1. 1 ICT Blogs & Wikis Ricardo Amaral & Rebecca Hottiger 1

2. 2 W HY ICT? Working with the computer is a basic skill like reading or writing The Internet is here to stay! TASK :  What are the advantages / disadvantages of using the Internet in the language classroom? Discuss! 2

3. 3 ICT: A DVANTAGES Internet is one of the most important tools in our daily life  basic skill Using ICT is motivating for learners The Internet provides a wide variety of different themes / topics, accessible in diverse ways Includes many learning styles Develops autonomous learning 3

4. 4 ICT: A DVANTAGES Window on the outside world Connects people from all corners of the world  multicultural communication possible Involves learners actively AUTHENTIC LANGUAGE 4

5. 5 ICT: D ISADVANTAGES Needs detailed preparation Teacher might be afraid of learners` knowledge in terms of ICT Needs time Can be distractive Teacher out of control Learners are exposed to whatever content they want to take in Needs clear safety restrictions (to protect learners` identity) 5

6. 6 W HAT ALSO NEEDS TO BE SAID … Internet is not a replacement of classroom teaching The internet can do nothing: It is the teacher who needs to provide clear tasks, also offline activities, to ensure effective learning. (Lewis 2004) 6

7. 7 INTRODUCTION: What are blogs & wikis? Blogs and Wikis are social softwares They are websites / webpages They are computer tools which allow people to connect, to communicate and to collaborate online 7

8. 8 WIKIs The name „wiki“ derives from a Hawaiian- language word meaning “quick, fast“. A wiki is like a public website / web page, started by one person, but which subsequent visitors can add to, delete or change as they wish Therefore, a wiki is more dynamic and can have multiple authors It has a non-linear structure (author….) 8

9. 9 WIKIs A wiki is perfect for collecting information and material on a particular subject Wikis have a history function, thus there is no risk of a deletion of correct information  prior version can be looked at all the time Example: WikipediaWikipedia

10. 10 WIKIs IN LANGUAGE TEACHING A wiki is perfectly suitable for developing reading and writing skills: Reading: Learners first have to read what is already there Learners have to generate knowledge by reading about the content they wish to write about 10

11. 11 WIKIs IN LANGUAGE TEACHING Writing: Leads to collaborative writing Includes all important factors for an effective writing didactic: is meaningful Has a purpose Has readers Learners can choose a content they like 11

12. 12 WIKIs IN LANGUAGE TEACHING Writing: Supports process writing: 1. Brainstorming 2. Draft 3. Revise 4. Edit 5. Publish 12

13. 13 WIKIs: An example of a wiki-project Topic: famous people 1. Teacher sets up first page, outlining the topic and the tasks / steps for the learners 2. In pairs, learners are going to write a description of a famous person. They are asked to include a certain number of factual errors. For collecting material, the learners use online encyclopedias (like wikipedia.com). After writing, they add the new page to the wiki (needs clear instruction by teacher) 13

14. 14 WIKIs: An example of a wiki-project 3. Each pair reads a description of another pair. By using the Edit mode, they correct “wrong“ information, also using online encyclopedias. Depending on the level of the class, they then could be asked to add grammatical errors to the page. The first pair of learners then tries to correct the newly added errors.

15. 15 CONSIDERATIONS Considering the public nature of the internet, it is probably worth asking other classes to take a look at the wiki and contribute to it Also parents could be asked to have a look at it Knowing that their products are available for the public encourages the learners to do a good job But: The wiki can also be kept as an internal class project Add a password to the wiki. By doing that, the project keeps the privacy of the classroom and protects the learners

16. 16 LINKS Pbwiki (www.pbwiki.com)www.pbwiki.com MediaWiki (http://www.mediawiki.org)http://www.mediawiki.org Wikihost (http://wikihost.org)http://wikihost.org WikiSpace (www.wikispaces.com)www.wikispaces.com

17. 17 R ESOURCES Lewis, Gordon (2004): The Internet and young learners. Oxford: Oxford University Press Lewis, Gordon (2009): Bringing technology into the classroom. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Potts, John (2010): Making more of the internet in your Cambridge Teaching. www.johnpotts.info (October 2010) www.johnpotts.info 17