Triadic scaffolds

Meskill, C. (2005). Triadic scaffolds: Tools for teaching English language learners with computers. Language Learning & Technology, 9, 46-59.

The computer, teacher and a pair of students make the triadic in triadic scaffolds. The teacher supports the computer software's language through her conversations with the beginning ELL students. The "computer-supported classroom discourse" through the use of instructional conversation with the children provide the students with models of what's needed for participation in school.
The scaffolds are the words the teacher uses as models for school participation. The teacher provides scaffolds for the ELLs during their one period a day intensive English class during their computer time through modeling of the different types of language used in the mainstream classroom (and from the computer program). The students were said to be using the language they hear from the teacher and computer activities they used within a couple of days.

I could see how this can be applied to my kindergarten classroom by modeling the language commands during their time on the computer and making sure that they understand them, instead of just assuming that they should already know. Providing this scaffold through modeling the English language's forms and functions of school ("words") language in context/ during the situation, while their attention is high was a good point to mention and take note of.

Abdullah's Blogging

Bloch, J. (2007). Abdulah’s blogging: A generation 1.5 student enters the blogosphere.
Language Learning & Technology, 11, 128-141.

The integrated approach toward academic writing through the use of Blogging about the controversial issue of plagiarism for a group of immigrant second language learners enrolled in a college composition course was analyzed. For this to happen, four blog use goals were established. Although the students were using the expressive style of writing, the author’s intended to use that as a stepping stone toward applying that to their academic writing. The student Abdulah found his voice, became an expert and most likely was able to transfer that to his academic writing assignment about plagiarism. This format and its content could be seen as critical literacy The issue of plagiarism was meaningful and relevant because the university they were attending was considering solutions to dealing with this problem as the same time. The students wrote onto a class blog by first introducing themselves (the Western way of communicating). The instructors didn’t expect the students to focus on correct grammar. Instead, they wanted the students to write freely, which happened. The author/ teacher felt that using this mode of writing would help the students to develop a critical perspective and evaluation on a current events topic. I liked that on page 136 the author said that the students’ own language was valued and they were considered experts as their background on this issue was increased, thus allowing them to cite their classmates’ text in their academic writing assignment. The students’ way with words on the blog was analyzed in a way that I felt was useful to me as an elementary teacher. I feel that this article can be beneficial to teachers of any grade working with writing, critical thinking, and/or technology.

Rethinking Schools articles

McFarlane, S. H. (2008). The laptops are coming! The laptops are coming! What am I
learning from my school’s infatuation with computers. Rethinking Schools, 22, 22-26.

This regular classroom teacher shares her mostly stressful experiences with laptops for each student in her school (the new trend in schools nowadays). Her experiences sound like ours in our school district. The positives are there but not without their complications and side effects, as we have seen in our district. The issue of power seemed to be bothering her (and me) a lot. I liked that this teacher was concerned about justice, equality, analytical/critical thinking, values on relationships that teachers and students should be concerned about also. The questions she provided as” notes for next time” shows her critical pedagogy, which I would not mind sharing with my co-workers with her permission of course. The information she shared was like she was talking about our students. So this was good to see that we were not the only ones going through this dilemma. She’s keeping it real, just the way I like it. No pretentiousness here. Is she a jewel in a haystack?

Garcia, A. (2008). Rethinking myspace Using social networking tools to connect with
students. Rethinking Schools, 22, 27-29.

Garcia’s diary like format touched on some serious issues involving MySpace in education. The one important fact is that this a way to extend class outside of the classroom. Another fact that I’ve found to be repeating itself concerning the web is the issue of power/justice/equity. It can be seen that Garcia believes in critical thinking and pedagogy, which can be seen in his “hope to sway students to use MySpace to spread messages and bulletins to fellow classmates- to take “ownership” of the mass media and to use MySpace to create a difference in the school atmosphere (p.29).”
Obviously the Internet can be a powerful tool for intermediate, middle, and high school teachers who have a critical pedagogy and believe in critical thinking.
Finally, I feel that I understand this program clearer (especially since I still haven’t created a MySpace for myself yet, because of the old excuse of paranoia of identity theft and the real excuse of lack of time- for now.).

LING611 Thorne reading

Thorne, S.L. (2006) New technologies and Additional Language Learning. CALPER Working paper No. 7. The Center for Advanced Language Proficiency Education and Research. The Pennsylvania State University. pp1-26.

This review essay, as the author Thorne calls it, seemed more like a computer techie’s literature review of the research on the Internet’s impact(s) on communication. Three topics of Internet communication technologies most related to the educational setting that Thorne chose to focus on were: chat, cross-cultural communication in second language education, and additional language learning for participation. The issue of equity as a factor in the incorporation of digital technology in the classroom was strongly expressed to be a serious issue that the education system cannot afford to ignore, especially because the borders being crossed today from the Internet should indicate to the schools the importance of utilizing the it in a meaningful way for language learners.
After reading this paper, the strongest point I got out of it was the issue of equity. Now that I’ve read about equity issues caused by the Internet, I can see this problem in our school district, which has laptops for jr. high and high school students, to use. This equity issue arises when it comes to their eligibility for Internet privileges. Even in my class, I’ve used the computers as an incentive for staying on task and at times as a reward for good student behavior. I did eventually realize of who was benefiting and who wasn’t from this system within my classroom, but now imagine the guilt trip I’ve been having about the ramifications! I’m sure the students are aware of this issue. I guess this is where I’d have to have a class discussion about this issue to find an equitable solution, I hope. This feels like the first and least I could do until other solutions are found, which I noticed weren’t specifically suggested in this article.

LING695 Prompt 3 responses

Prompt #3 pp. 84-117; 136-151

1. The understandings that I gathered about the content and reviews in these sections have to do with truth, reality, and resilience. When I was young, I was told by my aunt that I was resilient. She explained what it meant, and I embraced it as a mode of survival through my teens and twenties when I was away from home going to school. I see this concept of resiliency in these reviews and poems despite the anger or pain they express. The reviewers’ and poets’ ability to tell the truth is a reality that all readers of indigenous stories and poems need to acknowledge, accept and amend and not just be a passive reader. That’s the message I’m getting from them and am thankful for it.

2.The genre, elements of literature and forms and features have been addressed in each review at one time or another. I noticed that the photographs, background or history, voice, and word choices were carefully analyzed in each review. Additionally, the publisher’s or editor’s influence in the Native author’s text was researched and included, which I thought was very smart of the reviewer to do and share.

3. These reviews provide me with a framework and focus that I want to apply in my own research as well as in my classroom. I’d like to have my kindergartners analyze the photographs, background or history, voice, and word choice of books written about their culture and hopefully of other cultures for accuracy and truthfulness.

4. The poem that I couldn’t get over was on page 85, She’s a Hawk, by Mary TallMountain not only because of the humor but also because of its reality. It made me remember an elder in our village who would be like Tatiana. This poem showed that less is more/ actions speak louder than words. It’s typical for an outsider or even young people today who don’t know how to listen to come in and think s/he knows it all, whereas it’s useless to argue, so you let your actions speak and maybe they’ll finally hear you. I’d like to try writing a poem or two describing people’s actions and reactions, using them to speak for themselves as the author, Mary TallMountain did. When I first read this poem, I wasn’t sure what gisakk meant, although I imagined an indigenous person being frustrated with someone who doesn’t know how to listen (most likely an outsider, I thought). Then I got to the end and saw that gisakk meant white man and I went into a giggling fit even more (than before I even knew what gisakk meant). Humor is good medicine, and in this case an effective method of writing which in turn can be used as a teaching tool.

Erben & Sarieva pp13-20

Erben, T., Ban, R., Eisenhower, K., Jin, L., and Summers, R. (2008). Using technology
for Foreign Language Instruction: Creative innovations, Research, and Applications. In Erben, T. & Sarieva, I. ( Eds.), CALLing all foreign language teachers: Computer-Assisted language learning in the classroom (pp. 13-20). NY: Cambridge University Press.

The use of technology as a classroom resource was defended, justified and motivating for me as a teacher to read. I felt guilty and surprised, but relieved to see the following statement, “…technology needs to be relocated as the fundamental basis for all of the things we do in the foreign-language classroom (p.13).” Computer assisted language learning’s effect on classroom practices include authentic materials, cooperative learning, and is student centered. The student’s ownership and motivation naturally follow if integration is smooth and inevitable technicalities that come with the territory are prepared for and handled patiently. A needs analysis of students’ computer skills will help in choosing appropriate materials and the organization of learning groups. Needless to say, the teacher’s effectiveness in modeling and supporting language use first is a must. New technologies are inevitable.

day 3 readings part 1

Day 3 readings for Ling611 7/14/08
Richards, J. Ed. (2001). The role and design of instructional materials. In Curriculum
development in language teaching (pp. 251-285). NY: Cambridge University Press.

Instructional materials are just as important as the other elements in language curriculum development. The process and considerations for this subject are the types of materials needed for the curriculum. Two types of material are to be considered- print and nonprint, From those, are they authentic or created by publishers. Textbook evaluations have a process and criteria to carefully consider like adaptations of them and the development process/ nature. Then there’s decisions to be made about materials design and exercise types. Even the management of a materials writing project has a lot of factors to consider as the author has shown, like the monitoring of the use of materials.

It was humbling to see why we are adopting textbooks- because of all the work involved in the planning and creating. Before, I was complaining about the adoptions because they’re generic, and not culturally relevant. Still, I will continue to supplement our adopted text especially because they’re so generic.

Richards, J. Ed. (2001). Curriculum development in language teaching. Approaches to
evaluation. In Curriculum development in language teaching (pp. 286-310). NY: Cambridge University Press.

Curriculum evaluation of several/all aspects of a language program should come from the stakeholders, about the material, and even the environment to name a few. There is a purpose for evaluation that can be either a formative, illuminative, or summative evaluation. The issues in program evaluation deal the audience, participants, quantitative and qualitative measures, documentation, implementation, and the procedures used in conducting evaluations.

This is a great, big task that involves a lot of detail for every topic and idea, it’s no wonder the textbook makers charge so much for their material. Still, our curriculum directors have a lot on their plate and I wish they’d share some of their information with us as teachers and ask for our input. Maybe that’s why we end up doing our own thing


Erben, T. (2008). Introduction: CALLing All Foreign Language Teachers. In Erben, T & Sarieva, I.( Eds.), CALLing all foreign language teachers: Computer-Assisted language learning in the classroom (pp. 1-4). Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.

In a letter format to foreign language teachers, Erben talks about the history, purpose, and authors of the book. An overview of the book layout along with some definitions of technical terms or names were explained.

This information helped to get me interested and excited about reading on. Even in this short reading, I felt I learned more than I did before reading this. I felt like this author sounded so supportive of the graduate authors, which helped me to be more motivated about integrating technology in my classroom.