A Class Project on Multiculturalism

Communications have brought people from different countries and cultures closer than ever. You can "chat" with someone in New Zealand while you are in Mexico City!!! Physical distance is not a problem any more. Even more, people are increasingly migrating to other countries looking for better opportunities, to continue their education, to learn new languages, etc. It is a fact that learning from other cultures promotes empathy towards people with different nationalities, religions and races but it has also been considered as a controversial issue. Here are two videos that I have found which show positive and negative aspects of multiculturalism:

1. "Multicultural Education" What is the difference between normal and multicultural education? What is multicultural education about? What are some controversial issues about multicultural education? What do you think about multicultural education?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnJPJ2xMdG8

2. "Multicultural Project" What does this project intends to achieve? How do the participants feel about it? What is one important result of this project? Write 3 sentences that describe the project. Would you like to participate in a similar project? Why or why not?




2.

A video quizz sample using eslvideo

Talking about collaboration...."wikis"

At this point we all know what a blog is and what its features are. Now we have approached another option which main characteristic is the possibility to have various participants writing and providing ideas and knowledge to add value to a "virtual space" and that is a "wiki" . A wiki is different from a blog in the way entries are kept, there is not a chronological arrangement, in fact there isn't a specific arrangement for organizing entries. All participants can edit, review, correct, improve or write entries. Wikis can be used to collaborate with other teachers or for specific tasks with our students.

To create your wiki you have to access pbworks.com and get started! I am already working on my first "wiki" theowlsworkspace.pbworks.com and doing all this stuff for me has been like visiting a new world and an exciting challenge!

Communication Problems

What do you think is the problem? Hasn't the message been clear enough?

This video makes me think that we have to be careful when selecting videos for our classes. Even when we thnik the content is very clear, it is possible that the message is not received correctly by the students. That is why an introductory activity is important to make them focus on the relevant features. As we have learned, www.youtube.com is an outstanding source to find videos for our classes, but always keep in mind there should always be a purpose for showing one. Always prepare an introductory activity, a main activity focused on an objective and a follow up activity to assess on comprehension. Good luck!

In Short

During our first three sessions we have been able to approach technology from a theoretical point of view but most importantly, from the practical side. I have found this workshop most "enlightening". To recap what we have learned so far I would list the following:

1. A simple "ice-breaker" or "warm-up" activity, when well organized , takes only a few minutes and can bring a lot of fun to the classroom as well as motivate students to participate and get involved.
2. Acquiring new tools, such as the ones new technology can offer, helps us do things better, facilitates class presentation by providing us with the richest source of material, ideas, videos, etc. from which we can choose what suits our needs best.
3. Technology also gives us the possibility to be up to date by "attending" video conferences where the ELT gurus talk about their experiences and share their ideas. Technology has made it possible "to bring the world" into our classrooms.
4. The development of technology has moved faster during the last years and that is why there are still some technophobics; however, having a positive attitude towar technology can transform them inot "digital immigrants" and benefit from all these new sources. On the other hand, there is an increasing number of "digital natives" since children become familiar with all different types of technology since they are very young, and some of them are the technophiles which will continue working on this technological growth.
5. We have also learned how to take the best out of Power Point, which is a very useful and versatile software. The internet makes it accessible a wide variety of already-made games, activities and presentations, which can be customized according to individual needs. An example of these useful games is "jeopardy".
   
6. Word processors, besides being an every day tool for teachers as well as students, also have a revision tool which is excellent and helpful to correct and revise written work, essays, exercises, etc.
7. Google offers useful tools called "modifiers" can save us lots of time by making tasks such as currency conversion and finding words' meanings, very easy and quick.
8. Through "Blogger.com" we can create a "Blog" to improve and promote communication within the classroom. Relevant information can be summarized and made available toall our students. Comments, questions, homeworks can be posted and easily checked. However, it is important to mention that private information should never be included in a blog.
9. Web pages are another excellent source of information. It is important to state what your objectives are in order to choose the right web page, may it be an authentic page or an ELT specific page. To find the right web site, it is very important to learn how to use "search engines" such as Google, Yahoo. etc.
10. Don't forget, it is a must to have in mind what we want to achieve and how we are going to evaluate it. Always be focused on: accuracy, currency, content and functionality.
    

We learned about another useful link where you can easily find the origin of borrowed words: krysstal.com/borrow.html