Social Networking Group: Learning with Computers

     There are many social networking groups available for teachers, but the one I checked out was called Learning with Computers.  This groups site is a place for foreign language teachers to post what they know about integrating computers into the classroom.  Teachers can then read each others' ideas about how to best use computers in teaching students a foreign language.  This seems like a great place for L2 teachers to post and take knowledge from each other about technology to make the classroom a better place for learning.

A Teacher is like a...

     A teacher is like a "Surrogate for knowledge", connection maker, database for learning, and social mediator.  Teachers can and should be all of the above according to Siemens.  In the article titled "Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age.  International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning", Siemens discusses the idea of connectivism.  This is basically that using new technology, all ideas, principles, and knowledge are linked through networks.  Siemens says that "nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning".  The teacher must help students to make the connections, be it online on social networks or other learning websites, so that the students can learn more knowledge.  There is so much knowledge and information out there in this new digital era and it "needs to be connected with the right people" (teachers) "in the right order to be classified as learning".  Teachers need to therefore give students the access they need to all of these great sources of information to connect them to so much useful knowledge.

    

     Siemens continues to explain his theory of connectivism through a video titled "The Impact of Social Software on Learning".  In the video he says we must "learn from each other".  Teachers have to give information to students, the Internet can give information to students and teachers, and students can even give back information to teachers.  Also, Siemens says that we are social beings, we enjoy conversation, and this helps us to grow in our knowledge.  This means that by using social software we can have conversations about learning with other people ("forming networks with each other") and this can increase our knowledge base. 

 

     Overall, I think Siemens gives some great ideas in his article and the video about connectivism.  It makes a lot of sense that we can gain knowledge from one another.  Just because you are the teacher does not mean that you have to have all the information, but you can use the Internet and other sources to share with each other and provide more important knowledge to your students.

Ways to Memorize Vocabulary (according to Kristen Winkler)

     The site that I commented on was Kristenwinkler.com and the name of the post was "How to memorize vocabulary?"  The author gives five methods for learning, memorizing, and practicing vocabulary in foreign languages.  The five ways are: internet vocabulary drills, social learning websites, language programs by broadcast companies, video lessons, and by singing.
 

     I think there are some great ideas here!  For me the best way of learning vocabulary was doing flash cards (the old way though, paper cards and a pen).  I think actually writing the flashcards is just as useful as studying the cards, so this might be more effective than some of the websites.  I haven't had the chance to use social learning websites but I imagine it would be very interesting and effective.  I have used video lessons and songs in my classrooms and these are great ways to practice vocabulary.  Lastly, lanugage programs by broadcast companies I do not know much about but I would love to learn more about and use in the future! 

Here are some links to websites that could be usefule for memorizing vocabulary (taken from Kristen Winkler's blog):

• http://wordchamp.com/

• http://leo.org/
• http://livemocha.com/

• http://babbel.com/
• http://dw-world.de/
• http://bbc.com/learningenglish

• http://deutschhappen.com/