6 Things You Probably Didn’t know About Social Media and the WWW

September 23, 2011

Did you know…?

In 1978 authors Roxanne Hiltz and Murray Toroff envisioned a future in which computer-mediated communication (CMC) would have a major effect on people’s every day lives. Their book,”The Network Nation”, is published by MIT Press in Cambridge, MA. It has been updated and revised since its original printing and is now considered a classic book in the field of CMC.

In 1992 the World Wide Web was officially launched to the public. (Can you believe that the Web is only 20 years old?!)

In 1997 SixDegrees was established as the first social networking site that most resembles the sites we use today, but users were skeptical and reluctant to interact with strangers. The company was sold in 2000 and today many people believe that the original company was too ahead of its time.

LinkedIn was created in 2002 and publicly launched in 2003 (before Facebook!)

In 2004 Facebook was launched.

Two years later, in 2006, Twitter was launched.

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

2 Comments | social media, technology, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Teachers’ competition for Social Media use in Formal Language Learning Contexts

September 7, 2011

How cool is this? Teachers’ competition for Social Media use in Formal Language Learning Contexts is a competition that aims to find the best practices of using social media for language learning in formal learning contexts (e.g. schools and universities.) The aim of this competition is to “identify and award language teaching initiatives with social networking technologies that take place in classroom settings in Europe.”

Stage one of the competition: The Top 10 entries have been selected for their best practices. Check them out.

Stage two of the competition: By mid-november the top practice (subject to a second round of selection among the ten best) will be announced.

I can’t wait to see who the final winners are!

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Literacy and Language Listservs – My favorites

August 22, 2011

Do you subscribe and participate in professional listservs? Though some say listservs are outdated, I still find tremendous value in the tips, information and ideas that are exchanged. Here are the publicly available lists I subscribe to:

#1. Literacy Information and Communication System (LINCS) –  They have lists on:

  • Adult English Language Acquisition
  • Adult Literacy Professional Development
  • Assessment
  • Diversity and Literacy
  • Health and Literacy
  • Learning Disabilities
  • Math and Numeracy
  • Reading and Writing
  • Transitions to Post-secondary Education
  • Technology and Distance Learning
  • Workforce Competitiveness

Subscribe to any or all of these lists here: http://lincs.ed.gov/lincs/discussions/subscribe_all.html

#2. Foreign Language Teaching Forum (FL Teach) – I’ve been on this list for years, possibly over a decade. Definitely worth it for teachers of second, foreign or world languages.
http://www.cortland.edu/flteach/

#3. Edling list – This is more of a research list for people interested in linguistics and language teaching methodology and other research related questions. I met the listserv administrator, Dr. Francis Hult, at a conference last year and he invited me to subscribe. I enjoy it and keep up on the messages. If you’re in a scholarly or research field, check it out: https://lists.sis.utsa.edu/mailman/listinfo/edling

Tip: I always choose the “digest” option to receive messages, so my inbox doesn’t fill up.

All of these lists are free, public professional exchanges of information. They are all moderated, so there is no spam, profanity or sales pitches. (Bless the list administrators!)

If you know of other content-rich lists, feel free to offer your contribution to the list by leaving a comment.

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

Comments Off on Literacy and Language Listservs – My favorites | education, ESL, language program administration, languages, second languages, technology | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

News: Video games teach kids ‘new literacy’: Do you buy it?

August 11, 2011

Dakshana Bascaramurty reported in a recent Globe and Mail article, “Video games teach kids ‘new literacy’: Do you buy it?” that children basically need to play video games in order to learn ‘new literacy’:

A new article on PBS’s Mediashift web portal presents a different argument: our definition of literacy is outdated. Kids may be learning a “new literacy” through playing video games.

Bascaramurty goes on to cite studies that support the notion that the exploration and problem-solving qualities of video games make them excellent learning tools.

I agree – to an extent. Here’s the comment I left on the Globe and Mail blog in response to the article:

I’m a big fan of educational technology and using games for educational purposes. In her TED talk, Jane McGonigal makes a strong case for using video games for learning and I think she’s on to something. In our house, games like Assassin’s Creed and Halo are among the favorites. So, basically, I’m a techo-geek-educator.

Having said that, research also shows that what is missing, at times, is the link between using technology for entertainment and using it for education. Authors Oxford and Oxford in their 2009 book on “learning in the net generation” caution that students’ comfort levels with technology do not always transfer successfully to pedagogical settings. Hourigan and Murray in their 2010 study published in the Australian Journal of Educational Technology, (vol. 26, issue 2, pp. 209–225) state that even digital natives require instruction on how to use technology for educational purposes. They note that self-regulated learning and personal accountability are key themes for today’s students in helping them make the link between using technology as entertainment and using it for learning.

Our job, as parents, educators and even just grown-up gamers, is to help the next generation make the link between the virtual world and real one, showing them HOW to transfer their skills, knowledge and problem-solving abilities to every day life.

Here are the articles I cited in my comment on the article:

Oxford, R., & Oxford, J. (Eds.). (2009). Second language teaching and learning in the net generation. Honolulu: University of Hawaii.

Hourigan, T., & Murray, L. (2010). Using blogs to help language students to develop reflective learning strategies: Towards a pedagogical framework. Australian Journal of Educational Technology, 26(2), 209–225. Retrieved from http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet26/hourigan.pdf

What do you think? Is there such a thing as “video game literacy” and if so, is it important for today’s children to be literate in these games?

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

Comments Off on News: Video games teach kids ‘new literacy’: Do you buy it? | technology | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

The 21st century book report: How to make a digital book trailer using free technology

July 26, 2011

Here’s a great article about how to make a book trailer. The idea behind it is to get kids revved up about reading by having them make a book trailer using Photo Story 3 (free software). The idea can easily be transferred to young adults or even adults who are into technology, but not really into reading. The beauty of it is that they reader becomes the creator of the book trailer. As they create, so they become involved and invested in the processes of reading and comprehension.

They’ll need to read the book in order to choose images that properly represent the book.

This is a 21st century form of a book report. It doesn’t have to just be for a book. You can make a book trailer using Photo Story 3 for short stories, too.

The beauty of it is that it can be used for children building their reading skills, teens who need to read more and second and foreign language students of all ages. Apparently the software doesn’t handle all foreign languages very well, so you may want to check it out before using it in your class.

What a great way to get readers engaged with the material they are reading in a modern, creative way.

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

2 Comments | education, languages, Literacy, technology | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

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