Reflection on the Course

 For the final task of our Instructional Technologies and Material Design course, we are tasked with reflecting on the semester and the overall process. Our instructor provided us with some questions:

How did you view technology integration in English language teaching before you took this course? Have your thoughts changed? If yes, in what ways? If no, please explain why not.

In my experience of learning English, technology was always integrated in classrooms, we had smart boards, listening activities and so on. These technologies, in my opinion, make the process of learnin a language much easier since it is more interactive than regualr methods. The course gave me deeper insight into the integration of technology in classroom and showed me how even newer, modern technologies can be implemented too.

⁠Explain how this course has contributed to your learning about and understanding of technology integration in ELT. Refer to the tasks you have completed and the reflection processes you were engaged in.

As I've stated in the previos question, I gained deeper insight into the field of technology integration and understand it on a new level. I can say that the "Digital Story" task we did showed me a new way of using multimedia in a language classroom.

Considering the tasks you have completed, which one(s) you liked the most and which one(s) the least? Explain your choices.

I enjoyed the infographic task since infographics are an effective way to send a message and the process of creating one was enjoyable to me. The podcast task was the one I liked least because I think it has lesser potential compared to other activities as not all students are comfortable with recording their voices.

 Do you have any suggestions to improve the course?

In my opinion, tasks should have options where students can do individual work, other than that I have no suggestions.

  

An AI Interview

 For this week's assignment, we learned about the use of AI in a teaching environment. We were tasked with using MagicSchool's AI chatbot feature to interview a historical figure/character of our choice, write a report on it and revise our report using the feedback feature.

For this task I chose to do my interview with the famous Rennaisance philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli. I asked 10 questions regarding his views on philosophy, religion, power and leadership. The AI seemed to reflect his views and opinions very well, showing his devoutness to pragmatism, realist personality, and doing whatever it takes to reach a goal.

After I was done with the interview, I wrote my first report, summarizing the overall chat's key points and reflecting on the experience. After that I analyzed my report using Magic School's AI which gave me feedback on structure, style and content. You are able to choose what kind of feedback you want, on what subject you want it on and provide extra details depending on what you're looking for.

Using the feedback provided, I revised my report and made a second, improved draft. The AI pointed out mistakes such as repetitive words, lack of elaboration in some parts and inconsitencies in the overall structure. With these changes I came up with a report that is much clearer and coherent.

Using AI tools like Magic School can allow students to create new content with any historical figure, person or character they are interested in, this will allow them to put their creativity to use and will be an enjoyable activity for them since they are free to chose whoever they want to chat with. The AI's ability to detect and point out mistakes gives them a chance to improve their writing or speaking skills without relying on teachers or peers.

A Movie Review

For this weeks assignment, we learned about collaborative writing and wrote a movie review. Arda, Mert and I decided on The Machinist (2004), starring Christian Bale, who is actually one of my favorite actors.

We actually had 2 weeks of time for this project so all of us had more than enough of time to ingest and analyze the movie. We used Google Docs for the whole project which is a program that lets everyone in the group to edit and view the paper, as well as peers to comment on it, which we also did for another group.

We each wrote our own seperate reviews first, picked the best parts from them and combined them in Google Docs while adding a few extra things and correcting mistakes in the process.

I found the app very user friendly and easy to use just like Google's other products. The ability to give specific permissions to people like viewing, commenting and editing makes collaborative writing very easy. The option to comment on particular words or the whole paper is also very neat.

Collaborative writing allows every member of the group to work in unison, fix each others mistakes and create something that every member contributes to. It can be used in a classroom environment where writing skills are to be improved and teamwork is to be encouraged.

I provided a screenshot of our review as well as the peer comments below. You can view Arda and Mert's blogs by clicking on their names.

A Digital Story

 For this week's assignment, we were tasked with creating a digital story. Me, Arda and Mert decided to create a story about a 1930's mafia deal in New York.

The story starts with Cianno, Alberto and Tony in a truck full of booze pulling up to a dark warehouse owned by Sullivan, a sketchy bussinessman. Just as the transaction was coming to an end, they were greeted by Falcone, a rival gang leader and things take a turn for the worse.

I don't want to spoil the story any further so I'll get into the production process. We first started by creating the characters, writing their lines and configuring the plot. After we were done writing, we started voice-recording. Everyone voiced a main character, along with a side-character.

After that, it was time for the graphics part. I used ChatGPT's 4o model to generate scenes. It took plenty of attempts to get it to perfection but it was certainly easier than fishing out specific images out of the internet for every single scene.

Finally, all there was left to do was to put everything together. I used Vegas 14 Pro which is actually a very old paid program but I was experienced with it and I already had it. Initially I was thinking of using CapCut which I'm also experienced with but it charges for some features which were necessary for the process.

An activity like this can let students use their creativity and imagination while encouraging teamwork. Creating stories and voicing characters can help improve their writing and speaking skills. I would definitely consider giving my students a project like this.

You can access the story through YouTube by clicking here, and you can access Arda's and Mert's blogs by clicking on their names.

 

A Podcast on How to Improve the World

 For this week's assignment, we created podcasts, podcasts specifically based off of BBC's "60 second idea to improve the world" podcasts where you have 60 seconds to present an idea that you think will improve the world. Some of these ideas were actually useful and practical while I thought some had a bit practicality to them but were somewhat comical.

My idea was to clear the world off of people who harm it, like criminals or polluters. Now, when I say "clear" bad ideas may pop up in your head but my solution was to give them a one-way ticket to an extraterrestrial trip, preferrably to mars. Unlike other punishments, this would actually keep the world safe from them and allow them to build an uncivilized civilization from scratch.

 The process of creating the podcast was harder than i anticipated, it took lots of tries and recordings before I decided it was acceptable. After I was done with the voice recording I removed background noises and gaps, put everyting into a video format with images and subtitles.

 

This type of a activity in a classroom would allow students to express their ideas and practice their speaking skills, also familiarizing them with using multimedia in an educational setting. Though some students might struggle if they're not comfortable with recording their voices or if they don't have the resources to do so. Overall I think this could be a fine activity to do in a language classroom.

 Click here to access the podcast through YouTube.

An Infographic on Plagiarism

 Hello and welcome back to my blog. For this assignment of our ICT course, we were tasked with creating an infographic about the various legal & ethical issues in material design we had covered previously. We were allowed to choose from 5 topics, which were plagiarism, copyright & fair use, safety & privacy, netiquette and cyberbullying. I picked plagiarism as my subject since it is a prevalent problem especially in our line of work in the education department.

  I used Piktochart to create a simple yet informing infographic that I think is both visually appealing and easy on the eyes. I provided a definition, reasons for why plagiarism is wrong and potential risks of it, followed by a list of things we can do to stop or avoid plagiarism. I found the website user-friendly and it had a wide range of graphics/icons to choose from.

Infographics can be great tools of teaching since they can be shaped and catered for every audience accordingly, keeping subjects interesting for everyone. For instance, younger students might find infographics with colorful and whimsical themes more interesting while more mature audiences might prefer simpler, more serious themes. The whole point of an infographic is to be more than just blank text, but a more attention-grabbing passage that is easier to ingest.

Some shapes and colors help when you need to highlight important points, like arrows, question/exclamation marks or bright colors. Using dots or lines to connect items can highlight a correlation or a chronological order. You can also use images or symbols related to the subject to make it easier for the students to understand. This comes in handy especially in language classrooms when you're trying to teach vocabulary or expressions.

Click here to take a look at my infographic.

 

Learning in the 21st Century: What Changed?

 In this passage, I will share my thoughts and opinions on how language learning changed in the 21st century.

Learning

As humanity, we've been passing down information to future generation in hopes that they'll learn and prosper since the day we started to think. Wherever you go that human civilizations have set foot before, you can always find pieces of information scattered around wether it be cave paintings, stone tablets or books.

Books 

Books have been the number one conduit of informantion for thousands of years. With the invention of the printing press, they became one of the most influential tools in history. Medical books helped create modern medicine and saved countless lives. Constitutions and the holy books shape the way the world works today. With the advances of the technological era, information is easier to acces than ever.

Technology

In the 21st century, most of us have access to technological devices, you're reading this post using one. Computers, smart phones, smart watches, even smart fridges are able to connect you to the internet. With the invention of the internet, all of the information we scribbled, printed or carved onto rocks are now accesible to everyone through one giant international hub. This was especially revolutionary for schools and teaching institutes that had their foundations built on books. Nowadays we see smartboards we can write on without the messines of chalk or the markers that are always empty, we have tablets and laptops which allow us to take notes and erase them easily without wasting any paper or pencils.

 English Learning

With the implementation of computers in classrooms, english can now be taught through Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL). As a language teacher candidate myself, I think this method makes the process of learning a language much easier. Today we can find media in every language or people to communicate with. Teaching methods like communitative language teaching and language immersion are now easier to implement and more effective with CALL. But does that mean we should leave the old ways in the past? Are the ancient tools of learning that got us here now obsolete? In my opinion, no. I think books and other forms of education have inherent value and should be cherished for their lasting legacy. What do you think?