Great Feed from The English Blog

As I began exploring the RSS feeds I just subscribed to, I saw a feed from The English Blog about English idioms. As a second, third, and fourth language learner (eek!) myself, I know that idioms are some of the trickiest things that language learners encounter. You can't really translate them, but they are used so frequently that they are a very important thing to learn...I bet you don't even realize when you are using an idiom...but if you are speaking to a non-native English speaker, they may not understand your use of an idiom, and you may get a very confused look!

This feed from The English Blog talks about another blog-called Mad Dogs and English, which illustrates (literally) the idioms of the English language. Each blog post shows a cartoon which ilustrates a particular idiom as it would literally be understood and probably translated by a non-native speaker.

The English Blog suggests incorporating idioms into lesson plans, and having students come up with their own cartoons based on English idioms. I think it's a brilliant idea! I would love to implement this in my ESL classroom. I think it would introduce students to the concept of idioms and help them understand how to use and comprehend them as well.

Check these cartoons out for yourself at Mad Dogs and English: http://maddogsandenglish.wordpress.com/

And check out The English Blog: http://jeffreyhill.typepad.com/english/

A Learner is Like...

To me, a learner is like a piece of modeling clay; Able to take on any shape and serve any purpose, but at the hands of the artist (the teacher). This is what I was thinking as I read Connectivism:A Learning Theory for the Digital Age, by George Siemens. Just as modeling clay can be changed and re-shaped over time, according to Siemens "many learners will move into a variety of different, possibly unrelated fields over the course of their lifetime." While it's obvious that there is a fundamental difference between a human (alive!) and clay (not alive!), certain tangible similarities do exist. The learner has some say in what she or he will become, but as Siemens notes, "Learning is a process that occurs within nebulous environments of shifting core elements – not entirely under the control of the individual."

So while there are limitations to this analogy (the human learner is much more complex than a piece of clay!) overall I do believe that the learner takes on a "shape" based on the different kinds of input she or he receives from various possible sources, mainly the teacher/artist. There are infinite possibilities for the human learner, as there are infinite possibilities as to what a piece of modeling clay can become.

Practicing Connectivism Through Social Networking

I recently visited http://www.ning.com/ (a social networking site) for the first time, and was surprised to see that you can pretty much create a social network for anything...until now the only 'social network' I had ever heard of is Facebook, and I don't see how one would utilize that particular network, at least not for professional development.

One of the networks I visited is called Classroom 2.0. I was impressed to see their number of members is in the tens of thousands. And their members come from all parts of the world, not just the United States, which is great for gaining insight into educational systems different from our own. The site is updated constantly, with members posting news or comments, or bits of helpful information by the hour. This is one of the reasons why Classroom 2.0 will be helpful to me, as there is a constant stream of information for me to absorb. Also, this group is very welcoming to new members and "beginners" like me! There is a section of "tools" which provides links to topics covering blogging, wikis, social bookmarking, podcasting, photo sharing, and probably anything else I could ever ask for!

Classroom 2.0 also won an edublog award (2007) for best use of a social networking service.


See for yourself! http://www.classroom20.com/

3 Ways to Use Blogs in the Classroom

1.) One great way to incorporate blogs in your teaching is to use them to access other educational blogs. This will allow you to discuss topics of interest with other educational bloggers and share ideas on teaching methods and techniques. It's also a great way to stay connected with your colleagues and continue your own professional development.

2.) Another way to incorporate blogs in the classroom is to create a blog for each of your classes. You can then post announcements for your students, add homework assignments, and whatever else you think might be useful. Giving your students access to a class blog allows them to ask questions and access class materials and announcements when outside of the classroom. It is also a way to make sure that everyone is up to date on assignments; if you post them on your blog, even students who missed class should be able to be prepared for the next day if they know to check the blog every day for new assignments and announcements.

3.) Third, why not try to give your students some hands-on experience with blogging in the classroom, and allow and encourage them to create their own blogs? It's a great way to get them to write...much more fun than pen and paper! Then you could incorporate elements of technology in your everyday teaching. I think students enjoy using technology in the classroom, and there's no reason why they shouldn't have fun while learning!