Korean Job Discussion Forums

[luckylady]

around 10 days ago I started an intensive class for summer

small group of students, usual banter back & forth but when the conversation came up about daily diaries, I thought, heck it doesn't make sense in this day and age - how about teaching them to blog

one is only 12 (girl) 2 boys, 15 and 16.

they've taken to it like ducks to water. at first we wrote on paper in the classroom and then transferred it to the computer. now they write directly on the computer. sometimes I give them a starting phrase to get them going.

usually our topic just expands on the lesson (we're using Interchange level 2)

their writing is typical ESL stuff (short simple paragraphs) but they are much more eager to do it and not only accept criticisms easier, change it as I correct on the overhead monitor, and actually seem to be learning to write better!! wow !!

I'm very excited about this and wanted to share. I think this can really get kids excited about writing as well as becoming better at their English.

of course it helps to have access to computers in school, I know not everyone does, but even without that if you can get them set up you can have them do it on their own. my students are actually adding to their blogs on their own time on the weekends. small stuff, but when was the last time a kid wrote in their diary on their own?

there are numerous blogging sites available as many of you know so they can now have their own website/blog in English. I was planning a special lesson how to post photos but they've already done that on their own!

[Emark]

Excellent Idea! Thanks for sharing.

This also give you the ability to mark / grade / evaluate their writing much easier too. Nothing worse than filtering through that chicken scratch and dealing with a mountain of notebooks. It's something the parents can see and will "impress" them.

[lowpo]

I like your idea. Instead of creating a blog page! Why do you put the diaries on the school's webpage?

[thunderbird]

Ur first term ended ten days ago thats very eary do u teach elementary?

[iggyb]

In the US, you have to be somewhat careful about this. You have to check what kind of personally identifying info is in the writing. By law, there are certain things you can't publicize info that a sex offender might possibly use to locate the student. Images and video of the students can also be sensitive in the US.

Due to these laws - and due to the fact many of the older people who are principles and department heads don't know technology - supervisors will sometimes reject such an idea in kneejerk fashion. I've found it's best not to mention sharing classroom products online.

I've had flack before for material on my class website that was exactly the same as items you could find on the school's website. Principles can just imagine a parent or someone making some obscure complaint (legitimate or not) and say "No" or interfere.

In the past, when in doubt, I've password protected a blog post on the class website I created.

You can also setup a site requiring registration.

Video taping role-plays and skits works well. I've used it in Korea too. You don't have to upload any of them for it to be effective, but I've done that. You can also keep them for use in future classes for listening comprehension or examples. Younger students enjoy seeing students they might know or someone's brother or sister.

I've kept a "visual dictionary" of short videos often under a minute long where students act out a demonstration of a word - like Run/Ran...

The students like doing it, and they like seeing what others have done, and it doesn't take much effort.

[iggyb]

Another good thing about blogging items from class is the commenting feature: You can make activities for in class or homework or if the students voluntairly want to comment.

Once, I setup a penpal exchange between my high school ESL class in the US and a guy's hakwon I got intouch with here. The idea was to exchange real letters and then slowly switch over to the blog. The blog was a great way for the two groups of students to keep in touch in some small ways.

It made writing or other exercises much more meaningful to them which made the learning much more meaningful.

[YTMND]

They should still do something by hand.

I have them write either an outline or a word map before they write on the computer.

[Dodge7]

A blog is only successful if you have views. Do you have your students read the blogs of other students in the classroom?

[iggyb]

Typically, putting work online is the a step after the final one. They don't draft directly to the blog. If possible, I like to have them draft on computer, because generations now are used to it, and the spell checking feature can cut down on the amount of time students spend worrying about spelling --- which is a huge battle I have with them. Fluency in writing is important for ESL students even if hard.

But most of the time, they draft to a final version on paper - which is also good for them - especially since they are more computer-oriented and get less practice with paper - which is still best for brainstorming and some prewriting.

What I did with my classes in the US where many of my students were high intermediate or better, I'd have them take the final draft and change it into a different format - a blog format. They would add images and such too. It was all based on research they had done at the start of the process and items they might have added later.

Built into any writing, it is good to have peer review small group or pair sessions. First, editing other student writing alone then discussing it in groups. Pushing the students to use English as much as possible.

I think this kind of thing can work with even high beginner students. You just have to adjust your expectations and remember that you are pushing them to have meaningful exchanges when you have ESL students interacting. Even if high beginners do very little talking in English, if this kind of small group work gives them meaningful contact with vocabulary and phrases and sentence patterns done by other students - things they didn't know before or were weak with.

In short, the peer review activities are part of a writing process, but they are practicing all the skills and gaining contact with language items.

I've done a shorter version of this with very short role-play skits the students would write, check, and act out, and then review.

[iggyb]

[luckylady]

[nora]

You can apply this mentality to every aspect of your teaching. You are not doing anything new, you're simply changing the medium. Writing by hand in a notebook, typing it on a computer, typing and publishing. It's the same thing as before, just updated for the times.

Everyone should look at their lessons and see if simply changing the medium can build interest. For example, giving students pictures to look at and then they compare the differences - give them the same photos but on their smart phones and you'll be doing the exact same thing, but their interest will be way higher.

I know a guy that uses facebook for his classes. All of the students have a FB account and they friend him and join his page. He'll post questions or comments and the students have to respond to him and others, and write their own stuff. It's no different than peer feedback except instead of using a notebook and passing it around, it's all online.

To expand on YTMND's comment, writing by hand is important. I like having my students write for a few minutes before every class. Anything they want, just write. It helps get them into class, get some ideas flowing, etc. Typing is NOT writing - it doesn't have the same feel to it, ya know? Writing is much more personal. In my experience, my students will WRITE a lot more detail and personal information than they would type.

Just some ideas to keep in mind.

[luckylady]