Final
Blog Post
After evaluating my game plan I came to the conclusion that I
really need to consider what I want my students to be able to do when they
complete their cycle of learning English. For instance, in my school the focus
is completely on English and what it means to be able to read and comprehend the
language in their country. This is a skill that is competitive as they grow
older and prepare to enter college. These students need to understand that
English is now an integral secondary language in their country. English is a
universal language. English is also one of the
most studied language all across the world, most of the countries teach it as a
second language from primary school. As per the statistics, it
said that the English language is one of the easiest languages to learn, if we
compare it with languages like Chinese, German, French and even Spanish. Worldwide
we see that most of the communication sources, information and material sold or
given to us are in English, for example: films, TV shows, music, documentaries,
popular brands, etc. (Why English has become the universal language of the
world, n.d.).
One of the eye-openers for me was the
collaboration of social networking in the classroom. I guess my thinking was antiquated
and agreed with the assessment that it should be kept separate from the
classroom. Now I see how completely wrong I am. A good example is how
teachers are engaging students who are shy about participating in traditional
classroom discussions, but who enjoy communicating online. They are encouraged
to participate in classroom learning using platforms like Facebook, Google+,
and Twitter. In addition, teachers can include multimedia presentations in
their online curriculum, and solicit immediate feedback from students who also
can engage with other students, teachers and even experts in their study field.
Instead of dismissing social media as
distracting or destructive, schools should embrace it as an essential part of
the curriculum. Not only does this limit the potential for students to abuse
the technology, but it opens a new set of valuable educational tools (Ali,
2010). One thing I am going to look into doing more is using social media.
Perhaps I could use it as an attendance/introduction tool, which I can enhance
as the class progresses. Another key component that I picked up on is Digital
Storytelling. In today's digitized world, visual storytelling is a favorite
classroom tool, and the affordability and accessibility of technology such as iMovie provides opportunities not imagined
twenty years ago. My ESL classroom could certainly benefit from new ways
of communicating rather than the tired old workbooks and worksheets we seem to
rely on.
Reference
Ali,
T. (2010, May 12). 4 Tips for Integrating Social Media Into the Classroom. Mashable.
Retrieved October 11, 2014, from
http://mashable.com/2010/05/11/social-media-school/
Why
English has become the universal language of the world (n.d.). World Choice
Education. Retrieved October 11, 2014, from
http://marketingworldchoice.wordpress.com/2013/08/08/why-english-has-become-the-universal-language-of-the-world/
