helianlingzi

Ockey argues that Computer based testing has failed to realize its anticipated potential. Describe and discuss on his reasons for his view, and tell why you either agree or disagree with him.
In spite of the challenges in developing effective CBT systems, CBT undoubtedly bring convenience for assessors and learners. I think it is a remarkable development in the area of second language teaching and learning. We can not say that CBT failed realize its anticipated potential although the existing challenges in using it. In addition, some challenges do not only exit in CBT, but also can be seen in paper-tests. For example, paper-test also have these problems such as psychometric assumptions, local independence, controversy over appropriate scoring algorithm, agreement on test administration, practical use of test bank, and test security. Furthermore, the tests in other disciplines also face these problems.

Cummins & Davesne offer an alternative to CBT with electronic portfolios. Comment on some of the ideas from this article that you'd be interested in trying out in your own classroom.
The first part of EPs, language passport, can help teacher know about the experience of the students learning. If someone would like share his experience with others, the audience can learn successful models.
I think self-assessment is very important for learners. Therefore, the second part, language biography, gives students opportunities to evaluate their levels with detailed guidelines. This part also help teacher know about in which aspects the students need helps.
I like share the samples that students provided. The audio files, video files, personal Web sites, photos, and movies they use to record their learning competence, are more interesting and lively than the test scores. And these materials always reflect the integrated abilities of listening, speaking, and their intercultural competence.

Share an idea of two about how you could use the ideas from Richardson with ESL students.
I would like write micro-blog about the class I teach the present day. I want to share what I think about the class with my students, such as what is the key point, who should be praised, or give them relative resources of news, pictures, websites, and so on. The students just need spend several minutes in sharing my opinion. It’s more like a brief chat. And I also encourage them can write their concerns or questions via their twitters, then I can answer as soon as possible.
What is the “digital divide?” And why do Warschauer et al argue that this term may longer be applicable. What are the issues they found regarding differences in technology use with ELLs and other low socioeconomic students. What are some ways you could address this in your own schools or programs?
Digital divide is the gap between people base on gender, social status, race group, and locations in using information and communication technology in different levels, including availability of, access to, and use of this technology.
Inequality in education has been a critical social issue facing the United States for more than 100 years. Research on technology and equity revealed that unequal accessing to and using of new technologies at school or at home create a new gap among people from diverse groups and amplify existing forms of inequality. Because the technological and social realms are highly intertwined and continuously cocreate each other, it is very difficulty to overcome digital divide.
In this study, issues of workability, complexity, and performativity were compared between eight low-SES schools and high-SES schools. The results are as following: (1) Common pattern of performativity in technology are used at almost all the schools, but in low-SES schools, basic computer tasks are greater taught in class, and low-SES students least afford to be distracted from real and efficacious learning opportunities. (2) The three high-SES schools tended to invest more in professional development, hiring full-time technical support staff and developing lines of communication among teachers, office staff, media specialists, technical staff, and administration that promoted robust digital networks. The low-SES schools had achieved less success in creating the kinds of support networks that make technology workable. (3) Low-SES schools tend in the main to devote substantially more classroom time to explicit test-taking preparation than do high-SES schools. Low-SES students had lower home computer and internet access, which make the teachers in these schools avoid assigning homework using computer and internet, and spent more nonacademic computer time in class. Low-SES schools had roughly tree times the percentage of ELLs, which make the class activities, such as research and writing, were hardly carried out because the ELLs’ difficulties with spelling, vocabulary, or grammar.
To overcome digital divide, educational policy makers need create mechanism that ensure that low and high-SES schools have higher numbers of well-trained and experienced teacher, staff, and administrators. Teachers need to turn their attention away from mastery of software programs to using technology for scholarship, research, and inquiry. Schools should encourage students make use of publicly available computers. In general, sufficient financial and human resources are needed in low-SES schools. In my opinion, computer assisted language learning is a good approach to integrate computer, internet and English learning because CALL consists many ways of academic use of computers and internet. For example, each quick share in our class display a way of teaching English via computers and internet. They all require student use technology deeply and broadly.

After reading Richardson, what ideas do you have for using images and programs such as Flickr in the language learning classroom?


Richardson proposes that Flickr can be used for annotation feature, online discussions about the images, connection of the world. Richardson also introduces ideas from other teachers, such as photo field trips, random writes, and Make it Mine.
I think it is more interesting to teach words with photos than only with description. Photos are more abstract and vivid, and help students remember better. For example, when we study some words about angry, like indignation, outrage, rage, umbrage, and wrath, it will more clear to understand the word for the children if explanation is accompanied with pictures. Another example is that photos attract attention to remember some places and personal names, for instance, picture for the great wall, pyramid, Statue of Liberty, Einstein and Napoleon, and so on.
Kern gives a broad overview of issues in CALL, with specific examples from three areas and implications for teaching and research. Select and share your own thoughts and opinions on one or more issues that Kern raises.
In the CALL process, teachers are easily to misunderstanding the role of a teacher and a computer. No matter how useful the computer is, the teacher must take the critical role of guider and facilitator.
Some software or courseware stimulate learner’s interest with cartons, pictures, or other interesting objects. However, sometimes these elements hold more attention of learners than the content itself. In addition, “CALL” lacks emotional exchange. It always gives static response, while teachers can give comprehensive evaluation, appreciated advice and emotional feedback according to particular status of individuals.

What is Corpus Linguistics?
Corpus linguistics is an approach to the empirical study of language that relies on computer-assisted techniques to analyze large, principled databases of naturally occurring language (corpora). the study of language relying on computer-assisted techniques to analyze large, principled databases of naturally occurring language.

And why are some language teachers so excited about it?
Susan Conrad states that in the 21st century, three changes prompted by corpus-based studies of grammar have the potential to revolutionize the teaching of grammar: 1. Monolithic descriptions of English grammar will be replaced by register-specific descriptions. 2. The teaching of grammar will become more integrated with the teaching of vocabulary. 3. Emphasis will shift from structural accuracy to the appropriate conditions of use for alternative grammatical constructions.
From these changes, teachers can get a great deal of information about the use of linguistic features, and teaching materials could be designed according to this frequency of use. Learner corpora helps teacher analyze how learners amply language. Some programs, such as concordancing, present every instance of a certain word or phrase, which integrates the teaching of grammar and vocabulary.

What applications can you envision for your current or future classroom?
I would like teach words using Corpus linguistics. Language is a tool to communicate and record, it will verify with the change of circumstance and times. Multiple instances of using make the language rich and words vivid. To help students understand and use the language freely.

The following paragraph is cited from a webpage:
Chinglish (also Chingrish) is a portmanteau of the words Chinese and English and refers to spoken or written English which is influenced by Chinese[1]. There are an estimated 300 to 500 million users and/or learners of English in the People's Republic of China[2].

The term "Chinglish" is mostly used in popular contexts and may have pejorative or derogatory connotations[3]. The terms "Chinese English" and "China English" are also used, mostly in the academic community, to refer to developing Chinese varieties of English[4] .

Chinglish, at the most fundamental level, is bad English printed or spoken by Chinese people. There is no connection between Pidgin English and Chinglish: 19th century Chinese Pidgin English was a language that could be learned, and enabled Chinese and Westerners to communicate.

Therefore, I would like use Corpus linguistics to help students recognize what they are likely to speak or write English by mistake. Actually, I think I can benefit a lot from these techniques because I believe I must have spoke Chinglish, and now and in the future, I am and I will. Corpus can help avoid more mistakes.

What are some of the technologies used for CMC? What are some of the promising features of CMC for language learning. Comment on any of your uses of these technologies, in particular if you have used any of them for language learning or practice purposes.

CMC is broadly used in language teaching and learning. People usually categorize CMC as either synchronous or asynchronous. Synchronous CMC include chatting, classroom discussions, and Moos. Asynchronous CMC includes mailing lists/bulletin board systems, bulletin boards, and email/short-messaging system. Conferencing can take one of two different forms. “It can include synchronous chat or it can include audio and visual messages transferred by the computer.”

Face-to-face conversation exercise is good for me, but sometimes it is somewhat difficult because some factors such as my listening, lack of vocabulary, can’t organize sentence in short time, or confusion by some use of words, make me nervous when I talk with others in English. Therefore, sometimes I’d like to chat on line using. If I feel difficult in understanding some sentences, I ask them type it because I have more time to think what I should answer and make sure what others talk. This type of CMC helps me improve my English in grammar and spoken English.
Example 1, once a time, my friend typed “Well I wont be there at 815 exactly because I have to walk from my class it ends then”. If we talk face-to-face, I must could not hear “then”. In this situation, I can understand better and learn the use of “then”.
Example 2, another time, she said “nope no problem”. I haven’t heard this sentence before, but because we are chatting on line, I have time look for it in dictionary.
Example 3, once I said “Would you like have dinner with me”? She said “You mean lunch right”?
So I understand when I should use “dinner”.
In a word, no matter talking or typing, chatting on line is really helpful for me to practice English.
Finally, comment on the findings of Dr. Sauro's research, and what the implications may be for future practice.
Dr. Sauro’s research indicates both types of corrective feedback support gains but no significant advantage for either feedback type on immediate or sustained gains in target form knowledge. However, the metalinguistic group shows significant immediate gains relative to the control condition. Therefore, appropriate feedback is really helpful in teaching and learning. However, the teacher should think which type and what time to give feedback is suitable.
Actually, what I am interested in is that which kind of metalinguistic feedback is more helpful. The fist kind of metalinguistic feedback which is list in the article doesn’t indicate clearly which error occurs for learners. Learners need more time to find it, which may make them remember it for a long time and improve their ability to edit writing by themselves.
And I am thinking if there is difference for any type of feedback when teachers correct different errors. For some simple or complex errors, explicit or implicit errors, there may have different effects under those types of feedback.

What did Grgurović & Hegelheimer find with regards to using subtitles and transcripts to help ESL students develop listening skills in English? What are some of the implications for instruction?
The results of this study showed that the participants used the subtitles more frequently and for longer periods of time than the transcript. The subtitles were also the preferred help option before and after the activity, and it appears that the participants picked the help option they were predisposed to in daily life. The higher proficiency group also used subtitles more frequently and for longer amounts of time than the lower proficiency group although both groups exhibited very similar behavior on the transcript. Overall, the results show that the participants spent less time interacting with help options than was anticipated when the study was set up. In the course of the activity, the participants exhibited great variation in the time spent on help, and a large variation was also noted in frequency of help page openings and instances of useful interaction with help.
This research also identified four patterns of participants’ interaction with help options (subtitles, transcript, non-interaction, and mixed interaction pattern) and described behavior of participants following those patterns. The analysis showed major differences between subtitles and transcript groups on one side and the non-interaction group on the other in terms of performance help page openings, and instances of useful interaction with help. While the subtitles and the transcript groups performed similarly on comprehension questions during and after the activity as well as on time and frequency of help use, the non-interaction group varied the most in behavior and performance from all other groups, probably due to task difficulty and lack of motivation.
The fact that students preferred subtitles and used subtitles more than the transcript calls for making subtitles the help option in multimedia listening materials of this kind. However, offering transcripts in addition to subtitles is likely the best solution because it provides learners with a choice. Also, the authors argue for giving users more control over the choice of help by introducing the option to skip help altogether to accommodate different learning styles and preferences.
CALL designers could implement software demos and tutorials that would promote the use of help. Teachers could prompt the use of help for both in-class (use of lecture transcripts, subtitled digital video) and out-of-class listening (captioned TV program, subtitled movies on DVD). They could also create CALL tasks that would require the use of help, as well as observe students using help to encourage an effective use of learning strategies. Finally, learners could be trained by teachers to use help options to their advantage (Hubbard, 2004).
From your reading of Levy, comment on one or more of the issues related to the practice dimension of CALL what you would want to take into consideration for your own classroom.
As Levy notes, “designing and using CALL materials effectively depends on setting clear learning goals, deciding which language skills and areas are to be targeted through CALL-based activities, and determining what types of activities are appropriate in achieving these goals”. If my students are the future English teachers, all of the skills are important. If they are students who will study abroad to English countries, listening, reading and writing are more occupy central places because of the need of learning. If my students take classes just for preparing short-time visiting to other countries, I’d like focus the training on speaking. If my students will use English as the second language in learning or working in the future, all the skills are equally essential because none of them is dispensable and the mastery of them are interdependent and mutually promotive.

Do you have an iPod or another type of .mp3 player? If so, have you used it or anything other than listening to your own music, such as downloading and listening to podcasts? Note some of the points McQuillan made about how podcasting can support second language learning. Which of the ideas from the readings would you be interested in trying out in your own classroom?

I have one mp3. I use it to listening English dialogue, music, film sound recording. The first semester at UTSA, I was afraid that I may miss important comments by the teachers or classmates, so I used the mp3 to record others’ lectures under permission. After the class, listening the records helped me to review the content and improve my listening at the same time. I also use mp3 record my speech to check my pronunciation and tone of reading.

I like to give assignment to my students to create their own audio or video materials. Because the download materials may make students listen passively, it is more motivating and interesting to produce own files. To make better records, students may compare own speaking with native speaker’s pronunciation. I think the skills of listening and speaking are mutually influence and promote. It is necessary to give students more chances to speak bravely.
And I really recommend students listen to the Voice of America’s Special English Podcasts. This podcast involves multiple topics in which students can choose what they are interested in. And because the VOA is news broadcast, its concise and logical language is a good model for students.

Comment one or two issues raised by Levy and Stockwell CALL educators must think about when it comes to the design of CALL products.
“CALL” means Computer-Assisted Language Learning. When we choose CALL, we should consider how it assists teacher to teach and what is its advantage and disadvantage. Therefore, methodological frameworks and design integration is very important for CALL designer. Call materials must embody its superiority compare with teaching by teachers. The common ground of CALL and teaching by teachers is that the tasks, course and syllabus design, language-learning areas and skills learners’ orientation must be considered ahead of time. However, CALL designers should think about the integration of the pedagogy and the technology. Good CALL materials must make learning more interesting and effective, and the learners haven’t so many difficulties to grasp the CALL materials. It is also expected that CALL can give timely, detailed, and correct feedback.
Then, comment on what types of RSS feeds you might be interested in using with students or following yourself.
I am really interested with the feeds for news searches. I don’t need search the news I need by myself. When I open RSS reader, it can provide me the information I wonder. For example, I want to know the newest reform in America. It can tell me which event happens in a school or a district, which articles discusses it, or who propose new idea about it. In conclusion, RSS reader save my time and give me a large number of information.

What challenges did Soares face when using blogs with her ESL students, and what lessons did she learn? How does she feel about using blogs with students in the future?
The challenge was that the students didn’t actively take part in the blog posting and discussing. One reason is about technology problems. Some reported have problems with passwords or not receiving her invitation email; some have problems when becoming members and posting messages. The other reason is that some of them lack of time to visit the blog at home. They looked forward to receiving messages and commenting orally on what had been posted, but would not write replies at home or join in the blog as members. The ones to leave comments were mostly teachers, not language students.
Through exploring and practicing, Soares learned that it is necessary to tutor student on basic operations. The students need hand-on experience in their computer laboratory. In addition, the teacher need the knowledge and experience to choose the right platform for needs of both the teacher and the students because the students’ level of expertise, interest in technology and understanding of what an educational blog is may vary greatly. Therefore, the teacher should be ready to account for that diversity and accept the fact that blogging is a new reality in practically all classrooms worldwide. Besides these, Soares realized that there was no strict relationship between the amount of posting done and the value her students gave to the blog.
Soares thinks it is useful and helpful for teachers and students if the teacher understands the situation of students and uses the target language in meaningful learning activities
Levy describes several types of technologies Choose one of them and describe how you might want to use it (or have used it), and discuss some of considerations that need to be taken when using this technology with ESL students.
I would like to use mobile learning because it is continent to take and easy to learn. I may send message about information or assignment and receive comments via mobile phone. In class, we can use mobile phone to look for articles and view video files. When we go outside, they can use mobile take photos, record dialogue with others, and send question to me. One consideration is small screen and inconvenient keypads, which is mentioned in the book. Meanwhile, the most important thing is that I must think whether every student has mobile phone, and the mobile phones that they have have the functions I may use in class.

Egbert lists eight items which support optimal classroom language learning. As far as blogs and blogging are concerned, they can be tools as follows:
First, blogs provide a platform for language learners to exchange opinions with others, including authentic audience. Using the foreign language to communicate is a good kind of way to practice. And talking with native language speakers can help learners use authentic language.
Second, learners have enough time to read blogs and give feedback. They can choose the topics they are interested in to discuss. These advantages can encourage learners to participant.
Third, reading other learners’ or authorities’ blogs can obtain more useful information and experience because the bloggers has carefully selected the content or links.
Forth, if the students have own blogs, the teacher can know about their progress of improvement and give feedback. Students also can review the class content, read optional materials, understand teacher’s opinion through teacher’s course blog.

I tried to design and make my blog more organized and attractive, but I found that I must learn more HTML to do this. Otherwise, I can only do some simple works like copy and paste. And I need learn from others how to create own characteristics. I’d like add some other links about learning and teaching abroad and introduce my hometown and my travel experience.