Assignment - CALL

SUBJECT ASSIGNMENT:
COMPUTER ASSISTED LANGUAGE LEARNING / TECNOLOGÍA
EDUCATIVA EN EL APRENDIZAJE DE LENGUAS

GENERAL INFORMATION:

This assignment must be done individually and has to fulfil the following conditions:

- Length: between 6 and 8 pages (without including cover, index or appendices –if
there are any–).
- Type of font: Arial or Times New Roman.
- Size: 11.
- Line height: 1.5.
- Alignment: Justified.

The assignment has to be done in this Word document and has to fulfil the rules of
presentation and edition, as for quotes and bibliographical references which are
detailed in the Course Guide (see section 2.4.3.). You will find it under the icon “Course
Guide”.

Also, the assignment has to be submitted following the procedure specified in the
“Subject evaluation” document. Sending it to the tutor’s e-mail is not permitted. Once
the student submits the assignment, he/she shall write to the subject’s professor at that
very moment so that the professor is aware of the student’s assignment and can grade
it.

In addition to this, it is very important to read the assessment criteria, which can be
found in the Course Guide.

The assignment mark is 70% of the final mark.

1
 Assignment - CALL

Assignment:

You have to choose one of the following options:

OPTION A

Elaborate a sequence of three activities using technology. To do this, do not forget to

include:

 teaching context (location, educational level, number of students, nationality,

age, English level, etc.);
 type of activity (pre-reading, etc.);

 objectives of the activities;

 content (functions, grammar, vocabulary, culture, etc.) that students should

master;

 skills that will be worked on in each activity;

 timing for each activity;

 how students will be evaluated.

OPTION B

Think about one of the theoretical aspects dealt with in the subject: Web 2.0,
connectivism, electronic portfolios, personal learning environment or assessment in
digital environments, always regarding teaching and learning second languages.
Explain a possible practical application of that theoretical aspect.

 Include bibliographic references.

 You can also include a personal opinion about this theoretical aspect or
approach.

2
 Assignment - CALL

Important: you have to write your personal details and the subject name on the
cover (see the next page). The assignment that does not fulfil these conditions
will not be corrected. You have to include the assignment index below the cover.

SELECTED OPTION ___A___

Name and surname(s):

Oscar Orlando Martinez Sandoval
Login:
COFPMTFL1101962
Date:
15th April, 2018

3
 Assignment - CALL

4
 Assignment - CALL

INDEX

Page

1. Introduction 5
2. Teaching context 6
3. Lesson Plan 6
3.1 Activity 1 6
3.2 Activity 2 8
3.3 Activity 3 9
4. Conclusion 10
5. Bibliography 11
6. Webography 11

5
 Assignment - CALL

Introduction
The networked world simplifies interchange of information by way of sharing. It offers
access of the creation of knowledge through teaching how to learn by doing or
experiences. It is relevant to explore knowledge inside digital age with the addition of
technology in teaching-learning context. This condition makes the development of
connectivism, which highlights where and how knowledge is made in a digital context.
In this respect, connectivism proposes a consideration to pedagogical reasoning and
action while teaching course content based on the integration of digital technologies.
“The support of technology within teaching, learning contexts makes the roots of
connectivism that shows technology becomes a bridge for learning, teaching and
context” (Starkey, 2010).

When considering about how we use technology in education we can use the principles
of connectivism stated by Siemens as a guide to assess the effectiveness of our tasks
and activities.
 Learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions.
 Learning is a process of connecting specialised nodes or information sources.
 Learning may reside in non-human appliances.
 Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known
 Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning.
 Ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill.
 Currency (accurate, up-to-date knowledge) is the intent of all connectivist
learning activities.
 Decision-making is itself a learning process. Choosing what to learn and the
meaning of incoming information is seen through the lens of a shifting reality.
While there is a right answer now, it may be wrong tomorrow due to alterations
in the information climate affecting the decision.
We can also look at the ways we are motivating and guiding our students in the use of
technology to guarantee we are helping to reinforce the understanding and practice of
these guiding principles.

The internet is a source of unlimited information which can help students in both their
content and language learning. “The World Wide Web is therefore a virtual library at
one's fingertips; it is a readily available world of information for the language learner.
While the Internet offers numerous benefits to the language learner” (Singhal, 1997).

6
 Assignment - CALL

Teaching context
Fifteen students at pre-intermediate level, all aged between 16-25. They are from
Colombia. They live in Bogota the capital city. They are University students. They
attend their bachelor lessons in the mornings and took English lesson three times a
week in the afternoon in 120-minute sessions. They are considered as having an upper
A2 - lower B1 level. They have a fair reading comprehension skill since they are usually
asked to read articles in English for their careers. Even though our institution promotes
a communicative approach, sometimes we do some reading and writing exercises. We
are currently using a textbook in class called Cutting Edge Elementary published by
Pearson Editorial. Nowadays, all students have a smartphone and there is wi-fi
connection available for everyone. There is also a computer lab, with 20 computers,
which are enough for all students in class. Sometimes we also use the computer room
for revision purposes because all the books include an access code to a virtual
platform which reinforce what the students have learnt in each particular chapter of
their coursebook.
The activities I wish to complete will be accompanied by the topic, vocabulary and
grammar points highlighted in the unit of their book. Generally, it takes about two
weeks to cover a full unit of their book correctly, 6 sessions of 100 minutes each.
followed by one week of project work, 2 sessions of 100 minutes and finally a test.
There is no need to tell them how to use the apps and programmes needed. But clear
directions must be given for each activity.

Lesson Plan

Activity 1: web quest

Skills: speaking, writing, reading
Time: Two sessions (200 minutes)
Level: B1
Objectives:
 Encourage students to use digital tools.
 Promote collaborative work.
 Practice writing, speaking and reading skills by elaborating a web
quest.
 Learn the grammar and use of passive voice

7
 Assignment - CALL

Introduction: It is easy to understand the news once you already know the passive
voice structure, as it always appears in the news headlines, articles, etc.
Tasks: Students will keep track of news related to our country Colombia, written
entirely in English in popular media worldwide, such as:
https://us.cnn.com/americas,
http://www.bbc.com/news/world/latin_america
http://www.foxnews.com/category/world/world-
regions/americas.html
https://thebogotapost.com/
They will identify the most important news related to our country and will
be watching developments. They must gather the important details of
each news daily register the name and date of publication.
The final product would be a video presentation uploaded on YouTube in
which students shoot the news.
Procedure: 1. The class will be divided into 5 groups of three students.
2. For 2 weeks, each group will gather information from the various
newspapers that are provided in the Resources section and will keep
track of at least three pieces of news related to our country.
3. Students will be given some examples of the news/parts of the article
that can be presented in each of them, focusing on the passive voice
forms.
4. Students then read the articles a first time, quickly, to know what it is
in general terms.
5. The task is to identify different sentences in passive in the articles
they have gathered.
6. Then, they read it a second time, stopping at the words they do not
know. Using an online dictionary (https://www.wordreference.com/) to
find meaning.
7. After two weeks, students should upload a presentation on YouTube
in which they play a TV news program showing the piece of news they
have read about. They can use scripts as they are playing the roles
Evaluation: It will be taken into account the followings aspects:
 Participation of the group while looking for information, preparation of
work and oral presentation.
 Use of relevant and concise information

8
 Assignment - CALL

 Correction of spelling and syntax.

 Completing Tasks.
 Clarity and consistency in the oral presentation.
 Use of computer tools.

Activity 2: Padlet (virtual bulletin board)

Skills: listening, writing and speaking
Time: Two sessions (200 minutes)
Level: B1
Objectives:
 Make students familiar with different ways of sharing knowledge and
ideas for improving their language learning process.
 Practice listening, writing and speaking by taking part in a
collaborative virtual board
 Learn the grammar and use of second conditional
Introduction: This conditional form can be the most challenging because we use it to
talk about hypothetical (unreal) situations or events. But it’s important
because we use it to: give advice, talk about unlikely/impossible
situations, imagine different future outcomes, express regret or wish for
a different reality. Most English classes and grammar books teach
students the basic rules of conditionals, such as: If + past simple + would
+ infinitive. And certainly, that can be useful. But it doesn’t help you
understand how to really use conditionals in their daily English life.
Padlet is an online pin board, very easy to add a wide range of media
resources. It uses the ‘cloud’ for storage and it’s free and easy to use.
Tasks: Students will be explained about what is padlet and how to use it. Then it
will be given a short grammar introduction of the second conditional
making a comparison with first conditional.
The final product will be students’ participation in the virtual pin board
Procedure: 1. Students will be given the following URL
https://padlet.com/oomartinezs/tv3tyb3vx4q3
2. Students must watch the video by clicking on it
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ozym_ImlppQ)

9
 Assignment - CALL

3. Find your name on the list of participants and write something you
would like using the second conditional and ask a question to them using
the given grammar structure.
4. Read the posts written by your classmates and answer their
questions.
5. Discuss with a classmate about the different opinions and decide on
one you consider the funniest or the most interesting
8. In front of the class, tell your classmates and the teacher which
particular answer you talked about and why.
Evaluation: This activity will be evaluated taking into account the participation in all
the steps: Watching the video, writing the posts, reading the posts and
speaking in the classroom.

Activity 3: Google Forms

Skills: Writing and Reading
Time: Two sessions (100 minutes)
Level: B1
Objectives:
 Promote collaborative work and encourage students to use digital
tools
 Practice writing and reading skills creating a survey
Introduction: Google Docs is an online resource used in the classroom that promotes
the collaborative work between the students and help them to discover
different ways for learning in real time. A survey design will include
planning and creativity.
Tasks: The final product will be the application and results of the survey about
what makes people happy.
Procedure: 1. Teacher shows students how to create a form online using Google
Forms https://docs.google.com/forms/u/0/ or they can also watch it on
the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEY10Ub-k-U
2. The class will be divided in 5 groups of three students.
3. Each survey has to contain at least 6 questions related to life such as:
love, happiness, age, pets, interest, family, etc. They will be given a
survey example that is included on their Class textbook: Moor (2014:
102)

10
 Assignment - CALL

4. Students at the end will show the results to their survey

Evaluation: This task will take into account the followings aspects:
 Participation of the group given all required information
 Design of the final presentation
 Creativity of the presentation
 Use of visual materials.
 Use of computer tools.

Conclusion

Most teachers work individually in their classes and do not get the opportunity to use
computers, tablets and smartphones to teach English through these devices. It could
be very difficult to expand our teaching practice if we are not exposed to other styles of
teaching. Without contemplating other possible alternatives, most teachers would teach
as they were taught. Nowadays it is possible to watch and evaluate videos from other
teachers who create online exercises and show virtual learning alternatives they
implement within their classes. This can expose teachers to new ideas and strategies
to incorporate into our own teaching practice. Teachers also require time to practice in
a known environment and to receive feedback on those new areas. It is important to
mention that in spite of the computer is a useful tool in the classroom it is only effective
when the teacher and the students give it a clear purpose. Generally, I do not assume
these projects as part of formal evaluation of the students, as my institution favours to
base grades on formal progress tests and exams. Consequently, we generally carry
out these tasks and activities as part of the revision period of a unit which has been
studied. It is more for the benefit of students.

The importance of technology nowadays in day-to-day encounters making it a basic

element of daily lives. Its importance plays a significant role in shaping students’
expectations of their learning experiences. As a result, a need for better understanding
and using technology in classrooms is put forth. With all the development that the web
has gone through from its early age, during the last few years. By using technology in
the ESL classroom, we are keeping up-to-date with the demands and needs of our
students and these new aspects of English language learning are changing many
dynamics in our daily lives.

11
 Assignment - CALL

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Moor, Peter. Crace, Araminta. Cunningham, Sarah. (2014). Cutting Edge Pre-
Intermediate Students Book with DVD And Myenglishlab Pack. S.L.: Pearson
Longman.

Starkey, L. (2010). Teachers’ pedagogical reasoning and action in the digital Age.
Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 16(2), 233-244.

WEBOGRAPHY

Siemens, G. (2005). Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age. Retrieved
April 08, 2018, from http://www.itdl.org/journal/jan_05/article01.htm

Singhal, M. (1997). The Internet and Foreign Language Education: Benefits and
Challenges. Retrieved April 07, 2018, from http://iteslj.org/Articles/Singhal-
Internet.html

12