A Look at Online Voice Tools

For my course Computers and L2 Teaching, I had to compare three voice tools and create a teaching activity using one. After taking a look at these three online voice tools, I favor VoiceThread mainly due to the facts that the presentation can feature a central image or document and that responses can be text, voice, or video. “Libby’s Trip to Malawi” is a good example of multiple images and multiple media responses (http://voicethread.com/share/216734). Voxopop is also useful and, although it lacks the visual appeal that VoiceThread has, it does provide talk groups and discussion zones that organize talks by category, such as health education.

While the former two tools are more Web 2.0, the third tool, Vocaroo, does not have any social functions, aside from the share buttons. Yet the simplicity of Vocaroo is also where its strength lies: all a user needs to do is hit record. No user sign in and totally free. I easily recorded myself saying some Arabic sentences I recently wrote for practice (http://vocaroo.com/i/s0b12xTNByHG).

Activity Suggestion

Theme: Collaboration in the Workplace
Real-world Task: Collaborate with another English speaker in a different country on a company writing project.

Activity Description:
1. Ss are divided into small groups. Each S receives the following prompt.

You work for an international company, and your office in Singapore has selected you to collaborate with an English speaker in Canada on a new project. Your manager has selected the online voice tool VoiceThread as the medium by which you and your partner will collaborate.

2. T directs Ss on creating a user and profile on VoiceThread.
3. T emails each partner group an image(s) and a task.

Task example:
Your manager has asked you and your partner to revise three company brochures (the images). Upload the images into a VoiceThread presentation. Use the voice and/or video functions to discuss with your partners on how to improve the brochures. Remember to use the writing organization principles learned in class.

4. For the assessment, T will listen to the VoiceThread to know whether Ss made valid criticisms based on taught writing principles.
5. Extension activity could include Ss actually making the revision suggestions via a Google Doc.

Blogs in L2 Teaching

I'm currently taking a course called Computers in L2 Teaching. This week, I had to display my blog skills by creating a blog with links and videos, as well as some student activity ideas one could use with a blog. Here some quick ideas I typed up, some of which I'm considering using in my current intermediate writing courses.


1. Objective: Review lessons by developing quiz questions. T can upload study guides week-by-week, from which students would be expected to create comments suggesting questions to be used on the coming quiz. Each S would be required to create a certain number of questions about the content.

2. Objective: Listen, watch and summarize content. Ss would view a short video lecture about a global issue. Through the comments feature, Ss will paraphrase and summarize the main topic of the lecture and its supporting points.

3. Objective: Create a process paragraph. In a writing class, S watch a video and an example paragraph post from the T about how to do something (such as morning yoga). Ss have access to the blog and are to upload a video about a process along with their original paragraph describing how to complete the process (could be recipes, workouts, art, etc.).

4. Objective: Creatively employ transition words. This activity would be used to practice transition words and phrases. The T starts an original narrative setting the scene on a blog post. Throughout the week Ss are expected to comment on the blog, continuing the narrative as they wish, but starting each comment with a transition word (however, yet, so, after that, etc.). By Friday, the T could print out the entire story and read it with the class.

5. Objectives: Develop persuasive and rational writing skills based on research and apply Internet communication etiquette. Ss in class will select major issues that everyone feels strongly about. T will select the final issue and Ss must pick a side for or against. Throughout the week, Ss research, brainstorm, and organize their arguments, as well as review basic Internet etiquette. Over the weekend Ss use the blog to display their arguments and counter arguments in a respectful, academic fashion. T would monitor for this.

New semester; new lesson plan form

I've created a basic one-page lesson plan form to better focus my lessons as I begin teaching two writing courses. As I'm new to teaching writing, the lesson plans will I hope provide not only better organization but also an effective process for the students, from revision and staging to practice and assessment.

On the reverse side of the form, I've copied a version of Bloom's taxonomy of verbs for the cognitive domain (click the image below). This helps to write focused lesson plan objectives without always using vague words like "learn" or "understand." The image also then provides product ideas in each cognitive domain.

For example, if we want students to UNDERSTAND the grammar that makes correct simple sentences, we can write an objective suchg as "IDENTIFY all subjects and verbs in sentences." From here we can branch out into products that relate to the cognitive domain of understanding, for example, read MAGAZINE articles and underline subjects and circle verbs.

L2 Acquisition Study Subject: English History Over Maturation Period

As part of my L2 acquisition project, I've plotted my study subject's English history across a maturation timeline. The timeline shows children's critical periods of language acquisition as well as the factors, such as language practice and sociocultural aspects, that affect an adult's acquisition.

I recreated the maturation timeline graphic from scratch (I have to find the name of the article that had the original) and then added important English events from my subject's life. This PDF is a first draft, so don't mind some typos.

Like anything else I would create, I see this as "open source." If anyone is doing a similar project, I can send you the Google Docs drawing and you can easily add your subject's timeline or make other changes. Just ask and remember to share your results with me!

Find the PDF here.

L2 Acquisition - Learner Ethnography Brainstorm

Just brainstormed the flow of my final L2 acquisition project. In short, the many observations of the learner and his/her environment have led us to some questions concerning why and how he/she learns and acquires English. We expect to answer those questions by analyzing the observations within a theoretical framework. For more information on ethnography in ESL, read my presentation handout on Watson-Gegeo's article Ethnography in ESL: Defining the Essentials.

L2 Acquisition Model

Spatial learners!

I developed this graphic, first as a sketch, throughout my second language acquisition course intending to simplify and connect the many theories of language learning and acquisition. The professor asked me to continue the model and present it to the class, so I threw it up on Google Docs. I think this is the final draft. Critiques and suggestions are more than welcomed.

L2 Learner's Teachers Survey

I've been fiddling with a teacher survey for my L2 acquisition course project and finally completed a Google Form to send out. This survey will be one of a set of observations that will be synthesized into an ESL learner ethnography, from which the intention is to draw some important conclusions on what activates the student's learning and what holds it back. For this survey I focused mostly on the interactions the student may or may not have within a class.

Assuming that you won't actually complete the survey, I'll provide the link to it for your and my own educational purposes.