Thursday, March 20, 2014

Week 3 Social Networking Technologies





URL:  http://quizlet.com/mission is a free or paid resource for educators

The above screenshot depicts one of the social networking technologies I chose to talk about this week.  I chose this study tool because I think it is an excellent tool for teaching adults and for teachers creating and developing content according to the objectives of learning.  It provides adult educators unlimited potential to create many types of content.  The content teachers create can be integrated with external and repurposed content, courses, LMSs, and social networking sites such as Facebook. 

Quizlet also boasts an iPhone app for on the go mobile learning.  Moreover, Quizlet touts its free study tools and states that over a million students and teachers a day – from grade school to graduate school, language learners to vocational students, at home and in the classroom, use their apps.  Teachers and learners use Quizlet in every imaginable setting in almost every country – public and private schools, religious schools, charter schools, prestigious universities, and one-room schoolhouses (Quizlet, n.d.). 

I use this software application tool and I will attest to its impact on learning is significant.  I used it to teach Africans “microbiology vocabulary words along with audio pronunciations and definitions and students were able to learn faster, efficiently, and effectively. There is much more to this software application than what meets the eye.  For example, students can play games and take quizzes that automatically grade input where teachers can track and monitor performance.  The one way I would use this site is to create my own learning opportunities as CBT computer based inside an Adobe Portfolio burned on CD-ROM or stored on flash drive.    

 
The second social networking site I chose to review and discuss is called “English Baby” at the following URL:  http://www.englishbaby.com/.  This tool offer adult learners a way to join the site free.  Adult learners can find friends from around the world that share the same interests.  You can also join using your Facebook account to log in.

The site offers free English lessons that feature real English conversations about popular culture.  There are English Chat Rooms, English Forums, a place where people can “Learn English Vocabulary,” Take English Quizzes that have listening, vocabulary, and grammar quizzes to improve English, and a MP3 audio English download for iPod or MP3 player that offer learners a method of listening wherever and whenever.  I think adult learners can learn English because they pressed by a community of like learners to pursue the acquisition of learning English via a social meeting place.  

This is a unique social networking site because everybody engages in English conversations that help them acquire the skills needed to build a repertoire of English words, popular culture, idiomatic English, and to meet people with similar ideas and interests.  I would use this site as the administrator and students would join our own Chat Room to converse in English.  Moreover, I would also encourage students to participate on the “English Baby” Facebook page to find extra resources for using this social network (English Baby) at the following URL:   https://www.facebook.com/englishbaby.
        
  

References

English Baby. (n.d.).  Retrieved from http://www.englishbaby.com/.

Facebook. (n.d.).  English Baby.  Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/englishbaby.

Quizlet.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://quizlet.com/24278842/teacher.



3 comments:

  1. Trevae,

    I'm interested in the English Baby site. I was looking it over and was reading a post one used made. He said that this site was a great way for him to learn authentic English. What he meant was the speakers used filters and ran their words together… basically how we speak everyday. He also said that this was better than the English teachers taught because they always speak the work or phrase slowly. I know because I have to deal with this everyday. The problem with that is the student continue to speak the words or phrases slowly and stretch out the words. Have you used this tool by any chance and if so how well did you find it worked for you? I will look more into this and tell my students about it. Especially the helping with TOEFL. In Korea students will place high in grammar and reading but very low in listening and speaking. Thanks for the suggestion of this site.

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  2. Trevae,

    I'm really interested in learning more about English Baby. Do you now or have you ever used this site? If so how did you find it? I was looking at a comment someone posted on the site about how it really helps them learn authentic English. He said that when he listens to the dialogs they will have filters and shorten the words when speaking, which is usually the normal way English is spoken. I know when I teach my students I always start slow, but the problem is the students don't try and move up to a normal speed. They constantly stretch out the words and I keep telling them that is not how we speak. I also liked how this will help students with taking the TOEFL exam. I will recommend this to some of my students and others I know who will be taking this exam to see if it might help them. Usually Korean students do very well in grammar and writing but not well in speaking and listening. Thanks for suggesting this site.

    Suzette

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