Tweeting in an ESL/EFL classroom

        This is an article that I found on the Web and it was written by Daniel O'Connell and I could say that it’s very interesting because is about the influence of the social networks in the ESL/EFL teaching and learning of today. Among these social networks we find Facebook and Twitter; the last one is the latest phenomenon in the technological age.

                  

Although some people don’t agree with these applications we cannot deny that they have a tremendous impact in our society and they are more than just gadgets or distractions.

This tool allows users to write messages and share opinions in no less than 140 characters. 

The author suggests teachers using Twitter to encourage a meaningful English Language Communication. He tells us how a teacher can develop classes based around Twitter and mobile technology.

Some ideas and suggestions are shown here in relation to how to use Twitter as an educational tool for a wide range of dynamic activities in a ESL/EFL classroom environment. 

With Twitter, we can work with the communication skills. This tool offers new and exciting ways to open up the lines of communication in the classroom. These ways are:

Direct Tweet: Professors and students can contact each other through direct Tweets; Get to Know your classmates; Collaborate on projects; make announcements; Brainstorm; Take a poll; Share interesting websites; Daily learning and; Ambient Awareness.

With Twitter we can also find useful information for class to practicing a foreign language. 

These are some of the many ways in which teachers can connect with modern day students and create an easily accepted classroom learning environment.  

If you want to know more about this topic you can click on:

http://www.pearsonclassroomlink.com/articles/0711/0711_0501.htm 

Virtual and Artificial, but 58,000 Want Course

This article was posted on the web site “The New York Times” by John Markoff, on August 15, 2011. And it’s about a free online course about Artificial Intelligence that the Stanford University, specifically the Stanford Computer Science Department is offering. The purpose they have is to extend technology knowledge and skills to the entire world. This course will be taught by two experts from Silicon Valley: Peter Norvig and Sebastian Thrun.

This course has attracted until now, more than 58.000 students around the globe and has attracted interest from more than 175 countries.   The online students will not be accredited by the Stanford University.

The teachers, from left, Peter Norvig and Sebastian Thrun.

 For the Artificial Courses, students will need to have some knowledge to take it but there are no restrictions to online participation. The age range is from High School to retirees.

In this article we can also know more about the works made by the instructors named before. They talk about the uncertainly that they feel with the audience attracted by this course. They also tell us about how this project originated. They exposed that their inspiration was the work of Salman Khan, a professor who provided video tutorials in 2006 to students around the world on a variety of subjects via You Tube. Also the programming of the course is explained here.

They will use a special system running to evaluate the number of participants. It’s important too, to emphasize that there has been some discussion about the fees for the instruction but it seems that the experts are “more interested in bringing Stanford to the world”. These are words of Dr. Thrun.

In my opinion, the article or news is a clear example of how people, teachers and students are using technology in the educational field. 

 If you want to read more about this news you can click on:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/16/science/16stanford.html?scp=3&sq=online%20education&st=cse