LMS versus PLE

In my previous post I wrote about Open Educational Resources, and now I am going to talk about LMS and PLE. So, what are the definitions of LMS and PLE? LMS stands for Learning Management System, while PLE means Personal Learning Environment.

LMS is an excellent vehicle for training, evaluating, and tracking results. It is set by the government and provides centralized repository of content and services. Furthermore, LMS supports the management of learning content and learning activities, but with a focus on the traditional roles in a learning environment (teacher/learner).  Moreover, LMS allows having discussions, conferences and all in one place, which promotes collaborative learning. Now, some more advantages of LMS.

• Utilising correct learning strategies, it is possible for a LMS to increase motivation of learners, assist processing, promote significant learning, encourage interaction, provide feedback, facilitate contextual learning and provide support during the learning process (Sloan et.al, 2002).
•  LMS can support content in many formats, eg. multimedia, video, and text. (Dralle, 2007).

However, LMS has disadvantages as well. For example, LMSs tend to be course centered rather than student centered. Moreover, using LMS can also lead to teacher frustration in the quality of the teaching experience and teachers can feel less “in control “ (Clark,2007 )

Now a few words about PLE. It received significant attention and are about changing the paradigm of learning and teaching. It is a unique interface into the owner’s digital environment. It is also a portfolio system allowing the user to maintain their repository of content and selectively share that content as needed. According to Stephen Downes, PLE is decentralized rather than centralized. Furthermore, it allows to access different resources from around the Internet, like youtube, facebook, google docs. etc. whenever you want. Furthermore, it      

•  Easily organise and share information
• Gives learners’ control of their learning
• Promotes peer learning by bringing the learning environment to students’ social space
• Allows single learning space across courses 

 As LMS, PLE has some drawbacks too. For example in PLE, there is a risk to tudy with  low quality materilas. So I think that learners should be very careful while selecting their materials.

Additionally, I would like to mention one big difference among LMA and PLE. In LMS your data sits at the learning management system, which means that if you live the University, you data stays behind and you cannot access to it anymore. While in PLE, your data stays with you.

 In conclusion, I want to say that in Armenia there is a tendency to use traditional way of teaching, and the majority of Institutions do not want to accept this new way of learning. However, it sounds to me that time by time they will integrate all these innovations and new technologies in their curriculum. Finally, I want to finish my post with the saying of Albert Einstein that "Learning is not a product of schooling but the lifelong attempt to acquire it.

Sources

http://terrya.edublogs.org/2006/01/09/ples-versus-lms-are-ples-ready-for-prime-time/

https://sites.google.com/site/technologyinpedagogy/sessions/using-ple

http://www.google.am/imgres?q=pictures+of+PLE&start=200&hl=hy&tbm=isch&tbnid=Ink80_8a2Sw5nM:&imgrefurl=http://pformyfuture.wordpress.com/2012/10/12/terrys-ple-for-98908/&docid=a1mWLYe68peJWM&imgurl=http://pformyfuture.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/terry_tomasiewicz_ple2.jpg&w=793&h=499&ei=2qefUKiQDeLI0AW03YHYAg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=499&vpy=230&dur=761&hovh=178&hovw=283&tx=167&ty=72&sig=111153760880240863882&page=9&tbnh=132&tbnw=210&ndsp=30&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:200,i:10&biw=1366&bih=630

http://www.google.am/imgres?q=pictures+of+LMS&hl=hy&sa=X&biw=1366&bih=630&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=CrmBHoG7f2F0fM:&imgrefurl=http://www.ucop.edu/lms/lms.html&docid=H2K-dScT6FFvVM&imgurl=http://www.ucop.edu/lms/images/lms.jpg&w=343&h=294&ei=kaefUJj9IonM0QXI4IGADA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=576&vpy=343&dur=1033&hovh=208&hovw=243&tx=156&ty=81&sig=111153760880240863882&page=3&tbnh=141&tbnw=179&start=39&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:26,s:20,i:203

                                        Open Educational Resources

This time I am going to talk about Open Educational Resources (OER). It is not a secret that in this 21st century the world is changing very rapidly, and the need for continuous learning and demand for new ideas and skills becomes higher and higher. Furthermore, as written in the article “Open Education, the Long Tail, and Learning2.0 “(Brown &Alder, 2008), the minority of us have one specific career, instead we try to learn and master as many professions as possible. I would like to bring my own example. Now I am learning In TEFL, but I am very interested in Public Administration. This is the field in which I am really involved, and I would like to go deep and deep. Here OER is a great help to me, as it provides free teaching, learning and research resources. To be honest, I was very shocked and fascinated when I came across with one of the websites, posted by our professor. It is very useful tool which will help you do become a mater in the field you want. It allows you to sign up, choose your desired subject and study even from home, by downloading all the modules of that specific course. The most important thing is that it’s free of charge and you shouldn’t pay any money for that. 

 So, I think that this is one advantage of OER. It’s to say, there are many online courses which you could chose and learn, and there is no any limitation.  Secondly, OER develops collaborative learning. For example, learners can share ideas, discuss various topics with each other etc. , and according to Richard J. Light, students who study in groups, even only once a week, are more engaged in their studies, are better prepared for class, and learn significantly more than students who work on their own.

However, OER has disadvantages as well. From my point of view, the first challenge is the quality issues. Since users can create an account and post materials, the resources may not be so accurate, and this is a big issue I guess. Secondly, there is no much interaction between a student and a teacher.

To conclude, I would like to say that OER is a relatively new movement in education which provides an alternative to the rising costs of education. Should we use it in Armenia? Well, I would like to say it depends. However, I sounds to me that Armenian students need a teacher/facilitator, othetrwise they will not learn. 

http://www.oercommons.org/about

http://libguides.umuc.edu/content.php?pid=98930&sid=742401

http://moodle.aua.am/file.php/28/Course_Materials/Open_educational_resources/MindsOnFire_BrownAdler_2008.pdf

http://www.google.am/imgres?hl=hy&sa=X&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=6tlXd17vBi_kbM:&imgrefurl=http://www.tonybates.ca/2011/10/05/introducing-the-oeru-and-some-questions/&docid=TPUxKiGUxtCbmM&imgurl=http://www.tonybates.ca/wp-content/uploads/OERu-logo.jpg&w=496&h=328&ei=eyiaUNX7B-X-4QTlvoDYDg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=803&vpy=345&dur=422&hovh=158&hovw=232&tx=118&ty=59&sig=111153760880240863882&page=1&tbnh=141&tbnw=199&start=0&ndsp=17&ved=1t:429,r:14,s:0,i:103&biw=1366&bih=631

http://www.google.am/imgres?hl=hy&sa=X&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=Rb6QTbAQz86rLM:&imgrefurl=http://learningonlineinfo.org/the-impact-of-open-educational-resources/&docid=38qkmXUtwPDPjM&imgurl=http://static.learningonlineinfo.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/open-education.jpg&w=454&h=251&ei=eyiaUNX7B-X-4QTlvoDYDg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=893&vpy=12&dur=328&hovh=167&hovw=301&tx=184&ty=45&sig=111153760880240863882&page=3&tbnh=120&tbnw=217&start=44&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:28,s:20,i:210&biw=1366&bih=631

              Computer and Video Games 

In this post I am going to speak about computer and video games. It is not a secret that nowadays computer games are very popular among young learners, and they can be more than just a form of entertainment. However, in one of our readings I faced with the idea that games are "play", and thus the opposite of "work". However, I do not agree with the author of the article. Furthermore, I would like to say that I found computer games very interesting and motivating. I think computer/video games have many advantages and can stimulate and encourage students to learn. To be honest, I personally enjoy playing video and computer games and I do play them a lot. Here are some benefits of video games.

• They are   motivating and challenging
• Games provide language practice in the various skills- speaking, listening, reading and writing
• They create a meaningful context for language use

Now I would like to speak about the third advantage mentioned above, which is about a meaningful context. I think this is really very important. As Richard Van Eck says games are effective because the learning takes place within a meaningful context. What students learn is directly related to the environment in which you learn and demonstrate, and in my opinion this is very true, because learning that occurs in meaningful and relevant context is more effective that occurs outside the context. There was a very good example about the Lions that they do not learn to hunt through direct instruction, but through modeling and play.

However, I want to mention that not all games are effective, and there is a risk that games may have very bad effects on learners. This is especially true when children/adults play violent video games, which do have harmful effects. Those who play these kinds of games tend to be more aggressive and may engage in fights with their peers. Furthermore, the frequent use of computer and video games may bring to physical and social isolation, which I guess, again is a big problem.

To sum up my reflection about the video and computer games, I would like to say that even computer and video games have some negative effects, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Moreover, playing these kinds of games will help children to improve typing, reading, and writing skills, and why not, the analytical thinking as well. Besides, as I mentioned above, they are engaging and very motivating.

The Sources: http://www.google.am/imgres?hl=hy&tbm=isch&tbnid=5ZUKaP25Obsq_M:&imgrefurl=http://compdiary.blogspot.com/2012/02/video-games-in-learning-and-gender.html&docid=fPFOFYoN

VZnscM&imgurl=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuT8Qxaig3CNz1yEY_uKs2rz7-Fcq840ZpTY4crupAiYsTQ1KMJY_o3IAlsC3ZUstE_e8rXzR4QTqBC1SU57kgr8tPtdjZx7f2bERtDonSbW44347sAc1_o9cCwN4EoJPxGh6nbKSf28g/s1600/17_5_orig.jpg&w=413&h=310&ei=1DqQUJvCC8zBswbg6YHgCA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=436&vpy=302&dur=2374&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=155&ty=147&sig=111153760880240863882&page=4&tbnh=151&tbnw=192&start=69&ndsp=26&ved=1t:429,i:279&biw=1366&bih=

http://www.google.am/imgres?hl=hy&tbm=isch&tbnid=xpECJUNvrbMraM:&imgrefurl=http://fun.recreationxleisure.com/fun-online-computer-playing-games-kids/&docid=T2dyvxK3j72h0M&imgurl=http://recreationxleisure.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Playing-Games-For-Kids.jpg&w=1280&h=1024&ei=1DqQUJvCC8zBswbg6YHgCA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=83&vpy=149&dur=65&hovh=201&hovw=251&tx=151&ty=95&sig=111153760880240863882&page=1&tbnh=141&tbnw=136&start=0&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,i:61&biw=1366&bih=588

http://www.pamf.org/preteen/parents/videogames.html

http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/Harvard_Mental_Health_Letter/2010/October/violent-video-games-and-young-people

http://moodle.aua.am/file.php/28/Course_Materials/Gaming/COTS_VanEck_2006.pdf

Anderson C.,  Sakamoto A., Gentile D., Ihori N., Shibuya A., Yukawa S.,   Naito M., Kobayashi K. Longitudinal Effects of Violent Video Games on Aggression in Japan and the United States.

                            Digital story-telling and video production in EFL
                                             classes in Armenia

In this post, I will speak about Digital storey- telling and video production in EFL classes. So, what is a Digital storey-telling? Actually, it refers to using digital tools so that ordinary people can tell their own real-life stories.

From my point of view, Digital storey-telling is very important in EFL classrooms, as it allows teachers to engage the students in their own language learning process. Furthermore, by using Digital storey-telling, teachers can help students to develop the skills which they need to be successful in our technology -rich world. Secondly, as we know, there are lazy students, reluctant learners, or students who become bored very quickly during the classes and they do not want to follow the teacher’s instructions or learn something new. So, how to deal with this problem? The solution is that the teachers can overcome these obstacles by using Digital storey-telling, which helps to inspire students and motivate them to learn. Thus, from the facts mentioned above, it is evident that Digital story-telling has many advantages and can be very beneficial in EFL classroom.  To sum up, telling Digital storey-telling

•        Encourages research
•          Fosters critical thinking skills
•          Encourages students to write and to work at becoming better writers
•          Gives students a voice
•          Helps students to retain knowledge longer
•          Promote Digital literacy

   

In the continuation, I will speak about video making in EFL classrooms. It is not secret that we live in a networked 

world where technology has become an essential part of teaching and learning. It provides us with a number of teaching/learning tools which we can use in an EFL classroom.  So, one of this tools is video making. In my opinion, student-produced videos can be an excellent EFL/ESL learning activity. This activity differs from the other ones because the learner participates in video making process in variety of ways. 

Nowadays, when we have relatively advanced digital video technology, EFL learners have many opportunities to create their own videos on a specific topic given by the teacher or the topic which they are interested in as we did in our class. Furthermore, I liked this new innovation and as a future teacher, I think, I will use the video making in my classrooms. Additionally, I can say that it makes the learning process more vivid and student-oriented. I think learning and "having fun" simultaneously is one of the best ways for students to learn.

Wikis

                                                                      Wikis

My today’s post is about wikis. So, what is a wiki? Actually, it is a Web page that can be viewed by anybody with a Web browser and access to the internet. It's easy, efficient, and intuitive to use. Every user gets a voice and everyone's contribution is seen, heard, and can be commented upon. In other words, Wikis are dynamic and here readers become authors and editors.

Firstly, I would like to say that I like wikis very much and I consider them to be very effective, especially in the English classroom, as it allows students to work cooperatively and collaboratively. In the classroom students may not have time to read each other’s work, but now due to wiki they can continue it even at home, in collaborative online environment. Students work together, share knowledge and learn from each others.

Secondly, advanced technology skills are not required for editing wiki pages, and students who do not have perfect computer skills can still use wiki pages. However, from my point of view, there can be some cases where students will encounter some difficulties while using wikis for their home assignments.

On the other hand, wikis may have some drawbacks as well. For example, participants can accidentally or intentionally delete someone’s contributions as happened with Tamar.

To sum up, even wikis have some drawbacks, advantaged outweigh disadvantages. They make the learning process more effective. They are easy to learn, simple, efficient, and most wikis are free.

Using Podcast in EFL/ESL classroom

                                            Using Podcast in EFL/ESL classrooms

In this reflection I will speak about Podcast and its effect on EFL/ESL classroom. Firstly, what is a Podcast? Actually, it is a digital media file, or a series of such files, that is distributed over the Internet using syndication feeds for playback on portable media players and personal computers.

Firstly, I would like to say, that for those language learners whose first language is not English, they find it very difficult to improve their listening and speaking skills. However, with today’s technology it becomes easier and faster to improve, and one of this innovation is a Podcast.

Podcasting allows students to use their technology-based entertainment systems (iPods, MP3 players) for educational experiences. Because students are already familiar with the underlying technology, podcasting broadens educational options in a nonthreatening and easily accessible manner. For example, podcasting allows lectures or other course content to be made available to students if they miss class. Beyond missed lectures, podcasting can provide access to experts through interviews. Podcasting is not limited to content delivered to the student, however; students can create their own podcasts—as a record of activities, a way to collect notes, or a reflection on what they have learnt.

Secondly, it sounds to me, that using podcast in EFL/ESL classroom is a fun, and more interesting way compared with traditional textbooks. Students are not reluctant to do activities and they do it with great pleasure. Furthermore, using podcast in the EFL/ESL classroom could improve writing skills, as students can write reflection after listening to the podcast. To sum up, it seems to me that using podcast in EFL/ESL classrooms could be very beneficial, as it can be used creatively to encourage students to practice language outside of the classroom.