Shifting sands

At no time do I ever feel that I have mastered the French language, despite the fact that I have constantly used and studied it for most of my life. There's a good reason for that...language constantly evolves and changes. It is a complex, dynamic phenomenon. Language use and the social and psychological dimensions that are part of it merit serious study and this can bring great insights into who we are as human beings.  

I enjoy seeing how technology use effects the changes in language. Technology users themselves share a further cultural experience that I find fascinating. I wonder how many of my French friends have ever used this for example:

  

Wanna seem #French? The equivalent of ‘LOL’ is ‘MDR’ or“mort de rire” which actually means “dying with laughter” MDR
— Judy MacMahon (@MaVieFrancaise) July 26, 2013

Many heads are better than one!

Many tell me I am a natural networker. True, I find connecting with others generally life enhancing and certainly collaboration brings great inspiration and rewards. Of course there are challenges, human relationships can be complex but generally I find it is better to accept that no single one of us has all the answers. 

During the past 10 years or so I have extended my professional networks in language teaching and learning , technology enhanced learning and research and I have been fortunate enough to find many supportive, international collaborators who have helped to provoke, inform, challenge and hone my skills. They include individuals (many are tweeps) organisations (ALT is a great example) and companies who provide my tech solutions. 

Advising on tech choices these days is increasingly challenging thanks to the many changes that happen in this context almost daily but there is expertise that we should consult in order to avoid making costly,wasteful investments which do not ultimately fit our aims. One of the technology providers I have found to be well informed and supportive is the open source video streaming service that is called Kaltura. Here is a recent blog post on the promise of HTML5 video. Hope you find it helpful too.

How's your PLN coming along?

Drive

Been so busy just lately but this tweet has reminded me that I need to post again :) Here's the tweet that motivated this post:

Often imo when people say they want their pupils to be "independent learners" they really want them to stop being lazy and do some work
— Bigkid (@Bigkid4) April 11, 2013

Surely every teacher's goal is to create autonomous, self directed learning. That is the end game, we start incrementally in the same way we do as parents. Leading by example; showing curiosity; rewarding interaction with the world and with the means of acquiring knowledge; – the trick is to find the way of creating the urge to learn and grow – the drive (recommended reading: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Drive-Surprising-Truth-About-Motivates/dp/184767769X) . From an educational perspective, this is where work on motivation fits (Dornyei et al). A skilled teacher, whatever their sector, knows how to create an ethos of rigour and investigation, collaboration and mutual support, interaction and mutual development. A student centred approach is not, as so often portrayed some kind of "happy, clappy" movement where there are no boundaries and even the feeblest, fake attempts to feign interest are praised. Why would anyone wish to accentuate the wishy washy! I find it annoying when teachers divide each other into the "strict" and the "fun". Such oversimplification is lazy thinking, not worthy of the profession. Like all reductionism it fails to acknowledge that a good teacher, like a good parent, modifies their behaviour to fit a given context in order to achieve their aim. Oh and what was that again? Creating autonomous, self directed, LIFELONG learners. Our aim is to make ourselves dispensable. We need to be experts whilst knowing that expertise includes knowing that we have little expertise:

"To know, is to know that you know nothing. That is the meaning of true knowledge." Socrates

On being a node :)

During this presentation at ALT_C 2012 I was faced with the realisation that my channel, WarwickLanguage is a node, that is to say it is a meeting point for those interested in language teaching and technology use. I guess I had been aware of this and indeed I had consciously worked towards embedding myself at the intersection between teachers, learners and technologists for quite some time. Indeed over the last few years I have found myself in demand as an advisor, consultant or just a signpost to help others in their journey to become connected educators. Being nodal has its up sides and it also brings demands that require serious consideration and decision making if you are not to burn out. The intersection between multiple roads will always get the greatest use and therefore needs to be reinforced if it is to last the wear and tear. I am having to learn how to ensure that I use my time wisely and build in opportunities for rest and reflection. An important life lesson I think.

The landscape

Getting to grips with the technical context for my voice over the internet research I found this discussion very useful:

mobilize2012 on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

Holes in the wall presentation at ALT-C 2012

Holes in the_wall_alt2012 from Teresa Mackinnon

At the recent ALT-C2012 conference, I presented an overview of the virtual learning environment I have created for language teaching. Key design considerations include:

• choosing design partners who share your vision and commitment to the final product
• designing for nature within a learning environment so that it supports the natural ecosystem that is needed for great learning experiences.
• defining the granularity of control so that innovation can take place.

The Languages@Warwick portal has facilitated much innovation:

• A large scale project deploying e-portfolios as part of language skills assessment.
• Creation of an Online Intercultural Exchange for 600 students, collaborating between institutions.
• Implementation of a Community of Practice to support digital skills acquisition for our tutors.
• Professional development and publications from our Senior Tutors for Chinese and Japanese.

#altc2012 charging my batteries.

This conference seems to have come around again quickly, I must have been busy this past year! Annual events are always a great opportunity to measure progress or even just take time to reflect on how I've changed. One thing that, despite constant flux and change in the field, remains constant is the warm welcome at #alt2012. Again I have made new connections and caught up with old friends. There have been memorable conversations which will lead to new collaborations, this year with a German member. It is good to see more international connections happening through this network, especially at a time when the benefits of #oie are being highlighted by the INTENT project download report here  The conference papers and events have provided relevant and timely insights which I am able to take away. Staying in halls with no wifi (sorry Manchester but that has to change surely!) means I get a good night's sleep though and a welcome chance to charge my batteries. Thanks #alt2012 for a great conference,