This week provided me a productive and informative time. I learned more about CALL (Computer-assisted language learning) and applied it to teach writing and reading skills.
My students are taught to write and read a paper. Since early grades, that is what they are used to. However, they asked me to teach them how to use technology and sites that can help them boost their capabilities in the 21st century. Coincidentally, that happened right before I learned this module, something I am very grateful for. So, I designed a technology-enhanced lesson plan to use with my real class and present on my TEFL class. I found Miro to be particularly helpful in terms of brainstorming or just sharing ideas in general. Its mind map maker is the fastest and simplest way for students to note, organize, and make a network of their ideas. Moreover, thanks to the AI boom, Miro has incorporated GPT-3 into their list of features, which can help students explore ideas they might have missed. Although students can draw on a physical board, it is hard to make it appealing. With Miro, students can customize the mindmap for a fun, colorful look or make it professional. The ultimate goal of a network is to help students analyze complex topics and break down the causes, effects, and relationships. This is extremely important when planning an essay. Another site I find helpful is Padlet. It can be a forum for the class to share and discuss their ideas. I have not deleted any Padlet of my classes because it can be reused multiple times. It is also a place where students post their outlines and drafts. Peers may comment afterward. I use Quizziz to check my students' understanding of cohesive devices. Thankfully, a teacher at my center has created a quiz on the lesson I teach, so I did not have to make it from scratch. I find the sharing and community feature of Quizziz to beisost useful. People can reuse and adapt the old materials of other teachers. Of course, I also created some technology alternatives, including students drawing networks on the board, using Quizziz Paper Mode, and reading their essays out loud instead of posting them on Padlet. I appreciate the lesson plan template that the Professor provided. It helps me organize my ideas logically without missing essential details. My peers and I understand the significance of having plan B, or even C, if the original plan fails, which may happen frequently due to an unstable Internet connection.
Other websites I encourage my students to use at home are Breaking News English and Onestopenglish. Breaking News English provides texts of many levels of proficiency. It is also invaluable to teachers for its listed activities that come afterward. Onestopenglish has many reading passages with colorful illustrations that may captivate their attention and help them stay focused longer. The exercises vary according to proficiency levels, but most of them are suitable for students of immediate levels. There are worksheets and teacher's notes, making it the perfect site to collect materials.
Ha Tu and Dinh Hoan suggested that the British Council learn English. That is also an exciting and helpful site. The website provides lessons, activities, exercises, and worksheets on writing topics suitable for learners from levels A1 to C1. Their writing lessons include free and controlled practice activities to help students grasp and apply the material.
This is the end of this week's reflection. As always, I am eager to learn more in the next module.
Your reflection is really detailed. I also agree that Padlet could be really useful for students to exchange their ideas. I have not been using Miro much in class, but since you siad that AI has been incorporated in the website, I think I'm going to check it out in the near future
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