JAROSŁAW KRAJKA TRAINING ONLINE TEACHERS OF ENGLISH - THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE TO ONLINE LEARNING.

JAROSŁAW KRAJKA

TRAINING ONLINE TEACHERS OF TRAINING ONLINE TEACHERS OF ENGLISH - ENGLISH -

THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE TO THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE TO ONLINE LEARNINGONLINE LEARNING

ONLINE CLASSROOM

• teacher• students• equipment• syllabus

ONLINE TEACHER OF ENGLISH• having computer skills and being able to teach them

• able to solve technical problems

• as skilled as his students or more

• knowing some webpublishing

• innovative and creative to guide students to make websites

• confident in the use of computers and the knowledge of the Net

• extremely well-prepared for the lesson

• having a clear and detailed plan what to do, together with alternative offline tasks

• giving clear and precise instructions

• aware of benefits and dangers of online instruction

REASONS FOR INTRODUCING ICT TO TRAINING TEACHERS OF

ENGLISH • using computers and Information Technology is one of the requirements of

teachers’ professional development (awans zawodowy nauczyciela)

• headmasters expect teachers to conduct lessons in a computer lab/Internet lab, as Internet labs are in most schools and because of demographic decrease it is possible to have other classes than computer science there

• computers and the Web are extremely powerful factors in motivating students to learn

• websites are a good source of varied, authentic, recent and interactive materials

• the Internet offers new possibilities for communication between students from different countries (email, chat, videoconferencing, collaborative website creating)

• incorporating online instruction allows the teacher to adopt a cross-curricular approach, to teach other subjects through English

ICT TRAINING

• developing basic computer skills (ECDL requirements): – file management, word-processing, spreadsheets,

databases, presentation software, searching and retrieving information from the Internet, operating email software

• applying technology in teaching English: – teaching language skills with the Internet, online

lessons, ELT software, chat, email, computer project work, finding and preparing materials for classroom use

RUNNING A COURSE: PRE-SERVICE VS. IN-SERVICE

• Pre-service: regular weekly meetings, students used to doing homework assignments, possible to assign reading, younger trainees

• In-service: two three-day sessions of 20 hrs each, impossible to assign reading, difficult to force trainees to do homework, older trainees, physical fatigue (afternoons or weekends), varied level of computer skills

PRE-SERVICE TRAINING - SELECTED TEACHER TRAINING

COLLEGES: BYDGOSZCZ

• 15 computers in a lab, limited self-access (2hrs/week)

• 2hrs/week on first year of computer classes (word-processing, operating email, basic webpublishing, educational software)

PRE-SERVICE TRAINING - SELECTED TEACHER TRAINING

COLLEGES: BIAŁYSTOK

• self-access Internet lab, most workstations out-of-date, a few with good fibreoptic connection

• until last year 1 semester on first year (word-processing) and 1 semester on third year (Internet, webpublishing, searching and evaluating online materials)

• at present no ICT classes, waiting for funds to start them again

PRE-SERVICE TRAINING - SELECTED TEACHER TRAINING

COLLEGES: KRAKÓW

• 4 workstations for students, including 2 with Internet access

• no classes in ICT• plans for ICT classes with basic computer training

and elements of CALL in hired labs out of the college

PRE-SERVICE TRAINING - SELECTED TEACHER TRAINING

COLLEGES: PRZEMYŚL

• computer lab with 12 workstations, fast Internet connection, self-access on 4 workstations in a library reading room

• 2 hrs/week on second year (2 semesters), including word-processing, searching the Net, evaluating online materials, operating email, discussion lists

PRE-SERVICE TRAINING - SELECTED TEACHER TRAINING

COLLEGES: LUBLIN

• two workstations in a library reading room (to be shared with students of the English Department of UMCS)

• no classes in ICT

NKJO STUDENTS AND ICT - RESULTS OF A POLL

• A poll among 43 students of the second year from NKJO Przemyśl and NKJO Lublin

• 76,74% use a computer either at home, work or college

• 51,16% have an email account, but 30% of them checks it less often than once a fortnight

• 4,55% are a member of a discussion group

• 22,73% use email to send files

• 4,65% have their own website

• 50% use Internet news services

• 35% use Internet journals

• 65% use WWW to find materials for classroom use

• 22,50% use chat to communicate with others

NKJO STUDENTS AND ICT - RESULTS OF A POLL

• 6,98% think that studies should include classes in computer use only, 6,98% that classes in using technology in teaching only, 86,05% that in both these areas

• Percentages of students supporting:• file management: 34,89% • word-processing: 51,16% • spreadsheets: 16,27%• databases: 25,58% • presentation software: 32,56% • searching the Internet: 76,74% • operating email software: 48,84%

• creating websites: 44,19%

NKJO STUDENTS AND ICT - RESULTS OF A POLL

• Percentages of students supporting particular topics in the second module, using technology in teaching:

• Internet for teaching language skills: 74,42%• creating and running online lessons: 55,81%• using email in teaching: 48,84%• using chat in teaching: 44,19%• ELT software: 79,07%

PRE-SERVICE TRAINING OF ICT SKILLS - A PROPOSAL FOR

TEACHER TRAINING COLLEGES

• Training basic computer skills: word-processing, operating email, discussion lists, searching the Net, retrieving and evaluating online materials, presentation software, basic webpublishing

• 2 hrs/week for two semesters on the second year• relatively free access to computers: computer lab

in certain hours, library reading room all day, ELT software for use at reading room workstations

IN-SERVICE TRAINING - THE EXAMPLE OF LUBLIN 2000/01

• a grant course „How to Teach English in the 3rd Millenium”, with 20 hrs devoted to ICT module (4 hrs computer training, 10 hrs using the Internet in teaching English, 6 hrs ELT software in teaching) by WODN, INSETT Programme, Kuratorium Oświaty, for 60 teachers of gimnazjum

• a course „ICT for teachers of English”, 40 hrs in all, 20 hrs for computer training, 20 hrs for methodology of teaching and learning with the Internet and computers, by The British Council, INSETT Programme, WODN, for 70 teachers of all kinds of schools

• a workshop „Using Computers and the Internet to Create Matura 2002 Stimulating Material”, 4 hrs, by WODN, for 15 teachers of secondary schools

TEACHERS’ FEEDBACK - A 20HR COURSE (INTERNET AND ELT SOFTWARE)

• 61,36% of teachers said that there was enough time, 36,36% that more time was needed for the course

• 100% acquired new skills

• 93,10% will try to apply acquired skills in their teaching in schools

• 90,91% would like to participate in further courses of this kind

• 47,73% said that the contents of the course get grade 5, 45,45% gave grade 6

• as for specific contents, parts pertaining to the Internet were evaluated better than parts devoted to software

• computer training part (first 4 hrs) was regarded as too short and without enough time for practising new skills

• teachers did not object to having to do three pieces of homework (an online lesson plan, a software review, a design of a class website and its classroom use)

TEACHERS’ FEEDBACK - A 40HR COURSE (COMPUTER TRAINING AND INTERNET)

• for 65,57% the course was long enough, for 34,21% it was too short

• 97,37% acquired new skills

• 92,11% will try to apply acquired skills in their teaching in schools

• 94,74% would like to take part in a further ICT course

• in the first part file management got the lowest positive feedback (grade 5 - 49,54%, 6 - 24,32%), while word-processing, presentation software, emailing, searching and retrieving information from the Internet were highly evaluated (4 - 25-30%, 5 - 30-37%, 6 - 29-33%)

• in the second part Internet lessons and the Internet for teacher development got the best marks (for the latter, 6 - 62,46%), email and chat in teaching got also high marks, the weakest part was ELT software (5 - 36,84%, 6 - 36,84%)

TEACHER TRAINEES AFTER THE COURSES

• trainees had to submit homework to get a certificate

• a discussion list has been created, where trainees exchange views on the subject after the course has ended

• best lesson plans and software reviews have been and will be published in Teaching English with Technology journal

• trainees have done online lessons and have shared their plans with other teachers via a discussion list

• trainees have done online lessons for their evaluation lessons

• trainees have created websites for their English class use

• trainees have started keypal exchange projects

IN-SERVICE TRAINING OF ICT SKILLS - A PROPOSAL FOR THE BRITISH

COUNCIL, INSETT, WODN• 40 hour course, with 20 hrs for purely computer training and 20 hrs

for practical applications of technology in teaching English

• first part conducted in Polish by an Information Technology specialist, second part in English by an acting English teacher

• first part focuses on most necessary applications (MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS Internet Explorer, MS Outlook Express)

• both parts end with assignments required to complete the course

• a website for the course is created, where there are all reference materials to read, links to follow, where trainees’ works are published

• a discussion list is created to keep trainees in touch with each other and the instructor after the course

CONCLUSION

• Pre-service training:

• basic computer skills, popular applications (word-processing, email, Internet browser)

• self-access

• using ICT for research, professional development, writing theses

• In-service training:

• computer training if necessary, focus on practical applications of technology (Internet lessons, using email, chat in the classroom, computer project work, preparing Matura 2002 stimulating material)