EDUC 548, Fall 2020 Blog

I so enjoyed all of the amazing ed tech tools you brought to the class. I am definitely inspired to implement some of them in my own future classroom!! Tech tools of my Peers I was so taken aback by the sheer depth of each tool that was presented. I had heard of Quizizz and Pear Deck before but I didn't realize how much variety they can provide in the classroom! Quizizz I loved how Mika spent time going through all the various options of Quizizz. Some of my favorite components of Quizizz are: you can find new quizzes made by actual educators  there is a lot of inspiration for topics and questions on the website you can combine questions from various other quizzes into your own quiz (collaborative) the quizzes are not necessarily timed, so you can have a more accurate representation of student comprehension Pear Deck I had no idea that the uses of Pear Deck was so expansive. I feel like we got just a glimpse into what we can do using this tool. Some of my favorite aspects of this to...

Hello TESOL Friends, I apologize for my late post. My mind has been in a fuzzy place this week as my Dad’s house was in the evacuation zone for the fire in Orange County. He is safe and has a neighbor keeping an eye on him so I am feeling more at ease. As for the EdTech tool presentations, I really enjoyed what everyone brought to share! It struck me that we each presented something completely different and unique, and I feel like I learned a little bit more about each of you in the process. Thank you! I could honestly see myself using all of the tools presented and my mind was quickly processing how fun it would be to teach kids with these tools as well.  I would echo Gretchen who said in reply to Alex that she now has more understanding for her students who may been working through the barriers of using technology. I was both frustrated and excited last week to make progress toward understanding how to use Pear Deck. I wanted to magically be adept at all of its features so I ...

 Happy Monday everyone!  I just saw Professor Denise's message about the blog and remembered I hadn't posted on Friday. I guess I was under the impression that we were going to play with the tech tools that were presented and then post. Thankfully I had a chance to look at some of them a little more over the weekend and will try to post more on the Padlet later this week.  Lyricstraining  - I think this tool has some fun features for integrating songs into the classroom more which might distract students from the challenge of learning a new language and allow them to have fun / relax a bit in the classroom. I don't listen to music much so it might take me some time to find appropriate songs, but I could also open it for a student led activity to cut out this step. PearDeck  -  Being able to stop and ask people to answer questions occasionally during a presentation is an amazing feature. And since you can even integrate it with a google slides presentation y...

     Hi guys!       Thank you for sharing these fantastic EdTech tools, which allowed me to experience the infinite possibilities that technology brings to the classroom  again . By incorporating tech tools like AI, for instance, teachers can develop more creative and innovative lesson plans to hold students' attention. Technology can enhance individual learning, removing traditional educational boundaries that teachers may face, especially in the current trend of "online education" and "distance learning," appropriate tech tools can improve students' learning quality. " Pear Deck " that makes slides more interactive. Students can draw, write and respond to questions created by teachers on slides. It is undoubtedly an excellent way to keep the classroom active and fresh. Pear Deck can provide teachers with activities throughout the entire lesson: at the beginning of the lesson (check prior knowledge, ask students what they are curious about);...

    Each presentation was amazing. I learned many new features from my team. I might use some of them in my future classes. I like learning something new from others because each of us has a different expectations and world view. I believe the reading platform can be helpful for students who wants to read more and for students who do not like to read. Also, it will help teacher to get themselves ready for the discussion in the class, especially it can be useful for teachers at the beginning of their career.  Pear Desk is interesting and help to set up a visual learning and build a community, and it might be right decision to pay for a good platform. However, it is a plenty of technology to use that is free of charge. I think anyone can find their preferable technology to use in the classroom environment. The Lyricstraining is cool. Everyone loves listening the music, and so many people start to learn English, including myself, to understand the meaning of their favorite s...

  Hello Everyone! I have so much enjoyed the conference on the days it happened as well as dipping into the CATESOL sessions over the course of the week! I spent my morning preparing my coffee, cozying up on my couch in my pajamas, and listening to inspiring session that have really reminded me why I love this field so much! Overall thoughts on the virtual format The Pros of virtual conferencing Okay. One thing to note that I thought was so great is that we have access to these presentations until 2025! Usually there is this conflict inside me.  "Do I choose a super interesting session over a super intriguing session?"  "Am I going to miss out on something great if I choose this other session?" "Dang! I really wish I could go to both!" Well, I didn't have to wrestle with this because I knew I could go back and watch it later. I really love this idea and hope this is something that carries over to future CATESOL conferences! One of the cons One thing I ...

  CATESOL conference was an exciting experience. I have never been to any conference in the USA. Technology allows us to be flexible and attend the event at a convenient time. However, I prefer to meet people in person than the online platform. The representatives of my choice were great. The first topic of my interest was the topic of Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy. I will write a research paper on culturally responsive pedagogy. The speaker talked about cultural differences between students in the Chinese classroom and the American classroom. It was interesting to listen to their behavior of appreciating the teacher and staying silent, and finding ways to help them be more open and trustful. I was excited to meet David Burke, author of Slangman because I am working with international students, and they would like to engage with American culture fully. I did not have a chance to listen to the presentation due to the technical issue. However, idioms and slang are not the com...

  One of my first impressions about this CATESOL conference is how much nicer the platform is and it seems a lot more organized then the one I attended virtually last May. However, there were definitely a few things that stuck out to me from that day because the presenters worked hard to make the content especially applicable to the new online format. Another thing I really enjoyed about this new format was that there were also some “teaching tips” that had been recorded in advance so they were a little more asynchronous and perhaps allowed teachers who were busy (like me) a few more chances to engage with the material. I scrolled through a few of the teaching tips and found a few that I enjoyed. Here are a few things that I learned from the teaching tips:  We can help students understand the reason that it’s important to translate ideas rather than a direct translation of words by comparing proverbs from different cultures (note picture above). For example, the speaker OkHee ...

✅10/13/2020 💗 Week 6 CATESOL Conference Reflection  Since the COVID-19 quarantine started, it feels that we spend all day on Zoom, but it is amazing to keep connecting with everyone. Regarding the CATESOL conference, although this is not my first time to participate, it is a new concept for me to discuss in a virtual setting. When we attended the CATESOL meeting last year, I still remember clearly that each of us circled the courses of interest on the schedule before the discussion started. After class, everyone gathered and shared the main critical takeaways. This year, we might not share feelings directly after each meeting due to the virtual meeting format, but we can still discuss our notes and thoughts by blogging. Besides, the virtual conference might lack opportunities for group discussion and interaction. Still, participants could post their thoughts or questions in the comment area at any time, which built the bridge between the speaker and the audience. Honestly, the new...