Reading Prompt #10

We've talked a lot in class about how technology can be used to help ELLs learn English. The Internet is also an excellent resource for teacher professional development. Describe ways you have used Internet resources for your own professional development as a language teacher. If you haven't already done this, describe some of the resources in the Egbert chapter you would be interested in trying.
Next, briefly describe how images such as those from Flickr and other free photo sharing sites can be used in ESL classrooms.

I like the tappedin web page. To me, teaching, like learning is a collaborative activity in many respects and this web page allows teachers to network with other teachers and share ideas and activities. I think a resource like this can help alleviate the frustrations that teachers, especially teachers with limited technology experience, feel when dealing with new technologies. Teachers can go to this web site get answers and ideas. They have less pressure to constantly rely on their own creativity and where technology is concerned, talking to other teachers can stimulate your own creative juices. I think this can be particularly important for less experienced teachers. So to me, a tool like tappedin is invaluable for teacher professional development in the CALL realm. I couldn't help but notice that the teacher in the Egbert Chapter 10 scenario realized that her unpreparedness would effect her students benefit of technological tools. In my opinion, her supervisor should have had that same sense about her preparedness. As a leader, that supervisor should have made sure that she had the tools she needed to take full advantage of the computer lab. He set her up for failure by pushing her into the computer lab without ensuring she had the training she needed to make it a success. His failure to do so ended up trickling down to the students who ultimately found it as frustrating as the teacher did. As teachers we want to set our students up for success. The same holds true of school administration, if CALL is to be effective the teachers need to be set up for success as well. Ultimately each teacher is individually responsible for their classroom, but it is not unreasonable to support expectations that match what they are doing. Sorry, just couldn't help getting on that soap box. Now back to CALL. I really like bringing things like Flickr into the classroom. I know as a history buff and posting the Dachau and Verona pictures on my blog really made me feel empowered to write my own history. I know that seeing those things and being able to touch them gave me a much higher sense of involvement than just words alone. I have to admit it is really cool to see the things you've read so much about up close and personal. I think what I would do with Flickr is have my students do virtual field trips. I would let the students pick a topic that interest them and then search for pictures about that topic and then do a slide show that the narrate and/or sub title the slides with their own explanation of what the viewer is seeing or do actual field trips and give the students camera's to take their pictures and do the same thing.