Podcast--Absolutely Intercultural

Absolutely Intercultural

This podcast involves 4 interviews which talked about the culture difference that the interviewees experienced in the target language countries. During the time of learning a language, the acquisition of the target culture is significant as well. Therefore, as an aural material, podcast could offer learners a easier way to understand diverse culture, simultaneously, it could promote their interest of learning the target language. In addition, many language learners have the willing of studying abroad to learn the most authentic language in the target country. It also could let them to have the awareness of how to live and study there smoothly.

ePals

ePal is like a huge school community including students and teachers from all over the world. They can communicate and collaborate with each other which benefits both sides.

People could search the projects according to region and language, it really helps teachers to improve their pedagogy by learning from other teachers, at the same time, and they could share resources on line as a reference. Not only teachers, but also students could communicate with their peers, meanwhile, their parents could be involved to their children's work. It makes interaction among teachers, students, and parents much easier, therefore, they could understand each other better to do a better job.

In my opinion, the best way to make an improvement is imitating others first and then to innovate on the basis of imitating. So since I want to teach Chinese in the future, learning and communicating with teachers who teach Chinese in the States is a good way in my future teaching. However, learning from the teachers who teach a foreign language to English-speakers is a good way as well. Since most of them are English native speakers, they understood the psychology much better then a non-native speaker speaks English as their first language. Teachers who see things from the angle of students could work in an effective way and get a better result.
 

Photo story

A short trip of China

This is a video for beginner students in a Chinese class

It is an introduction of China. I will play the video for them first and ask them what the video shows them. And then I'll ask them why they want to learn Chinese. It could promote their interests and offer them a visual and aural material to satisfy their curiosity of what they can learn from the class.

Voice Thread

In Meng's Voice Thread, she used pictures to let her students choose a part of it to make sentence, using adjectives as many as they can. To be one of her students, I think it's a really good way to motivate students by some visual materials. Meanwhile, students could use their imagination to create their own sentence without a limitation. Also, the teacher asked to choose a part and circle it by using the colors, which means they can pick any part they prefer and circle it in the color they like. The activity is like a game that including pictures and colors which usually students like the most. According to the above, it's really an appropriate way for practicing vocabulary for young learners.

In Ye's Voice Thread, she offered a picture full of words significant for L2 learning, and let her students to choose one which is the most important for them and make comments about it. I think it's much appropriate for advanced L2 learners who will teach the language in the future. Comparing to give a list using the Word, a picture with colors and distinct size of words looks more interesting.

The two Voice Threads above share a lot of features in common. By using Voice Thread, instructors could give their direction in word, recording or video. And students can answer it in the same way which seems more diversity for both of them to teach and learn the language. Meanwhile, students can see the other answers which offers a way to communicate with their peers.