Week 8 - Weekly Reflection

The information provided by the readings has given me some light to understand more about the various virtual tools that have been created to enhance learning. In this context, ANVILL (A National virtual Language Lab) whose creator and supporter Jeff Magoto establishes that ANVILL is a modern web based replacement for old language labs settled in universities. For ANVILL to work, what is just needed is a microphone, a webcam, and a modern browser.

The interesting thing to know about these tools is that they are free; a teacher can create and assess synchronous (built in audio-video chat) and asynchronous (tools for recording voice or video) speech-based tasks. Students, then, can interact in the target language.

“Teachers and language labs emphasized the “sanitation” of language; they broke it down into too many small pieces, oversimplified the content, and effectively removed the “authenticity” from the tasks assigned” is a statement that made me deeply reflect. I agree with the author because I myself have made this mistake from which genuine learning and teaching have not been possibly reached.

Another point that I learnt and reflect at is that one dealing with “hybrid” class, which, in my opinion, has come to clarify my confusion. So “hybrid” can be viewed this way: Traditional lecture classes can be converted into hybrid, which means giving the students the feasibility of working outside of class. 

There are a number of tools that ANVILL supplies such as: Voiceboards (audio for multi purposes); forums (tools that accept comments pose questions); livechat (video chatting can be performed by partners); quizzes and surveys (tools for assessment); lesson planning templates (accommodate linked sources and teachers’ uploaded sources); and course management (to do distant or hybrid courses).

Other important tools such as Nicenet, Google, ortesolwiki, wikispace, and Blogger can widen the range of learning in all dimensions. This is a truth that has to be stood out. To work with all tools described and learnt, one has to be completely literate in both the knowing of target language and the using of technology; those seem to be the paths to success.

To conclude, all tools are a means to an end; the end is learning properly; therefore, I have to fight for good teaching. This is what I have done.

Holguer