José Picardo:
José Picardo's blog post, Three Essential Tools for the Teacher of Languages, is geared towards teaching languages. However, these tips and tools can also be applied to the math classroom. If you have ELL students, these tools can lessen the pressure of speaking publicly. The truth is these tools are great platforms for anyone who is reluctant to speak in class.
Often times, students who do not speak English very well don't want to participate in class discussions. Forums such as the one's mentioned here by José allow students to take time and process what they want to say. Without being put on the spot, they may be more comfortable speaking. These platforms can also give student's anonymity. If they are speaking through a Voki, they don't have to worry about how they sound. Or, they can create a Glog without everyone knowing who created it. Voice Thread is another excellent web tool that can give students a Voice Thread with less pressure.
I definitely agree with José about teachers and students getting caught w/the tool as apposed to the learning. So when using these tools with students, make sure that they keep focused on communicating mathematical ideas.
If you haven't tried these teaching tools yet, give them a shot. If nothing else, you just might ignite student engagement in your math class!
Please leave a comment. I'd love to hear your thoughts! Have you used these? If so, how? If you try them for the first time, let us know how it went.
Web applications are fun for both teachers and students, but often both teachers and students can become too preoccupied with the tool itself and forget what its purpose ought to be: to support teaching and learning. Here’s a little guide to using three fantastic web applications successfully and effectively.
José Picardo's blog post, Three Essential Tools for the Teacher of Languages, is geared towards teaching languages. However, these tips and tools can also be applied to the math classroom. If you have ELL students, these tools can lessen the pressure of speaking publicly. The truth is these tools are great platforms for anyone who is reluctant to speak in class.
Often times, students who do not speak English very well don't want to participate in class discussions. Forums such as the one's mentioned here by José allow students to take time and process what they want to say. Without being put on the spot, they may be more comfortable speaking. These platforms can also give student's anonymity. If they are speaking through a Voki, they don't have to worry about how they sound. Or, they can create a Glog without everyone knowing who created it. Voice Thread is another excellent web tool that can give students a Voice Thread with less pressure.
I definitely agree with José about teachers and students getting caught w/the tool as apposed to the learning. So when using these tools with students, make sure that they keep focused on communicating mathematical ideas.
If you haven't tried these teaching tools yet, give them a shot. If nothing else, you just might ignite student engagement in your math class!
Please leave a comment. I'd love to hear your thoughts! Have you used these? If so, how? If you try them for the first time, let us know how it went.
1 comment:
Hola Kristi,
Thanks very much for putting the spotlight on my post. You are absolutely right about indicating that, although I wrote about language teaching and learning, these tools can easily be extrapolated to any subject in the curriculum.
With Voki your students can become Abraham Lincoln or why not challenge your students to describe the importance of π using Glogster?
Post a Comment