Tuesday, June 05, 2007

ELT and teacher training.




ELT is using Information and Communication Technology to break the wall of our classrooms, go beyond its limits and have learners interact with speakers of English in a real context.
By using it we enter in a different world and community.



Why including it in our learning process as trainee teachers? What is your view regarding ICT in ELT?

25 comments:

Héctor Ruiz said...

Hello, Nahir I would aprecciate if in your blog roll you can incorporate the link I have in blogspot.

Regarding to the importance of ICT in ELT. I consider that it opens a window for interchange with students, teachers, and those who care about learning beyond the classroom. It is a fact that technology is part of everyday life, and young people, especially teenagers in high scholls spend considerable time surfing on the net most of this with any educational purpose. In my particular opinion it is a good way to encourage students to learn by using something that it is funny for them and very easy to use.

Héctor Ruiz said...

http://hectorruiz.blogspot.com/
http://ruizefl.wordpress.com/

ozziefromvenezuela said...

As hector says I think this new technology serves as a means to both enhance and discover new fields in which the teaching-learning process can take part.

By "new fields" I mean new environments either physical or virtual to approach knowledge and interaction regarding --in our specific case-- ELT.

It is also important to take into account thge following:

It is a fact that some of our students may have a limited access to the new technologies, however it is also pertinent to highlight that this issue should not be taken as an excuse to ban the use of new technologies, on the contrary, I think we, "teachers", should get from this issue the motivation and eventually the necessary engagement to get to encourage our students to get in touch with the use of the new technologies

Yeimic said...

Well teacher, I think it was great you asked us for the reason we must be trained about ELT, and include the use of technological devices in our classes (which can be in or outside the classrooms). All my lifve long, I have heard my teachers saying: “I am not going to use the overhead proyector -for instance- because it is too complicated to use it” and I am very impressed that it continue to be so, since nowdays with the Network- Boom we can find a lot of teachers who say NO to technology, just because they don’t know how to deal with it or because they are afraid of using new teaching tools different from those they are accustomed to; even the one which is well known by almost every child in the world: THE NET. So, as far as I concerned it is just unacceptable to be a teacher and do not care about EVOLUTION! Teaching English is not the exception and I have some anecdotes regarding this.

Using the network to desing innovative tools about teaching English represents a real advance for teachers who care doing great. So, getting training about how to combine technology with our lessons is an excellent idea to be a step ahead from our students and it also helps motivatng our students to learn what we want they learn by using the context and the language they face in their real life.

I am very glad that you teacher, as a one from latter generations, has the curiosity and are interested in facing tecnology in order to do your job efficiently and even more! To be interested in teaching us what you already know. Thanks for that!

Yeimic said...

I am sorry for the spelling mistakes. I did not read before saving the message!

Nahir said...

hi

Viktor Carrasquero said...

Hi, guys!

Zulbely Miranda said...

Hi friends. I think that learning about ICT is very important to be updated. We cannot be separated from new technologies because our students expect that in lifetime we have learn more than them, and they are in contact with new technologies everyday, maybe just playing and chatting, so we must go beyond that and show them multiple uses for the web.

Unknown said...

Hi everybody! In my opinion to include ICT in our learning process as trainee teachers is important because through technology we can obtain a great variety of English resources, we can interact with natives or with other trainee teachers, and we can be in contact with English in real context. Thanks to ICT trainee teachers can learn vocabulary in context, idioms, different styles of writing, etc. Almost everyday, a new theory, method or proposal regarding English language teaching is published, and though ICT we, trainee teachers, can access to this updated knowledge.

Nowadays, teachers and trainee teachers must now how to use technology and how to use technology in English Language Teaching due to the fact that youth is immersed in a technological wave and we cannot ignore this truth. Because of this, though educational technology trainee teachers have the opportunity not only of improving their learning process but also to improve their ELT skills.

By the way, visit my blog: http://mireya.wordpress.com/

Mayrelis said...

Hi teacher!What I have to say is that as teachers,we have to be aware of the advances we can find nowadays in order to be updated because everyday there's something new.We can't stay at one side just looking at what's going on around the world and how this affects our students. We have to be active participants and make this kind of advances favourable for the learning process.We all know that the number of people using the internet is increasing amazingly,especially if we talk about young people.We should take advantage of that and try to guide our students with educational purposes to use ICT while they're learning. But, before doing that we have to learn first how to manage with this tool in order to succeed. It is not an esay task but we can do it!!!!

Hodra Capote said...

As teachers, as a person and as human beings it’s very important to be updated. Technology has become part of our life and it’s very important for us deal with it in our classrooms. Learn how to use technology believe it or not, is necessary nowadays. Especially because youth are very interested in chatting, emails, internet and we can take advantage on that to do our work, not only with the net, also language learning software are very interesting too.

We should be prepared how to work with anything that can be useful for E.L.T., no matter how we call it; Net, I.C.T., or whatever… the key is EVOLUTION.

Karina Clemente said...

Hello! I think (that) Information and Communication technologies are very important, because the scientific knowledge has been used to develop teaching strategies for learning a foreing language. It is vital that we, as future teachers, keep informed about the new theories and the way to involve our students in the process of learning English in a interactive and effective way using a real context where they can feel identify and they can internalize the information taught.
Specially on the internet, we can find a lot of information, many computer games and songs that are very helpful for students to get a close contact with the English language.Through these activities the students can learn new vocabulary,improve their listening, their grammar and they can improve their pronunciation with interactive sites on the web.
For all these reasons, and taking into account that in a country like Venezuela we do not have many possibilities to talk to a native speaker, it is relevant to include ICT to be updated in our learning process as trainee teachers.

harold said...

hi teacher, sorry for having delayed this much, regarding this topic i have to say that i really don't know much. However, i am aware of the need of the inclusion of the i.c.t in the classroom since it is a very powerfull tool for us, teachers and for our students aswell. I should also say that in spite of having said that i didn't know much about it, i am very willing to learn.
regards: Harold Aguilar.

Penélope Barreto said...

Hi everybody, maybe now it is late for my comment, but I wanted to do it anyway.I have to say that I think it is great to have at least a general knowledge of the use of the technology. For me, this has been a fantastic experience. I have learnt a lot and all that knowledge is very useful. It is important for us as future teachers to know as much as we can about all of this in order to make the classes different to break with that traditional paradigm of praticing and learning about language just in the classroom. For me, this modern way of teaching and also learning is great.

rotistyle6 said...

Hi teacher
Sorry for being late with this assigment,some how it jsut slip me by. I think it is importat to use ICT in ELF because it helps student to gain new information about new technology for example in the class of meth. You showing us how to open a blog has help a lot of us, take me for that matter, before that i knew nothing about such tech. It also motivates students to share new information that they have gained while surfing the web. It encourages the student to become interesting in a new form of learning and have fun while doing it too.The teachers that think that this is a distraction that should not be used, ought to become more informed about all the new, different and effective way that ICT can help their student to become motivated in the classroom

youngEnglishTeachers said...

I agree with my friend hector. When as teachers applied the english teaching only in a classroom we are limitating our students to learn english in just one context. When they are exposed they are involved not only with the language, also with the culture and costumes of other people. and these aspects are important in their learning. As teachers we have to have an open mind and experiment with other resources to help our students not only to learn the english language, also enjoy in doing.

Ana Maria Menezes said...

Hello Nahir,
I've just visited one of your students' blog (Mireya's)and left her a message. I had a look at your blog as well and saw that you've already been to Brazil. Well, I'm from Brazil and am also a member of Learning with Computers. Great job you're doing introducing teachers to educational technology!
Ana Maria
http://www.lifefeast.blogspot.com

Nahir said...

Hi Ana Maria,

Thanks a lot for visiting, Mireya is going to be very happy.

I loved my stay in Sorocaba and Sao Paulo, very green and Brazilians are really nice. I hope to go back some day, I fell in love with your country.

Regards,

Nahir
__

Mary said...

I think you and the students are working hard to be better teachers. You are doing them a great service by having them go into classroom teaching with experience in ICT.

Virclaisa said...

Hi teacher, in my opinion is very advantageous be students and teachers at the same time, because we as students are already involved in the news communication technologies, and the new information. Besides that we are not only involved in it, we are aware that it is an excellent tool that we can to take advantage of that in any classroom with every student.
In my opinion this experience has been excellent, it is great to have the elements in our hands that could become every single class in a different experience for our students. For that reason we as teachers should spread the information with our students not only to keep them to gain on the new educational information, but also to keep a good stimulus regarding learning.

rotistyle6 said...

Respond to the assignments for your blogs.


1. INTRODUCTION:
My name is Mary Ann Guy, I am a student teacher of English at the IPC in Venezuela.I am finishing the 8th semester and I hope to graduate next year August.My hobbies are Reading, Writing, Travelling and most of all sleeping.

2. As an English teacher I do not have a lot of ELT training, the little that I have I received when I got a few days training at the CVA. Otherwise than that, I am a novice.
Now the difference lies in beginning this course, I have learnt a lot of useful things such as the correct way to present a clase, the strategies used to do it and make it effective and interesting.
I consider myself to be a very good teacher, but taking this course has made understand that what I was doing is not all and the information you have given us is so valuable to our future teaching carrer. I really hope that my classmates take in into great consideration and make good use of it as I intend to do.

3. The two demo classes that I had, was good in the sense that there is always room for improvement. We as teachers should always be able to accept our errors and be able tocorrect them taking into consideration the advices that we are given.
4. The use of the voice in the management of teaching consist in considering some major factors, such as.

•Audibility:
Teachers must be sure that the students to the back of the classroom can hear them just as well as those at the front.

•Variety:

It is important for teachers to vary the quality of their voices – and the volume they speak at, depending on the type of lesson or activity that they are giving.

•Conservation:

Teachers have to take great care of their voices
•It is important that they breathe correctly.
•They should also vary their voices throughout the day.
•They should take into consideration the environment and the acoustics

Tips for using the voice

•Too make your voice louder instead of pushing from the throat, use good breath support and never raise the pitch.
•Develop an interesting tonal range.
•Use a slightly harder tone
•Open your mouth wide enough to be heard.
•Remember your role model speaker.

Tips for conserving the voice:

•Drink room temperature water as often as you can to keep your voice organ hydrated. .
•Stand up straight and look forward so that you don't have to strain the voice from an awkward position
•Rest your voice whenever possible - for instance use non-verbal signs to pupils wherever you can to reduce the use of your voice.
•Vary the speed and tone of your speech.
5.In all the presentations that I have listen to and seen, my attentiion was drawn to that of TTP & TTT vs STT. I think there is a lot of information in it that is very usefull not only for the classroom but outside. Most of those can be use even in a simple gather of teachers or even students.

rotistyle6 said...

Hi teach,
I saw the movie it was great Stuff I can't believe all the things I have learnt in this course. I even tried one myself I don't know if it was done correctly. When I have more time I will try to do one in animation. One question do we have to stop comunicating when this course stops, i just get to liking it . bye

Nahir said...

Hi Mary Ann,

Thanks for your comments about the movie. One of the goals in setting it was to show all of you that site which you can use to prepare any cartoon for your students if any time you come to use blogs with them.If you made a movie there you can send me the link to my perosnal mail to see it.

We don't need to stop using this for communicating, I always link the classes' blogs to my main blog and check them all the time. A former student used her methodology blog for posting an activity for her "Educacion Ambiental" course at the IPC, just great.Other 2 students received comments from a USA colleague after we had stopped using it for a year.

Blogging can be addictive ;-)

Nahir
_

rotistyle6 said...

Hi teach,
Thats good to hear so we can keep in contact now and again. Thats true blogging can be adictive but its a good one.

Nahir said...

hi there