Technology at the service of Language, Culture and Teaching

Hi guys!

This week I want to share with you a topic that is too much related to us.

The use of the Internet and other emerging technologies in language teaching offers teachers a very effective tool to reach the modern student population by communicating with their language, the digital language.

Technology can relieve students' anxiety and adapt their learning style to authentic online materials. Why?

Modern technology has the power to produce authentic materials of languages ​​and cultures that are immediately accessible to students in the classroom. The use of technology can also play an important role in stimulating the acquisition of the second language because students electronically increase contact with the vast choice of authentic materials existing on the various websites on the web. Learning with digital sounds that the Internet incorporates can facilitate the acquisition of a foreign language and a foreign culture through listening and visual activity. Language teaching affects students' learning, but also their subconscious acquisition of the language and passive learning of language and culture. Passive learning is acquired mainly through listening, but also through vision.

Thus the conscious and more proactive cognitive effort of the student encourages him to strategically evaluate and distribute his own learning methods in a deliberate way and choosing what the student likes, then material according to his own tastes.

I want to emphasize that principals and administrators who come into the classroom to evaluate teachers want to see students active and engaged in their learning. The implementation of active learning techniques creates opportunities for students to show and exploit their talents along with their different learning styles. Indeed, deeper learning occurs when it is social, active, contextual, engaging for the learner. Such learning maximizes knowledge of one's skills and results in an understanding of authentic material digitally. Visual, auditory and tactile (manipulative) method.

Usually, and almost always, vocabulary in English language textbooks is often presented as a list of words to be memorized and used in the context of grammar exercises. Websites with their active links, with images, sounds and texts, are very interactive and consequently more engaging in active and passive learning. Online technologies can be used as powerful tools for language and culture education because with their integrated communication tools such as email, chat and group discussions you can create effective learning environments making learning more social and enjoyable, involving students in direct experiences. Therefore, the Internet is a very useful tool for teaching the language and the cultural contents of the language by involving students with authentic materials within the reach of a simple "click".

In addition, the technology allows students to engage in activities that require higher-order skills such as analysis, synthesis, evaluation and application by fostering self-reflection, self-evaluation, collaboration and problem-solving. group. In addition, students are able to control and own their learning.

Thank you for your time!🎯🤞Ⓜ

Chicken coop classes and old technologies: the problems of the school today.

 Hi!

I hope you are doing well.

First I want to say a few words about one of this week presentations.

This was another week full of emotions. Two of my friends had their presentation,.Elona and Redjona.  They had done a great job and they were great teachers considering even the fact that both of them had internet connection problems. However, they made it.

This week I want to share with you an interesting topic, online classes .

The schools of tomorrow? They are online schools.

The Albanian school today for many is a bit in crisis and consequently in recent years it has not been able to produce students who are actually prepared for the university or for the world of work. There are those who blame today's youth, technology and the lack of pulse on the part of their parents, but the reality according to experts is quite different. Students today, it is proven, are on the internet and on new technologies, while teachers can be said to snub the whole digital world, at least for what concerns the teachings. A real shame because it could instead be the right key to communicate with the new youth and to give new hope to the school of the future.

Today's children, from an early age, are grappling with the world of information technology and digital technologies. Even if learning through these channels up to ten years ago seemed impossible, today it is a reality and teachers should probably update themselves. In short, the digital revolution can no longer be ignored and is also supported by government officials .

Online schools: the schools of the future.

In light of what has been said, it is easy to understand, on the contrary, how natural the success of telematic schools is today. Even if it may seem difficult, impossible, tiring to some to think of attending a school via the web, to the new generations this does not seem so at all. Indeed, in many cases online school is just the right solution for some kids. Where there are socialization difficulties, health problems, sporting commitments, this solution becomes even indispensable. Necessity due to impediment or desire to start a school that looks to the future, it does not matter: what matters is to train and obtain valid results, recognized as those that the telematic or online school is giving.

Technological innovation and school renewal are necessary if we want to deliver a good school to future generations, who will have to compete with a Europe where, on the other hand, many are already being trained on the internet. Training in telematic schools is innovative above all because it deals with schools sewn like a tailored suit on the student. The ringing of the bell, the division by classes, the numerous votes throughout the year without making heads or tails out of it , are something out of date.

Online school overcomes the problems of today's school

Thanks to the online school it is possible to overcome problems that today are very burdensome in the traditional school. First of all, the bitter problem of the chicken coop classes. The student finds his own schedules, based on his needs or simply based on his productivity and level of attention. Of course, to self-manage it takes organizational spirit and a great desire to do, but usually these are skills that are not lacking in those who enroll in online schools and, in any case, also in normal traditional schools.

The home environment and the tranquility of teaching that follows the rhythms of one's learning skills do the rest. In no "classical" school can this be said. If you already know a part of the teaching you are not forced to dwell on it, but if there are difficulties, things are re-explained and repeated without any problem. The school's goal is not just to provide information, but to prepare students to pass exams: a big difference.

I Hope  you enjoy my post.

See you next week. Ⓜ😊

Did I do well?

Hi, again my fellows!

This is has been an intensive week for me because I presented my project. 

Well, I still have mixed feelings when I mention the presentation day. I don't want to scare no one but that day the chances to get nervous are high.

Basically, I put the technological knowledge into practice.  

However, it is more than that. It is a real teaching experience. 

And despite the fact I was nervous, it was a great feeling to be in the position of a teacher. You get so involved and you don't think about anything else. 

There was just me and the students. 

Now let me reflect a bit on the multimedia elements I used in my presentation.

I taught you the listening skill and of course, multimedia is the best thing to help teachers to cover this lesson. 

As our subject is on how to apply multimedia technology in second language teaching, I will show you the way how I put this theory into practice. To be honest, it took me a while to think in details about that, but I think in the end it was worth the time.

First of all, I started with the interactive Powerpoint and I tried to make use of many features of interactive PowerPoint by applying many of them. 

Secondly, I made use of an audio recording since it was a listening lesson plan. And even though it looked like it had technical problems, its speed was on purpose to make things a little bit harder for students.

Another element or medium I used was Quizlet. Quizlet is a helpful mean to explain vocabulary and have students to study new words after the lesson.

The last but not least, I have used ProProfs. With ProProfs I created the exercises and it is an easy medium to use by me and by my students as well.

In my opinion, this app helps you a lot if you want to make your own exercises without taking them by someone else.

To sum up, all these media helped me with my first lesson, and as the weeks pass there are everyday new technological elements that we encounter by our friends' presentations, which can be used in our future classes or in other presentations. By posting our own technological sources we can help each other in getting a clear idea of what other ones to use, do not hesitate to do that.

Thank you for reading it, I hope it was useful. 😊Ⓜ