VNU - Spring 2008

EFL537 Spring 2008
Vietnam National University

May 19 ~ 30, 2008

Course Overview

EFL537
Computer Assisted Language Learning
Spring 2008 - Vietnam National University

Instructor: Jeff Lebow
Email address: jeff@efl537.com
Office: Virtual Office at http:/efl537.com/chat
Office Hours & Extra Assistance
'Virtual Lab hours' will be scheduled and we will use a variety of collaborative tools to provide additional support .
Phone: 1-603-574-4923


TEXTBOOK

No print text book will be used for this course. We will use a variety of online materials including:

COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course provides a hands-on, collaborative environment in which to learn about and explore the use of computer technology for language learning. As much as possible, participants are encouraged to use the various technologies we’ll be learning about to develop learning materials that will be relevant to their teaching context. Participants are also encouraged to use these technologies to collaborate with and engage other EFL professionals in learning about the theoretical and pedagogical foundations of CALL. Assessment is based on each student’s portfolio, skills development, and participation (in class and online).

COURSE OBJECTIVES
EFL537 students will be able to integrate the learned theories, pedagogy, and technologies into their practice as learners and educators. Specifically, they will

  • Overcome affective filters that might prevent them from including CALL tools in their teaching.
  • Develop strategies for coping with technological, economic, and/or bureaucratic obstacles they may encounter in practicing CALL
  • Demonstrate competence in basic computer skills including desktop management, web posting and site building, use of CMC, and accessing multimedia files.
  • Familiarize themselves with advanced computer literacies such as producing audio and video materials, creating interactive web based quizzes, accessing materials via RSS, and functioning in 3D virtual environments.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of theory and research related to CALL
  • Produce and test instructional materials designed for their target learners.
  • Use computer technologies to engage in meaningful professional development and develop a personal learning network


COURSE SCHEDULE
Below is a tentative schedule of skills and topics to be covered during this course. It is possible that we will stray from this schedule based on student interest and pace of learning.

Week 1 
Skills: Desktop & File Management, Graphics, Audio, Bookmarking, Telephony & IM, Blogging
Topics: Security, Licensing, Langauge Learning  Areas (Listening,  Reading, Pronunciation, etc.)

Week 2
Skills: Video, Social Networking, Activity Creation
Topics:  Learning Styles, Professional Development, Obstacles, Theory & Research

Required Assignments:
  • Reading Reflections - at least 5 reflections(inluding the ones you've done so far)
    You can choose any reading from the VNUEFL537 Reading list or find others of special interest from the EFL Readings Section
    Try to include a discussion of how the topic of the reading  applies to your teaching environment and how it might affect your practice.  Please post these on EFL537.com as blog entries (create/blog entry). If you like, you can also post a copy of  these on your Edublog or Wordpress blogs.
  • Bookmark at least 25 CALL related websites on your Del.icio.us accunt and tag appropriately. See the del.icio.us guide for information about how to install the del.icio.us plugin and tag bookmarks.
    Feel free to bookmark websites that aren't  related to CALL or this course.  For the sites that are, please tag them with 'efl537' and other appropriate keyword desciptions such as (listening, reading, quiz, video, blog, etc.)
  • Build a Materials Archive
    Create an EFL537  folder (that can be stored on a flash drive) that contains  sub-folders for
    • Documents (.doc , .pdf )
    • Webpages (.html , .htm)
    • Presentations (.ppt ,  pps , .odp)
    • Media (.mp3, .wmv,  .swf)
      Find files that you can use in your teaching and save them in the appropriate folders.  It should look something like this.
  • Build a personal website ( Edublogs.org or Wordpress.com)
    Create a page for ' About Me',  categories for 'EFL537', TEFL Program, and publish at least one post in each category.  Feel free to create additiaonal pages,  categories, & posts.  This is your site and can use it how you wish - during this course and after. 
Optional Assigments
     You do NOT have to do these, but will receive credit for anything extra you produce.
  • Record audio files using Audacity and post them to EFL537.com or your blog. 
  • Post Powerpoint presentations to Slideshare
  • Create a Hot Potatoes Quiz or Activity
  • Become active in a social networking site like EFLClassroom
  • Publish additional reflections and posts on your blog.
  • After the course finishes, submit a report, presentation, and/or audio recording discussing your short-term and long-term plans and possiblities for using computer assisted language learning in your teaching environment.

VNU EFL537 Reading List

This is  a list of suggested readings.  You do NOT need to read them all.  You DO need to write at least 5 reading reflections, so choose the readings  that interest you.  You can also choose your own readings from the sources listed on the Readings page.

VNU EFL537 - Day #1 - May 19, 2008

VNU Spring2008 Day #1  
May 19, 2008

Basic Training

Basic Training Part#1

Read the description of each Tool. Watch the screencast guides. Complete the tasks.

Windows Explorer - -part of the Windows operating system that allows you to  manage the folders and files on your computer. 
Guides: Screencast  *  Screenshot Guide
Task:  In your root directory, create a folder called - EFL537.  Save this file in to that folder.  Rename the file to yourname-task1 . Email it to me (jefflebow@gmail.com) as an attachment and tell me what the file extenstion is and what the filesize is.   Attaching a file to a gmail

Other Desktop Management Screencasts: (you don't have to look at these today, but when you have time watching them should help you work more effeciently)


Irfanview - a free  image viewing and editing tool that makes it easy to take screenshots of  your computer. 
Download Irfanview
Guides: Irfanview Screencast
Task: Take a screenshot of this page.   Crop it to only include the portion with a black background. Save it as a .gif and email it to me (jefflebow@gmail.com) as an attachment. 

Del.icious - a social bookmarking site that helps you find, save and share links  to sites of itnerest
Guides: Delicious Screencast
Task: Register at Del.icio.us, install the browser plugin, bookmark at least threee sites, and add the URL of your del.icio.us account (i.e. http://del.icio.us/jefflebow/) to your profile  (Login to efl537.com , click my account, Profile, enter URL)
Some places you can find  sites of possible interest


Edublogs.org - a free blogging site for educators
Guides: Edublog Intro Screencast  , additional materials on  Edublogs Screencast page
Tasks: Register at Edublogs.org, choose a theme you like, and (after you've finished your other work today) write a post on your reflections about Day#1 of EFL537

Introduction Video

A Virtual Welcome from Jeff


Course Overview Materials mentioned during the introduction


VNU EFL537 - Day 2 - May 20, 2008

VNU EFL537 Day 2
May 19, 2008

(pre-class system checks)
Is it possible to play screencasts on computer with projector?
Are  students able to play screencasts on their computers?
One person Skype Jeff and put his audio on the speakers.

1.  Everyone sign in to Skype.  Say hello in the group skype chat to let me know you are here.
Bookmark the chat (see picture to the right).
Once you've done so, you should be able to click 'Chats/Bookmarked Chat' in the main skype window and see the VNU-EFL537 Chat
Type your full name, your gender, what you want me to call you, and your email address.
     For example:
            Jeffrey Lebow
            Male
            Jeff
            jefflebow@gmail.com

2. Watch these screencasts on the projector
      http://www.efl537.com/files/screencasts/website-tour-vnuspring2008.swf
      http://www.efl537.com/files/screencasts/audio-comments.swf


3. Register at http://efl537.com/user/register if you have not already.
     Answer the quesions (text or audio) here: http://efl537.com/forums/efl537-forums/assignments/vnu-spring2008
     We will do this for about 20 minutes.  You can finish any unanswered questions after class..

4. Computer Basics - File Management & gmail attachments
    Watch this screencast on the projector:
    http://www.efl537.com/files/screencasts/window-explorer.swf
    http://efl537.com/files/screencasts/gmailattach.swf
    Read the Windows Explorer Guide
Task:  
  • Open Windows Explorer.
  •  In your root directory , create a folder called - EFL537.
  •  Save this file in to that folder. (To save the file, RIGHT click, save link  as' )
  • Rename the file to 'yourname-task1' .    
  • Email the to me (jefflebow@gmail.com) as an attachment and tell me what the file extenstion is and what the filesize is.   Attaching a file to a gmail

5. Computer Basics - Hardware
     Read the Computer Basic Hardware page.
     Complete the activities at the bottom of the page.

Assignments
 Try to find websites that you think would be useful in your teaching someday.  If you don't have computers in your class now, think about when you (hopefully) will have computers available in the future.  Some recommended places to look for sites of interest.  (You don't have to look at all of them - just browse and click on things that interest you)
Find at least three sites of interest.  Write a blog post on EFL537.com (click create / blog entry) describing the sites and telling us why you think they would be useful.
* Optional -Create a new folder on in your root directory called 'websites'. Try to save websites that you like into that folder by clicking 'File/Save Page As' in your browser (Firefox or MSIE).

Try to use
Del.icious - a social bookmarking site that helps you find, save and share links  to sites of itnerest
Guides: Watch the Delicious Screencast   Additional help here
Task: Register at Del.icio.us, install the browser plugin, and bookmark at least threee sites (they can be the same sites you blogged about above). Add the URL of your del.icio.us account (i.e. http://del.icio.us/jefflebow/) to your profile  (Login to efl537.com , click my account, Profile, enter URL)




Computer Basics - Hardware

Overview of Computers

1) PC – the Personal Computer; 2) Mac – the Apple Macintosh.

 Two designs of computers:  

1) desktop 


2) laptop (notebook)

 Inside the Computer

1) Processor:

        The CPU (Central Processing Unit), a complete computation engine that is fabricated on a single chip, is the computer’s brain. It is sometimes referred to as the central processor, microprocessor, or just processor.     Most newer PCs have Pentium processors. Pentium processors run faster than the numbered processors found in older computers (286, 386, 486 processors). The speed of processors, called the clock speed, is measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (1 GHz = 1000 MHz). One MHz represents one million cycles per second. For example, a processor that runs at 200 MHz executes 200 million cycles per second. 

 

2) Memory:
     

        RAM (Random Access Memory) is a working area where the operating system (e.g. Windows), programs and data in current use are kept, ready to be accessed by the processor. It is the best known form of computer memory.  The more RAM you have, the quicker and more powerful your computer is.

        Memory is measure in the following units:

       -  1 byte = 8 bits (Each 1 or 0 is called a bit (i.e. binary digit). Each character (i.e. a letter, a number, a space, or a punctuation mark) has its own arrangements of 8 bits, e.g. 01000001 = “A”, 01000010 = “B”.

-  1 KB (kilobyte) = 1024 (210) bytes

-  1 MB (megabyte) = 1024 (210) KB

-  1 GB (gigabyte) = 1024 (210) MB

       

 

 Storage Devices

The most common forms of storage devices in a home computer are:

- Hard disk drive

- Floppy disk

- CD-ROM

- CD-R and CD-RW

- DVD-ROM

- USB flash drives

1) Hard disk and hard drive (HD)

        A hard disk is a magnetic disk on which you can store computer data on a more permanent basis. The term “hard” is used to distinguish it from a soft, or floppy, disk. Hard disks hold more data and are much faster than floppy disks and optical disks. A hard drive is a mechanism that reads and writes data on a hard disk. The capacity of hard drives in newer PCs ranges from 20GB to 60GB in size since all software, from operating systems to word processors, and media files have grown tremendously in size over the last few years.

 

 

2) Floppy disk and floppy drive

         A floppy disk (often called floppy or disk) is a soft magnetic disk and a floppy drive is a mechanism that reads and writes data on a floppy. Unlike most hard disks, floppy disks are portable, because you can remove them from a disk drive. Floppy disks are slower to access than hard disks and have less storage capacity, but they are much less expensive.      Most modern floppy disks have 1.44MB of data storage. 

 

3) Optical disk and optical drive

         Optical disks can store information at much higher densities than floppy disks. Thus, they are ideal for multimedia applications where images, animation and sound occupy a lot of disk space. Besides, they are not affected by magnetic fields. This means that they are secure and stable; for example, they can be transported through airport metal detectors without damaging the data. However, optical drives are slower than hard drives.

        There are various types of optical disks and drives:

        A) CD-ROM (short for “Compact Disk-Read-Only Memory”) and CD-ROM drive

A CD-ROM, an optical disk onto which data has been written via a laser, can store everything, from shareware programs to dictionaries and encyclopedias, from multimedia databases to 3-D games. CD-ROMs are considered the most economical devices of storing and sharing information. For example, a CD-ROM (700 MB) can replace 300,000 pages of text (about 50 floppies), which represents a lot of savings in distributing materials and data. Yet, you can only read information on a CD-ROM but cannot write anything on it.

A CD-ROM drive is used to play CD-ROMs and it can also play audio CDs. CD-ROM drives are available in a variety of different speeds, the speed being described thus: 12x, 16x, 24x, 32x, 48x, etc. This indicates the speed at which data can be pulled off the CD-ROM drive. Higher-speed  CD-ROM drives help to transfer data more quickly, which is crucial when playing sound or video.

 

        B) CD-R, CD-RW and CD-R/CD-RW drive (also called CD-burner or CD-Recorder)

CD-R (short for “Compact Disk Recordable”) drives record data on CD-R disks (but write once only), allowing you to create and duplicate CD-ROMs and audio CDs. They can also be used to back up hard disks or to distribute and archive information. CD-RW (short for “Compact Disk Rewritable”) drives can erase and reuse data on CD-RW disks. In fact, to create CD-ROMs and audio CDs, you'll need not only a CD burner, but also a CD-R/CD-RW software package.

 

        C) DVD-ROM (“DVD” is short for “digital video disk” or “digital versatile disk”)

A DVD-ROM (or just DVD) is a type of optical disk technology similar to the CD-ROM. It can hold up to 17 GB of data, about 25 times an ordinary CD-ROM. For this reason, a DVD-ROM can store a large amount of multimedia software and complete movies in different languages. It can also play music CDs and CD-ROMs. DVDs are read-only devices. To avoid this limitation, companies also produce DVD-R/DVD-RW disks and DVD-burners.

 

4) USB flash drive

 

        A USB flash drive is a small, portable flash memory card that plugs into a computer’s USB port and functions as a portable hard drive with up to 2GB of storage capacity. USB flash drives are easy-to-use because they are small enough to be carried in a pocket and can plug into any computer with a USB drive. In addition, they are very durable because they do not contain any internal moving parts. USB flash drives also are called pen drives, key drives, or simply USB drives.

 

 Monitor

 

        There are two types of monitors available for PCs: the traditional CRT (cathode ray tube) and the newer LCD (liquid crystal display). The CRT is used for both televisions and computers. It produces a good quality image at a number of different settings for a reasonable price. LCD monitors, also known as flat panel displays, are used in laptop (or notebook) computers and more frequently for desktops as well. They are lighter and smaller (only inches thick) than CRTs with reduced electromagnetic emissions and power consumption.

 

 

  Ports

 

        A port is an interface on a computer to which you can connect a device. Personal computers have various types of ports. Internally, there are several ports for connecting disk drives, monitors, and keyboards. Externally, personal computers have ports for connecting modems, printers, mice, and other peripheral devices.

 

        There are three common types of external ports that usually come with a computer:

1) Parallel ports (for most printers)

2) Serial ports (for most modems and some mice)

 

 

3) USB (Universal Serial Bus) ports (for about every peripheral made in a USB version)

*Note: A “bus” is a set of conductors that carry signals between different parts of a computer

 

 

        The USB (Universal Serial Bus) provides a single, standardized, easy-to-use way to connect up to 127 devices to a computer. The USB connectors let you attach everything from mice to printers to your computer more quickly and easily than the other two. The operating system supports USB as well, so the installation of the device drives is quick and easy, too.


Activities

Computer Basics - Windows Explorer

Windows Explorer
To open Windows Explorer, click Start/Programs/Accessories/Windows Explorer
A '+' symbol indicates that you can expand that drive or folder.
In Windows XP, 'My Documents' is actually a shortcut to "Documents and Settings\[user name]\My Documents"
In Windows Explorer, click View and make sure 'Status Bar' is checked.

This will enable a status bar at the bottom of the window that provide information about file type, date modified, and size.
Clicking Tools/Folder Options in Windows Explorer allows you to configure how files and folders are viewed and opened.  Click the View tab.  I suggest that you make the following changes.
  • Display filesize information (check)
  • Hide extensions (UNchecked)
Right Clicking - 'When in doubt, Right Click!'

Using the right mouse generally provides you with a list of options that are available for  a given situation.  If you click in 'blank' space and select new, you can choose which kind of new file to create.
If you select 'Arrange Icons', you can choose how you would like to sort folders or files being viewed.  If you click 'View', you can choose different ways to display files and folders (i.e. icons, details, list, etc.)

VNU EFL537 - Day#3 - May 20, 2008

I wish I was there to help you in person, but  because I'm not please help each other as much as possible.  If you do not understand an assignment, please ask a classmate to help you.  If you're computer is not working  properly, please share with someone or take turns using the one that does work.

Todays' Agenda

1 ) Class Roster
Please look at this class roster.  Make sure you name is on it and the infomration is correct.

2) Technical System Check
From reading your comments, I'm not sure how many of the lab computers are capable of playing screencasts and recording audio comments.
To help answer these questions, please complete the Computer Question Survey here
(if this is not accessible,  I will ask the questions in the skype chat)

3)  Discuss Updated  Course Objectives and Assignments
After thinking about what you have told me about your teaching situations and goals for this course, I think it would a good idea to focus on the things listed below for the rest of the course.

These are text, audio, & video materials you can use in your teaching situation without accessing the internet.  They can be saved from other websites or things you create using Powerpoint, Word,or other tools.

Even if you don't currently have internet access at home or at school, you hopefully will eventually.  When you do, you can use this to find what you're interested in.

Use Edublogs or Wikispaces to create a website that you can use now and in the future

   We can  also practice additional skills like creating presentations, producing audio files, editing graphics, and creating games & quizzes.  Which skills we practice and how much time we spend developing those skills will depend on student interest and abilities.


4) Practice Saving Files from Websites.
  Watch this screencast (on the projector if possible) about saving files from learning website resources.
http://www.efl537.com/screencast/saving-files-internet

To save files from the internet, RIGHT click/Save Link as


Types of files and programs that open them
Types of File Programs
.ppt or .pps  Powerpoint or OpenOffice Impress
.doc or .rtf Microsoft Word or Open Office
.pdf Foxit or Adobe Reader
.mp3 Windows Media Player, VLC, and other Media Players
.htm or .html Firefox, MSIE  , or other browsers

 Sites that contain free learning materials that you can download.
 Please visit these sites, find files you would like to save, and save them to your computerr.
5) Social Bookmarking - Using Del.icio.us

Try to use Del.icious - a social bookmarking site that helps you find, save and share links  to sites of itnerest
Guides: Watch the Delicious Screencast   Additional help here
Task: Register at Del.icio.us, install the browser plugin, and bookmark at least threee sites (they can be the same sites you blogged about above). Add the URL of your del.icio.us account (i.e. http://del.icio.us/jefflebow/) to your profile  (Login to efl537.com , click my account, Profile, enter URL)






Assignment:
Continue saving files and adding websites to your Del.icio.us account.

Since some students are having problems with Edublogs.org, let's try another blog hosting site - Wordpress.com . You can register here.  If you're already setup with Edublogs, you can use that. Try to experiment with writing a post and changing the design.  We will work on this tomorrow.

Please Read: Using Technology to Teach Reading Skills
You do not have to do the activities or answer discussion questions that are part of the reading.  However, please write a blog post (EFL537.com, Edublogs, or Wordpress.com) about how the ideas contained in the article relate to your approach toward reading English?  Also, look at the websites linked to in the article - which might be useful for your students?

VNU Spring2008 - Day 7 - May 27, 2008


Today we are going to learn about online quizzes, games, and activities.

Please watch this Screencast to see today's plan.
(Either watch on the projector, or have one person download it and  share)

First, look at examples of online activities below.
 You can save these into your 'Materials Archive' by click File/Save Page as.
   Online Activities

Flash based activities (like those listed below) are difficult or impossible to save, so you can only access these when you have an internet connection.

Now let's experiment with creating your own activities using a program called Hot Potatoes.

First, one person will need to Download Hot Potatoes 
(if everone downloads it, we will probably have connection problems, so please only download it once and share)
Each person will then need to register their Hot Potatoes
To do so, go to the registration page, enter your information, check your email,  copy the 'key', click Help/Register in Hot Potatoes,  and paste  the key.
You can see the entire process in this screencast: Registration Screencast

OK, now it's time to try creating activities.
Please look at The Hot Potatoes Guide.
Then, open your Hot Pototoes program and start creating. Good luck!

If you succeed at creating Hot Potato activities, upload the .html files  to EFL537.com by attaching them to a blog post.
(Create / Blog entry   - Attach File)



Assignments:

Day 4 - May 22, 2008

VNU EFL537 - Day #4 - May 22, 2008

Good Morning Everyone,
  Hope you slept well and that you didn't drream of confusing computer tasks.  Because we haven't been able to rely on using the projector or speakers,  and the connection sometimes creates problems with watching screencasts, I've tried to include more text and images in today's materials.  If you have questions at any time, please ask them in the group skype chat.  If you like, you can also skype me to ask your question.  Please do not  skype text me directly because it makes it difficult for me to follow everything and sometimes causes skype to crash.

Good luck and I'll look forward to speaking with you during today's lesson.
 

1) Go to the Irfanview Guide
 Watch the screencast, read the guide, and attempt the task.

2) Go to the Edublogs Guide - Watch the screencast , read the guide, and attempt the tasks.

3)  Go to the Delicious Guide.  Watch the screencast and read the guide.  Add at least three new links to your Delicous Bookmarks.

4)  Look at the EFL537 Profile Page. 
Next to your name, you should have a link for your Edublog and  Del.icio.us account.  
If those are not correct, please go to "My Acount / Profile' and edit the information.


That is all of the new stuff for today.  If we have extra time, please go back to previous days and make sure you have completed the assignments.

Assignments
Read Using Technology to Teach Writing Skills

Complete any other assignments from past days that you have not finished.


VNU EFL537 - Day #5 - May 23, 2008

VNU EFL537 - Day #5 - May 23, 2008

Good Morning & Happy Friday ,

  I will be teaching New Hampshire EFL537 students until 8:15am your time.  It takes me about 25 minutes to get home from the university, so I proababy won't be online until about 8:40am your time. When you arrive, please read the entire page and begin doing today's tasks.  If anyone is online before 8am, say hello in the group skype chat and perhaps we can have a conversation between students in New Hampshire & Hanoi.

  Today is going to be a Review Day.  We've covered so much this week that I think it will be useful to practice what we've already learned and help those who may still be confused.  Those who have learned certain skills, please help those who haven't.

Next week, I hope to invite EFL teachers from around the world to visit our class.  In order to do this we will need to use the projector and speakers.  I'd like to practice using that today.  If someone knows how to set that up, please do so.  On that computer (and only that computer) please download and install this program.  Do NOT install it on other computers because that will probably cause connections problems.  If the projector is working at the beginning of class, we might try to invite some guests tonight.

A Request
  When asking me to look at something you posted online, please always include a URL (website address).
      For example, please don't type only:   Jeff, can you see my post?  
      Please type:  Jeff, can you see my post? http://joanna827.edublogs.org/2008/05/20/reflection-week-7/
     Without the link I have to got the profile page, find your site, and the right post.  With all the skype chat activity, it can become very difficult.
     Thanks for your help.

Review Tasks


1)  Please make sure your profile is accurate  EFL537 Profile Page. 
Next to your name, you should have a link for your blog  and  Del.icio.us account.  
  The Edublogs (or Wordpress.com) address should look like  http://jefflebow.edublogs.org/
  The Deli.cious Address should look like: http;//del.icio.us/jefflebow
If those are not correct, please go to "My Acount / Profile' and edit the information.

You do not need to put anything in the the other profile sections.

2) Screenshots - It was very nice to see all of the photos you sent me, but I want to make sure you understand the purpose of the Irfanview Guide.  The purpose is take a picture of what is on your computer screen, not an actuall photo that you took with a camera.  For exaample, please go to your Delicious account, take a screenshot of it, and email it to me.  It should look something like this.



 

3)  Go to the Delicious Guide.  Watch the screencast and read the guide.  Add at least three new links to useful CALL sites  to your Delicous Bookmarks.
.Here are some more links to sites of possible interest;
Class Blogs:

Sites mentioned before:




4)  Windows Explorer - Guides: Screencast  *  Screenshot Guide
Task:  In your root directory, create a folder called - EFL537.  Save a .pdf file and a ppt file in to that folder. You can use some of the sites above. Take a screenshot of your the EFL Folder in Windws Explorer. It should look like this. . Email it to me (jefflebow@gmail.com) as an attachment.

.

5) Go to the Edublogs Guide - Watch the screencast , read the guide, and attempt the tasks.

Assignments
Try to finish as many of this week's assignments as possible.
 If you have questions during the weekend, ask them in the group skype chat.

Below are the rest of the readings for the entire course.   Read at least one and write a reflection about it.  You can choose the one that interests you most.
Using Technology to Teach Writing Skills
Using Technology to Teach Speaking and Pronunciation Skills
Using Technology to Teach Thinking Skills
Using Technology to Teach Listening Skills

 Look at your classmates blogs on the profile page.  Make at least 2 comments (not on each blog, just two comments total). To do so, click 'No Comments'.  After people leave comments on your blog, you will need to go to to Comment/Moderation and click 'approve'.

 





VNU EFL537 Week#2 Overview


VNU/SNHU EFL537
Week 2

Based on your feedback about learning interests and technical situations,  I have made a few revisions to the requirements for this course.   Below is the final version of VNU EFL537 Course Requirements & Assignments

Required Assignments:
Optional Assigments
     You do NOT have to do these, but will receive credit for anything extra you produce.


Tools and Skills we plan to cover during Week#2.  I do NOT expect anyone to master these skills during the next 5 days.    It takes a lot of  time and practice (more than 5 days) to do so.  I do hope that experimenting with these during this course will help familiarize you with potentially useful tools and perhaps inspire some of you to further develop these skills as part of your long-term professional development.

VNU-Spring 2008 - Day6

Assignments

Audio Resouce Page


Audacity - a cross-platform, open sourcei tool for recording and editing audio. Audacity is pretty easy to install and use, however there is one addition step during installation that can be confusing. To install Audacity, follow these instructions on the Audacity Install Guide.

Screencasts

Support

Day 6 Online Resources

Day #6  Online Resoureces
You won't have time to check them all of these, but try to find resources that most interest you. If a site doesn't seem interesting (or doesn't load quickly enough), don't waste time on it. so You can add sites of interest to your Del.icio.us Bookmarks and save documents, pages, audio files, and presentations to your 'Materials Archive'.

Listening Activities
Podcasts  (regularly produce audio recordings)
Readings & Resources

Downloadable Documents from Scribd.com & Lulu.com

Teaching Materials

Tech Training
EFL Teacher Blogs
   Assorted blogs from EFL teachers around the world.  Potentail source for more learning materials and building global connnections.


From a recent post at: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/20_ways_to_learn_a_language_online....
Language Lessons

  • Mango Languages: 12 different online language courses presented in conversational format with prices starting at free.
  • Vocabulix: Free vocab building lessons in Spanish, German and English, as well as other languages, with a baked in social network.
  • Pod Network: Spanishpod - Frenchpod - Chinesepod - Free online lessons in three languages.
  • BBC Languages: A host of language learning tools and self-contained online courses from the BBC.
  • eLanguageSchool.net: Free lessons for learning 10 different languages online.
  • Linkua: An online marketplace of real-life language tutors. There's nothing like learning a language directly from a native speaker.
  • LiveMocha: This site combines lessons, with an online community allowing you to practice speaking with native speakers, which dovetails nicely into the next set of sites.
Practice Speaking
  • SharedTalk: A language exchange covering 113 languages from the makers of the popular RosettaStone language learning software.
  • xLingo: A language exchange that lets users create and share flashcards with each other.
  • Palabea: Reviews of language learning software in addition to an online language exchange.
  • iTalki: A language exchange with a Yahoo! Answers-style QnA site, and a wiki-based public knowledge base for 10 different languages.
  • Huitalk: Forums, articles, vocabulary lists, and a language exchange using Skype.
  • Interpals: A large language exchange from a popular penpal social network.
  • Mixxer: A free language exchange using Skype built by Dickinson College.
  • TT4You: A free global language exchange site.
  • Language Buddy: A free language exchange with 115 supported languages.
  • Convesation Exchange: Text and voice chat, email, or face-to-face meetings can bet set up via Language Buddy to improve your conversational skills.
  • Lingozone: Build vocab skills by playing game of Word Ladder and Hangman, while making friends with whom to practice speaking.
  • Language Exchange Network: Think Craigslist for language learning; this site has super-simple language exchange classified listings.
  • MyLanguageExchange: One of the oldest online language exchanges (this site was a Yahoo! Internet Life pick in 2001), it claims over 1 million members speaking 115 different languages.

VNU - Spring 2008, Day 8


Good Morning & Welcome to Day#8,

   We've covered so much, so fast during this course, that today I want to give everyone a chance to practice what we've already learned and work on assignments.  
If we get the projector working and are able to install ooVoo, we might also have some guests stop by our class today.  One possible guest is Carla Arena (from Brazil).  She uses blogging a lot with her EFL students.
Carla Links


Things you can work on today (assignments as outlined in the Course Overview)

Some students have asked about places to host websites and store files. Below is some relevant information.  These are not required assignments - just resources for those interested.

File Storage

Website Hosting Possibilities

VNU ooVoo Session #1

VNU ooVoo Session #1

Day#8 - May 28, 2008

Participants: Jeff,  Sheila, Betty, and
The  VNU EFL537  Class of Spring '08

Day 9 - May 29, 2008

Good Morning,

   It was fun making video contact yesterday.  I also enjoyed listening to your talk shows very much.  Today, if you'd like, we can invite more teachers from around the world to 'ooVoo' in and say hello.  If not, that's OK - we have plenty of other things to work on.

A few new resources.  A number of you having mentioned in your writings and audio that listening is one of the most important (and challenging) aspects of learning English.  Beloware some sites that might be of use:

Audio Recordings  - as I mentioned, I loved listening to your talk shows.  I would like you to record more.  
Specific Topic Q & A
  Sadly, with such limited time, we won't have enough time to cover all tools, topics & skills.  If there is anyting specific that you would like to learn more about, please let me know.  We can hopefully learn something about it today and tomorrow.

Finally, there are still plenty of course assignments to work on.

Day 10 - May 30, 2008

 Good morning and welcome to our final class.

   I am teaching at SNHU tonight, so probably will not be able to connect with you online until 8:45~9a (Hanoi time).

 Yesterday, several of you mentioned that 'two weeks is not enough'.  I very much agree. It takes a long time and a lot of practice to become proficient at many of the skills we've covered in such a short period of time.  I have been very impressed by your hard work and determination.  I know we faced a variety to technical challenges, but you have not let that stop you.  I hope this course will be just a beginning and that you are able to continue the development of your computer skills and share them with your colleagues.

I have done my best to read and listen to all of the work you've done, but will not have time to read everything carefully until this weekend and next week.  To check all of your work, I will check your delicious account, your blog, and your efl537.com profile page that links to all the posts and comments you've made there.

 I know many of  are concerned about making  sure you have completed all of your assignments.  Today, we will verify that you have.

Please start with your Del.icio.us account.
  Do you have 25 bookmarks saved there?
  Are they tagged appropriately?  (like this)

Reading Reflections - I know some of you emailed these to me, but it's much easier to make sure you've submitted them, if you also post them on the efl537.com site or your blog.  You do not need attach Word documents, you can just copy and paste the text into a blog entry.

Materials Archive - these are the documents, webpages, presentations, and other media you have saved during this course.  Please take  screenshots  of each folder in your EFL537 folder and upload them to your 'personal files' on efl537.com (My Account/ Personal Files/ Browse/ Upload)  Vinha, please show classmates how.

Your Personal Site - Does your Edublog or Wordpress have at least one post?

Your final assignment listed on the course overview was ' report, presentation, and/or audio recording discussing your short-term and long-term plans and possiblities for using computer assisted language learning in your teaching environment.'.  Since many of you have already discussed aspects of this in your other writings and during your talk shows, this is now an 'optional assignment'. If you do this, please post it on your blog or the EFL537.com site.


Today, while the class is working on finishing assignments, I would like to speak with each of  you, one at a time via skype.  We can use this conference time to make sure I 've seen all of your work and to ask each other any questions.

Thanks again for making this such an interesting two weeks of learning for me and I look forward to staying in touch as online citizens of the work and practitioners of CALL.

All the best,
Jeff