Sunday, October 31, 2010
MindShare Learning 21st Century Canadian EdTech Leadership Summit
Looking forward to attending the MindShare 21st Century Canadian EdTech Leadership Summit on Tuesday, November 2, 2010. See http://mslsummit2010.wikispaces.com/ for details. Looking forward to seeing Cheryl Page and the Joyce team after participating on a number of their projects last year.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Sociocultural and Constructivist Opportunities for Social, Authentic and Community-Building Online Resources for ESL Writing
June 30, 2010
World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications (EDMEDIA) 2010
Toronto, Canada
June 29, 2010
ISBN 1-880094-81-9
AACE
Lesley Wilton, OCT, York University
The proliferation of digital information in this technology age provokes the rethinking of English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction. Technological advancements together with emergent theories of learning create opportunities for transformation in ESL pedagogy. Sociocultural theory and constructivist conventions invoke situated and authentic access to the growing corpus of online language and social computing websites in ESL teaching. Also, L2 writers benefit from access to online sociocultural and constructivist teaching approaches which incorporate articulation, reflection, scaffolding and a community of learners. Finally, emerging trends in ESL teaching strategies feature social online sites, internet tools, key pals, e-portfolios and digital storytelling. Advances in Web 2.0 social computing, online virtual worlds and emergent digital teaching resources afford practitioners innovative tools for transformation in ESL teaching methods.
Proceedings Available at http://www.editlib.org/p/34823
World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications (EDMEDIA) 2010
Toronto, Canada
June 29, 2010
ISBN 1-880094-81-9
AACE
Lesley Wilton, OCT, York University
The proliferation of digital information in this technology age provokes the rethinking of English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction. Technological advancements together with emergent theories of learning create opportunities for transformation in ESL pedagogy. Sociocultural theory and constructivist conventions invoke situated and authentic access to the growing corpus of online language and social computing websites in ESL teaching. Also, L2 writers benefit from access to online sociocultural and constructivist teaching approaches which incorporate articulation, reflection, scaffolding and a community of learners. Finally, emerging trends in ESL teaching strategies feature social online sites, internet tools, key pals, e-portfolios and digital storytelling. Advances in Web 2.0 social computing, online virtual worlds and emergent digital teaching resources afford practitioners innovative tools for transformation in ESL teaching methods.
Proceedings Available at http://www.editlib.org/p/34823
Avatars: Usefulness in Collaborative Online Learning Environments
STLHE 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
12:45pm – 1:15pm at Ryerson University, POD 250
Tonya M. Noel, University of Toronto
Lesley Wilton, York University
Challenges of effective online learning are well documented. Two playful activities attempted to address the issue of creating a community of learners in a collaborative online environment. The first was to create a depiction of oneself using character building tools. Avatars, complete with props, were self-created to represent online identities of class members and to provide opportunities for comment, discussion and engagement. The second activity required participants to creatively express their thoughts on an abstract topic without using text. Participants were then invited to guess the information their peers were trying to portray and intentions vs. interpretations were discussed.
These simple and ludic activities were favourably welcomed with high participation by the group. The outcomes reflected stronger senses of engagement, belonging and trust. Our session is intended to provide an overview of the activities’ benefits and challenges, discuss related literature on online collaboration, sense of community and learner identities, and engage attendees in creation activities of their own.
Digital futures, developing intrinsic desires to create, valuing learning, the teacher’s medium, and curricular design are some of the 2010 streams which will be supported in our session.
Discussion Outline
• Introductions
• Engaging Online Learners
• Social Presence
• Theoretical Framework
• Online interactions
• Descriptions of activities
• Try it yourself
Character Creator programs
• Bitstrips - http://bitstrips.com/landing
• The Hero Factory - http://cpbintegrated.com/theherofactory/
• Spore Creature Creator - http://www.spore2d.com/
• South Park Studio - http://www.sp-studio.de/
• Female Superhero - http://ammotu.deviantart.com/art/Super-Character-Creator-Female-66610994
• Male Superhero - http://ammotu.deviantart.com/art/Super-Character-Creator-Male-67189399
• Picasso Head Creator - http://www.mrpicassohead.com/create.html
• Lego Creator - http://devbook.com/charactercreators/lego/
• Sonic Creator - http://devbook.com/charactercreators/sonic/
• Simpsons Avatars - http://www.simpsonsmovie.com/main.html
• Voki - http://www.voki.com/
• Madmen - http://www.amctv.com/originals/madmen/madmenyourself/
References
Anderson, T., Rourke, L., Garrison, R., & Archer, W. (2001). Assessing Teaching Presence in a Computer Conferencing Context. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks. 5 (2).
Freeman, W. & Brett, C. (2007). Finding the Individual in Collaborative Online Learning Environments. Available at http://tactl.unt.edu/pdf/freeman-brett-TACTL2007.pdf
Kehrwald, B. (2008). Understanding social presence in text-based online learning environments. Distance Education, 29(1).
Kreijns, K., Kirschner, P. A. & Jochems, W. (2007). Identifying the pitfalls for social interaction in computer-supported collaborative learning environments: a review of the research. Computers in Human Behavior, 19 (2003) 335–353.
Lowenthal, P. R. (2009) Social Presence. In P. Rogers, G. Berg, J. Boettcher, C. Howard, L. Justice, & K. Schenk (Eds.) Encyclopedia of distance and online learning(2nd ed). Information Science Reference. Available at http://www.patricklowenthal.com/publications/socialpresenceEDOLpre-print.pdf
Murphy, K. L., Cifuentes, L. (2001). Using web Tools. Collaborating and Learning Online. Distance Education; 2001; 22, 2; Wilson Education Abstracts pg. 285-306
Smith, R. O. (2008). The paradox of trust in online collaborative groups. Distance Education; 29 (3), 325-340.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
12:45pm – 1:15pm at Ryerson University, POD 250
Tonya M. Noel, University of Toronto
Lesley Wilton, York University
Challenges of effective online learning are well documented. Two playful activities attempted to address the issue of creating a community of learners in a collaborative online environment. The first was to create a depiction of oneself using character building tools. Avatars, complete with props, were self-created to represent online identities of class members and to provide opportunities for comment, discussion and engagement. The second activity required participants to creatively express their thoughts on an abstract topic without using text. Participants were then invited to guess the information their peers were trying to portray and intentions vs. interpretations were discussed.
These simple and ludic activities were favourably welcomed with high participation by the group. The outcomes reflected stronger senses of engagement, belonging and trust. Our session is intended to provide an overview of the activities’ benefits and challenges, discuss related literature on online collaboration, sense of community and learner identities, and engage attendees in creation activities of their own.
Digital futures, developing intrinsic desires to create, valuing learning, the teacher’s medium, and curricular design are some of the 2010 streams which will be supported in our session.
Discussion Outline
• Introductions
• Engaging Online Learners
• Social Presence
• Theoretical Framework
• Online interactions
• Descriptions of activities
• Try it yourself
Character Creator programs
• Bitstrips - http://bitstrips.com/landing
• The Hero Factory - http://cpbintegrated.com/theherofactory/
• Spore Creature Creator - http://www.spore2d.com/
• South Park Studio - http://www.sp-studio.de/
• Female Superhero - http://ammotu.deviantart.com/art/Super-Character-Creator-Female-66610994
• Male Superhero - http://ammotu.deviantart.com/art/Super-Character-Creator-Male-67189399
• Picasso Head Creator - http://www.mrpicassohead.com/create.html
• Lego Creator - http://devbook.com/charactercreators/lego/
• Sonic Creator - http://devbook.com/charactercreators/sonic/
• Simpsons Avatars - http://www.simpsonsmovie.com/main.html
• Voki - http://www.voki.com/
• Madmen - http://www.amctv.com/originals/madmen/madmenyourself/
References
Anderson, T., Rourke, L., Garrison, R., & Archer, W. (2001). Assessing Teaching Presence in a Computer Conferencing Context. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks. 5 (2).
Freeman, W. & Brett, C. (2007). Finding the Individual in Collaborative Online Learning Environments. Available at http://tactl.unt.edu/pdf/freeman-brett-TACTL2007.pdf
Kehrwald, B. (2008). Understanding social presence in text-based online learning environments. Distance Education, 29(1).
Kreijns, K., Kirschner, P. A. & Jochems, W. (2007). Identifying the pitfalls for social interaction in computer-supported collaborative learning environments: a review of the research. Computers in Human Behavior, 19 (2003) 335–353.
Lowenthal, P. R. (2009) Social Presence. In P. Rogers, G. Berg, J. Boettcher, C. Howard, L. Justice, & K. Schenk (Eds.) Encyclopedia of distance and online learning(2nd ed). Information Science Reference. Available at http://www.patricklowenthal.com/publications/socialpresenceEDOLpre-print.pdf
Murphy, K. L., Cifuentes, L. (2001). Using web Tools. Collaborating and Learning Online. Distance Education; 2001; 22, 2; Wilson Education Abstracts pg. 285-306
Smith, R. O. (2008). The paradox of trust in online collaborative groups. Distance Education; 29 (3), 325-340.
Creating new pathways for literacy learning: Play in multimodal text production
Friday, May 28, 2010, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec.
At the Language and Literacy Researchers (a SIG of the Canadian Association of Curriculum Studies CACS, which is a constituent association of the Canadian Society for the Study of Education (CSSE) Pre-Conference.
Heather Lotherington, Jennifer Jenson, Laura-Mae Lindo, and Lesley Wilton discuss Researching new literacies in the multicultural classroom: Developing a ludic approach to linguistic challenges in elementary education, a collaborative research project based at Joyce Public School in northwest Toronto whee a group of researchers (York University) and teachers (JPS) have been developing pedagogies that approach literacy as ludic and multiliterate in nature.Our learning community works toward pedagogical rather than curricular change to reform literacy learning in the multicultural classroom. We work from a perspective of grass roots, teacher-based learning rather than top-down teaching to implement change in literacy pedagogy (Lotherington, 2009). In this presentation we have the opportunity to share and discuss our progress and issues complete with road bumps, and blockages (conceptual, material, physical).
Formal education is a complex institution, comprising interconnected, dynamic elements that affect each other in myriad ways (Radford, 2006). Curricular reform is a complicated, politically invested project that requires coordination that can be subverted by the hidden curricula in testing agenda (cf: Shohamy, 2007).
The explicit goal of our research is to develop our learning community of university-based researchers, and school teachers, administrators and consultants geared to developing agentive literacy projects using ludic pedagogies (de Castell & Jenson, 2009) that follow curricular requirements and that directly address the production of and support for multiliterate practices, including specifically the inclusion of community languages in multimodal production. This we have made significant progress with in participating schools, but find that on the institutional level, education is seriously hampered in revising literacy education towards 21st century practices by politically established assessment and accountability practices.
Research Design and Process
Research and pedagogy are intertwined in the aims and methodology of the learning community established in this research initiative, which is designed for linguistic and social inclusion and participatory learning. The learning community functions as internal, and on-site professional development (“learning from the inside out”), and as research collective, following a guided action research agenda to co-develop ludic, multimodal literacies pedagogies that are sensitive to the linguistically heterogeneous classroom, and exploratory of digital culture.
(Initial) Findings
Our project is in evolutionary progress. Observations of interest that we are following include a focus on:
• creating spaces for mixed language modes, including community languages, that are layered in textual production and performance;
• the development of a hybrid and multimodal teacher directed, student implemented project that attempts to imbricate deeper understandings of difference/s;
• the tension between play and success in the classroom – exploring why the successful use of play in a lively classroom was discarded for the sake of more tangible “results” and the consequent tendency to fall back on traditional pedagogies to “show” (or prove) success;
• designing an effective scaffolding practice for ESL literacy. Teaching literacy skills to multicultural kindergarten students through the meaningful engagement of L1 with parents and caregivers of ESL students and the use of digital technology is complex in design; we are exploring how to best represent same and different in order to effectively engage community and scaffold the learning process.
In this session paper, we discuss preliminary observations and invite discussion on the ways in which discourse on, and the “outcomes” projected in the prevailing accountability and assessment agenda on literacy learning can be critically approached through research that begins from Courtney Cazden’s premise of “performance before competence”.
References
Cheng, L., Fox, J., & Zheng, Y. (2007). Student accounts of the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test: A case for validation. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 64(1), 69-98.
de Castell, S. & Jenson, J. (2009). One Code to Rule them All. National Reading Conference, December 1-4, Albuquerque, NM.
Lotherington, H. (2009). Glocalization, representation and literacy education. e-Learning, 6 (3), 274.
Lotherington, H., Neville-Verardi, D., & Sinitskaya Ronda, N. (2009). English in cyberspace: Negotiating hypertext literacies. In L.B. Abraham & L. Williams (Eds.), Electronic discourses in language learning and language teaching (pp. 11-42). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Radford, M. (2006). Researching classrooms: Complexity and chaos. British Educational Research Journal, 32 (2), 177-190.
Shohamy, E. (2007). Language tests as language policy tools. Assessment in Education, 14 (1), 117-130.
3 questions or issues related to issues of social justice and/or equity that arise from our research:
1. How can we avoid abandoning play for the sake of more tangible “results” in the classroom? How can we re-think successful student achievement(s) with the aim of allowing a space for more creative exploration of materials in classroom?
2. How do we address the issues of the digital divide and access to languages while involving community in building knowledge? How do we assess the effect of community involvement?
3. What ideas do you have towards changing assessment procedures and notions of accountability in/for the classroom to allow more flexibility in how literacy is taught?
At the Language and Literacy Researchers (a SIG of the Canadian Association of Curriculum Studies CACS, which is a constituent association of the Canadian Society for the Study of Education (CSSE) Pre-Conference.
Heather Lotherington, Jennifer Jenson, Laura-Mae Lindo, and Lesley Wilton discuss Researching new literacies in the multicultural classroom: Developing a ludic approach to linguistic challenges in elementary education, a collaborative research project based at Joyce Public School in northwest Toronto whee a group of researchers (York University) and teachers (JPS) have been developing pedagogies that approach literacy as ludic and multiliterate in nature.Our learning community works toward pedagogical rather than curricular change to reform literacy learning in the multicultural classroom. We work from a perspective of grass roots, teacher-based learning rather than top-down teaching to implement change in literacy pedagogy (Lotherington, 2009). In this presentation we have the opportunity to share and discuss our progress and issues complete with road bumps, and blockages (conceptual, material, physical).
Formal education is a complex institution, comprising interconnected, dynamic elements that affect each other in myriad ways (Radford, 2006). Curricular reform is a complicated, politically invested project that requires coordination that can be subverted by the hidden curricula in testing agenda (cf: Shohamy, 2007).
The explicit goal of our research is to develop our learning community of university-based researchers, and school teachers, administrators and consultants geared to developing agentive literacy projects using ludic pedagogies (de Castell & Jenson, 2009) that follow curricular requirements and that directly address the production of and support for multiliterate practices, including specifically the inclusion of community languages in multimodal production. This we have made significant progress with in participating schools, but find that on the institutional level, education is seriously hampered in revising literacy education towards 21st century practices by politically established assessment and accountability practices.
Research Design and Process
Research and pedagogy are intertwined in the aims and methodology of the learning community established in this research initiative, which is designed for linguistic and social inclusion and participatory learning. The learning community functions as internal, and on-site professional development (“learning from the inside out”), and as research collective, following a guided action research agenda to co-develop ludic, multimodal literacies pedagogies that are sensitive to the linguistically heterogeneous classroom, and exploratory of digital culture.
(Initial) Findings
Our project is in evolutionary progress. Observations of interest that we are following include a focus on:
• creating spaces for mixed language modes, including community languages, that are layered in textual production and performance;
• the development of a hybrid and multimodal teacher directed, student implemented project that attempts to imbricate deeper understandings of difference/s;
• the tension between play and success in the classroom – exploring why the successful use of play in a lively classroom was discarded for the sake of more tangible “results” and the consequent tendency to fall back on traditional pedagogies to “show” (or prove) success;
• designing an effective scaffolding practice for ESL literacy. Teaching literacy skills to multicultural kindergarten students through the meaningful engagement of L1 with parents and caregivers of ESL students and the use of digital technology is complex in design; we are exploring how to best represent same and different in order to effectively engage community and scaffold the learning process.
In this session paper, we discuss preliminary observations and invite discussion on the ways in which discourse on, and the “outcomes” projected in the prevailing accountability and assessment agenda on literacy learning can be critically approached through research that begins from Courtney Cazden’s premise of “performance before competence”.
References
Cheng, L., Fox, J., & Zheng, Y. (2007). Student accounts of the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test: A case for validation. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 64(1), 69-98.
de Castell, S. & Jenson, J. (2009). One Code to Rule them All. National Reading Conference, December 1-4, Albuquerque, NM.
Lotherington, H. (2009). Glocalization, representation and literacy education. e-Learning, 6 (3), 274.
Lotherington, H., Neville-Verardi, D., & Sinitskaya Ronda, N. (2009). English in cyberspace: Negotiating hypertext literacies. In L.B. Abraham & L. Williams (Eds.), Electronic discourses in language learning and language teaching (pp. 11-42). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Radford, M. (2006). Researching classrooms: Complexity and chaos. British Educational Research Journal, 32 (2), 177-190.
Shohamy, E. (2007). Language tests as language policy tools. Assessment in Education, 14 (1), 117-130.
3 questions or issues related to issues of social justice and/or equity that arise from our research:
1. How can we avoid abandoning play for the sake of more tangible “results” in the classroom? How can we re-think successful student achievement(s) with the aim of allowing a space for more creative exploration of materials in classroom?
2. How do we address the issues of the digital divide and access to languages while involving community in building knowledge? How do we assess the effect of community involvement?
3. What ideas do you have towards changing assessment procedures and notions of accountability in/for the classroom to allow more flexibility in how literacy is taught?
Monday, August 2, 2010
Winners of the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) Celebrating Excellence Awards
A celebration and acknowledgement of a great year at Joyce Public School working together with the group that won the Premier's Team Award in 2010. I was unable to receive my award in person from the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) for Celebrating Excellence because I was in Montreal at the CSSE/LLRC. Read more about it at http://edu.apps01.yorku.ca/news/dynamic-learning-community-project-nets-2-awards
9th Annual York University Graduate Students in Education Conference 2010 - May 2010
Surfing in Club Penguin and other innovative ESL teaching methods
The proliferation of digital information in this technology age provokes the rethinking of English as a Second Language (ESL) instructional practices. These technological advancements together with emergent theories of learning create opportunity for transformation in ESL pedagogy. Sociocultural theory and constructivist conventions invoke situated and authentic access to the growing corpus of online language and social computing websites in ESL teaching. For example, access to ESL students' first languages (L1) can enhance the experiences of writing in the target language of English (L2). Further, L2 writers benefit from access to online sociocultural and constructivist teaching approaches which incorporate articulate, reflection, scaffolding and a community of learners. Asynchronous online forums or blogs offer temporal and spatial affordances to ESL students. Finally, there are emerging trends in ESL teaching strategies featuring the incorporate of social online sites, internet tools, key pals, e-portfolios and digital storytelling. Virtual immersive environments, such as ActiveWorlds, and multiplayer children's online games, such as Club Penguin, provide forums for students to socialize and converse in L2 English in less formal settings that face-to-face, allowing time for responses to be formulated and expressed without concerns related to accent. The challenges accompanying these online pedagogical opportunities include planning and design and addressing the digital divide. Advances in Web 2.0 social computing, online virtual worlds and emergent digital teaching resources afford practitioners innovative tools for transformation in ESL teaching methods.
The proliferation of digital information in this technology age provokes the rethinking of English as a Second Language (ESL) instructional practices. These technological advancements together with emergent theories of learning create opportunity for transformation in ESL pedagogy. Sociocultural theory and constructivist conventions invoke situated and authentic access to the growing corpus of online language and social computing websites in ESL teaching. For example, access to ESL students' first languages (L1) can enhance the experiences of writing in the target language of English (L2). Further, L2 writers benefit from access to online sociocultural and constructivist teaching approaches which incorporate articulate, reflection, scaffolding and a community of learners. Asynchronous online forums or blogs offer temporal and spatial affordances to ESL students. Finally, there are emerging trends in ESL teaching strategies featuring the incorporate of social online sites, internet tools, key pals, e-portfolios and digital storytelling. Virtual immersive environments, such as ActiveWorlds, and multiplayer children's online games, such as Club Penguin, provide forums for students to socialize and converse in L2 English in less formal settings that face-to-face, allowing time for responses to be formulated and expressed without concerns related to accent. The challenges accompanying these online pedagogical opportunities include planning and design and addressing the digital divide. Advances in Web 2.0 social computing, online virtual worlds and emergent digital teaching resources afford practitioners innovative tools for transformation in ESL teaching methods.
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