Podcast Reflection #6: Integrating Online Language Tasks for Young Learners

I found a really interesting podcast posted by Shelly Terrell called, "Integrating Online Language Tasks for Young Learners". In this podcast, she explained how important technology is now and all the different ways young children (and adults) can use it in and out of the classroom. All of her resources for this podcast can by found at "Technology for Kids Wiki".

Current students now grow up learning technology immediately, while when we were young we learned using paper and pen. Because of the changes, we need to be able to prepare our future students for "their" world.

She had students from a classroom write down how they use technology, and almost all of them use it for something different. Some said they use it for fun and others said because classes are boring. One said it helps them to achieve their goals while another said that it opens a new world. Several wrote that they use it to meet to new people all over the world; some even met people from another country! Many students also noted that it is an easy way to communicate with friends and those that you haven't seen in awhile, such as relatives. One student even said that technology inspires them and allows them to be creative! Hearing students say that they use technology for so many different ways and not just to play games inspires me to integrate technology in my classroom and help widen their knowledge on the many resources technology gives them.

Technology allows you to create videos in the classroom, but if you do so you must get permission from their parents. You can even get permission slip pages off of the internet with the click of a button. In order to create a video, you will probably need a digital camera, laptop or computer with a microphone and/or webcam, and a scanner. Which almost every school has AT LEAST one of all of these.

Most computers also already have applications on the computer that allow you to create a video. On a PC, you could use Paint, Windows Movie Maker, etc. A Mac has iMovie, GarageBand, iPhoto, etc. There are also multiple web tools such as Skype, Blog, Wiki, Voki, Glogster, and VoiceThread.

Voki is an avatar that you can create and have it talk. You can either record a message yourself or hide your identity by using a voice that Voki has uploaded. Glogster allows you to create and design a multimedia poster. You can embed audio and videos, add pictures, etc. And VoiceThread is a digital story teller. You can upload videos, pictures, audio, and even doodle. All three of these can also be embedded easily into your class Wiki or Blog.

Wiki's are a great source to have in your classroom because it allows parents to become and stay involved with what their children are doing in the classroom. Kids become more interactive and it goes beyond the walls of the classroom. Also, teachers are able to easily edit the page(s).