Wrap-up and take-away

During the New Technologies in the TEFL course at AUA, I had the opportunity to accomplish most of the goals I set at the beginning of the course. For example, through the project I did with other classmates, there was an opportunity to use shared docs and slides to facilitate learning with technology to support student achievement of some of the ISTE Standards for Students. Other technologies that I have found quite efficient and effective in class are podcasts, and blogs. it was the first time for me to study their effects and use in language teaching. 

Moreover, I have learned that it's quite important to take into consideration the target setting when introducing any new technology. Besides, one should keep in mind that technology can not fix every problem in class. one should for other non-technological alternatives that can be as if not more effective as their technological counterparts. 

 

Trends and challenges of technologies in the Horizon Report 2019

Based on my experience as an English learner first and later as an English teacher in Syria, moile learning seems the most promising technology to be adopted. M-learning includes the use of handheld computers, MP3 players, notebooks, mobile phones, and tablets. These gadgets are mostly available, especially in private institutes.

one of the benefits of M-learning is relatively inexpensive opportunities, as the cost of mobile devices is significantly less than PCs and laptops. eventually M-learning is going to give a more rewarding learning experience. students and teachers today rely on their mobile devices as a vital part of the entire learning experience.

 M-learning requires a rich understanding of the new learning environment, enabling the co-creation of content and the ability to adapt to new contexts. Institutions must not only support the uses of M-learning tools, and resources by all members of the process but also leverage their strategic technologies in ways that support critical thinking and complex problem-solving.

big data and analytics in education

Before I got into teaching, I have been a bit of a warning. the warning is that teaching is hard. the other thing I've learned along the way as I fall into teaching officially is that curriculum building is harder. Beyond that improving the curriculum and keeping on top of things is probably the hardest. that's my opinion.
Now basically after taking the course of New Technologies in TEFL at AUA, and working with technology and education, I started to draw parallels between them. I started to see that there is a lot of commonality between the technology space and the education space. they both other industries. They are all about pushing other industries forward, giving them the right tools, and the right people. and from a user or student perspective, it's all about the experience in the outcome.
I think teaching is also hard because it's not just a straight science. There is no one right answer with teaching. it is neither an art only. it's both. Technology is the same. that's all a craft and that's another commonality. between them. they take effort from both sides. I think to get it right is finding the balance between the science and the art and to really perfect that craft.
ultimately, like with any craft, it really comes down to the approach. but that's to stress as well that technology and education and not on the same path. on one hand, technology is propelling these under other industries forward. at a rapid pace and really disrupting them; disrupting itself even. I don't just mean in terms of releasing new versions of iPhone and new technology. but even the methodologies that are being used behind the scenes. that we as consumers don't see. are actually being questioned int he technology space. and I think that's where education isn't there. it doesn't have that constant change that I see in the technology field and that's what really leads to this ever-increasing gap between the academic world and the industry; the real world.
Kevin Robinson, in one of his TED talks, says that our education system isn't teaching people for the future it's not even teaching people for fifteen years in the future or in five years in the future. it's hard to see what the future is. I can say that the education system isn't teaching people even today. and that's challenging. so what have we done so far? so there is this big gap, so let's throw technology into the mix so we've added technology into the classroom.
however, as I mentioned earlier that education is hard. technology is doing a little better as there is a balance between art and science. and I think that's what teaching needs to do. with the use of big data and analytics known as data-driven education, we looked at a whole bunch of things. people think that technology inside and outside the classroom is disrupting the education process. it's taking control away from the teachers. my contention is that it should about bringing that information and data into the classroom.
in fact, there is no point in collecting data if we are not going to act on it. data is just a fancy word for information so it does make sense from a scientific perspective that we act on information we drive our decisions about d=ciiruuclum changes on information instead of on guesswork. of there is that balance there that human element that still needs to be there we can't rely on data ultimately data drive the decision but humans make the decisions and those humans should be the teachers
another big part of data-driven education if you're gonna be collecting that data you should be acting on it. not just on a macro level to compare and contrast different school systems but actually to look at your education system education yesterday compared to today and see how it's doing.
another example is to collect data about students' performance at school, every exercise they do, every interaction between the teacher and the students in order to personalize our education for the students this student was struggling for this topic let me sit down with for twenty minutes as a different teacher who read these notes and worked on it.

use of OER in Armenia

one of the things that Armenian teachers get benefits from is how empowering it is for them. when teachers make the decision to adopt OER, it gives them a large amount of control over how the curriculum is sequenced, where it's drawn from. So that it really allows them to take ownership over their materials, teaching, and allows them to better connect with the students in the way that's most appropriate for learning and their environment.

Moreover, teachers can expand their own professional learning by understanding the state learning standards a little bit better by collaborating with other educators for really having a powerful voice in the creation of materials for use by their students.

they have control of what are going to be good materials for the individual learners in the class. this really empowers them to be the professional in the classroom in a way that traditional prepackaged materials don't really do for teachers.

Make digital world a priority at school and at home.

In the new digital world, we know student learning is strengthened when families and educators are on the same page. Families can reinforce the lessons through conversations and expectations at home. And teachers can help students navigate the digital dilemmas they face in and out of school.

Depending on the school's community, parents' and caregivers' responses to technology may vary. Some will be relieved to know these lessons are part of the school curriculum; many families already grapple with kids' media use and are looking for any support they can get in teaching these skills. Others might be wary of a program that teaches what they feel are moral lessons.

With so many varied perspectives, it's critical to introduce technology and its use in class to families from the start and make it part of the classroom or school culture. The more parents and caregivers know about the program, the more they will be able to take co-ownership of the effort.

Here are several ways to get families on board with pedagogical applications of technology like digital games:

1. Introduce digital games at back-to-school night.

From the moment you meet your students' families, let them know digital games are a priority. Point out the Digital Citizenship Pledge poster (login to download PDF) hanging in your classroom (signed by all your students, of course) to kick-start the conversation about how you integrate lessons on cyberbullying, online privacy, digital footprints, and more into your teaching.

2. Send family tips and resources home regularly.

Make digital citizenship and media use resources part of your regular communication to families. You can print out advice articles in English or the parents' language to send home in backpacks or post links on your class website, in the LMS, or in the weekly parent email. 

3. Tailor your efforts to meet families' needs.

Help parents and caregivers have more buy-in by finding out what their biggest concerns are. You can set up a comment/question box at back-to-school night. Or, if you send out a back-to-school questionnaire, ask a few questions about their challenges and needs related to family media use. Are they struggling with homework and multitasking, finding quality family media, or keeping their kids safe online? This can help inform the resources you share with families as well as the work you do with students.

4. Share the research.

Parents and caregivers have firsthand knowledge of the impact of devices and media on kids' lives. Even so, research on kids' media use is compelling and eye-opening and can establish the "why" for your digital citizenship program. The annual Common Sense Census offers a wealth of data on kids' media use. You can share the key findings for kids age 0 to 8 or for tweens and teens. Add these to your class website or parent newsletter, or print and provide them at back-to-school night.

5. Address parent concerns with a school-wide presentation.

By giving families an opportunity to ask questions, get advice, and voice their concerns about kids' media use, schools can strengthen the relationship between educators and families. Let your school leadership team know about Common Sense's ready-made presentations to use at school-hosted events for parents and families. Presentation topics include choosing quality family media, learning with technology, cyberbullying, social media, mental health, and more.

a distance English teaching program for young adults and adults in remote areas of Armenia

There is no consensus in the second language-learning field on how online and digital tools should be blended or integrated with classroom instruction (Egbert, Huff, McNeil, Preuss, & Sellen, 2009)
However, to serve the needs of second language learners, a learning environment should occasion authentic use of a target language (Chapelle & Liu, 2007) and communicate with authentic audiences (Johnston, 2007). In addition, learners also have individual preferences, backgrounds, and priorities (Dörnyei & Skehan, 2003) as they enter online and face-to-face environments and may reject one that does not account for their needs.
For teachers using collaborative or social technologies, “instructing” is now a less important skill than “facilitating.” with greater use of video recording (both for students and by students), audio listening activities, physical movement in-class and outdoors, and tactile work on projects.
Harwood (2010) advocates local authoring of materials by teachers in order to align lessons closely with student aims and institutional objectives. Blended learning materials need to be task-based and multimodal, which can be time-consuming to reach high-quality standards. Open-source learning management systems, such as Moodle, allow local customization for teachers and institutions to build plugins for activities and assessments that fit curricular aims.

the use of PLE and VLE/LMS in EFL teaching

I like the choices of tools available on the web. I try them all and when one suits my needs I use it. I blog, tweet, map, tag, chat, skype, and text heaps.

Moreover, I sometimes get restricted to access to many of these sites, so I feel at a disadvantage to people like me who try everything. I think if a course requires us to use a tool, we have to be able to access it through the university website. Also my social networking site I access at home is now trying to charge for the service. So how long these "free tools" remain free?

But in general, learning is about what we want from it, not being restricted to simple old-fashioned tools. it's like having too travel by bike when there is a fast train to be taken. there are many of us trying to update our skills and get a handle on this new technology. we need a careful introduction, not just exposed to a free for all!

This is ok for the young technologically minded people. they can probably learn all themselves, the question, then, what do they need a university/school course for? Teachers in this regard, need to be more open-minded and develop more flexibility in their thinking. students will want to use the tools they know and like and why should they be restricted. if they want to meld their social life with their study and use the same environments, then great, I am all for it.

In developing countries, access can be poor and slow. in these circumstances, learning is not democratic as some have good access while others don't. however, we should be learning about the latest technology and the best way to do this is by working with it. the theory is fine, but I need to experience it as a learner to know how I can apply it in my teaching, although this is still very frustrating and time-consuming. but the essential tools should be provided by the university/school and we should access the web for experience with other new tools.