interviews appendix 1

The Incorporation of ICTs into Task-Based Language Learning

ELECTRONIC INTERVIEWSINTRODUCTION

I am currently conducting a small-scale research project in which I try to answer the

questions of:

How New Technologies are being incorporated or embedded into the field of

Language Learning and more specifically into the Task-Based Learning

methodological approach?

How can teachers be encouraged to embed their practices with New

Technologies?

As I am trying to frame my answer from a diversity of perspectives I would be grateful

if we could talk informally about some of the issued presented below. (Please feel free

to omit the questions you feel are overlapping or have been answered in previous

questions.)

INTERVIEW TO MS JANE TARWACKI – Spanish Teacher at Greenbelt Middle School

1- Would you please give me a description of your personal and professional background (as detailed as you wish)

I was born and raised in New Jersey and went to school in Richmond, Virginia. My mom is from Bogota, Colombia and my father is Polish-American. I have my B.A. in Spanish and Political Science, a minor in Latin American Studies, and a M.T. in Secondary Education. I also have a professional certificate in Professional Teaching Standards. I am also a National Board candidate. I am the Prince George’s County Public Schools Foreign Language Teacher of the Year and I am also the runner-up for Maryland Foreign Language Teacher of the Year. I have been teaching for six year, all of them in Prince George’s County Public Schools.

2- Which is the technological resource you have been incorporating into your lessons?

I have a MIMIO machine which turns any white board into a smart (interactive) white board. I also use videos, websites, and CD-ROM resources with an LCD projector.

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3- When did you learn to use it?

I learned how to use it in mid-September of this year when I received the MIMIO machine. I learned to use an LCD projector six years ago when I started teaching in PGCPS.

4- How do you think this technology has changed your teaching practice?

Making the material interactive has been great for my students. They are better able to participate and they think using the MIMIO machine is fun. I do not have to clean transparencies, or write things over and over again for each class since I use powerpoint and CD-ROM software. Access to YouTube and all of the videos has made learning fun and interesting. The students use this technology all the time and are excited to blend their interests and learning styles with the curriculum.

5- What are the benefits or drawbacks you perceive in your students’ learning achievements?

The benefits of technology is that it makes it easier to learn. It makes activities more kinesthetic for my students because they can physically moves words and pictures around on the board. It also holds their interest longer because it is fun. The only drawback is that the students are relying on technology for everything and forgetting that books do have a purpose.

6- What other technological incorporations would you like to make? Why haven´t you been able to do it?

I would like to have access to a high functioning computer lab. We do not have the money for new computers that are faster and have more memory.

7- Would you like to make any other comment?

INTERVIEW TO MR DENNIS READ – Technology teacher at Samuel Ogle Middle School


2- Which is/are the technological tool/s you teach in your lessons?

3- What are the benefits or drawbacks you perceive in your students’ learning achievements?

4- How do you feel your class is being helpful within a cross-curricular perspective?

5- Can you give me your general perception of Maryland Teachers Technology Standards? http://www.mttsonline.org/standards/

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http://www.mttsonline.org/standards/


RESPONSES

1. Personal/Professional Background:

a. Teaching/Education Background (currently teaching middle school, Prince George’s County Public Schools)

17th year teaching overall; includes 6 yrs. in Middle school and 11 in Elementary School (1994-2010.) Initially hired as a technology teacher in elementary school. 2 years experience GED teaching, 1973-75. All teaching experience in PGCPS.

Certified in Elementary Ed., grades 1-8; Advanced Professional Certificate, State of Maryland, USA.

B.S. Biology, University of Maryland, 1973; post grad credits = 35 (all Education coursework for certification and development)

b. Pre-teaching career/experience

19+ years experience as a nursing manager and nursing (IT) systems manager, Washington Hospital Center, Wash., DC. (1975-1994)

c. Computer/technology Credentials

Professional development coursework (numerous computer applications), WHC and PGCPS (non-credit)

Self-taught applications as needed

Informal networking, sharing, and workgroup development as needed

2. Technology tools used/taught in classroom (Middle School)

Students use Dell personal computers (1 pc per student/ classes of 30 students/3 computer classes daily, A/B schedule)

Teacher uses Dell pc, plus an overhead Mitsubishi LCD projector on a large projection screen. All PGCPS teachers also have IBM take-home laptops

Programs used in classroom include: MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, Internet, and Mavis Beacon Typing.

Content for computer programs is taken from Social Studies pacing guide; each grade level (6, 7, 8) has a specific topic to research for the quarter.

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Program objectives include proficiency in writing, proofreading, reading, math computations, and keyboarding.

3. Benefits/drawbacks in student achievement

Benefits include:

o Use of contemporary/real world computer programs (as above)

o Reinforcement of content material (reading/language arts, math, social studies)

o Basic and advanced proficiency in keyboarding and other program-related skills (word processing, spreadsheet development, slide presentation, internet research)

Drawbacks:

o Potential loss of skill-set if practice/repetition of technology is not maintained at home or in other classes

o Weaknesses in reading/writing/math often translate into poor performance with technology programs

4. Cross-curricular relevance

The Social Studies topic for each grade level that I choose is far enough ahead in the pacing guide that students have a reference point for meaningful discussion by the time their SS class studies the same topic.

Excel is math, and students write formulas for calculations as well as graph their results. Students interpret spreadsheet data and graphs.

Proofreading reinforces Language Arts standards for capitalization rules, correct verb tense, and sentence structure. Creative writing is encouraged.

5. Perception of Maryland Technology Standards

The seven Technology Standards provide a specific framework for teachers to effectively implement technology within the curriculum on many levels. My feeling is that I and most teachers need to review these Standards in order to be aware of the specific recommendations.

A better awareness of the Standards would facilitate a more comprehensive implementation; however, many of these Standards are typically employed without much thought, in my case. Formulation of a research question, use of multiple sources of information, various communication channels and formats, and accessibility logistics are always considered.

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6. Final Comments

Class size: my classes run form 20 to 30. It is very difficult, yet possible, to effectively supervise adolescents in a computer room by myself in larger classes of 30. They do not all get the personal help that they need, many times.

Student behavior: in every class, there will be behavior challenges that disrupt the flow of the class, interrupt student performance and teaching, and become a burden for everyone in the room. Monitoring behavior issues – often from the same students over and over again – while teaching lessons, supervising classwork , and assessing performance – becomes second nature for most teachers, but is a major consideration when managing a classroom.

Grading requirements: my class, Computer Technology Concepts, is a Creative Arts subject that is taught every other day (A/B schedule) for one quarter. Still, this and other C.A. subjects have the same weekly grading requirements as daily taught content classes (2 grades per week.) It seems that students who meet 2 or 3 classes per week should not be assessed as often as students who have a class daily (5x/week.)

INTERVIEW TO SUPARMARN MITRSOMWANG (MARNIE)- Graduate students in Methods of Teaching ESOL


Well, my name is Marnie. My actual name should be Supamarn Mitrsomwang and I am from Thailand. I’ve lived in Maryland while at the same time studied in the College of Education, TESOL program, for a year now. The next semester will be my last semester and I hope to use the knowledge I acquired to improve my country’s English educational system. Back in Thailand, I received a Bachelor Degree of Arts in the fields of English and Drama. I lived with my parents and my elder brother. We cherish our two Golden Retrievers very much. I highly believe in multiple literacies and am certain that students should be encouraged to learn both inside and outside of school. Thus, I do think that technologies will help get that message across.

2- Which technological resources do you think you will incorporate in your teaching practice?

Computer for sure with online resources and social networks as a tool of communication, which will further establish leaning community. Audio technologies, movies, electronic resources are also proven to be abundance nowadays as well.

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3-Will you be able to transfer the use of similar technological tools in their own practices when they become school teachers? Why/not?

( I don’t think I quite understand what you are trying to ask me here? Could you elaborate moe?)

4- In your opinion, what are the benefits or drawbacks of using technologies at school?

The benefit, ofcourse is global interaction. As the methods of communication are so vast with varieties, the possibility is endless. Students can retrieve unlimited resources from the World Wide Web. The drawback, ofcourse, would be that we cannot always rely on computer.

5- Would you like to receive special teachers´ training before using technology in the classroom?

Ofcourse I do. Although I considered myself to know more or less about technology but I would never consider myself as a ‘tech savvy’. The problem is students today belong in the ‘Millennial’ generation and I need to keep up with that. So, definitely I do need extra training.


INTERVIEW TO JULIAN CHEN – Assistant Teacher in Methods of Teaching ESOL


I am currently the doctoral candidate in the Second Language Education & Culture (SLEC) program at the University of Maryland, College Park. I joined SLEC PhD program in 2007 and is currently working as a graduate assistant for developing and maintaining both SLEC and Master's Certification Program (MCERT) websites. I have also been a TA for courses in the areas of technology and ESOL, such as Computers for Teachers, Methods of Teaching ESOL, and Special Education and Oral Language Development in TESOL. To capitalize on my TA experience to work as an instructor, I have taught courses such as Teaching ESOL Reading and Writing in Secondary Content Areas: Teaching English Learners Reading and Writing in the Secondary Content Areas (summer 2009), Computers for Teachers (fall 2009), and teaching Pedagogy for Teaching English Language Learners (spring 2010).

I earned my M.Ed. in TESL from the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Canada. I also got my TESOL certificate during my graduate studies in Canada. I had taught EFL at the college level in Taiwan for three and half years and actively participated in in-service school teacher training. Driven by implementing technology into enhancing English language learning, I set up my own E-learning site for my teaching and student

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learning in Taiwan.

2- Which is/are the technological resource/s you have been incorporating into your practice?My current research interests include computer-assisted language learning (CALL), computer-mediated communication (CMC), web-based learning, language and literacy in online/out-of-school settings. On that note, I have been working on infusing CMC into task-based language teaching (TBLT) in both ESL/EFL contexts. For my dissertation, I am interested in delving into the simulation/gaming for language learning in the virtual world (i.e., Second Life).

3- When did you learn to use it/them?

As mentioned above, I started to integrate technology into language learning and teaching since I was teaching in Taiwan. In the beginning, I was a bit overwhelmed by all the Web 2.0 tools. In order to align my teaching styles with students’ digital learning styles, I tried to explore different kinds of CMC tools (e.g., skype, blog, wiki, etc.) and incorporated them into the instruction. In 2008, I first encountered Second Life (SL), a 3-D virtual environment. I was impressed with the pedagogical potential SL can offer for language learners and started to embark on my SL journey. The learning curve at the outset was a bit steep but I finally managed it and was able to conduct my first English course in SL in fall 2010.

4- How do you think this technology has changed your teaching practice?

I am a teacher who likes to think outside the box. Following the same teaching script with the same teaching materials, or even the same old technology is not my cup of tea. So every year I endeavor to try out some new technology and see how it may benefit students’ learning and optimize my teaching as well. Being able to use technology to assist my teaching practice has been fruitful. Not only do students feel that each lesson is not static and tedious, they can also capitalize on different CMC tools to practice different language skills and stretch their zone of proximal development (ZPD). The new discovery of using SL for teaching and learning is an eye-opening experience for me. I truly believe the SL features, such as immersiveness, telepresence, and augmented reality, can make a difference on both teaching practices and learning outcomes.

5- Do you think your students, future ESOL teachers, will be able to transfer the use of similar technological tools in their own practices when they become school teachers? Why/not?

I do, but under the condition that those pre-service ESOL teachers are well-trained or at least have the chance to integrate different Web 2.0 tools in their lesson planning and teaching practicum. Without “getting their hands dirty” and see the extent to which a technology-enhanced lesson can optimize student learning outcomes and

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motivation, they won’t see the point of transferring those tools to the real-life teaching situations.

6- What other technological incorporations would you like to make? Why haven´t you been able to do it?

I’d like to incorporate SL into classroom-based instruction. The reason I’ve not started it yet is because it’s hard to get my own class now (I am not teaching a language class at the college level in the U.S. yet). Even though I do see the potential of SL that can empower language learners, especially EFL learners, how to tackle the administrative constraints and technical issues in the lab or at students’ home will be the next task for me to accomplish.

7- As teacher trainer, which do you think is the most effective way to handle teachers´ training in Technology?

As far as I am concerned, most language teachers are not digital natives who are born with technology or somewhat hesitant about using technology (except for powerpoint?) in their lessons. Conducting teacher training workshops on a regular basis to help those teachers to get into the zone is definitely a good start. Breaking down the steps and having some technical support from school or other experienced teachers are the strategy to facilitate teachers’ professional development. Also, asking teachers to try out one technological tool at a time for each lesson will prepare them to be more familiar with the implementation of technology into instruction.


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interviews appendix 1

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