Reflection

This post is my final reflection on the overall effectiveness of this course for me. I am more than convinced that this course meets the needs of Armenian learners in general as it is rich in new ideas, new teaching methods and new sources of information. I can certainly say that this course is one of the most useful ones as it has provided me with some useful information, skills and knowledge.

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Firstly, during the course we have been exposed to new technologies which can be integrated into EFL teaching and learning. I have already tried many of them with my students and they have proved to be very effective in terms of increasing collaboration and interaction between the learners as well as the teacher and the learners. For instance, as many students do not have many chances of using English outside class, I have encouraged them to create their own blogs and reflect on their English learning experience. They say it gives them an opportunity to share their interests and ideas on various topics. Also, it helps them to improve their writing skills.

Some other technologies that I have successfully integrated into my English classes include podcasts and videos. I have noticed that since the day I started using these tools my students’ level of interest and engagement in the class activities have significantly increased. Besides, these technologies greatly contribute to the improvement of their oral and aural skills.

Generally speaking, technologies have helped me to make my classes more interesting, interactive and meaningful. In my view, they are a good means of connecting the classes to real-life situations and to the learners’ personal interests. They also foster team buildingwhich, I think is really important in EFL learning.

However, the integration of technologies into the class syllabus should be carefully considered and planned beforehand. When choosing a specific type of technological tool, educators should take into some essential factors such as user-friendliness, easy and free access, availability and some other related issues.

The action research project that we worked on during this course helped me to consider in detail the steps needed implement a specific tool effectively. You should consider the course syllabus, the topics covered during the course, as well as the time it takes to get the learners used to the tool.
Although I have already inegrated a few technologies in my courses I will certainly try to experiment with new tools so as to make my classes more interesting and useful for learners.

Finally, technologies are subject to constant change and development, and, I think, English teachers should always be informed on the current trends so as to be able to make use of the new tools and try to integrate them into their teaching experience.

Google Apps and Cloud Technologies

In this blog post I am going to discuss the concept of cloud computing and various google apps which provide users with a variety of opportunities, such as sharing materials, chatting, scheduling events, blogging, mailing, etc.

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It was very interesting to find out that there are many google apps that can be used not only for personal but also for educational purposes. 

According to Sara Ring there is a Google for Educators which combines the search engine's useful features. Here I have found many interesting apps which, I think, could be used with Armenian EFL learners as well.

For instance, with the help of Google Maps learners can create thier personalized maps where they can indicate their route, photos and videos. Later they can share the maps with their peers, discuss them or create a story based on the photos. This can turn into a really interactive and personalized activity which can help to connect the traditional in-class learning with their own lives outside.

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Another very useful google app is the Google Docs. I find this app really helpful and it can be used effectively in EFL teaching and learning. For example, the teacher can share a google doc with a specific assignment and the students can work collaboratively to accomplish the task. They can edit each others’ mistakes; reflect on each other’s work. Also, it is a good tool for the teacher to monitor the students and to give them his/her feedback.

In this post I would also like to mention cloud computing. Nowadays, cloud computing provides businesses and educational institutions with an opportunity to store and share a huge amount of data. It is a combination of on-premises software and cloud services. With the help of the Internet it is possible to get access to any type of information which is stored in the cloud.

Learning and Academic Analytics

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In my previous blog posts I have discussed various technologies that are widely used in Educational institutions. Generally speaking, all these various technological tools help educators to improve the quality of education. In this blog post I will focus on big data and analytics which can help educational institutions to make data-driven decisions, predict the future of the institution and improve its performance.

According to Long and Siemens (2011), higher education is a field that contains a large amount of data about its learners and staff. Analyzing this data will help to get a clear picture of what is happening in that institution; it will help to identify the gaps or even predict and prevent the potential risks. In order to be able to analyze data effectively one needs to decide what he/she needs to know, what the specific type of data can tell you and also try to identify the patterns.

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Next, it is important to identify between learning analitics and academic analytics. The former, is more specific than the latter. Learning analytics is the process of measuring, collecting and reporting information about learners in order to understand and improve the learning environment.

On the other hand, academic analytics is about using business intelligence in education at institutional , regional or international levels (Long & Siemens, 2011).

According to Goldstain (2005), present technologies help to analyse data effectively. As a result of a survey, the institutions that use academic analytics  report that it helps to make more effective decisions and to get a competitive advantage over other institutions.