1.http://www.englishclub.com/learn-english.htm
This is a webpage of an English learning website sponsored by Cambridge University, which aims to offer holistic help for primary and secondary ESL learners of English . It would be of significant help in its general consideration about the grammar and vocabulary building and specific concern to the features of ESP, business English in particular. On-line help and seminars by experienced teacher concerning ESL learning would be available to any user with free and easy submission. Interaction and communication between and among students and teachers are also facilitated with disussion board, on-line forum and e-mail system.
Rich resources and links are provided concerning ESL learning. Even without specific attention given to writing enhancement, this website is a good platform for ESL students and teachers of English to learn English writing and exchange minds on learning and teaching. Since it is targeting primary and secondary learners, pursuit for academic research may be out of the coverage of it.
2. http://www.ericdigest.org/2004-1/html
This website is an on-line data base of academic research and literature. Essays of authority guaranteed with the authors, sources and references identified provide valid and wide information relevant to the speciality of users. User-friendly and convenient search and link interface ensures the real-time access to the different area of interest. And the relevant links provided are also of academic style with expertise on different repertoire associated. Therefore, it is of much value in providing useful information for academic research on language teaching.
3. http://www.ezedia.com/education/classroom/library/E-writing/html
This website offers an on-line communication board around different issues concerning education and classroom teaching practice. Less academic in nature, it is designed to help educators with their daily teaching practice with broad discussion of current practical problems and relevant link of help provided. On-line education programs and supportive software are also available for users to enhance their certain literacy. Friendly-designed interface, convenient searching engine and data base of wide coverage are the main strength of this website.
4. http://www.writing-world.com/freelance/teach.shtml
A professional on-line data base of writing training and teaching, the website offers not only relevant research articles of authority, but specific help for writing teaching and training with useful tips. Rich research literature and teachers communication board are much helpful for language teachers. And students could improve their writing either by following the instruction or by attending the real on-line writing practice with on-line training program and e-mail contact. And in the links provided are also writing helping specified and of much authority and value, such as Writingcollege.
5. http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/write.shtml
Sponsored by BBC and British Council, this website is of authority in providing holistic discussion on the specific aspects of writing process with academic articles by language researcher and teachers. Easy registration for on-line communication with other users and easy submission to the writing activities designed offers language teachers and students the precious chance of exchanging thoughts and on-line writing experience. With the purpose to help English teaching as a whole rather than certain language skill, the web offers a good opportunity for users to deal with different aspects of language learning and integrating them as a real communication process.
6. http://www.tesol.org/s_tesol/sec_document.asp?CID=664&DID=2638
As a famous global education association, TESOL provides authoritative information for academic language teaching and learning research. Rich and valid information resources for teachers of different grades and interest of research are the major characteristic of TESOL. And by joining TESOL teachers from different world can communicate with each other. To help language teachers better, this website also provides provides a number of professional development opportunities online, from the Principles and Practices of Online Teaching Certificate Program and other online courses, to TESOL virtual seminars and online discussions on key issues in the field.
7. http://www.4ewriting.com/
A Chinese personal website about Englishwriting, it aims to provide an overall help for Chinese EFL language learners in their learning of writing in the specific context of China. Special attention dedicated to the grammar, rhetoric and genre training reflects the traditional test-driven and product-oriented writing teaching practice in China, which is although criticized by communicative aprroach, still prevails nationwide. With blog and on-line discussion board, it does offer precious opportunity for students to experience real-time communication with English writing. However, aiming to offer service for Chinese students English writing, this website is less in authority in the shortage of relevant academic research and on-line teacher assistance.
2007/02/12
2007/02/05
Comment on Distractions in Wireless Classroom
The problem discussed in this article seems urgent and inevitable for the coming age of E-learning. Just as we maynot spot every student who is daydreaming in the real face-to-face class, it seems even harder for us to prevent students from surfing on net or char with their friends on line in a virtual or wireless class.
Keeping a closs eye is always the most direct and first reaction of teaching staff whenever they suspect that there would be some absent-minded students in class assuming that those students may give in under the supervision of the authority. It usually works in fact even not always. A warning eye or even scolding may call their strolling minds back for a moment at least. However, even students submit to the authority of teachers and try to keep concentrate on class activities, the outcome of the class may also be undermined. Obedience works more than willingness in their class cooperation.
Nor could administrative regulation would work well. If students may somewhat hold intimacy for their teacher, less willingness they would pay for the top-down administrative regulation--- they are rebelling adolescent.
I don't deny the importance of discipline in their lives. But is it better if we put more attention on how to lead their interest and care about what they conern? Is it better if we can teach them how to discipline themselves rather than regulate them with the discipline we compile?
Technology is not decisive, man is. Since the modern technology offers everyone a chance to connect to the world he prefers, educator then should not shut that window close just because the world is "distractive". Or at least we have to be sure that when we shut one window, we have to open another one more attractive and interesting. Otherwise, education fails.
Keeping a closs eye is always the most direct and first reaction of teaching staff whenever they suspect that there would be some absent-minded students in class assuming that those students may give in under the supervision of the authority. It usually works in fact even not always. A warning eye or even scolding may call their strolling minds back for a moment at least. However, even students submit to the authority of teachers and try to keep concentrate on class activities, the outcome of the class may also be undermined. Obedience works more than willingness in their class cooperation.
Nor could administrative regulation would work well. If students may somewhat hold intimacy for their teacher, less willingness they would pay for the top-down administrative regulation--- they are rebelling adolescent.
I don't deny the importance of discipline in their lives. But is it better if we put more attention on how to lead their interest and care about what they conern? Is it better if we can teach them how to discipline themselves rather than regulate them with the discipline we compile?
Technology is not decisive, man is. Since the modern technology offers everyone a chance to connect to the world he prefers, educator then should not shut that window close just because the world is "distractive". Or at least we have to be sure that when we shut one window, we have to open another one more attractive and interesting. Otherwise, education fails.
IT Educational Policy in USA
Group Division:
Liu Dongping on values given to education and IT;
Xiao Yun on roles of teachers;
Wang Xinjun on roles of students;
Yang Rong on roles of language and language learning.
(Although we assigned the tasks separately, we discussed the task for several times and finally made it a whole.)
Primary Source 1:
From http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itsv/1297/ijse/ijse1297.htm
(This is from an e-journal article in US Society & Values. The editors comment on President Bill Clinton’s speech to illustrate the values given to American education.)
Values given to education:
The American system of education, like the society that shapes it, is facing myriad challenges and opportunities. What is the role of technology in the classroom? Is there a place for voucher-funded schools? Can national standards and testing be mandated for schools which are locally controlled? At a time when education is of increasing importance, where does society find the resources to fund this expanding need?
At the same time it is facing these questions, the U.S. system of education remains committed to universal access to education for all its students. It also has long contributed to its citizens' economic upward mobility and exerted a powerful democratizing influence. Despite the challenges facing American education, and the continuing debate among politicians, educators, parents and students, there is a national consensus that high quality education must be accessible to all.
Primary Source 2:
From http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2004/2004011.pdf
(Since 1994, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has surveyed public schools to estimate access to information technology in schools and classrooms. In the fall of each academic year, a new nationally representative sample of public schools is surveyed about Internet access and other Internet-related topics. The results of this survey show what progress has been made since these data were first collected in 1994, and help assess the magnitude of tasks remaining to make the Internet available as an educational tool in all schools. A report presents key findings from the survey “Internet Access in U.S. Public Schools, Fall 2002.” by NCES shows the following :)
Values given to IT:
In fall 2002, 99 percent of public schools in the United States had access to the Internet.
When NCES first started estimating Internet access in schools in 1994, 35 percent of public schools had access (table 1). In 2002, no differences in school Internet access were observed by any school characteristics. This is consistent with data reported previously (Kleiner and Farris 2002), which showed that there have been virtually no differences in school access to the Internet by school characteristics since 1999.
Roles of students in computer access
More children and adolescents in the nation used computers at school than at home in 2001
(DeBell and Chapman 2003). The survey “Internet Access in U.S. Public Schools, Fall 2002” obtained information on various measures of student access to computers at school, such as the ratio of students to instructional computers with Internet access, student access to the Internet outside of regular school hours, the provision of hand-held computers to students and teachers, and laptop loans to students.
Roles of teachers in professional development on how to integrate the use of the internet into the curriculum
Although approximately one-half of public school teachers in 1999 reported that they used computers or the Internet for instruction during class time, and/or that they assigned their students work that involves research using the Internet, one-third of teachers reported feeling well or very well prepared
Nationwide, 87 percent of public schools with Internet access indicated that their school or school district had offered professional development to teachers in their school on how to integrate the use of the Internet into the curriculum in the 12 months prior to the fall 2002 survey.
Forty-two percent of the schools that had professional development had 1 to 25 percent of their teachers attending professional development in 12 months preceding the survey. Seventeen percent of the schools had 26 to 50 percent of their teachers, 11 percent of the schools had 51 to 75 percent of their teachers, and 30 percent of the schools had 76 percent or more of their teachers attending professional development on how to integrate the use of the Internet into the curriculum in the 12 months preceding the survey (table 20). Another 1 percent reported not having any teachers attending such professional development during this time frame.
Roles of language and language learning
Primary Source 3
From http://esperanto-usa.org/node/649?PHPSESSID=bceec4ac119f9cd4091c2e3e93e86908
(A blog of Esperanto-USA)
Learning languages in the United States is something to which we all give lip-service, but which in fact is heavily ignored in our schools, and it seems to me that anything that can help should be at least looked at.
Primary Source 4:
From http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-01-09-language-children_x.htm
(By Beth Walton, USA TODAY. More children learn more than one language)
Not only is learning a foreign language easier for children than it is for adults, but children who are exposed to other languages also do better in school, score higher on standardized tests, are better problem solvers and are more open to diversity.
Liu Dongping on values given to education and IT;
Xiao Yun on roles of teachers;
Wang Xinjun on roles of students;
Yang Rong on roles of language and language learning.
(Although we assigned the tasks separately, we discussed the task for several times and finally made it a whole.)
Primary Source 1:
From http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itsv/1297/ijse/ijse1297.htm
(This is from an e-journal article in US Society & Values. The editors comment on President Bill Clinton’s speech to illustrate the values given to American education.)
Values given to education:
The American system of education, like the society that shapes it, is facing myriad challenges and opportunities. What is the role of technology in the classroom? Is there a place for voucher-funded schools? Can national standards and testing be mandated for schools which are locally controlled? At a time when education is of increasing importance, where does society find the resources to fund this expanding need?
At the same time it is facing these questions, the U.S. system of education remains committed to universal access to education for all its students. It also has long contributed to its citizens' economic upward mobility and exerted a powerful democratizing influence. Despite the challenges facing American education, and the continuing debate among politicians, educators, parents and students, there is a national consensus that high quality education must be accessible to all.
Primary Source 2:
From http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2004/2004011.pdf
(Since 1994, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has surveyed public schools to estimate access to information technology in schools and classrooms. In the fall of each academic year, a new nationally representative sample of public schools is surveyed about Internet access and other Internet-related topics. The results of this survey show what progress has been made since these data were first collected in 1994, and help assess the magnitude of tasks remaining to make the Internet available as an educational tool in all schools. A report presents key findings from the survey “Internet Access in U.S. Public Schools, Fall 2002.” by NCES shows the following :)
Values given to IT:
In fall 2002, 99 percent of public schools in the United States had access to the Internet.
When NCES first started estimating Internet access in schools in 1994, 35 percent of public schools had access (table 1). In 2002, no differences in school Internet access were observed by any school characteristics. This is consistent with data reported previously (Kleiner and Farris 2002), which showed that there have been virtually no differences in school access to the Internet by school characteristics since 1999.
Roles of students in computer access
More children and adolescents in the nation used computers at school than at home in 2001
(DeBell and Chapman 2003). The survey “Internet Access in U.S. Public Schools, Fall 2002” obtained information on various measures of student access to computers at school, such as the ratio of students to instructional computers with Internet access, student access to the Internet outside of regular school hours, the provision of hand-held computers to students and teachers, and laptop loans to students.
Roles of teachers in professional development on how to integrate the use of the internet into the curriculum
Although approximately one-half of public school teachers in 1999 reported that they used computers or the Internet for instruction during class time, and/or that they assigned their students work that involves research using the Internet, one-third of teachers reported feeling well or very well prepared
Nationwide, 87 percent of public schools with Internet access indicated that their school or school district had offered professional development to teachers in their school on how to integrate the use of the Internet into the curriculum in the 12 months prior to the fall 2002 survey.
Forty-two percent of the schools that had professional development had 1 to 25 percent of their teachers attending professional development in 12 months preceding the survey. Seventeen percent of the schools had 26 to 50 percent of their teachers, 11 percent of the schools had 51 to 75 percent of their teachers, and 30 percent of the schools had 76 percent or more of their teachers attending professional development on how to integrate the use of the Internet into the curriculum in the 12 months preceding the survey (table 20). Another 1 percent reported not having any teachers attending such professional development during this time frame.
Roles of language and language learning
Primary Source 3
From http://esperanto-usa.org/node/649?PHPSESSID=bceec4ac119f9cd4091c2e3e93e86908
(A blog of Esperanto-USA)
Learning languages in the United States is something to which we all give lip-service, but which in fact is heavily ignored in our schools, and it seems to me that anything that can help should be at least looked at.
Primary Source 4:
From http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-01-09-language-children_x.htm
(By Beth Walton, USA TODAY. More children learn more than one language)
Not only is learning a foreign language easier for children than it is for adults, but children who are exposed to other languages also do better in school, score higher on standardized tests, are better problem solvers and are more open to diversity.
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