teacher connects learners to each

other through their accomplishments … through their success”

• What training is about :– Knowing not just what tools there are– But knowing what to do with them

From Dave Warlick’s keynote speech online at the Learning 2.0 Conference 2012 http://www.classroom20.com/page/learning-2-0-keynote-speakers Recording: https://sas.elluminate.com/p.jnlp?psid=2012-08-21.0647.M.D4D806A15860351B259A585F17EC47.vcr&sid=2008350

http://www.classroom20.com/page/learning-2-0-keynote-speakers

https://sas.elluminate.com/p.jnlp?psid=2012-08-21.0647.M.D4D806A15860351B259A585F17EC47.vcr&sid=2008350

https://sas.elluminate.com/p.jnlp?psid=2012-08-21.0647.M.D4D806A15860351B259A585F17EC47.vcr&sid=2008350


Challenge 1Design task-based project components

1. Textbook Present yourself2: Viewpoints by Steven Gershon2. Students created Prezis on mottos/slogans for the environment

a) Link to student Prezis at wiki portal http://acommunication.pbworks.com http://acommunication.pbworks.com/w/page/52696874/earthday22april#SeewhatyourfellowstudentsaredoingforEarthDay

b) Earth Day connection, April 22, 2012 http://www.tesl-ej.org/pdf/ej61/int.pdf

3. Teacher modeled use of SurveyMonkey to poll reactions to Prezihttp://vancestevens.posterous.com/a-small-research-project-on-student-attitudes

4. Students created surveys using SurveyMonkey http://acommunication.pbworks.com/w/page/55088316/Weeks16-19#HerearesomeSTUDENTsurveysyoucantakeinSURVEYMONKEY

a) Captured charts using Jingb) Preview them in Google Docs, say what they mean, explain them to classc) Create PPT presentations, upload them to Slideshare, present results

formallyTESL-EJ: Stevens, V. (2012). Web 2.0 Toolkit for Teaching and Learning EFL Presentation Skill. TESL-EJ, Volume 16, Number 2, pp. 1-11: http://tesl-ej.org/pdf/ej62/int.pdf

http://acommunication.pbworks.com/

http://acommunication.pbworks.com/w/page/52696874/earthday22april



http://www.tesl-ej.org/pdf/ej61/int.pdf



http://vancestevens.posterous.com/a-small-research-project-on-student-attitudes

http://acommunication.pbworks.com/w/page/55088316/Weeks16-19



http://tesl-ej.org/pdf/ej62/int.pdf


Results: Students liked Prezi and thought it was easy to learn


They favored the mind-map approach


They’d use Prezi again and think we should teach it to others


Their blog posts show appreciation for Prezi and other tools

All student blogs: http://acommunication.pbworks.com/w/page/53399451/week8#SeewhatblogsyourfellowstudentshavecreatedThis blog: http://nc13striver.blogspot.com/2012/05/during-my-school-time-i-did-many.html

http://acommunication.pbworks.com/w/page/53399451/week8

http://nc13striver.blogspot.com/2012/05/during-my-school-time-i-did-many.html

Challenge 1 went well!

Students liked the project based approach and felt they benefited from using Web 2.0 tools in their learning


Challenge 2: Training teachers Designing a blended environment

http://toolkit4learning.blogspot.ae/2012/09/introduction.html

Portal with rationale, explanation of tools, example wikis to organize classes

http://toolkit4learning.blogspot.ae/2012/09/introduction.html


20-Step Checklist20 steps to be checked off in a Google Docs spreadsheet when completed


The 20 steps1. Create a Google Account2. View an introductory video on what the course was about at http

://toolkit4learning.blogspot.com/2012/09/introduction.html3. Explore the wikis already being used with students4. Watch online Prezi tutorial videos5. Complete online worksheets on their understanding of those videos6. Create a first Prezi7. Contribute to an existing Google Doc8. Create a blog in Blogger9. Make a post with a link to a Prezi and a reflection on learning10. Add blog and Prezi links to a shared Google Doc (from which the teacher gets the link to put in the wiki sidebar to model

how students might learn from each other’s work)11. Brainstorm a survey topic and questions to address it using a Google Doc12. Create a short survey in Survey Monkey13. Publish the survey link in their blog, articulate its purpose, and invite others to take it14. Download and install a screen capture tool such as Jing15. Capture the Survey Monkey chart data using the screen capture tool16. Embed the charts in PowerPoint, Prezi, or blog post 17. Use guidelines and an animation video tutorial to make a PowerPoint presentation to specified standards18. Upload the PPT to Slideshare.net 19. Start a wiki portal they might use with students using PBWorks, Wikispaces, or Google Drive20. Create a blog post discussing and linking to URLs created during the course, to serve as an ePortfolio

http://www.wiziq.com/online-class/906483-engaging-students-with-technology-in-web-2-0-english-classes

http://toolkit4learning.blogspot.com/2012/09/introduction.html



http://www.wiziq.com/online-class/906483-engaging-students-with-technology-in-web-2-0-english-classes


Tracking progress in Google DocsThis is the Google Docs spreadsheet where teachers tracked progress (no names)

Challenge 2 appeared to be going well

The training program was designed and implemented on short notice

The blended environment worked!(Teachers were able to figure it out

and function in it)


But! EdTech culture differed in the two settings

Navy ( context for challenge 1)

• Students had their own individual laptops

• Students could do own installations of software

• All classrooms had whiteboards so teachers could guide students

• Navy cadets relatively amenable to teacher instructions

Aviation (context for challenge 2)

• Students had access to computers only occasionally

• Public access computers locked down

• No whiteboards in public access computer labs – difficult to guide students

• Pilot cadets can dismiss teacher instructions without consequence


And - presentation course cancelled

• Change in curriculum …– Discontinuation of EFL presentation course the

training was designed to help the teachers to teach

• Chronology– The TRAINING was done while course was planned– The SURVEY was done after the course had been

cancelled


Challenge 3: How did teachers perceive the training?


This is revealing:What kind of PD do teaches like?


Results from Data

• Challenge 1The students appear to have appreciated learning about and what to do with the new tools

• Challenge 2A blended program of training for teachers was designed and implemented

• Challenge 3The training met with only limited success due to– Changes in institution focus– Differences in context for students and teachers


Dan Pink’s two books …

• A Whole New Mind– Left brained tasks, anything algorithmic, such as

programming or troubleshooting, can done faster, cheaper, by computer

– Right brained humanistic qualities of inventiveness, empathy, meaning will predominate in the future

• To Sell is Human– Every silver lining has a cloud– Problem finders trump problem solvers


Discussion of findings

• Teachers surveyed on impact of training– Results show how perceptions of relevance of training

relate to teachers’ short-term teaching expectations– Preferred didactic modes of PD to blended ones– Personal evidence from

• AAMC PD sessions yesterday (2 live participants vs. 6 online)• GLD online conference – 6 in auditorium, 60 in online audience

• Results show success w/technology is dependent on conditions at the place where it is implemented– When attempting to graft same technology from one

context to another – expect different results

My conclusions

I believe that blended training of this nature has validity despite

shortcomings noted in this small survey

Examination of real outcomes gives insights into complex nature of variables impacting TPD (teacher

professional development)

Training Teachers in Web2.0 Tools for Teaching and Learning EFL

Education

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