Digitalized Education and the Need of New Technologies

It is very necessary for English teachers to discover the world of new technologies and continue always exploring them. We live in an era where the education is gradually being digitalized and  there is always the need to learn something new about the innovations in the world of technologies for education. Nowadays, the young generations tend to use different technologies for different things, which we were not using at their age, such as reading, playing video games, receiving information instantly through technologies, etc. Thus, as TEFL professionals, we need to always be upgraded with the latest technological innovations for being able to transfer the knowledge to our students by using the new and efficient ways of teaching.
The diverse technological tools that we learnt about were very useful for understanding the possible ways of making our teaching process more informative, interactive, engaging and interesting. There are some types of technologies which I'm definitely going to use in my teaching. Such as the blogs, which give the learners the opportunity to become network creators and users, and provide the interactive learning environment for them. Feedly.com is awesome tool for making the information start looking for you; thus by subscribing to different sources, the learners will be able to create their life-long and autonomous learning environment for them. The different applications of google, which are again very helpful for creating the collaborative learning platform for the learners, e.g. I will use google drive for creating google docs, google sites for them to create their online portfolios, google groups, for discussions outside the class, etc. Video games are also going to be used with the low level students. Podcasts are very rich tools for listening exercises, which I will use too. For helping them to produce the language they learn, I will use the digital story-telling.
Thus, I'm very glad that I had the chance to take the course "New Technologies in TEFL" which gave me a broad understanding and also experience in the application of the new technologies for teaching and learning purposes. Finally, it taught me how to become a life-long and autonomous learner, which, in my turn, I will teach my students.

Cloud Computing and Google For Education

Cloud computing is a concept which is used to describe a large system of computers which are connected to each other through a real-time communication, when there is the chance to run a program in different computers at the same time. In this case the real server hardware is replaced by a virtual hardware, which does not physically exist and therefore can be moved around like a cloud.
In fact, cloud computing changes our work as teachers. It mainly affects on our work positively, but, of course, it also has some drawbacks. Due to cloud computing we can create one document and have multiple users in it, thus, fostering collaboration between the learners. Besides, with the help of cloud computing, we do less downloading. We just log in to different softwares and start using them. Thus, it is more economical in terms of the software and hardware. Moreover, there is no need for big IT teams for schools or other educational institutions. However, cloud computing makes us be too internet-dependent, as because of different reasons when there is an internet connection breakdown, all the system connected computers can't have internet access. There might be also some issues connected with the privacy or confidentiality of the data stored in the cloud. When it comes to Google for education, it has different applications which can be used by teachers. Some of them are really good for creating a collaborative platform, where the learners can learn in an interactive way, such as Google drive and Google sites, Blogger. Other applications can also be helpful, such as Google book search, Google Sky, Google Calendar, etc.

More information is available via this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88ysB-EKA9U

Analytics in Learning

It is well-known that carefully designed data collection leads to data-driven decision making in different fields along with in learning processes. It is obvious, that this kind of evidence will be more objective and reliable, than the evidence based on personal experiences of individuals. Thus, according to Long & Siemens (2011), data-driven decision making improves the organizational output and productivity.
Due to learning analytics the data about the learners can be measured, collected, analyzed and reported, the purpose of which is to understand and evaluate this or that issue connected with their learning and the environment in which the learning occurs. Learning analytics can provide evidence about the success and also challenges of the learning environment, i.e. institutions. It means that the further steps can be taken according to the results of the reported data. Another advantage that it provides, is that the learners get up-to-date information about their own learning and try to improve it based on the evidence given by the learning analytics. Thus, with the help of the learning analytics the quality of the teaching and learning can definitely become more efficient.

More information is available via this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqETXdq68vY

Learning Management Systems & Personal Learning Environments

Due to technological innovations it is possible to manage your learning in a very organized, effective, interesting and accurate way. Among those technological tools are LMS and PLE which are different from each other, but both contribute to community learning.
LMS is usually set by an institution, e.g. it can be a university. LMS gives the learners the chance to access and obtain the content, perform different kinds of activities, receive feedback, etc. It can be characterized as a centralized tool, where the center of learning and performing activities is the same tool for all the community members. Due to LMS the learners access to the collaborative environment, but with the condition of having their own accounts, otherwise communication is impossible. When performing different activities, a lot of data is accumulated there. The thing is that when you decide to leave LMS, the data remains in the system, and it is not managed by you, but by the LMS. While in PLE you manage your own data, as it is already decentralized as compared with LMS. It means that the center of the system is you and you can access to your content from different places of the web.
Both types may have their limitations and advantages, but, anyway, these are good means of community learning, sharing ideas, etc.

For more information please go to this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDwcCJncyiw&feature=relmfu

Distance Language Learning

It is well-known that nowadays direct face-to-face communication can be replaced by online communication. It means that learning through direct instruction can be replaced by distance learning by means of technologies.
I think that for educators direct teaching is more easier, when there is face-to-face communication and interaction, when the educator can see and feel everything that happens during the learning process. While in distant teaching more energy and effort is needed from the educator to convey all the material properly and to reach all the learning objectives. I, personally, have never done distance tutoring, but I think that it would be difficult to first of all observe the learner and identify his/her needs. It would be also challenging to provide immediate feedback to the learner. All in all, everything depends on different kinds of technologies.
In spite of all the difficulties that distance learning may create, it is a very good means for the learners who live, for example, in remote areas and don't have good teachers in their area. Or, if someone's teacher has to leave to somewhere else, in this case distance learning will help them not to interrupt the process of teaching and learning.
In distance education the teachers should follow several maxims, which are also necessary in face-to-face education, but are more critical in a distance education. First of all the educator should empower the learner, for making him/her more encouraged, motivated and confident about his/her abilities. The educator should also be open, i.e. the learners should always feel free to sent the educator mails whenever they have questions connected with the lessons. The factor of being honest from the part of the educator is also very important, as they need to always tell the learners the truth about their language competence or performance progresses. Also, the educators should always provide appropriate explanation of any linguistic issue being explained, as in a distance learning they should be very careful for the learners to not miss a point.
The learners have also a lot of work to do by themselves, as in distance education they have to be more autonomous learners. They have to manage their self-management and initial motivation at first. They have to be more watchful so as to plan their work carefully. They also have to identify the learning strategies which work well for themselves. It would be better if the teacher also were aware of their learning strategies, because in that case the instruction would directly fit the learners needs.
Thus, we, as language teachers, should be very careful and aware of these factors which directly affect on the quality of distance learning.

For starting your own distance learning you can create an account with either http://www.livemocha.com/ or
http://www.busuu.com/ .

Open Sources and Educational Resources

Nowadays open sources and educational resources have become very significant tools for all people around the world. They give us the chance to feel ourselves in the shoes of global citizens. They somehow create equal opportunities for all to get to know any thing they want irrespective of their rank or other things.
Open sources refer to any kind of computer programs which are free for the general public to use. They provide social and interactive learning.
Educational resources have specific educational purposes. E.g. there are a lot of free online courses which can be very beneficial for people who are eager to learn.
Thus the most significant advantage of the OER is that it gives people the opportunity to become life-long and autonomous learners.
Here you can find a list of open courses:

• https://www.coursera.org/
• https://www.udacity.com/
• https://www.udemy.com/
• https://iversity.org/
• https://www.edx.org/
• https://novoed.com/

MALL in TEFL

The need of mobile phones is huge in our lives. When I want to call someone, I turn to my mobile phone, when I want to listen to music, I turn to my mobile phone, when I want to record a talk, guess what I do? I turn to mobile phone, when I want to access the internet, I again use my phone. I'm sure that many many people do the same thing. Thus, they are the inseparable part of our life nowadays. Almost everyone has a mobile phone, and besides using them for calling or receiving calls, they are also used for language learning purposes. In my opinion, the most essential benefit that the mobile phones can give EFL learners is the development of the listening skills. E.g. learners can record a talk, then listen to it, or, if it is a smart phone, it can be used for listening to podcasts etc.
Reinders (2010) mentions 20 ideas for using mobile phones in a language classroom. I will outline some of them in my blog. One of those ideas is taking notes in the phone. I think that it's really useful for taking notes and later using them for recalling some information or for writing down unknown words and then clarifying their meanings. Another function mentioned is the ability of taking photos of texts. For example, one of our classmates, Nelli, always does that after curriculum design class. She takes the photo of the homework assignment from the slides and later posts in the facebook for rest of us to use. Another function is using it for making flashcards. When I was observing one of my classmate's class at the Argentinian school, she actively used her ipad for flashcards for teaching the times. The function of the circular writing is also in the list, but I think that it is not the type of writing skills we need to develop, because it is mainly colloquial and full of contractions, slang, jargon, etc. But if the phone has the internet connection, it can also be used for writing blogs, in this case it fosters the development of the writing skills.
In my opinion, using mobile phones during classes has also its limitations, as students are very often distracted by facebook or other things. So, we have to be very careful when implementing the usage of mobile phone in TEFL. I think it's better to use them with high level students, as they are more conscious to really get the meaning of using phones in the process of language learning.