Week 4

Part 1
“Teaching Intonation in Discourse Using Speech Visualization Technology” (Levis & Pickering, 2004)

Levis and Pickering’s study on teaching intonation as something that interplays with discourse as opposed to studying how it functions in out-of-context sentences was intriguing, in that it made me more aware of the need to do so in my own language classes. Currently, none of the language courses I have taught have truly emphasized intonation as part of a learning component. While input is definitely authentic, after reading this article, I realized that many L2 learners in Spanish courses do not inherently pick up on intonation or especially in terms of paragraph markers (paratones) which I tend to notice immediately when they are asked to read a passage out loud in class.  While I do occasionally prompt them with audio feedback, I think the article makes a relevant point in addressing that “learners who received audio-visual feedback demonstrated improved perception and production of intonation patters in the L2 and an increased sensitivity to pitch movement” (507). Prior to this reading, I assumed that L2 learners would acquire this skill and apply it effectively overtime with practice (and even more so if immersed in the language and culture consistently through a study abroad program). However, by monitoring and assessing student progress, it is clear that this becomes more of a concrete learning objective for the learner if he/ she is able to track their own progress.

Part 2
Google Apps

Torrey’s presentation on GoogleDocs and its collaborative usage reminded me of how limitless all of the Google Apps really are as far as being effective tools for students and collaborative projects. I have previously used it for sign-up sheets (and still do use GoogleDocs) since it allows students to reflect on topics at home, and decide which thematic unit or module they wish to present on in groups of three without feeling pressured to decide immediately. I also encourage students to use whatever apps they may find relevant for sharing information with their peers. I especially try to use this when having groups brainstorm on certain topics or relevant things they would like to share with the class as a whole, such as making a collaborative list of favorite films in Spanish.  What I still have yet to try out is the GoogleVoice widget (soon I will though, it seems too exciting to pass up!).

Week 3

Part 1

The use of Rosetta Stone and Tell Me More (Nielson, 2011)

Katharine Nielson’s article “Self-Study With Language Learning Software in the Workplace: What Happens?” addressed a study that focused on language training software for self-study, particularly focusing on workplace conditions with products such as Rosetta Stone and Auralog’s TELL ME MORE. As commercially available standalone CALL materials, it was surprising to me that both of these resources have been readily available for several years, but that not much empirical evidence had studied the effectiveness of the learning outcomes of both programs. It is very unfortunate to see that the study was inconclusive due to the high rate of attrition to participate. I personally feel that most of these stand-alone programs are excellent tools for reviewing material receptively for more intermediate/ advanced learners, but I would not recommend such CALL materials for a 0-beginner. Just as Nielson mentioned, “nineteen of the 30 P2 participants who completed the exit survey reported seeking outside resources to supplement the ATMM materials, including eight learners who sought out native Spanish speakers for conversational practice” (121). If the study itself casts doubt on the extent that these P2 participants sought outside help in order to reinforce their expressive abilities, then this demonstrates that the software alone is not enough, but that these learners need support and guidance in order to facilitate their proficiency in the TL, and clearly as a motivational factor as well.

Part 2

Gauchospace Virtual Language Lab

Prior to the virtual language lab presentation by the Collaborate TAs, I had used Gauchospace for teaching my Spanish courses (forums, quizzes, feedback, etc.) but I was completely amazed by the resourcefulness of some of the tools that I was completely unfamiliar with since they can be embedded in Moodle itself. For example, one particular tool I would never have imagined having such useful means with language evaluation and assessment, was the Google Voice application. I immediately reflected on past beginning Spanish courses where students are required arrange a day/ time at the end of the course with the TAs in order to assess their oral proficiency.  Just by knowing that we could have the prompt come up when the student calls in, eliminates the inconvenience of having a class of 30 students come in for these oral exams, when clearly they would be able to record their conversations with their partners and submit them. What I really thought  was wonderful about this tool is that since it is a recording, an instructor can always replay a clip or part of the clip instead of hurriedly listening to the conversation and assessing it at the same time (which is challenging at times since we might miss something being said). 

Week 2: 
 Part 1, Distance Learning for Language (Blake 2008)
I must admit that I had my doubts about distance learning when it was first introduced, seeing that my previous methodology training and teaching experience at CSULA was a bit resistant to technology and how it could accommodate Communicative Language Teaching (CLT). However, I find Blake’s research on distance learning to be very relevant to what I have personally noticed at other institutions regarding SLA instruction with Spanish language courses. For the most part, I have noticed other courses to be designed as hybrid or blended learning formats, and perhaps this also eases the apprehension that past instructors may have about the use of technology dominating the classroom, since very few all-virtual online instruction classes are currently offered. However, what struck me the most when I first read the studies done on distance learning and its effects on L2 learners (Chenoweth, Ushida and Murday 2006), was that “the results showed that the scores for the treatment and control groups were not significantly different for oral production and only slightly different in the case of the writing samples, with essays by the students in the online group being judged superior to those of the control group on a variety of measures…” (Blake 85). Because of the frequency of what I assume would be asynchronous CMC, their expressive abilities would definitely improve given that as a hybrid course it might be more demanding of their attention to written accuracy in terms of grammar and syntax. What the studies leave me pondering though, is whether these hybrid courses might benefit Heritage Learners more over L2 learners, simply because they already have the grammatical input engrained as heritage/ native speakers, and may need to refine these skills in terms of writing.

  Part 2
As students in the course, I feel that keeping a blog may be a more accessible alternative to keeping “journals” for students who are digital natives. Since it is an asynchronous form of CMC , keeping a blog allows for personal reflection that forces the L2 learners in turn to articulate their thoughts in writing. I think that it is an extremely useful method of facilitating communication, especially for instructors who are “digital immigrants” are given the ease of access in setting up a blog. Although I have not previously used blogs in the classroom setting, I will start to incorporate it into my current language class with heritage learners, since the current syllabus requires them to keep a weekly journal of a short novel (Antes de ser libres by Julia Alvarez) which they will be reading throughout the course. Keeping a blog is also more accessible in the sense that it does not limit feedback to the instructor (one-to-one), but also encourages the class as a whole to reflect and initiate dialogue for expansion (one-to-many). This also facilitates a more socially connected form of reflection that is more inclusive in the sense, because of its accessibility on the internet.

Week 1:

Week 1: The Status of Technology 1b. The impact of the internet has certainly changed the way “digital natives” are sometimes prone to respond to discussion questions regarding culturally sensitive topics: religion, politics, etc. One thing I have noticed with these digital natives is that they are sometimes hesitant to express views contrary to the status quo, perhaps which is due to the sense of anonymity that the internet and posting information can provide at times. Because the sense of anonymity is removed in face-to-face discussions, I have found that polls (pollanywhere.com) are useful in approaching and facilitating topics of sensitive discussion because it allows students an opportunity to express their views without facing the apprehension of being questioned by their peers. However, because polls are limited in expression, this only serves as an initial tool for more communicative follow-up activities where students can expand on the results of polls and discuss why others may have voted this way. Thus, anonymity can be important for some of these digital natives, under the condition that it does not compensate their sense of being able to connect to someone with immediacy regarding sensitive topics.