Now is an exciting part of the semester: we’ve gotten off to a good start and are ready to explore the world of new literacies and language learning. As Graham Stanley points out in his book Language Learning with Technology, for online learning to work effectively, it’s important to build the right kind of supportive learning community. A good learning community is one that has a sense of team spirit, where the participants have a healthy respect for one another and can take up a range of mentoring roles, becoming teachers as well as learners.
That’s why this first post is all about learning more about each other. Please respond to this post by leaving a comment and introducing yourself (whatever you feel comfortable sharing in a public online space like this one). Please relate: 1) one interesting experience that you have had with new technologies; 2) one question about new technologies that you would like to have answered on this course.
After posting your own comment, you can respond to someone else. Do you think that you have the answer to their question? Remember to be constructive in your comments and critique.
1) communicate with people from all over the world.
2)how to make proper use of the new meaning
Communication with people from different culture is really amazing.
Do you have a specific experience of communicating with others around the world that you can share? It’d be interesting to think about how it might be relevant to English language learning as well, in your case in particular or more generally.
How can we introduce the technology and teaching method to students in poor area？
1. I can chase the same idols with people all over the world and share the same interest with people I’ve never met before;
2. How can we use the new technologies to improve the learning experience of students?
Virtually all devices are now established with Internet connectivity and remote connectivity is also available. At present the door of my dorm can be locked via my phone. Isn’t that amazing? 🙂
Sounds interesting！ It must be an expensive door. For me, using GPS to effectively navigate somewhere on my own is a fantastic experience. I can also act as a guide for friends who offer to drive me.
The new technology of Grammarly really amazes me. Every time though I have examined my writings many times, there are still some mistakes that have not been found, while the use of Grammarly can assist me in proofreading again before submitting any application. It helps to avoid possible grammatical errors, such as the improper use of tense, punctuation, collocation, etc., in the composition. I think Grammarly makes the proofreading of English writing more efficient and more accurate.
Speaking from my personal experience, sometimes when teachers applied the new technologies in class, I got the feeling that I was distracted by their modalities; that is, the knowledge displayed on the PPTs or broadcasted on YouTube cannot be remembered as well as that is written on the blackboard or whiteboard by teachers. Is it possible, or is it just my supposition?
So do I. Grammarly is sooooooooooo helpful! Maybe we are a little bit overwhelmed by kinds of information that PPTs and YouTube videos provide and have to write down or summary the key points by ourselves. That maybe the reason why it is hard to remember. But on the whiteboard, all the key points are just there.
I’m looking forward to talking a bit more about AI tools like Grammarly and ChatGPT in our next class – I’m especially interested in how teachers might play a role in sensitizing students to their limitations (of the tools) as well as how to use them critically and ethically. For example, grammar checkers often suggest that writers should avoid the passive voice but we know from linguistic studies that passive voice serves an important thematic function in scientific text that helps to make the text more coherent. So, what role should the teacher play in facilitating critical use of such tools?
I’m really not sure why points recorded on a whiteboard would be easier to remember than points that are recorded on a powerpoint display. Why do you think that is?
Honestly, I have no idea about the principles of how these AI tools operate, but I believe that they must work according to certain computer programs (at least Grammarly is not so intelligent) that are written and edited by human program-makers whose summarized grammatical rules are displayed in the form of AI’s suggestions. Thus, when I encounter the advice of “passive voice avoidance” provided by Grammarly, I usually just ignore it and let it go, since I can’t agree that these program-makers are much more professional than the experts in different fields (in terms of academic writing, the expert much be our teachers). I don’t care about the “writing marks” it gives me as well, as I have got the exact criterion of academic writing from the experts who play the role of not only our teachers or instructors but also the graders. Maybe one day, AI’s opinions will also be of importance in evaluating whether this academic article is good enough or not. At that time, I think that the existing problems have all been resolved and there are no more discrepancies between AIs’ and humans’ norms, but before that day comes, we still need to follow human writing standards.
Regarding the teacher’s role in facilitating the critical use of such tools, I hold a positive attitude. I support the idea that teachers should introduce such tools in class and even teach learners how to use these tools. I’m afraid I have to disagree that AIs at this stage have been intelligent enough that we can use them to create or produce something new without using our brains at all. For example, DeepL asserts itself to be the best translator in the world. Yes, it indeed can translate almost 70%-90% of the texts correctly, but around 20% remained need revising in person. Also, the misunderstanding in the texts led by cultural gaps cannot be filled by a translator machine. People from the same social context may understand what the text is talking about, but without knowing the culture, people from the target language context cannot understand what this sentence expresses, even though they know every word. Examples in this case are slangs, folklores, and myths, etc.
To summarize, as AL facilitators at this stage have not achieved their perfection, we can keep using them as tools or instruments. I have yet to learn about where AIs will go exactly in the future. Whether or not ChatGPT has evolved into an artificial intelligence that iterates on its own, as in science fiction movies, is also a question no one can answer now. However, I believe we can keep using these tools until they get out of hand, and humans won’t stop developing AIs until they finally lose control. The day they get out of our hands, the day of mankind’s destruction also comes, and at that time, we don’t need to think about these questions anymore.
In terms of knowledge retention, I got this idea when reviewing. Later, I thought about whether it was because when the teacher showed the knowledge on the whiteboard, I only regarded it as some common content that could be scanned quickly, while when the teacher explained the knowledge points and wrote them down, I subconsciously thought that they were very important, and I needed to pay attention to them.
1) I think VR technology is really really amazing. I like playing VR games and watching VR videos, which can make me fully engage in. Also we can use VR technology to walk through one particular building without physically being there. For example, in China, often we need to go to a completely strange place to conduct some examinations. In order not to make mistakes or be late, usually we need to check the site one day earlier, which is quite inconvenient. But if we can see the building, its classroom and its surroundings, through the VR, it will be beneficial.
2) How can we use new technologies in teaching?
Well, I am a coffee & bagel lover and a cat person. If I finish one assignment, I will treat myself to go to those internet-famous stores to grab a cup of coffee or some bagels😂. My cat is named Xianyu. In English, it means salted fish, while in Chinese, literally, it means you are not that ambitious or try to evade pressure in any case, which is my dream, btw😄.
An interesting experience that I have had with new technologies was when I played the game It Takes Two. Well, it was the first time I played an English version game since video games are not my thing. My primary goal was to learn English in the technology wilds. However, when I immersed myself in the game world and tried to unlock the next chapter, I forgot my priority. Anyway, it is an interesting and unforgettable one.
As of now, one thing has kept bothering me how can I apply what I learn from this course to my next teaching job, which assumably will be teaching secondary school students. Looking back to my entire learning process as one of the ELLs on the mainland, I have never experienced similar activities, even in my college study, and teachers hardly mentioned them.
Maybe you can be one of the generation that starts a change in the way that English is taught in China? One way is to think about how digital literacies can be embedded in the curriculum, alongside the ‘traditional’ literacies and learning objectives. There’s a challenge for you!
For the first topic, I used to join a project that use PPT to make a video to visualize the meaning of the words in some English textbook. I think it is really helpful for understanding the meaning of words because most bilingual glossaries in the last a few pages of the English textbook fail to activate students’ iconic memories.
And I am considering about how new literacies can be connected with the curriculum.
One very similar approach is to use video as a tool for vocabulary learning; it’s good to also go beyond that and see if students can be engaged in meaningful projects where they have a real reason to compose (e.g. webpages, videos, slideshows) for a real audience, where possible (e.g. on YouTube or similar ‘globalized, online spaces’).
1) one interesting experience that you have had with new technologies;
I used to set up a WeChat public account for my English studio. Working as an independent English teacher, I posted videos and tips or articles about learning English. This platform helped me attract a lot of followers and I felt my work was really valuable. I had followers from people all over China and sometimes I also communicated with fellow English teachers too.
2) one question about new technologies that you would like to have answered on this course.
Recently ChatGPT has gained out great attention. I wonder,as English teachers, how we can avoid students from using it for homework or will ChatGPT replace language teachers?
I used chatgpt the other day to talk about the book I read. But I found all it said about the book was wrong. It seems it is very confident and all its grammar and vocabulary is perfect, but its content was totally wrong. I found this technology kind of unreliable.
That’s a really interesting observation. Learning how to write with AI tools is probably one of those digital literacies we’ve been talking about. Some people are talking about ‘prompt engineering’ which is the art or science of writing good prompts for AI so that it generates useful texts/artifacts. I’m not sure that good prompt engineering can overcome the problem you have mentioned though.
One interesting thing about new technologies that now jump into my mind is that there is one teacher from outside China teaching oral English at my undergraduate, and I added her as one of my WeChat friends at that time. One day, I posted nine beautiful landscape pictures taken in HK with some Chinese, which means that I had a good climbing day with my friends and it’s a tiring day. Unexpectedly, she liked my post. I think it quite interesting that a non-Chinese speaker can appreciate your post without knowing the meaning of your words. It’s somehow a recognition of my lifestyle/my photos. Or perhaps she was showing a kind of “notice” to me.
When first installing VPN and using apps like Youtube, and Facebook. I find it really interesting to interact with people from different countries.
One question is:
When encouraging students to use online resources, how to help young students improve their ability to identify useful information and ensure that they are not misled by wrong information？
1. During my undergraduate, an assignment required us to complete a design course based on a topic and present it in class. When we found that the students enjoyed participating in the online game, our group eventually decided to use Kahoot to test the student’s understanding. The game will show the name of the student with the highest score based on the speed and number of correct answers, who will then be rewarded. We have found this to be a very successful way of introducing new literacy.
2. Digital technology does bring a lot of convenience to teachers and students. It has to be admitted that in recent years, an increasing number of schools have also implemented new digital teaching methods, but what are the disadvantages it brings?
1. I created a WeChat group for my former high school students as an extra-curricular English exchange group. In this group the students take turns to post one of their favourite English quotes or videos each day and the other students comment in English. In the process of commenting and communicating the students would use the new vocabulary and sentences they had learned in class, thus enabling them to apply and review what they had learned.
2. I am curious about what impact Chatgpt will have on the future language teaching model.
1. I learned some Korean when I was an undergraduate and now I am doing some fan translation and fan subbing for my favorite Korean idol. I feel happy and satisfied that I can help other fans understand what our favorite idol says.
2. Now most teachers use PPTs in their teaching. I wonder how other kinds of digital tools or resources(such as videos and English learning websites) can be integrated into teaching to achieve better teaching effects.
I used to play Overwatch and met an Italian gamer. He was surprised because I have been to his hometown Pisa several years age. It’s fun to be friends with him and other people around the world. And it’s impossible without new technologies.
I have similar worries about ChatGPT as other commenters. How can teachers recognize homework/essay written by ChatGPT? And how can teachers prevent students from doing that?
I would like to know whether we can use social media in language learning and how it can be put into practice.
I learned Thai as my second foreign language when I was an undergraduate student, and I did some fan translation online for my idols. This helped me to quickly build my Thai language skills because I had to search for or ask my Thai friend for actual meanings of some words. Also, I felt so energetic learning this language when other fans understood what the idols said.
People are now worried about the ChatGPT, as a pre-service teacher, how can we guide students to properly use this kinds of AI tools to strengthen their language skills?
1) In China, there is a company called iFlytek. The products of iFlytek aim to help people communicate with each other around the world. It can translate into more than 70 languages, including dialects. Moreover, the language recognition rate is extremely high. I think it is the convenience that technology brings to us. 2) Now the technology is more and more diversified. We use ppt, video, audio and other electronic technology to enrich class activities. It does make classroom activities more interesting. But there is a real problem with information overload. Faced with an explosion of information, students find it difficult to distinguish between important and background information. How to use electronic technology for effective teaching is worth our thinking.
With the development of science and technology and the impact of the epidemic, I am amazed by more and more online learning platforms and new technology products. Adapting to these advances and applying these products in our daily learning is inevitable, but I wonder under what circumstances and in what ways is the right way to use these new technologies? Like chatGPT recently, it’s so intelligent that many schools have banned its use, but I wonder how we as students can grasp the limits of using such a useful and intelligent product？
By using platforms such as Twitter and Youtube, I have gained many experiences that allow me to communicate with people in other parts of the world, and I have also acquired some of the language (such as some convenient abbreviations, etc.) using foreign young people often use in the online world today. I am interested in the extensive integration of new technologies and multiple platforms in language teaching, which is likely to greatly stimulate students’ enthusiasm and interest. However, I am also concerned that the differences in students’ digital literacy due to their different family backgrounds may affect the effectiveness of teaching and learning.
1) When I was an undergraduate I used a software called Grammarly to correct and polish essays, and recently I am interested in its function in education: whether it can promote students’ writing, and how it can be introduced to the class. Now, however, using the “all-in-one” ChatGPT is the new trend; and I feel that the software can not only replace most of Grammarly’s functions but can even complete an article starting from the basic framework. As both a postgraduate and a pre-service teacher, I am excited but nervous about this trend. I can do some research about this new software and use it to assist my teaching, but at the same time, I think using ChatGPT will let my students fall into lazy habits of thinking.
2) When AI tools (including ChatGPT) are going to impact education, how can we teachers use them as aids in class, instead of being “replaced” by them?
The new technology experience that I remember deeply is AI painting. Enter descriptive language into the program, and then choose one of more than a dozen painting styles. In about a few minutes, a beautiful painting can be generated.
I never thought that the development of AI could even make a breakthrough in the field of artistic creation. However, after several attempts, I found that there is still a big difference between AI painting and real creation. AI will always generate some drawings with wrong in human structure. In my cognition, this is because the pictures and paintings understood by AI are flat and 2D, and it can only be understood based on the 2D level. AI cannot perceive and understand the three-dimensional space, knowledge of anatomy and human body structure like a real painter.
(1) I have to mention SIRI， a voice assistant and a life helper for this question. We can call it to command the mobile phone at any time!
Normally, we use Siri to launch the mobile phone application, send messages and plan travel routes, etc. Sometimes when I feel bored, I would say to my phone， “Hi Siri!” to call it out so that I could chat with it to divert myself from boredom. And it will give me some interesting answers, like “Siri， Please tell me a horror story,” I asked, and Siri answered: “The guy behind you wants to hear it too.” Horrible and amusing!
（2）Since ChatGPT AI has become a heating topic these days, I would like to answer some questions like, “What challenges does ChatGPT bring to teachers?” and “How to take advantage of the situation and let ChatGPT be used for education?”
I have just experienced the newly invented Bing Chat and ChatGpt. Honestly, I am amazed at how much insane things they can do, including helping people learn English. If you want, they can start having English conversation with them, both verbally or non-verbally ( tying). I asked the ChatGpt to paraphrase an essay for me, and it has done a good job, a completely grammar- error free essay will be irrational to think that teacher can still remain as an irreplaceable job given that AI has more knowledge input that humans can never be attained. We, as teachers, must have empathy and know how to give students emotional support if we don’t want to be replaced by AI in the future.
I have just experienced the newly invented Bing Chat and ChatGpt. Honestly, I am amazed at how much insane things they can do, including helping people learn English. If you want, they can start having English conversation with them, both verbally or non-verbally ( tying). I asked the ChatGpt to paraphrase an essay for me, and it has done a good job, a completely grammar- error free essay will be irrational to think that teacher can still remain as an irreplaceable job given that AI has more knowledge input that humans can never be attained. We, as teachers, must have empathy and know how to give students emotional support if we don’t want to be replaced by AI in the future.
I have had an experience about using some AI applications such as Quillbote and Grammarly. From my perspective, they are quite efficient and helpful. But it seems like a double edged sword to use these AI technology. On the hand, I did learn a lot of new vocabularies or grammatical knowledge after using those technology to polish my academic writing. However, on the other, I perceive that students’ creativity will be diminished by the excessive using of these corrective systems.
1) The development of Internet enables me to be exposed to richer learning materials related to various topics that would not be talked about in regular syllabus. For example, in mainland China, there is an online open course platform called MOOC. When I was in university, I have took many interesting lessons there.
2) What are the strategies to effectively integrate computer-mediated tools into secondary school teaching activities?
1. I regularly exchange with native English speakers on social media. This opens the door for me to be inclusive of diverse cultures and lifestyles. Apart from recreation purposes, digital tools make sophisticated learning accessible in China to a large degree through learning platforms like Mooc and Bilibili, etc.
2. Do cutting-edge AI tools like ChatGPT have more harm than good to humans, or vice versa? We know they are developed to facilitate study and work, but at the same time, we seem to lose the experience of thinking and questioning and are fed with AI-generated materials. In my opinion, lifelong- learning can only be guaranteed through internal motivations, the achievement and learning from requesting and acquiring knowledge on one’s own. And the only difference between human beings and other animals is the ability to think and meditate; if AI work has replaced our brainwork, where will humans end up?
1.I would like to share my recent experience with Chat GPT, which is really interesting. Before I got to use it, I have heard a lot of discussion about which professions will be replaced. And some people said English teachers will get into an embarrassed position, especially those one-to-one tutor, because Chat GPT can have oral communication with the users in any languages, improve learners’ writing, help students with their homework, and do really fantastic and fast translation now. In addition, it will be more advanced in the future.
But I think Chat GPT will bring a great revolution to English education and even the overall public education system, rather than replace English teachers simply, at least in the foreseeable future. There are many reasons, but I would like to leave them in today’s class. Now let’s talk about the funny experience with Chat GPT. I asked it to find some related articles which used a particular analysis framework, then it offered me a list of articles. But I could find none of them, so I questioned that Chat GPT just made up those articles, which is not the first time. Chat GPT did not acknoeledge it. Thus, I think that no matter how powerful the AI has become, the users have to be alert and keep their own independent brains. It is not wise to rely on any specific technology entirely.
（1）I can well remember the time when I was preparing for the IELTS. My friends recommended an APP called IELTS Bro, which provided very practical online IELTS courses and a full range of training services for IELTS speaking, listening, writing and reading. The latest news and information about IELTS exam questions were updated daily. Besides, users can also participate in online user interaction and share their study experience together. I used this app to learn from other students’ high-score experiences and practice speaking with the foreign teachers on it, which improved my speaking and I finally got the desired score. New technology can really break the limitation of time and space and let people learn knowledge anytime and anywhere.
（2）The impact of new technologies on social ethics and values. The development and application of a number of new technologies, represented by information technology, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology, have strongly impacted existing social values such as ethics, security, health, and privacy. Information technology has brought about issues such as information security and data property rights; the application of artificial intelligence technology in transportation and medical fields has triggered heated debates on the safety of related products and services as well as the responsibility and ethical issues behind them.
I’d like to share my recent experience of playing an multiplayer online game. Originally I played the game to keep relationship with my Chinese friends, but I entered an English lobby accidentally and I found the players there are not all native English speakers. Some of them have different cultural and linguistic backgrounds and their motives to play the game vary quite a lot. One of the common goal is to practice speaking skills. They believe they feel much more relaxed to use English in the natural setting and they wouldn’t feel awkward even if they use “incorrect” English because nobody knows them in real life. I think it’s a good example of learning in the “digital wild”.
1. Siri has brought a lot of joy to my life. For example, if I say to Siri that I want to see fireworks, Siri will tell me to cover my ears and then give me an audio version of the fireworks display.
2. How can I better integrate technology into the classroom to increase students’ interest and accomplish classroom tasks rather than distracting students and wasting time?