Last one!!

Hello, guys!
In this post, we say goodbye, as it will be my last one, but maybe it’s not a real goodbye; who knows? We will see each other in the future. So, today I will share some of my thoughts regarding this class that I took this semester and the works we did together. Let’s go!

First of all, I would like to talk about some strong areas of this class. For example, we studied the theoretical parts of the class for a few weeks, then we started doing assignments as a practice of them almost every week. So our class mostly consisted of outputs, I would say. Another thing is that after every assignment, we would do feedback sessions with our peers as well as our teacher. Those feedbacks added a different perspective to ourselves and improved our work significantly. As time passed, we got used to the rules we had to follow while working on our assignments.

Now, I wanna talk about my favorite task and least favorite task. My favorite one is AR/VR integration into ELT because among our task this one had the most fun topic. I really enjoyed doing this assignment, for example, choosing a city and its landmarks, or finding 3D versions of food, etc. Now, if we are talking about my least favorite assignment, it would be preparing an AI-integrated teaching material. It was our last assignment, we did a lot of work, we were out of ideas, and we couldn’t come up with one easily. Moreover, AI is usually restricted in our assignments, so using AI in an assignment is a bit new concept, so we were also struggling with that. However, with all the difficulties we faced, I think we did a good job during our works so I am satisfied with our assignments.

Lastly, my message to the students who would take this course next year would be to give your best while working on your assignments because I genuinely believe that it improves us, the students, a lot, and it definitely adds new perspectives to how technology can be added to class and how it can enhance the learning.
Eventually, you notice the benefits technology brings to the class and how it can help or assist the teacher.

Creating an AI-assisted teaching material: Journey through the mountains!

Hello guys!

Today, we are doing an AI-integrated teaching material for EFL High school prep students. We are enhancing students’ learning on a chosen topic with the help of AI. It is a pair work. My friend and I chose the topic “life in nature”. We created a situation where students are going on a journey through the mountains to reach their mansion, and they come across problems on the way. Then, to create these problematic situations, students write the given prompt to the chatgpt to create it, and they solve the situation with the help of 6 chosen objects from the book. They will overcome these 3 situations with the help of objects. After that, there will be a post-task in which students have to write what object they chose, and why they chose that object.

To mention the difficulties we faced while making the activity, ıt was hard to come up with an idea in which we would be able to use AI. Students should use the AI, and at the same time, this activity should enhance their learning. But after we came up with the idea, it was fun to write it down.

Finally, I think this activity we made created a student-centered learning environment because students really understand the meanings of the word through real-life situations. This would place the words in their long-term memory. As a pre-service teacher, I would want to use AI to enhance my students’ learning in a controlled environment.

After a feedback session in the class with our peers and teacher, there have been changes in our worksheet. First, we added a pre-task activity, like some questions about students’ experiences, as we did not have one. Then, we separated our reflection part into a separate paper. Also, we changed our AI prompt to a shorter and simpler version.

The worksheet: https://www.canva.com/design/DAG85ajJCsQ/dw9gvLMwmzsQ4SiBT_Q0Zw/edit?utm_content=DAG85ajJCsQ&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton

Assure Plan:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1avj4u9Ozciv-eRQp9iGYtBkie7seAdgksxsnTDJYfpg/edit?usp=sharing

My Pair: Fatma Zülal Erdoğan

Exploring a City Abroad with AR/VR: Bangkok

Hello, everyone!

Today’s task is to make students explore different aspects of a chosen city abroad with QR codes and 3d, 360 video, or 360 virtual tour. It was group work. Me and my team members chose Bangkok, Thailand as our city. First, we created two QR codes for visiting a 360 virtual tour of two different landmarks of Bangkok, which are The Grand Palace and Wat Arun. By scanning the QRs, students will be able to see the structures digitally. At the same time, they were given questions about the places. The other activities included visiting a museum with QR codes and answering questions, and introducing the foods of Bangkok with 3D versions. For the final activity, they were asked to write a paragraph about their experiences in Bangkok. There were also assure lesson plan to do. This was our task.

For this activity, there was easy and challenging parts, of course. The challenging part of the activity was probably making a collective decision as everyone wanted the project to be good and shared their ideas. However, we overcame this obstacle by listening to each members ideas and considering our options. At the end, we made a good activity.

Integrating AR and VR into ELT could benefit students a lot in terms of motivation and engagement. Students are able to see the different structures of the city as if they are actually there, and this makes it interesting for them to focus on the lesson more. By seeing 3D forms of the structures, the information they get is more long-lasting. Finally, the practices in AR/VR activities would be more student-centered learning than teacher instruction.

After we are done with our work, there was a feedback session in the classroom. First, we did peer feedback with a different group through a checklist. After that, our teacher gave us as much feedback as possible. We made changes to our work based on the feedback. We changed some questions in the landmark part and added a question part to the food section instead of the writing activity. We added some pre-activity questions to test students’ knowledge about the city and organized our work visually.

The activity (first draft): https://www.canva.com/design/DAG7YMmB_Ns/32xanULYIGjoYIUJi4gMeA/edit?utm_content=DAG7YMmB_Ns&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton

The activity (final draft): https://www.canva.com/design/DAG7YMmB_Ns/32xanULYIGjoYIUJi4gMeA/edit?utm_content=DAG7YMmB_Ns&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton

The Assure Lesson Plan (first draft): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1I5gJhuDcqcQi3Zf1RUNadBZplQLeDeAdnr1Q5RD5wW4/edit?usp=sharing

The Assure Lesson Plan (final draft): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zuijmqFK_T0eOWNjOjyAY0eglj5_4wDxkJ7OLzQd9oM/edit?usp=sharing

Group members:

Fatma Zülal Erdoğan

Suvdanchimeg Otgonbayar

Arda Işık

Flipped classroom: Grammar teaching video

Hello, everyone!

Today, we are creating a grammar teaching video for a flipped classroom. The flipped classroom is taking the learning out of the classroom and bringing the practice in. Learning is done before coming to class. So, now we are creating a pre-class video for learning context and worksheets as an activity in class. It is a three-person group activity. Our topic was teaching the “Can not” and “Must not” structure. We are supposed to make the video around five minutes. In our video, there were animations shown with our voices narrating from behind. Learning was done with them.

In our task, I participated in creating the worksheets and narrating some part of the video. The difficult part of the assignment for me would be trying to make the video five minutes long. As a solution, we tried to add practices at the end of the learning to make it longer. To create our video, we used the app Canva. With its help, we were able to make a visually engaging video. Moreover, our worksheets were done with it.

Using a flipped classroom approach would be beneficial for students in a way that they would learn to take responsibility for their own learning. They decide whether to do the learning, when to do it, or where to do it. As the learning is done before class, students will have more time for practice, assessments in class. They would be able to enhance their learning with class activities. One disadvantage would be that not all students could have access to the internet or technology. It would be unfair for those students if the teacher used a flipped classroom. However, if these lacking areas are addressed, the flipped classroom approach could help the learning be more effective.

After completing the video, we conducted peer feedback in class using a checklist with a different group, and also received feedback from our teacher. However, we made the mistake of not having a first draft and a final draft for the changes in the video. There is only one video now complete. But I can explain what changes we made for the final draft. In the first draft, the video was not full, and there was no narrative. In the final draft, we finalized our practices and completed the video to five minutes. We also added our narratives to the video and created the complete version.

The Video:

https://www.canva.com/design/DAG6KyUhljw/l8LbQTiWHuVSOWVO6BO8Bg/edit?utm_content=DAG6KyUhljw&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton

The Worksheet:

https://www.canva.com/design/DAG6LUhU-SY/uACqTXhSuvfiJja8z7k0Ug/edit?utm_content=DAG6LUhU-SY&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton

The Assure lesson plan:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1A7GQc1E5kfl_MkA2rsfjFyBLh_S7siZf1NDcCiwMky8/edit?usp=sharing

Peer feedback: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TORAjqs6RSfZeu-TuRpVgqR75LG1eFNU/edit?usp=drivesdk&ouid=117910391473778715120&rtpof=true&sd=true

Group members:

Fatma Zülal Erdoğan

İrem Saldık

Creating AI-Enhanced Corpus-based Material

Hi friends!

Today I am here with a new task after a long break. The task is about creating an AI-enhanced corpus-based material and a lesson plan. It is a three-person task. We are supposed to choose a grammar or a vocabulary structure from a unit and create a material based on a corpus-based language pedagogy framework. At the same time, we are supposed to write a lesson plan based on the Assure model. Our topic was “Have to” and “Must” structures. The steps in our material were testing students’ knowledge, using the corpus for research, AI-enhanced activity, COCA-based activity, and Output activity.

In this task, the part where I had a little difficulty was creating a paragraph for evaluation. For an activity, I wrote a paragraph for students to fill in the blanks in that paragraph. It was a little difficult considering the rules of structure. Another difficulty is that the structure was a little confusing. However, preparing such a task gives us pre-service teachers an idea of how to use technology effectively in education.

If our material were implemented in a real classroom, the first problem would be the students getting confused because of the corpora site. Even if the instructions are clear, students might struggle to use such a site for the first time. The second problem is that one class time might not be enough, as in our materials, there are quite a few activities. We might need to implement the material in more than one class. Nevertheless, integrating technology in our language teaching would give students different perspectives on the learning process. Students might find the activities engaging, and motivation would be high for learning.

After a feedback session in the classroom with a different group and an overall feedback from our teacher, we made some changes to our material. The changes include numbering our activities, correcting the order of activities, and making adjustments to instructions. The written feedback from our peers could be found here.

The Material (First draft): https://www.canva.com/design/DAG49QaA1ew/7ofU2i0LJMEHK0_LUewUKQ/edit?utm_content=DAG49QaA1ew&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton

The Material (Final draft):

https://www.canva.com/design/DAG49QaA1ew/7ofU2i0LJMEHK0_LUewUKQ/edit?utm_content=DAG49QaA1ew&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton

The Lesson Plan: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1m767-ALQYcbdzSFsuEOTp1vqvIEP_Nr06SL23IiCRng/edit?usp=sharing

Written Feedback:

corpus and ai based material feedback form (1)Download

Group Members:

Fatma Zülal Erdoğan:https://zulalerdogan2.edublogs.org/

İrem Saldık:https://iremsaldik.wixsite.com/irenowa

A Farewell..

Hello dear friends,

Unfortunately, we have come to an end. This is my last post. I will not upload any posts after this. I opened this blog as a result of my assignment from school. I do not know If I will ever post a blog again, but for now, this is the last one. I am going to share some of my thoughts regarding the topics we covered in my course, like a reflection.

Before I took this class, which is Instructional Technologies and Material Design in ELT, I did not give much thought to technology being used in classes. Of course, we had smart boards in our classes, but that was all. My thoughts about it definitely changed. Because different ways of using technology as a tool in diverse situations are something that I learned in this course. Different designs to integrate technology for different people, such as students and teachers, can be really effective as well. Technology would benefit both parties as a supportive tool.

All kinds of tasks given in this course showed me that a class can be taught with the help of technology. For example, writing blogs as a way of reflection helps us improve our critical thinking, at the same time as our understanding of technology. My favourite task was our film review project (There is a separate post about it if you wonder). It supports group work as well as the use of technology, and the activity was really fun. The least fun task was creating an infographic. The reason is that I have never done anything like that before, and I did not know what to do. It was hard for me as a result.

However, in the end, I think that this class provided me with a different point of view toward technology use in class. In the future, I would also like to use technology in tasks like these. I think it is really effective.

A Chat with AI: Harry Potter

Hi everyone!

Today we have an interview task. I am supposed to talk with a historical person or a known story character through an AI tool which it’s name is Magic School. Then I am supposed to write a review report. After that, I would get feedback from the AI tool. So the focus today is on AI. As you can understand from the title, I chose Harry Potter as my interviewee. I had 10 questions ready. I asked the question and AI was only supposed to answer it, which it did very well. After the feedback, I wrote some parts of the report again. Then, that’s it.

The AI tool was very advanced; it knew how to add in facial or body expressions besides answering questions. Its answers were detailed and human-like. When I wrote my instructions about the interview, the tool understood clearly what it was supposed to do. In the feedback part, it gave me negative or positive points on the parts I wanted feedback. I was able to correct some writing thanks to it. So it was actually quite helpful. In the future, I would also use such AI tools in my classes. I would teach my students how to use AI effectively to help them improve on certain aspects, so that they do not rely on it completely. I would give certain projects so that they can use AI as a tool to assist them.

There are benefits to using AI, but there are also negative sides. I would not want my students to rely on AI to do everything for them. They would become lazy in this way, and they would stop thinking critically. They would think that by using AI, they would learn a language easily without doing anything themselves. But of course, it can help them learn the language as it can be used as a supportive tool. I would use AI in my classes because it can benefit everyone in certain ways if used correctly.

The Written Transcript of the Conversation: Interview with Harry Potter.docx

The Reports:

First draft: Report for the chat with Harry.docx

Revised version(+reflection): Revised version of the report for interview with Harry.docx

Finding your spark: The Movie “Soul”

Again, hi everyone!

Today, I’m here with the task of reviewing an animated movie called “Soul”. It is a 3-person group work. My friends and I were required to review a movie and provide feedback to each other. We chose Soul as a result. After we decided on the movie, everyone watched it and started writing the 400-word limited review in a Google Docs document. Each person got a part to write about. I wrote the plot part. But we completed the last commentary part together. Soul was really an eye-opening movie. That’s why I did not feel bored for one moment during the task or when I was watching it. My teammates were also helpful during the process, so it was an easy and fun activity.

For us students, there are numerous assignments to do, and a free writing platform like Docs is really helpful in these times, especially for those who do not have the means. We were able to complete our review successfully without any problem. It included everything we needed for a review. As a writing tool, I would say it is a beneficial one.

My teammates:

Fatma Zülal Erdoğan, https://zulalerdogan.edublogs.org/

Suvdanchimeg Otgonbayar, https://suvddot.wixsite.com/suvdedu/post/discover-your-inner-soul-film-review-collaborative-writing-task

The review and peer feedback:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EICgwCB-3jQu1UzSKyHY8Bd3ju0tNPVbO-aECMkTWa8/edit?usp=sharing

Digital Story: Yummy Dumplings!

Hello, my friends!

This time I’m here with a digital story type, which is a demonstration video. The task is to demonstrate a real or an imaginary process using photos or videos with an audio narration. My friend and I chose a real process, a recipe. We wanted to answer this question: How can we make dumplings? In the video, we used animation to show the process, and there is also a narration to support this. We shared our tasks so that everyone was doing something equally. My part was voicing the narration. The animation was done by my friend. In total, our video is 2.13 minutes.

The only negative thing was that, During the narration, I was sick, so my voice was deep and scratchy. But I had fun doing this activity because it’s about food, and I like eating. Also, I learned something new, which is the recipe itself. I didn’t know how to make a dumpling. I could guess, but I didn’t know it in detail. Now, I’m aware how it is done.

In conclusion, as a prospective teacher, I would like to use this method or digital story to educate my students. It has so many benefits, for example, it makes you pay attention to your pronunciation, your speaking skills, your terminology, etc. It also improves your technology skills, which are essential in this century. The method involves group work, which makes you socialize and, as a result, you’ll learn to work with others. If problems occur in the process, the students will try to solve them. It is a fun and beneficial activity.

My friend: Fatma Zülal Erdoğan,

Her blog: https://zulalerdogan.edublogs.org/

Our digital video:

https://www.canva.com/design/DAGmavKQu0c/NylmDbPHgpJxsYo5aGAuCg/edit?utm_content=DAGmavKQu0c&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton

Our edited digital video:

Considering A Podcast: Yes or No?

Hi again, my fellow readers!

Today’s topic is creating a podcast. Then, without wasting any time, let’s jump right into it.

The task is to create a sound-rich story that will be narrated in a 90-second podcast with sound effects, which is a pair work. It has a time limit, and the integration of sound effects should be smooth. First, my friend Zülal and I are required to create a story that includes at least five of the following words: Murder, library, fortune-teller, joke, post officer, neighbor, forest, hammer, hospital, playground, laughter, clown, birthday party, cats, candles. We chose library, jokes, neighbor, clown, birthday party, and murder. After creating the story, we divided the story into four parts, the first two for my friend and the last two for me. Then, we recorded our voices according to our chosen parts. Lastly, we added ten sound effects that suited our story. In total, it is a 95-second podcast.

During the process, the difficult part is probably adding the sound effects to our talk, as it should be integrated smoothly, but I think we did a good job with that. The other parts, such as recording our voices, writing the story, or finding the sound effects’ placement were easy for me. I find the task fun, especially the part where I changed my voice tones according to the vibe. The content might be scary, but don’t worry, it was a made-up story.

In the future, I would like to give an assignment like this because in the podcast, you need to pay attention to your speaking skills, as people will only hear your voice, so the task makes students pay attention to their pronunciation. It also improves their sense of responsibility and their flexibility to work in pairs or groups. In conclusion, yes! it’s worth considering as I think it is an efficient exercise.

My pair friend: Fatma Zülal.

The link to her blog: https://zulalerdogan.edublogs.org/

Our Podcast

PodcastDownload

The Revised Version of our Podcast

Podcast-revised-versionDownload