Tuesday, November 14, 2006

My SSW2 story

1. Introduce self and context and how technologies are being used


Hi everyone,

My name is Rosa Ochoa and I've been asked to tell my SSW2 story. OK... for those not in the know , I have to tell you how I got interested and started using Social Software/Web 2.0 Technologies.

I teach ESOL (English as a Second Language ) at St George college , Sydney Institute of TAFE. Currently I have a level 4 class, where the students work towards getting ISLPR2 on exiting the course. We have 3 hours a week in a computer room and they work on their blogs, forum, ESL online exercises in that time. Often that slot is not enough to finish the work, but many students go home and continue working on their tasks.

To learn how I use blogs and podcasts, you can read this post by Robin Jay in Connections and Conversations, which is an email I wrote to Michael Abulencia in reponse to a question for concrete examples of teacher's use of social software.

2. What was it that inspired you to try using social software for teaching and learning?

3. What have you accomplished that you are most proud of by using social software with your learners? What enabled you to achieve this?

4. What do you and your clients value most about using social software in teaching and learning?

5. How has the use of social software contributed to good teaching and learning practice in your experience?

It has become an extra dimension, a fifth skill (listening, talking, reading, writing & blogging/podcasting) and an extra medium. I haven't changed the way I teach much. I always tried to integrate topics/genre/linguistic charateristics in my teaching. Blogging/podcasting are integrated in the in the teaching & learning process .

And

6. As the ‘teacher’ when you use social software what sort of role/s do you need to perform? And, perhaps you could say something about how similar or different this / these role/s are (to what you were doing before social software).

Listen to my thoughts to these two questions on this podcast:

Download the MP3 file (5.30 KB, o:02:15) music by my brothers' group Tresena

7. Thinking back, what were the pivotal moments in the process that got you to this point?

The pivotal moments are the ones that gave me inspiration (answer 2) to start blogging. I must add that I had previously started a draft website in geocities for the Adult Study Centre and I also got a bit of funding form Learnscope to do a Janison Toolbox (CESOL II) with a newly design module, Approaches to Learning. So I was obviously thinking of e-learning in some form or other, but once I started teaching my students blogging, photostories and podcasting.... these social software web tools took over!

8. What needs to change for your teaching and learning experience using social software to be even better?

9. From your experiences so far, and thinking into the future (say 5 years or more?) what is your vision of the role of social software in teaching and learning, and what 3 things would need to happen in the next 6 – 8 months to make this happen?

10. What else would you like to share? Any other insights, or things that surprised you?

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posted by rosa ochoa @ 9:04 PM

1 Comments:

At 9:20 PM, Blogger rosa ochoa said...

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