Tag Archives: technology

Teacher Reflective Practice to Foster Student Engagement 


Written by - Patricia Patel

I’ve witnessed many programs permanently transition to facilitating education through an online platform ever since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. Educational programs have either completely transitioned to online learning or have exploded with additional online offerings. However, have teacher education programs reformed their curricula to offer teaching strategies and theories related to the increased demand for online learning? In other words, are teachers being taught how to teach online? Perhaps not. 

 

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Customizing H5Ps 


Written by - John Allan @mrpottz

There are thousands of H5P learning objects available online through repositories, open education resources and shared courses.  Many of them have a Reuse button.  By clicking on this button, educators can download an H5P and use it as it is or they can customize the H5P.

H5P, HTML5 Package, is an online set of tools that facilitates the creation and sharing of interactive, multimedia content.  These are normally used for educational purposes.  They enhance learner engagement with interactivity, immediate feedback and mixed media. H5P offers a variety of content types like quizzes, interactive videos, presentations, and games, which can be easily integrated into online learning platforms such as Canvas, Moodle or Brightspace.  One of the best attributes of H5P is the ability to customize existing H5Ps.  This can save time, energy and development costs. It also saves training time for teacher-developers.   
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Poodll on Moodle 


Written by - John Allan @mrpottz

I was fortunate enough to have moderated a few Avenue webinars on Poodll technologies in June.  The webinar speaker was Justin Hunt, the founder and CEO of Poodll.  I have since been developing learning experiences for the CanAvenue.ca project using Poodll technologies and would like to share some of the basics with the TESL Ontario community through this blog post and a TESL Ontario webinar. 

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How We Think About Technology in the Classroom


Written by - Derek Czajkowski
www.bigstockphoto.com

Technology is so embedded in our daily lives that we hardly notice, even take for granted, that we can’t get through our day without our phones, the internet, automated check-outs, Zoom. Yet, when it comes to using computers in the classroom, most teachers are reactionary in their response.

The school where I work will be using Avenue as the main delivery platform for all levels starting in September. This decision, when it was announced last year, did not, and indeed, has not, gone over well with the teachers, to put it mildly.

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Making Meaning in Online Environments


Written by - Patricia Patel

Let’s face it, teaching in an online learning environment can be difficult when it comes to engaging and motivating learners. This non-traditional learning environment  poses an additional challenge to ensure learners are constructing meaning from the content and deepening their learning and understanding.  

Educators often struggle to help learners make meaningful connections to the content while deepening their understanding within an online learning environment. For this reason, I want to emphasize  the benefits  of discussion boards  in online learning.

Discussion boards can be defined as virtual platforms where learners can interact with their instructor and  peers by posting and responding to  discussion posts. This type of interaction and knowledge building foster a sense of community among students while promoting active learning within an online learning environment. Continue reading →

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Strategies for Online Learning to Promote Student Engagement and Satisfaction 


Written by - Patricia Patel

From my experience, and the experiences of my colleagues and students, online learning and teaching have gained significant popularity on a global scale in recent years. Hui & Yunus (2023) suggest that teachers could benefit from a revision in curriculum to support modernized online teaching approaches that help foster a motivating, authentic, and satisfying online learning environment with the goal of promoting a sense of student autonomy. Implementing proper strategies could result in better learning.   Continue reading →

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GPTs for Language Instructors


Written by - John Allan @mrpottz

I know this is going to be confusing, so let me try to sort out this alphabet soup. GPT, or Generative Pre-trained Transformer model, is a type of artificial intelligence model developed by OpenAI. You should be familiar with ChatGPT, which is the most common tool. For language instructors, these tools can perform various tasks such as language translation, text summarization, question answering and much more, including: 

  • content creation 
  • customer support 
  • educational tools  
  • personalized learning experiences 
  • research assistance.
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Make Your Word-Processed Documents More Accessible


Written by - John Allan @mrpottz

Most of us are aware of the importance of the issues around digital accessibility through our own disabilities and supporting our students in virtual and blended classrooms. Some organizations offer accessibility training for educators and learners. Due to accessibility legislation and policies, software vendors build accessibility features into their wares. This opportunity allows us to make our documents more accessible. This post suggests some features available in the Microsoft Word app that instructors may leverage to make their digital documents more accessible. Please be aware that this is not a comprehensive accessibility resource, but an introduction for interested educators.  Continue reading →

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Simplifying Real-World Content with ChatGPT and the Canadian Language Benchmarks 


Written by - Bei Zhang
Image taken from: Big Stock Photo

Lesson planning can be a time-consuming endeavor, especially for educators teaching students with lower levels of English proficiency. Adapting materials to meet the needs of these learners requires careful consideration and often entails significant effort. However, with the assistance of tools like ChatGPT, this process can be streamlined and made more efficient. 

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Smartphones can be a “Smart” Helper in the Classroom


Written by - Bei Zhang
Image taken from: Big Stock Photo

At first glance, smartphones may seem like the ultimate language roadblock for ESL learners. The alluring prospect of effortlessly translating any text with a simple tap can lead to a habit of overreliance, hindering genuine language absorption. However, it’s not all doom and gloom. When approached with a strategic mindset, smartphones can indeed become “smart” tools in the ESL learning arsenal, especially for those who find themselves grappling with the complexities of English at a foundational level. 

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