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Balancing Language with Technology


When sitting down to plan a technology language course, it is easy to become overwhelmed and feel like you have no idea how to start. To use an analogy, consider an experienced a second language learner beginning to learn a language. In her native language, she can clearly express her opinions and clearly pronounce all of the necessary sounds and make inferences based on context and body language. However, in her second language that she is currently learning, she is so focused on simply communicating her meaning that she forgets to rely on context and look at body language for clues.
Like the second language learner, the language teacher trying to design a language technology course for the first time, but is so focused on getting all of the content/technology into the course, that she forgets the premises of lesson planning and language teaching. Therefore we have outlined some ideas that will help you combine the premises of good lesson planning with designing a technology language class.
1. Explicitly connect goals to activities and make Ss aware of that -there really is a purpose for doing this
2. Preview directions
3. Be flexible with the plan, things will change and go wrong
4. Think about what could go wrong before teaching the lesson and try to come up with a alternative plan
5. Recycle information and connect information so that everything doesn't feel like separate and unrelated topics
6. Create transitions between topics
7. Instructor should DO own activities before giving to students-sometimes an important element is missing
8. Don't invest your ego in the success of the lesson/activity
9. Don't have too many objectives at once
10. Appeal to as many learning styles as possible (handouts with illustrations, verbal instructions, hands-on practice).
Once you begin integrating these aspects into your class design, what at first felt very much like foreign territory, i.e., moving into a tech integrated classroom, actually becomes doing the same type of lesson planning you already know-simply with a new twist. It's not really that different after all.

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Contact Info:


Rachel Parrish
rachel.parrish@miis.edu