ietc 2011 istanbul
DESCRIPTION
TRANSCRIPT
Web 2.0 Tools Promoting Reading
Skills among University Students
Adam ForresterEnglish Language Centre
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
IETC 2011
Background
• Importance of Reading
• Declining Reading skills–Internet
• Read@PolyU
Pilot Course
• First year veterinary nurses• Academic English course• 40 Students in 2 groups• English level – IELTS 5.5 – 8• Host department very supportive• Requirement of 3 articles• Moodle ‘blog’
Reading
• Quality and Quantity– critical view– Journals
• Collaborate and Share• Added Benefits
– vocabulary development– presentation practice
Web 2.0 Tools
• What tools?• Online voice recording and sharing• Mind maps• Vocabulary development
Example (1): Online Voice Recording
Example (2): Mind Map
Example (3a): Vocabulary development
Example (3b): Vocabulary development
2. Secrecy• encrypt (verb) (see picture using Shahi - encryption cog )• to change electronic information or signals into a secret
code
• Example: The emails are encrypted so that the Government cannot read them.
• Extension
encryption
similar words – encipher, write in code
Example (3c): Vocabulary development
• picture using Shahi - encryption cog
Results
• Most students fulfilled requirement• Voice recording most popular• Mind mapping least popular• Vocabulary- students used a range of
techniques
Student Feedback
• Online Voice Recording– “it’s very convenient to use and it works well”– “quite easy to use”
• Vocabulary– “I have learnt the skills only, but not yet enhance the "ability". For
example, learning more vocabulary”
• Mind mapping– “ The software takes too long to master. It looks good at end but
takes long time”
• Overall course– “too many different types of homework”– “there are too much homework”
Problems (1)
• Online Mind Mapping– Current methods technically difficult
compared to drawing on a piece of paper
– Balance ease of use / benefits• Online Voice Recording
– Students need to understand reason– Why not write a summary?
Problems (2)
• Vocabulary Development– Still waiting for technology to catch up– compare a vocabulary note book /
online notebook• Teacher workload
– Listen and feedback to voice recordings– Encourage peer review
Tools Used
• Moodle (hosted on University servers)• Online mindmapping
– http://www.mindomo.com – http://www.bubbl.us – http://mind42.com
• Online Voice Recording– http://audioboo.fm/ – http://www.houndbite.com/
Tools Used (2)
• Vocabulary– http://blachan.com/shahi/ is a visual
dictionary
– http://www.wordle.net/ used for word maps
– http://dictionary.cambridge.org/ used for pronunciation and definitions.
Adam Forrester
http://about.me/adamf