Luckily, in my (very short) professional career I have worked with colleagues who have been very generous, kind and very sharing.  I started working at San Diego State University and fortunately (for me (: ) our program coordinator was very interested in technology and integrating this technology into the language classroom.  Our coordinator always held workshops and trained instructors with innovative programs.  Up to this date I still use some of these activities and programs in class and of course some of them have been modified as it needs.  Nonetheless, thanks to his knowledge and sharing of this knowledge is that we (instructors) started building our teaching foundation.  Up to this date, working in MiraCosta College, I have been very lucky to work with colleagues who are not only willing to share their ideas, but also walk you through it and allow you to modify these ideas as you see fit.

Coming to an end truly has inspired to seek further information and to keep on exploring  new horizons as suggested by Ko & Rossen.    In the past I had attended some workshops and CLTA conferences which I’ve gained so much from, however, as in the book mentions I will strive to get enrolled into online based programs to help me prepare hands-on.  And I can say I have taken the first step by enrolling in this course 🙂

As they say: “if the shoe fits…”  This particular chapter spoke to me as I have always taught f2f classes, but still try to integrate web tools to enhance the material and integrate it to class.  As noted in Chapter 13, I have always uploaded “estructura” points (grammar points) onto blackboard and divide them by chapter.  I always let students know these are available for them as an addition to book material.  Yes, it takes time to do this uploading, subdivisions, availability and general web organization.  However, it is totally worth it and once you’ve done it that first time you can simply transfer from course to course, yes it still takes time, but not as much.  I also upload links to for pronunciation purposes, there’s always students who have not even heard “hola” in Spanish and I find it helpful to reinforce this pronunciation factor and give them access from their homes or wherever they access this material.

As noted in this chapter, another issue is whether students access and take advantage of this information or not.  The ones who do take their time to view and process this information will definitely be prepared for in class activities and interaction.  And hopefully as Ko & Rossen write on Chapter 13, students who do not take their time to review such information prior to class will learn to come prepare by next class meeting as they will  be somewhat lost and will not gain as much as a student who did.

A point that chapter 13 touches on is how some professors may be hesitant to post lectures online fearing students will not show up for class (f2f) being that all the information is accessible online.  It can be an expansion to this information.  I personally find it very helpful as a language instructor to post information online and expand on these topics in class and use time with other helpful and didactic activities.  I try to take advantage of these unlimited resources, and I know I still have A LOT to learn.  Another subdivision I liked was “Enlisting Technology in Your Favor”.  I coincidently attended a workshop where we talked about this topic.  Instead of making laptops and other gadgets our enemies integrate them to class.  We learned about Web 2.0 tools and how to manage them through tablets, smart phones, etc.

I could go on and on, but I think this post is getting too long.  I have included a video I watched in MiraCosta/ Palomar and CSUSM symposium and it fits perfectly with online lecture posts etc.. Thanks for reading 🙂

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIABo0d9MVE

Knowing the “theory” and knowing how to employ and put to use this “theory”, are two completely different factors.  In language classes specifically, it is one thing to memorize conjugations and it is quite a different thing knowing how to use language for communication purposes.  Many students can be excellent in retrieving and memorizing grammar points, but cannot use the language in speaking activities and consequently fail to use language in a meaningful manner.  And there’s also the other extreme where students cannot retrieve any grammar points, but manage to get by with their oral communication skills.  However, both memorization of concepts and utilization of such concepts can go hand-in-hand.

In f2f classes, as mentioned in MOOCs video constructivism, students create and use their content and professors serve as guides.  In online courses the principles may remain the same, however, the tools or means used to achieve class goals are different.  Knowing how to purposely and effectively use web 2.0 tools is definitely the ongoing challenge.  I, myself, use the internet and its resources for personal and academic purposes, however, integrating such tools to the education platform is quite a different story.  In this class, I have learned new technology terminology and am becoming familiar with programs I had only heard of in the past, but had never experimented with.

Conclusively, as noted by MOOCs video, the goal is to create “self-regulated motivated, autonomous learners”.

I’ve included a picture I had come across a while ago and thought it went well with Larry Sanger’s article 🙂

It was interesting to read and learn about Course Management Systems/ Learning Management Systems.  An interesting point that was mentioned in Lisa’s article was the fact that instructors and professors are not considered novice when teaching their area of expertise, yet when it comes to pedagogy integrating technology another tune plays.  I as well consider myself as a “novice faculty” when it comes to online teaching.  Through out this course I have been learning and experimenting with different programs and learning systems that can be integrated into the online “classroom”.  Another important point was how far away do we expand our knowledge or are we willing to experiment.  As noted by another participant, I would definitely like to begin with whatever learning systems our own school recommends or requires.  I am already comfortable using Blackboard as it has been a system every school I’ve worked in requires and/ or uses.  However, I am more than willing to, little by little, experiment and integrate new (or at least new to me) LMS.

On the other hand, how will students approach or be introduced to these ever-evolving systems? An important element mentioned in Chapter 10 (Ko & Rossen, 2010) was the creation of student orientation.  Getting students familiar with programs and providing an outline of expectations, requirements (both class requirements and required computer skills-to be acquired), etc… (Ko & Rossen, 2010).  Also setting the initial tone for the class is crucial to establish the class environment as indicated by Ko and Rossen.  So many great points to consider and implement.