Technology Tutorials

There are several aims for this assignment: to experience how to create your own flipped materials; to learn to explore and 'conquer' new technology on your own; to practice your online teaching skills; to practice target language use (EFL); to provide numerous examples of new ideas for technology between all of you.

Description:

As part of your course grade, you will be required to create an online tutorial. The tutorial will teach your mates about a tool you have chosen (what it's like, how to use it, pedagogical potential, etc.) and because it's online tutorial, your telecollaborative partners (and the rest of the world) will have a chance to learn about your tool as well. This will done individually or in pairs (depending on the size of the class).

To begin, you should explore the Internet, inside a VW, etc. to find some tool, technology, or product that you think might be useful for teaching technology-enhanced language learning (and ideally, could be used in a telecollaborative project). This might be an app you find that encourages chat among speakers of different languages, some cool new social networking site, or any other tool you discover that you believe has a potential use for language learning (including text, audio, or video). This might also be a tool that you find within Second Life or some other Virtual World program.

You should choose a technology that is new, innovative, pushes boundaries and is not 'same-old, same-old', familiar tools already being used in the classroom. The technology should also be principally aimed at providing a means for language learning or language use (not tools for classroom organization). Choose your tool carefully because it is assumed that your final group project will include at least some of the tools presented by the members in your group.

For some ideas of possible tools, check this page, and explore on your own!!!! For inspiration, here are some materials from previous showcases (past years - bear in mind we did not ask for the online tutorials in previous iterations of the workshops).

How to do it:

You will first select a tool (see list above for inspiration if needed; but please try to find one that you think others are not familiar with). You will review the tool from different perspectives (technological, pedagogical, user-friendly, etc.) Next, you will design the steps needed to teach, in an online tutorial, how to use the tool you have selected. You are expected to narrate your tutorial (written or oral).

Key points to include:

a) Provide a brief summary of the tool (this is basically an abbreviated version of your review).

What is the tool and where is it located?
How is the product described by its creators?
What is the product designed to do?

b) Provide a step-by-step set of instructions on how to access the tool.

c) Give ideas of what can be done with the tool through examples (screen captures) of different features of the tool so that your viewers can get a feel of the technology from the 'learners' end.

d) Include some pedagogical ideas and suggestions of how this tool could be used by other language teachers.

e) Indicate what bibliography is available (tutorials, blogs describing how it has been used by other teachers, etc.). You should add this list to the end of your final presentation, you do not have to recite the list!

Format:

Your tutorial should be video. It should be engaging, informative and as professional as possible. It should not be too long either or your viewers will get bored! Here are some online tutorials about doing online tutorials.

Technology Fair:

You should prepare a 'technology booth' that introduces your technology to others. We will have a 'technology fair' in which all the tools will be presented to the class (and if possible, invited guests).

How to prepare:

Once you have chosen your tool (please sign up so we don't have repeats!) and made your tutorial you should create an 'ad' (banner, poster, leaflet, etc.) for the tutorial as if you were presenting it in a booth in a technology fair. The idea is 'sell' your tutorial to viewers.
You should bring a laptop (depending on location) where you can show bits of your tutorial to others.
You should also be ready to 1) briefly explain your technology and 2) give super ideas on how it might used for language learning telecollaborative projects.

Assessment of this component: Peer and teacher assessment.

Other resources:

All the tools showcased in 2015 (in Symbaloo)