We’re not in a room, but we work together on-line like pros.

Briefly reflect on our group assignment. First, we are old pros by now and simple take each group assignment with ease and divide the task quickly into subgroups or pairs. There is always one expert, who is responsible for summarizing the assignment and finally it is snazzed-up  and sent to our tutor. 

This time around I had the pleasure of working with ez-Maddin.   

 I think it is extremely important to also have one-on-one meetings with your peers on-line. Since we hardly have the opportunity to meet personally, this comes close to getting to know someone a bit more.

We were responsible for the first part of the group assignment and decided to get the job done asap and met on Monday last week. We skyped and typed on GoogleDocs as we spoke. We hadn’t prepared a lot beforehand and simple took our time on-line. I must say I enjoyed working on this assignment and had fun creating our little scenarios. This not only gave me the opportunity to work closely with another person, but it also was nice to hear the thoughts and ideas about this and the other. And of course, sharing our views on the development of e-learning and in particular ez-Maddin's media project on mobile learning.

I was thrilled to have had the opportunity to work with a “real” instructional designer on this assignment. I don’t think I could have done a much better job without him. And this brings me to my final words. Collaborating in a group will always offer you a lot more than you would be able to deliver by yourself.

We’ve a great bunch of professionals all offering our commitment and expertise, and that’s why the group assignments work so beautifully.

Thanks to the ez-learners!

What’s web-based training?

Once again I seem to stumble over our group assignments and the terms being used as the previous term  „e-learning Einheit" and now the famous and infamous WBT.  Since I am in the business of defining terms, I seem to be the only one confused :(

It must be a problem for me because I am a native English speaker and question English terms that pop-up in German and I simply want to know how others define them. I feel I know what they mean and suddenly I am struck with a new definition.

In American English, web-based training literally means training offered on the web. This can be self-instructed or instructor-led lessons. 

Here some links to definitions I found on the web:

http://searchsoa.techtarget.com/definition/Web-based-training

http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/W/WBT.html

But, when I asked the question, what WBT was in German, I got a very clear answer. No, WBT only includes self-study done online. No instructor is involved in WBT.

So, once again English definitions seem to change when they are used in German or I must have gotten my wires crossed.

Are we learning more effectively with the Internet and Web 2.0?

The term Web 2.o brings about a new perspective on the Internet. The Internet contributes so that learning becomes even more effective and our learning environment has changed dramatically. Can we say this is true? 

“Yes, we can.” The learning environment has changed dramatically in recent years due to the Internet; we are no longer chained to institutional learning. We are now able to leave the institutional shackles behind and explore the ideas of lifelong learning by using Web 2.0 for our personal needs. Indeed, we have the opportunity to explore the advantages that personal learning environments (PLEs) can bring forth and we can share and collaborate with others in our personal on-line communities.

In business the Internet and the use of Web 2.0 tools has become vital to marketing strategies and social networking communities are offering platforms to communicate directly with customers and businesses. Companies are participating in mass collaboration and engaging experts from outside traditional company structures and outsourcing their business by using resources from online communities. The principle of Wikinomics was coined by Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams in the book, Wikinomics: How mass collaboration changes everything. The web has an enormous impact on businesses and our personal lives.

Finally, if businesses are using these tools are we as educators including them in our curriculum? I will have a look at how foreign language teaching has changed in recent years and why teachers should use digital technologies in their curriculum.

So, what is Web 2.0?

Let us have a look at the definition offered on an on-line dictionary: 

“A loosely defined term for web applications that go beyond displaying individual pages of static content and allow a community of users to interact with the site and each other by adding or updating the content.
Examples include social-networking sites like Facebook and other web-based communities, hosted services like Google Docs, web applications like GMail, video-sharing sites (Youtube), wikis (Wikipedia), web logs, mashups and folksonomies. While Web 2.0 applications often use advanced web features like AJAX to improve the speed of interaction, the term is more about the type of applications than the technology used. The term was coined by Darcy DiNucci in 1999, though she was discussing designing web sites for new hardware platforms.” (2009-11-18)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © Denis Howe 2010 http://foldoc.org

Web 2.0 is not a buzz word but has offered many very useful tools that have definitely revolutionized foreign language teaching. Learning a language with new digital technologies has brought the “real world” into the classroom, it offers authentic material right at our fingertips. Now, we can offer our students up-to-date audio and video material by linking them into our wikis, blogs or virtual learning environments. We can offer interesting listening exercises for homework and webquests to show how to access information on the Internet. Students can do their assignments on-line and collaborate with other students at any given time. YouTube clips or Google searches have enriched our class discussions. Students can produce their own material and upload it on YouTube and suddenly they are actively involved in the Web 2.0 revolution.

 
Here's an example of  a video project from my classes.

But, do students learn more effectively?

 

Web 2.0 gives many opportunities that have made language learning more creative, lively and interesting. I would say that learning a foreign language, in particular English has benefited from the free on-line tools available on the Internet. Learners have a good idea why they are learning English to communicate globally. However, not enough research has been done to provide proof that it is more effective than traditional learning language learning. In any case, the need to communicate globally has also changed the language skills required in our on-line community. Teachers and students cannot simply ignore the shift of how we interact worldwide by using the Internet as a communication platform. Individuals are an important voice in their on-line communities, who share content privately or in business. So, the question cannot simply be left by discussing its effectiveness before we incorporate it into our curriculum since it is already part of our lives. It is up to the new generation of educators to provide lesson plans that incorporate new media in pedagogy and to conduct research on its effectiveness. New training for teachers is required and advanced degree programs are necessary to meet the growing demand offered by new digital technologies.

Why should educators use web 2.0 tools?  

It is important not only to improve the language skills of students, but also providing them with digital tools that they will need to use in the workplace. As mentioned above, businesses are using these tools and students need to cope with and develop strategies in using different media to communicate online, in particular when communicating in English. Digital technologies are an important part of today’s world and should have its justified place in higher education.

Recently, I conducted a survey in my Business English course to find out how much experience my first year undergraduate students had using Web 2.0 technology and found that 90% of my students had never used any Learning Management System (LMS) nor collaborative tools for learning. Although this generation of students is known as digital natives, they have not used Web 2.0 for learning. However, I think that Germany lacks behind in using Web 2.0 in the classroom. When looking at other countries, e.g. the UK and US, young learners are not only using interactive whiteboards in their lessons, but are tweeting and accessing the Internet for tasks in their classrooms. Educational publishers have recently reacted to these new developments by offering student materials on-line and LMS platforms or SCORM materials for teachers and students complementing the traditional course books.

More research needs to be done to show how these tools have contributed to learning more effectively. But, ignoring or rejecting these developments is not the right approach. 

JUST IN TIME LEARNING: E-learning der neue Begleiter im Außendienst

Reflexionsaufgabe:

Im Rahmen der Umstellung des Präsenztrainings kommt die Vertriebsleiterin Ihres Unternehmens auf Sie zu, um mit Ihnen über den Sinn der methodisch-didaktischen Umstellung des Trainings zu sprechen. Sie ist nicht davon überzeugt, dass die Fokussierung auf E-Learning den gleichen Nutzen bringt, wie ein konventionelles Präsenztraining. Wie gehen Sie mit der Situation um und welche Argumente bringen Sie hervor, um den qualitativen und quantitativem Nutzen herauszuarbeiten?

Regina: Hallo Gabi, Na, hat dich mein Vortrag „Just in time Learning: E-Learning der neue Begleiter im Außendienst“ überzeugt? Ich kann deine Bedenken gut nachvollziehen, da die Trainings, die wir seit Jahren durchführen, erfolgreich sind. Aber die Geschäftsleitung hat sich von mir überzeugen lassen und ich kann mir gut vorstellen, dass ich deine offenen Fragen beantworten kann.

Gabi: Ich weiß nicht so recht, E-learning für uns im Vertrieb?

Regina: Stell dir einfach vor, dass wir noch besser werden können.

 

E-Learning bringt mehr für deinen Vertrieb und das Unternehmen, denn der Vertrieb wird erfolgreicher arbeiten den Umsatz also steigern und mehr Kundenzufriedenheit erzeugen, was Voraussetzung für weitere vertriebliche Erfolge ist.

Das Ganze funktioniert so: Wir liefern unsere Schulungen direkt an die Vertriebsmitarbeiter, da wo sie es am meisten brauchen, mobil und z.B. vor den Kundenterminen. Dein Team kann viele kurze Tutorials ( 10-20 min) schnell direkt im Firmenwagen vor einem Kundentermin oder zwischen zwei Terminen abrufen lassen. Gerade zwischen den Terminen gibt es oft Leerphasen. Zeitmanagement  wird hier optimiert und dein Team erhält die vor dem Termin notwendigen Informationen. 

Gabi: Hört sich alles gut an, aber brauchen wir das wirklich?

Regina: Gerade im Vertrieb ist E-Learning wegen seiner Schnelligkeit und der dadurch hergestellten Nähe zum Vertrieb äußerst sinnvoll. Der Vertrieb benötigt aktuelle, verlässliche und ausführliche Informationen über 

• die Marktsituation in der Branche des jeweiligen Kunden
• die Marktsituation in der eigenen Branche
• die eigenen Produkte, mit denen der jeweilige Kunde am besten bedient werden kann
• die Produkte der Mitbewerber

Haben unsere halbjährlichen Schulungen nicht oft den Nachteil, dass sich die Informationen ständig ändern und wir sehr viele Unterlagen und CDs versenden müssen? Und immer wieder hören wir gerade vom Vertrieb, dass sich die Kunden vor den Terminen informieren oder kurz vorher ein Mitbewerber dort war, und der Wissensvorsprung unseres Kollegen eher gering war. Online geht’s einfach schneller und effizienter und ist deswegen eine zeitgemäße Neuorientierung. Mobiles E-Learning hilft also deinem Team direkt im Außendienst, da wo sie es man meisten benötigen und nicht im Schulungsraum bei uns in der Zentrale. 

Gabi: Schon gut, aber erziele ich mehr Umsatz?

Regina: Eine Steigerung der Qualität unseres Vertriebs und damit unserer Beratungsleistung beim Kunden wird zu Umsatzsteigerungen führen. Durch den Einsatz erwarte ich eine Umsatzsteigerung von mindestens 15-30% im ersten Jahr. Das sind die Zahlen, die viele andere Unternehmen nachweislich auch erzielt haben. Es gibt eine Menge von Case Studies, von denen ich dir gerne berichten kann. Ich finde es sehr wichtig, welche Erfahrungen andere in unserer Branche mit E-Learning gemacht haben.

Gabi: Es ist schon einen Versuch wert.

Regina: Von Rapid e-learning bin ich ganz überzeugt, es ist kostengünstig und gibt unserem Unternehmen einen großen Wettbewerbsvorteil. Z.B. kann die Geschäftsleitung neue Vertriebsansätze – auch von externen Vertriebsberatern und Coaches - mit den wesentlichen Informationen durch ein kurzes Video hervorheben. Diese Nachrichten sind abrufbar und können immer wieder angesehen werden. Gerade die kurzen Videos mit den Vertriebsansätzen sind oft viel anschaulicher, einprägsamer und damit im Ergebnis erfolgreicher als eine trockene Schulung in unserer Zentrale, zu der einige Vertriebler ja ohnehin eine etwas distanzierte Einstellung haben. Wir liefern Informationen aus der Praxis für die Praxis. 

Just in Time Learning = Kundenzufriedenheit
Ein schnell informiertes Vertriebsteam ist ein effektives Vertriebsteam. Durch unser RSS-feeds, die direkt auf dem persönlichen Desktop geliefert werden, können wir die neusten Produktinformationen und Preisangaben im LMS just in time liefern. Unser Team im Außendienst kann die neusten und aktuellsten Zahlen, Preise oder Produktbeschreibungen vom Laptop aus direkt beim Kunden aufrufen.

Gabi: Ja, schnelle Produktbeschreibungen und Zahlen. Das wurde in der Vergangenheit öfters bemängelt, dass wir nicht schnell genug Informationen zur Verfügung stellen.

Regina:  E-learning ist der neue Begleiter des Außendienstes: Wir sind dadurch schneller, besser, haben ein qualifiziertes Vertriebs-Team, das nicht nur die Verkaufszahlen steigert, sondern auch eine große Zufriedenheit beim Management, bei den Mitarbeitern und vor allem bei den Kunden.

Gabi: Na, dann auf ins neue Informationszeitalter mit E-Learning. Ich bin gespannt.  Hast du Lust auf einen Kaffee?

Let's reflect: Our Group Assignment

First, the ezlearners are great team players and collaborate well together. We have built-up our own social identity, which is easily visualized by the two letter acronym “ez”, in front of our first names. EZ is pronounced “easy” and reflects the current online working relationship. The group feels at ease communicating with different computer tools and online assignments are well structured and organized. Flaming is unheard of and everyone has a sincere interest at heart. The ez-ies are so diverse that each member can contribute with his or her strengths; deadlines are met and assignments well presented both orally or written. We have techies on board, professional writers, teachers all contributing to each group assignment.

In the previous assignment the group’s task was to discuss different online communication tools using the group’s forum. The assignment was clear the roles were quickly identified and volunteers were at hand. The forum discussion on online communication tools was a good exercise to conduct using a forum. The topic was not too complex in nature, thus creating a lively and an embracing discussion with nicely flowing posts. The responsibilities of each team player were clear and no additional assistance was required from outside.

Of course an online discussion in a forum (computer-mediated communication) is faced with the obvious reduced social cues. It is impossible to communicate with a real smile, agreeing or supporting an idea by nodding or giving a facial expression of disappointment. While posting you can use emoticons, however, most ez-ies only use smiley faces and other expressions are rarely posted. Is it an emotionally controlled, static and virtual environment. In a face to face discussion you can follow the cues of the other participants (body language, eye contact, facial expressions, stress and intonation of words) as well as viewing the interaction of all group members during a discussion.

"Where is everyone?" A forum is not a synchronous form of communication, nor is it a F2F meeting. What is it?

I believe that an online forum discussion is to be seen as a written form of communication that offers an asynchronous, computer-based communication, which does not need to resemble an oral discussion, nor should it be compared to it.  If classified as a written type of communication, we can see the advantages more clearly as if we tend to compare it more to oral communication. Written forms of computer-based communication, such as emails, chat or participating to new social networking sites, provide other advantages and should not be simple categorized as second-rate to f2f meetings or discussions. Seen as an addition, not a replacement, give them a valid position in today’s world of communication, in particular for learning environments. For our assignment, the forum was better than exchanging emails back and forth or using e.g. a chat-room. Here is a list of some more advantages:

Advantages of Forum Discussions:

·        Members do not have to be present at all times (asynchronous)
·        Time to reflect and prepare a response to the posts (in-depth responses)
·        A complex subject or task can be discussed at length over
       a longer time period (longevity)
·        A written record is available as well as a summary report (recordable)
·        Focus is more on content rather than on verbal cues
       (charisma, enthusiasms, etc.) or body language

When viewing the advantages of a forum , we can see that it is useful to communicate among those not gathered in one room at a particular time. To ensure that online discussion continues to flow and that follow-up posts respond to previous ones, an online moderator may be helpful to steer conversations. I feel that the moderator has a very important role when the topics are more complex and the participants tend to lose track of the original assignment.

Finally, the advantage of working with forums is that the threads are documented in written form and can be summarized (recordable) into a short report. Members can prepare their posts and offer in-depth replies to previous posts. In our case, ez-eva summarized the loose discussion threads in a table and provided a short report, which was exemplary.  In conclusion, adding new forms of computer-based communication offer different means of communication and can be used effectively for different learning scenarios.

Hot Potatoes

Joggling life isn’t always easy

   

We are happy when everything runs smoothly. My job, my family and my studies. Well, I’ve got my joggling balls in my hand ready to start my life’s performing act of dealing with a very rewarding job as a language teacher, a wonderful caring and supportive husband and a spunky, bright daughter, who has just returned from Asia. Last but not least, my personal goal to add one more joggling ball “my Master’s” to the many tasks I constantly joggle. Everything runs smoothly, timing is of the essence and organization talent is needed for this hyper-management task, and somehow you manage everything. But suddenly and unexpected a creepy virus sneaks up on you after returning from a wonderful vacation and everything crashes. Well, I’m back on track….

Hot Potatoes, Version 6.3

Authoring Systems and Rapid E-learning (Individual Task, Part I)

What do you know about the ezLearners?
Do the ez-quiz from Hot Potatoes and click on the link www.ezregina.pbworks.com

Authoring Systems and Rapid E-learning (Individual Task, Part II)

HOT POTATOES for ELT
Review of six applications for student activities online

Why Hot Potatoes?

During my job interview for my current position, I was asked if I have ever worked with Hot Potatoes. Unfortunately, I had to say no. These applications are widely used in foreign language teaching, especially in EL and; therefore, I thought it would be a great opportunity to review this tool and create a simple mini quiz using H.P. for my ezLearners study group (please see below for the link).

Hot Potatoes is a computer program that consists of a set of six applications that allows language teachers to create their own web-based activities for their students. The suite creates: 1. a gap-fill excise with JCloze. 2.a question-based quiz with JQuiz.3. a crossword puzzle maker, JCross. 4. an exercise where you match items using JMatch. 5. a jumbled-sentence exercise using JMix. 6. Finally, combines all applications into one unit using The Masher. These applications were developed for language exercises and not for testing purposes. They do not meet the security requirements for language testing scenarios and are not intended for this use. The applications are thought as exercises and should only be used in this context.

It supports today’s standard browsers. It also is able to use Unicode and it can be used in all languages or even with more than one language.  It is widely known in ELT. It allows audio and video material to be uploaded into each exercise and offers a gallery of clipart. The exercises also offer hints and give instant feedback on mistakes. A timer can be added to each exercise. These are very simple to use applications that do not require knowledge HTML or JavaScript, but advanced users have the opportunity to customize the applications.

The basic version is freeware for individuals and educational institutions if the user offers their exercises online. A license fee applies to those using it in closed learning environments. H.P. is not open source and was developed by the University of Victoria Humanities Computing and Media Centre in Canada. The tool is available at http://hotpot.uvic.ca/ There is also a extensive 40-page handbook available for download. Hot Potatoes also offers its own hosting services, a commercial branch, known as Half- Baked Software Inc. at www.hotpotatoes.net. This fee paid service offers a learning environment with teacher and student accounts. This is a hosting solution for those teachers that do not have access to an LMS or wish to use the extended services. In addition, H.P. offers support for SCORM 1.2 and thus, it can be integrated into an LMS. As of September 2009 support for these applications (latest version 6.3) has ceased. Currently, the developers are planning a new version.

Finally, I could imagine using these applications in my wiki-based courses. In particularly, the simple multiple-choice quizzes are excellent for vocabulary review. I can’t say that I have missed anything specific that the suite does not offer, however it is always very interesting to see how students, in particular adults, react to these type of exercises. In a word full advanced visual graphics, I could imagine that some students might find these applications not exciting enough. But, it is worth a try. From a teacher’s point of view the authoring tool is easy to use, logical and has a good tutorial. Overall, it is a very good tool, specifically geared for language learning.

The Modern Educator

eMirror, eMirror on the wall..Who is a prefect educator?

 “Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand.” Chinese proverb

As a student I have come across some brilliant educators. What I remember most is how they engaged me as a learner. Unfortunately, experts are not necessarily great educators and some cannot communicate well and seem to lack that special gift.  In the educational field it is often discussed and debated if there is such a thing as an innate talent to be a good educator or if you can train these qualities through degrees in education or professional training.  Without that special drive and without the intrinsic ideas of sharing and interacting with others it seems pointless of trying to be a good or even excellent educator.

Here’s my personal list of key factors that influence the quality of being a good educator:

Listening: Educators need to listen to their learners and take them seriously. Our learners are part of the team and without their input it seems pointless.  

Motivating: Educators need to motivate their learners. A positive learning environment, includes encouraging  learners to get involved and to support them in their learning process. Sometimes educators feel overwhelmed by being looked upon more as entertainers rather than educators.

Supporting: Educators offer support to their learners if they feel down or uneasy about their learning progress. They know their learners strengths and weaknesses.

Managing: Educators need to manage their classrooms, have lesson plans, develop curriculum guidelines, prepare syllabuses and offer material for learners to understand what is being expected of them. Being transparent is important and this includes defined grading systems, descriptions of individual or group assignments.

Leading: A strong personality with leadership qualities is necessary to manage a classroom of young learner, students or adults. For each group educators need to lead and exemplify leadership qualities.

Building: Educators are responsible for providing the atmosphere for a conducive learning environment. They start by providing the building blocks so that the learners are take over and finally build their own learning environment.

Expertise: Educators need to be experts in a field of specialization.

Enthusiasm:  Educators need to love their profession, enjoy working with learners, enjoy interacting and feel comfortable with a classroom environment.

Communication skills: Educators need to be great communicators and master the art of communicating with their learners. They need to connect and build a relationship while creating a positive atmosphere . Dealing with conflict is part of every learning scenario.

Professionalism: Educators need to take their job seriously and keep up to date on latest developments in their fields of expertise, be a member of at least one professional association, attend conferences or workshops on a regular basis and be a part of lifelong learning.

Daring: Educators need to be open for new ideas, new teaching methods, new technologies and willing to try out something new in their classrooms. “We’ve always done it that way and it worked” seems to be an easy way out of keeping up with newest developments.

Collaboration: Educators  need to collaborate with each other. Share their experiences with other educators, share teaching materials and coordinate lessons. Learning from each other is very rewarding and reflecting on what others are doing even more.

Special Note: I have deliberately left them in a random order, since I feel that you cannot rank these factors. It’s more a mix or combination of all factors that make a good educator.