Wikipedia defines a wiki as “a page or collection of Web pages designed to enable anyone who accesses it to contribute or modify content, using a simplified markup language.” Wikis are often used to create collaborative websites and to power community websites.”
Etymologically, “ “Wiki" (/wiːkiː/) is a Hawaiian word for "fast. "Wiki Wiki" is a reduplication. "Wiki" can be expanded as "What I Know Is", but this is a backronym” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki).
So wikis have been big news for several years – but are they really so new?
Recently I have been fortunate enough to collaborate with a number of inspired professionals to enrich my practice, study and life at large. It is, in essence, an offline wiki. The sparkstorm of ideas that often ensues is one that simply cannot be tied down to one member of the group. Who is the author when an idea when it is built on contributions of different people?
This is social construction of knowledge at its finest. In fact, it is construction of knowledge that often does not yet exist. Construction at the very last outposts of knowledge.
Collaboration and the exhilarating synergy it brings is not new. But wikis have reminded us that the whole can be so much greater than the sum of the parts.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
NEW BEGINNINGS FOR FALSE BEGINNERS
Although this is a teacher-research blog, there hasn’t been all that much research to report on so far. But as the time to do my critical study is approaching, my awareness is moving in that direction. My new course is a prime candidate for research, and today’s first class was a little breath of serendipitous grace.
This semester I am scheduled to teach 11 hours of Reading and Writing to the only three students in our college who failed their first semester in the Foundation Programme. Thanks to discussions with my wonderful colleagues, allies and friends, some very exciting ideas have emerged. I am also considering compiling the activities that are effective in getting these students motivated and helping them learn as part of my critical study. Maybe…
The students, however, have been pursuing me all over campus for days to persuade me to raise their marks so that they can stay with their group- with the use of an interpreter, since they can’t even express this idea in English. Clearly, raising their marks will not help them, but a healthy mix of empathy, discipline and creativity just might. I have arranged that they can attend any classes they wish with their former classmates, while their classmates can attend certain of their sessions, which will be dedicated specifically to language learning strategies.
The miracle happened today, when only one student, Ayman, showed up long after I had given up on seeing any students. Ayman’s lone and late arrival shook me completely out of “teaching mode”, and into genuine interaction, which involved uncovering the language for choosing and requesting a fruit juice to drink using the bilingual labels on three bottles of juice. Although like all Omani students, Ayman has studied English for over a decade, some interesting features of his language showed up:
1. His vocabulary and collocation repertoire is extremely limited.
2. He does not understand the connection between sounds and symbols (letters), and has no grasp of the short vowel sounds. This has drastic implications for his spelling.
3. He writes letters using the movements he would in Arabic, starting from the lower left.
I handed Ayman the student “lucky dip”: a folder containing a pen, pencil, post-it booklet, notebook and portfolio. Some time after he worked out and wrote the words on the whiteboard and we practiced the pronunciation and request collocations, he wrote these down in the notebook, which students will also keep as language learning scrapbook journals. The first thing written in the book was the semester, week, day, and date with a basic entry starting “Today I feel…”. Although I modelled this exercise, he could not find the basic words happy, sad, angry, scared to complete his sentence or put together the reason why. After some cajoling he gradually built up and wrote down the full sentence, which he then read back to me. He also asked the words for certain meanings, like “a little” and “a lot”.
We also set up contact groups on our mobile phones and sent a text message to the absent students. One of them even replied!
Towards the end of the lesson, two senior female students dropped in to see what was going on in the classroom. Ayman had a chance to offer them some juice, practicing his new knowledge in a practical way. I was stunned to see that the lesson time was over, which is how the expressions “Time flies” and “Time flies when you’re having fun” landed on the whiteboard.
Where a day ago Ayman was refusing this course, this non-lesson may have been one of the first chances he has had to use English for an actual purpose. All that because a “lesson” was out of the question.
There will obviously be considerable ground to cover beyond today’s practical nuts-and-bolts, and it won’t always be this effortless. But a glimmer of hope is a precious, precious thing and deserves to be cherished.
The photo is of the whiteboard at the end of the session. Vocabulary is on the left, writing practice in the middle and collocations on the right.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
TRAPPED! WHY THE DIGITAL DIVIDE STILL YAWNS BEFORE US
In yesterday’s entry I mentioned Warschauer’s suggestion that the divides of EFL/ESL, the digital and technology divides have been overcome, and my personal objection to it.
During the first online chat session for my ICT course, the persistence of the digital divide was eloquently demonstrated. Telecommunications facilities in my region of Oman were interrupted for several hours, resulting in my late arrival and some of my classmates’ inability to log in at all. Here, like in many places worldwide, internet access is crippled by infrastructure problems.
In the discussion, some agreed with Warschauer to the point of saying that internet access is now universal. From my tenuous foothold on this side of the digital divide, I am quite simply gobsmacked. Somewhere there exists a world where that is true. I haven’t visited it.
During the first online chat session for my ICT course, the persistence of the digital divide was eloquently demonstrated. Telecommunications facilities in my region of Oman were interrupted for several hours, resulting in my late arrival and some of my classmates’ inability to log in at all. Here, like in many places worldwide, internet access is crippled by infrastructure problems.
In the discussion, some agreed with Warschauer to the point of saying that internet access is now universal. From my tenuous foothold on this side of the digital divide, I am quite simply gobsmacked. Somewhere there exists a world where that is true. I haven’t visited it.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
THE PLACE OF ENGLISH IN INTERNET COMMUNICATION AND E-DUCATION
My readings for the ICT module have included some think-work based on an article by Mark Warchscauer entitled Wiring English into our Technological World and another by Seth Mydans called Across Cultures, English is the Word. Some thoughts on these…
Warschauer’s central argument is that emerging technologies eliminate three perceived barriers:
1. The distinction between ESL and EFL
2. The digital divide (lack of resources among the world’s poor)
3. The technological divide (the lack of tech skills, even among those who have access to technology.)
Although I can agree with the general argument, as a citizen and lifelong resident of emerging nations, I feel entitled to some criticism of these opinions,
1. ESL/EFL: While English immersion is becoming prevalent in many international workplaces, and fluency increases, inaccuracies may persist, and even be entrenched as a shared interlanguage among L2 speakers. This may be the evolution of the international language, but that does not eliminate prejudice that may exist against L2 speakers. And as a speaker of English as a second language, I am actually allowed to say that!
2. Digital divide: Warschauer's claim that even among the very poor of the world, there is increased accessed to certain shared tech resources is justified. However, many are still left behind, and the divide becomes more and more difficult to cross.
It should also be considered that the vast majority of ICT requires literacy, which cuts out a further segment of the world's population.
Although most languages are represented online, English still rules the waves, and not knowing this world languages sets users at a further disadvantage. In short, Warhschauer has a point, but I can't agree with him completely.
3. Technological divide: The most endangered species here is the technophobic teacher! Even as a one-time internet addict and reincarnated blogger, I often learn shortcuts and new uses for computers and other gadgets from my students. There is a certain threshold of computer skills that will be necessary for teachers to mine the potential of ICT for education. Guiding educators to become e-Ducators will require fundamental attention, particularly in TESOL, where professionalization is not yet prevalent in many contexts worldwide.
Warschauer’s central argument is that emerging technologies eliminate three perceived barriers:
1. The distinction between ESL and EFL
2. The digital divide (lack of resources among the world’s poor)
3. The technological divide (the lack of tech skills, even among those who have access to technology.)
Although I can agree with the general argument, as a citizen and lifelong resident of emerging nations, I feel entitled to some criticism of these opinions,
1. ESL/EFL: While English immersion is becoming prevalent in many international workplaces, and fluency increases, inaccuracies may persist, and even be entrenched as a shared interlanguage among L2 speakers. This may be the evolution of the international language, but that does not eliminate prejudice that may exist against L2 speakers. And as a speaker of English as a second language, I am actually allowed to say that!
2. Digital divide: Warschauer's claim that even among the very poor of the world, there is increased accessed to certain shared tech resources is justified. However, many are still left behind, and the divide becomes more and more difficult to cross.
It should also be considered that the vast majority of ICT requires literacy, which cuts out a further segment of the world's population.
Although most languages are represented online, English still rules the waves, and not knowing this world languages sets users at a further disadvantage. In short, Warhschauer has a point, but I can't agree with him completely.
3. Technological divide: The most endangered species here is the technophobic teacher! Even as a one-time internet addict and reincarnated blogger, I often learn shortcuts and new uses for computers and other gadgets from my students. There is a certain threshold of computer skills that will be necessary for teachers to mine the potential of ICT for education. Guiding educators to become e-Ducators will require fundamental attention, particularly in TESOL, where professionalization is not yet prevalent in many contexts worldwide.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
BRAVE NEW WORLD, VIRTUALLY
There is something of the scent of danger about my study session tonight. Where I am usually cozily surrounded by my fortress of chunky books and printed-out articles when I sit down to study, tonight my desk is bare except for my laptop.
Stripped of my reams of stationery I feel cold and lost and bare and afraid. Even though I am no luddite, learning this way is an unaccustomed adrenaline-throbbing terror of a thrill. The endless abyss of options gapes at me: while unit notes are sensibly sitting on my screen, they open up into a myriad of fractal possibilities: hyperlinks scattering off into an unseen horizon, mp3s on classes (and every other imaginable soundtrack) thronging for my attention along with the rest of the wondrous wilful wilds of the web.
This is a whole new mode of learning, and it may very well be true that a new generation of ‘digital natives’ will feel extremely comfortable in it. I am not- and educators from previous generations probably feel even more intimidated than I do.
But if learning is to reach new generations, it will have to be in a medium they understand. And interactive e-learning certainly speaks their language.
The only question is… do I?
Stripped of my reams of stationery I feel cold and lost and bare and afraid. Even though I am no luddite, learning this way is an unaccustomed adrenaline-throbbing terror of a thrill. The endless abyss of options gapes at me: while unit notes are sensibly sitting on my screen, they open up into a myriad of fractal possibilities: hyperlinks scattering off into an unseen horizon, mp3s on classes (and every other imaginable soundtrack) thronging for my attention along with the rest of the wondrous wilful wilds of the web.
This is a whole new mode of learning, and it may very well be true that a new generation of ‘digital natives’ will feel extremely comfortable in it. I am not- and educators from previous generations probably feel even more intimidated than I do.
But if learning is to reach new generations, it will have to be in a medium they understand. And interactive e-learning certainly speaks their language.
The only question is… do I?
Friday, January 23, 2009
RESURRECTION
Justifying the disappearance- temporary or otherwise- of a blog is so standard that I will not even go into the reasons. We all know how it goes. My nutshell justification would be my virtual bumper sticker of the moment: Life was so easy before I got one. Nuf said.
The resurrection in question is not only that of my blog. Blogs, especially those related to a personal passion- tend to follow the waxing and waning of the passion. Throwing myself into what I am doing- work, study, life- became such a time- and energy- consuming activity that the fire behind it was reduced to embers in the past months. I was beginning to wonder if it had been doused completely.
But stepping away can be the best medicine. After working my fingers to the bone in my coordination duties at work over the past semester, and finding that it was still not enough, I had the sense that everything else had suffered, including my teaching and my studies, not to mention my personal wellbeing. For three weeks in January, though, I have the luxury of stepping back from work to attend classes for my masters program. From this, new developments have emerged.
Taking time to re-invigorate my theoretical interests and regain perspective on what it is that I do, and disciplining myself to relax (not as easy as it sounds), while entrusting colleagues with matters at work, has kindled those fragile embers. The flames are returning, and with care they may blaze again.
There are many educational mistakes of the past semester to learn from, in all areas from my teaching to my coordination to my studies to my work-life balance. That is what mistakes are for- and in fact they only are mistakes if I do not learn from them.
I am fortunate, blessed, downright lucky. I have so many opportunities, inspired colleagues, wondrous friends and a ragbag bucketful of abilities and experience and hard-won skills. To say that these could be wasted is not entirely correct. But that they can be used in ever better ways would be fair.
Resurrecting my blog is one of them.
The resurrection in question is not only that of my blog. Blogs, especially those related to a personal passion- tend to follow the waxing and waning of the passion. Throwing myself into what I am doing- work, study, life- became such a time- and energy- consuming activity that the fire behind it was reduced to embers in the past months. I was beginning to wonder if it had been doused completely.
But stepping away can be the best medicine. After working my fingers to the bone in my coordination duties at work over the past semester, and finding that it was still not enough, I had the sense that everything else had suffered, including my teaching and my studies, not to mention my personal wellbeing. For three weeks in January, though, I have the luxury of stepping back from work to attend classes for my masters program. From this, new developments have emerged.
Taking time to re-invigorate my theoretical interests and regain perspective on what it is that I do, and disciplining myself to relax (not as easy as it sounds), while entrusting colleagues with matters at work, has kindled those fragile embers. The flames are returning, and with care they may blaze again.
There are many educational mistakes of the past semester to learn from, in all areas from my teaching to my coordination to my studies to my work-life balance. That is what mistakes are for- and in fact they only are mistakes if I do not learn from them.
I am fortunate, blessed, downright lucky. I have so many opportunities, inspired colleagues, wondrous friends and a ragbag bucketful of abilities and experience and hard-won skills. To say that these could be wasted is not entirely correct. But that they can be used in ever better ways would be fair.
Resurrecting my blog is one of them.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Examine This
2 November 2008, 8:35 PM
The time of the mid-semester madness is upon us, and has left none untouched. The teaching profession is beset by one of the most pernicious vices of traditional education: the pattern that emerges around written examinations. Exams tend to send students and educators alike in a counter-educational tailspin that puts us all to shame. And the worst thing is, we never seem to learn.
I should admit that I always loved exams, because I have an irrepressible urge to be applauded and was able to get straight As on reams of exams of which I now remember nothing. Yet as a teacher I have found that exams are endured as a necessary (or even unnecessary) evil by most students, who do not feel that results reflect anything of consequence. In many cases they are right.
Yet much of the educational system, certainly in the developing world, still glorifies the traditional written exam. Where I teach, we are gradually catching on to ongoing assessments, some of them alternative. Yet most of the ongoing assessment still consists of quizzes. While this system has certain virtues, they are not a reflection of students’ real ability to use their learning, particularly in language skills. It is certainly not a reflection of an ability to cope in the 21st century.
But here we are, halfway into the semester, with half our teaching corps on their haunches like performing poodles, and the rest simply on their knees. The next three weeks will be laid on the altar of the traditional written exam, accomplish nothing, upset students and provoke a torrent of flattery, negotiation and attempted bribery.
It is times like these that I truly think we, the educators, are the ones who have a great deal to learn.
The time of the mid-semester madness is upon us, and has left none untouched. The teaching profession is beset by one of the most pernicious vices of traditional education: the pattern that emerges around written examinations. Exams tend to send students and educators alike in a counter-educational tailspin that puts us all to shame. And the worst thing is, we never seem to learn.
I should admit that I always loved exams, because I have an irrepressible urge to be applauded and was able to get straight As on reams of exams of which I now remember nothing. Yet as a teacher I have found that exams are endured as a necessary (or even unnecessary) evil by most students, who do not feel that results reflect anything of consequence. In many cases they are right.
Yet much of the educational system, certainly in the developing world, still glorifies the traditional written exam. Where I teach, we are gradually catching on to ongoing assessments, some of them alternative. Yet most of the ongoing assessment still consists of quizzes. While this system has certain virtues, they are not a reflection of students’ real ability to use their learning, particularly in language skills. It is certainly not a reflection of an ability to cope in the 21st century.
But here we are, halfway into the semester, with half our teaching corps on their haunches like performing poodles, and the rest simply on their knees. The next three weeks will be laid on the altar of the traditional written exam, accomplish nothing, upset students and provoke a torrent of flattery, negotiation and attempted bribery.
It is times like these that I truly think we, the educators, are the ones who have a great deal to learn.
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