Current Teaching Context

I work as a freelance online ESL teacher primarily with post-secondary students in China. I develop and deliver language training programs that are mostly related to standardized test-preparation, communication and pronunciation. The courses have a real-time component delivered through WebEx videoconferencing, and an out-of-class component using Voicethread for listening and recording practice.

Next week, I will begin teaching English for Academic Purposes at a community college in Toronto. After completing this intensive bridging program, students will transfer into regular college courses. I teach an intermediate level listening/pronunciation course.

Tech Experience

Several years ago started an online ESL startup company, Loop Language and Culture, Inc. (www.looplanguage.com) that focused on pronunciation and pragmatics (socio-culturally specific speech acts) training. While working with newcomers in government-funded language programs, I became more aware of theses barriers to employment many students were dealing with. I was involved in all aspects of the development of the company, including learning how to use Photoshop well enough to create a logo, learning how to use Google Docs and Dropbox to have better asynchronous communication with other teaching professionals, working with a website developer to create a Drupal website, testing out interactive video conferencing programs and experimenting with recording tools (Camtasia, Audacity, Soundcloud and Voicethread). Although the endeavor has morphed into the freelance training I’m doing now, it made me passionate about the field of educational technology and enable me to see the great potential for fully online training programs.

Prior to my online work, I used Wikispaces and social media (Facebook and Twitter) to encourage out-of-class collaborative learning, provide opportunities for increased language input and output, and cultural learning with classes of newcomers and international students.

Learning Goals

Instructional Design-

I would like to develop a better understanding of instructional design principles and learn how to make more informed decisions at each stage of the process. I would like to learn to apply ADDIE to fully online large-scale training programs, and I would like to practice applying other models such as Agile to individual and small group training courses. I have content development experience, but don’t have instructional design training.

Learning Management Systems (LMS)-

I want to become more exposed to a wide variety of Learning Management Systems, that I will likely encounter in future employment as an instructional designer or educational specialist. I am familiar using Moodle in the role of student, but I haven’t used an LMS in my role as instructor or curriculum designer. I would like to practice using LMS (especially Moodle, Blackboard, WordPress and Eliademy) for course development in adult training programs. I would like to learn to evaluate the affordances and limitations of each and be able to recommend the use of one over another in a particular teaching context.

Mobile Learning –

I would like to become more confident facilitating the use of mobile learning technology in fully offline, blended and fully online courses. In order to do this, I need to learn more about the current use of mobile learning technology in adult education and post-secondary contexts. The goal for me would be to enhance language learning through more meaningful input and facilitate the language use (output) through learner-learner interactions. I would like to have the skills to determine affordances and limitations of tools, so I can make choices wisely. More specifically, I would like to explore alternatives to Voicethread that provide integrated listening and speaking practice with a feedback function, but don’t require high speed Internet or as stable of a connection.

Video Conferencing Technology-

I would like to compare interactive video conferencing platforms that I could use more successfully for online teaching with students in China. I currently use WebEx for its interactive whiteboard and video, but need to supplement it with Skype or WeChat for reliable audio quality. Low bandwidth and slow internet connection can make things a challenge. Sound quality, interactive capabilities and ease of operability are the most important considerations.

Online Assessment–

I hope to learn about tools for conducting online assessment and learn more about using ePortfolios with my online and offline students. These are areas I have not explored enough. I believe ePortfolios would encourage more ownership of learning and useful reflection.