how to make your esl courses come alive! ecornucopia conference: teaching with technology nawal...

How to Make Your ESL Courses Come Alive!

eCornucopia Conference: Teaching with Technology

Nawal Abbas and Marija FranetovicJune 13th, 2014

Agenda● Collaboration

● ESL Director & Course Developer and New Media Specialist

● ADDIE Instructional Design Model● Analysiso ESL students, content

● Designo Language acquisitiono Information processing theory/Gagne’s conditions

of learningo Creative expression through use of technology

● Development and Implementationo Start small w/Module the previous yro eLab Demo

● Evaluation● Next steps

Tips for Designing Courses andTeaching 2nd Language Learners

Keep in mind the culture students come from…

o How exposed are they to computers? the Internet? Phone Apps? Playing games?

o Is English taught in their school system as a primary or as a secondary language?

o How ubiquitous is English within the home? The media?

Challenges• Rough beginning

• First online course - What does online success look like?• Confusion re self-paced vs paced• Language barrier in addition to technology barrier

• Large international student population however small that can take online courses

• Majority is from Saudi Arabia (Limitation - allowed only 2 online courses with prior approval for whole time in their academic program)

• More enrollment projected if the ESL Program gets approved as an independent ESL program

ESL0252 Advanced Intensive Reading:Course Objectives

● Demonstrate the confidence and listening/speaking skills necessary to participate successfully in spontaneous aural/oral exchanges with native speakers of English in a variety of personal, professional, and/or academic settings.

● Demonstrate reading comprehension of English texts intended for developmental (or higher level) English and other academic courses.

● Respond appropriately to written or spoken English by writing paragraphs or short essays that communicate ideas clearly.

Language Acquisition

• Emergentism - language acquisition is a cognitive process that emerges from the interaction of biological pressures and the environment (MacWhinney, 1999)

• Different sensory channels

Cognitive Learning Theory

● Information processing theory (1950s)● Sensory memory● Short-term memory capacity (7 +/-2) (Miller, 1956) ● Long-term memory

● Outcomes● Declarative knowledge● Procedural knowledge

Information Processing Theory

Technology Tools

● Panopto Lecture Capture● Blackboard

o Discussion Boardo Podcasting/Voice Boardo Quizzes

● eLab – evaluated for affordances: rhelevate, TellMeMore, Mango Languages

● Collaboration toolso Google Hangoutso Skype-office hours

“rhelevate” eLab: Content● Lessons - Comprehensive: English Comprehension,

Vocabulary, Grammar● Vocabulary● Library - Reading Comprehension

“rhelevate” eLab: Visual and Auditory Exercises

“rhelevate” eLab: Functionality

● http://www.rhelevate.com/ ● Anytime, anywhere● Adaptive release on lesson components● Assessment

o Multiple attempts until 85%o Adaptive questions o Practice Tests and Unit Exams

Module Design 1. Announcement 1. Gaining attention (reception)

2. Objectives 2. Informing learners of the objective (expectancy)

3. Presentation, eLab 3. Stimulating recall of prior learning (retrieval)

4. Presentation, Reading 4. Presenting the stimulus (selective perception)

5. Vocabulary and Comprehension questions, Oral - Voice Board/Podcast, eLab

5. Providing learning guidance (semantic encoding)

6. Discussion Board, Oral - Voice Board/Podcast, eLab 6. Eliciting performance (responding)

7. Discussion Board, eLab 7. Providing feedback (reinforcement)

Quizzes, Assignments, eLab 8. Assessing performance (retrieval)

9.Discussion Board, Assignments 9. Enhancing retention and transfer (generalization)

Course Development and Delivery Timeline

Blended Development Delivery

ESL0252 Advanced Intensive Reading

Fall 2011 (Abbas) Spring and Summer 2012 (Abbas)

Fall 2012(Abbas), Fall 2013 (Rescoe),Fall 2014 (Rescoe)

ESL0552 Advanced Intensive Writing

Spring 2013 (Abbas)

Summer 2013 (Abbas)

Fall 2013 (Finlay),Spring 2014 (Rescoe),Spring 2015 (Rescoe)

“rhelevate” eLab: Implementation

● 30 seats distributed across 3 courseso Seats switched out after completion

● Reading Comprehensiono Beginning: Ch 1 and 2o Intermediate: Ch 3 and 4o Advanced: Ch 5 and 6

rhelevate.com

-Student Login -Student lessons -Vocab -Reading Comprehension -Administrative login -Reports -Student Progress

Evaluation• Student evaluations

• Formative Evaluation (Mid-Semester)• Fall 2012(Abbas)• Fall 2013 (Rescoe)

• Summative Evaluations (End-of-Semester)• Fall 2012(Abbas)• Fall 2013 (Rescoe)

• Course Developer/Instructor Reflections• More authentic project-based learning• Increased creative expression through technology• Further develop Events of Instr. – 1, 3 and 9• Create rubrics for projects• Enhance online presence and engagement strategies

Tools to Further Evaluate for Affordances

● Video clips: Movie Maker, iMovie, Quicktime Player, YouTube

● GIS● WhatsApp● EyeJot● VoiceThread● Teebo● GoAnimate● Quizlet/experiment with Bb

Quiz

• Singsnap • Vocaroo• Makebeliefscomix• YouTube alterers - Vialogues• ESL Video• Lingt• Textivate • Speechpeek or Chirbit• Screenleap - screen sharing• Forvo - pronunciation site

Future Assignment: “Visit My Town...”

Students to create and present online an overview of the town and country that they come from.

The objectives for the assignment are to practice oral and visual communication with GIS and video technology.

The benefit would be to use content and creative/technology skills that students are already comfortable with in order to build upon familiar knowledge.

ReferencesDriscoll, M. (2005). Psychology of Learning for Instruction. (3rd Ed.). New York, NY: Pearson

Education.Gagne, R., Briggs, L. & Wager, W. (1992). Principles of Instructional Design (4th Ed.). Fort Worth,

TX: HBJ College Publishers.Hovland, Kevin. (2014) Global Learning: Defining, Desiging, Demonstrating. AAC&U Publication.

Retreived at http://www.aacu.org/globallearning/documents/global_learning_2014.pdf Jensen, E. (). What is Brain-Based Learning? Retreived on 6/11/14 from http://

feaweb.org/brain-based-learning-strategies MacWhinney, B. ed. (1999). The Emergence of Language. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. ISBN

0-8058-3010-3. OCLC 44958022.Miller, G.A. (1956). The magical number seven, plus or minus two: Some limits on our capacity for

processing information. Psychological Review, 63, 81-97. Retreived on 6/5/14 at http://www.musanim.com/miller1956

O’Mally, J. M. & Chamot A. (1990). Learning Strategies in Second Language Acquisition. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Stanley, G. (2013). Language Learning with Technology: Ideas for integrating technology in the classroom. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Image Credits• http

://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112904065/brain-must-cooperate-to-learn-new-words-072313/

• http://www.asiapundits.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/bad_english_teacher.jpg

• http://www.kirstytv.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Brain-Cells.021.jpg • http://www.buzzle.com/articles/information-processing-model.html• http

://innovativelearning.com/educational_psychology/cognitivism/index.htm• http://arcmit01.uncw.edu/baileye/graphicGagne9.png• http

://ujz.me/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Brain-Scientist-Creativity-Spirit-Yearning-1920x1080.jpg

• http://www.rhelevate.com/ • https

://pronunciationpro.com/blog/2013/08/30/speech-pathologist-esl-teacher-tandem-approach-classroom

Questions?

Thank You!nabbas@ltu.edu | mfranetov@ltu.edu

Module Design Template 1. 1. Gaining attention (reception)

2. 2. Informing learners of the objective (expectancy)

3. 3. Stimulating recall of prior learning (retrieval)

4. 4. Presenting the stimulus (selective perception)

5. 5. Providing learning guidance (semantic encoding)

6. 6. Eliciting performance (responding)

7. 7. Providing feedback (reinforcement)

8. 8. Assessing performance (retrieval)

9. 9. Enhancing retention and transfer (generalization)

Gagne, R., Briggs, L. & Wager, W. (1992). Principles of Instructional Design (4th Ed.). Fort Worth, TX: HBJ College Publishers.

Franetovic M & Abbas N. (2014). How to Make Your Online ESL Courses Come Alive! e-Cornucopia 2014 - Teaching with Technology Conference. Oakland University, Rochester, MI.