Students as bloggers!

Many of us consider the Social Media as a communication tool, ignoring the educational value of it.

Nowadays, education and technology are almost intertwined, and many teachers try to use new tools in their classes. However, implementing social and online networks such as blogs, Twitter and Facebook in language teaching is an arguable topic that many accept and many deny.

Blogs and microblogs, gained worldwide popularity, enable users to exchange and share their ideas in a virtual world with others. At first glance, online networks don’t appear to have so much value and can do little for the education industry.  However, some empirical studies showed that blogs and social networks such as Twitter are considered a powerful educational tool in the classroom promoting writing and lexical fluency (Fellner & Apple,2006; Borau, Ullrich, Feng, & Shen, 2009).

During my previous education at YSLU University, I had never had the chance to improve my language skills through blogging or microblogging. Analyzing my previous instructors teaching strategies and methods, I am becoming sure that implementing blogging in English writing and literature courses can be beneficial for students. Hence, for writing or literature courses I would suggest the following blogging and microblogging tasks for language major university students in Armenia.

Blogging Task

Students enrolled in English literature course (16 weeks) should start to create their blogs using free weblogs like wordpress.com , blogger.com or  wix.com .  The blogs are individualistic, and each student should have their own blog. At the beginning of the course, students are asked to choose a classic literary book of their interest (about 400-500 pages) and read it throughout the semester.  After reading each chapter, students need to write a brief summary in their blogs and reflect on the chapter beneath it. Moreover, students are assigned to read their classmates’ blogs and comment on the posts.  The instructor of the course should check the students’ posts on regular basis, extract the common errors in writings and post them with an explanation on her page.  Students should keep in mind that all the posts related to the course should be in English and no other languages are allowed.

Blogs are assessed by using the process approach, focusing on the process of writings and posts rather than the final errorless written output.

Tweeting task

In parallel with blogging, students will be asked to open their personal twitter accounts, follow their classmates and teacher, and have at least one tweet per week. The tweets should be related to the book the student is reading, as well as the course materials. Here, students need to express their thoughts on their or their classmates’ books in short sentences, post quotes, expressions, idioms and new vocabulary from the book they are reading. All the tweets should include #myliterature to be easily followed.  The teacher should also tweet regularly, encourage students to read their books and post the relevant assignment.  This task will be assessed as a part of class participation.

The main aim of presented activities is to promote students’ writing fluency. Hence, expressivism framework is underlined in students written output; encouraging students to develop their writing fluency and creativity.

My blogging task is similar to Fellner and Apple (2006) and Murray and Hourigan (2008) tasks carried out on their research.  According to them, there was a noticeable improvement in the students writing fluency throughout the program.  I also expect to see the similar results and effects in my task.

What concerns microblogging (tweeting), it may have a positive effect on students’ participation, encouraging them to be more active outside of the classroom, practice English and communicate with the help of short tweets (Borau et al., 2009).

To sum up, Teachers shouldn’t underestimate the power of online networks and social media, and they can take advantages of blogs and Twitter to motivate students in language learning.

Reading Activity: The History of Graffiti

1- ——————

The first drawings on walls appeared in caves thousands of years ago. Later the Ancient Romans and Greeks wrote their names and protest poems on buildings. Modern graffiti seems to have appeared in Philadelphia in the early 1960s, and by the sixties, it had reached New York. The new art form really took off in the 1970s, when people began writing their names, or “tags”, on buildings all over the city. In the mid-seventies, it was sometimes hard to see out of subway car window, because the trains were completely in spray paintings known as “masterpieces”.

2——————-

In the early days, the “taggers” were part of street gangs who were concerned with marking their territory. They worked in groups called “crews”, and called what they did “writing”- the term “graffiti” was first used by New York Times and the novelist Norman Mailer. Art gallery in New York began buying graffiti in the early seventies. But at the same time that it was regarded as an art form, John Lindsay, the then mayor of New York, declared the first war on graffiti. By the 1980s it became much harder to write on subway trains without being cut, and instead many of the more established graffiti artists began using roofs of buildings or canvases.

3——————–

The debate over whether graffiti is art or vandalism is still going on. Peter Vallone, a New York city councilor, thinks that graffiti done with permission can be art, but if it is on someone else’s property it becomes a crime. “I have a massage for the graffiti vandals out there,” he said recently, “your freedom of expression ends where my property begins.” On the other hand, Felix, a member of the Berlin-based group Reclaim Your City, says that artists are reclaiming cities for the public from advertisers, and that graffiti represents freedom and makes cities more vibrant.

4——————–

For decades graffiti has been a springboard to international fame for a few. Jean-Michel Basquiat began spraying on the streets in the 1970s before becoming a respected artist in the ‘80s. The Frenchman Blek le Rat and the British artist Banksy have achieved international fame by producing complex works with stencils, often making political or humorous pints. Works by Bansky have been sold for over 100.000 pounds. Graffiti is now sometimes big business.

Taken and Adapted from British Council

 

Answer the following question according to the text.

1-  Choose the best paragraph heading for each paragraph.  (Note: two of them are extra)

Paragraph headings

1. a) Controversial debates on Graffiti
2. b) Graffiti in ancient times.
3. c) Famous graffiti artists
4. d) The origin of the term “Graffiti” and its growth
5. e) Graffiti is crime.
6. f) From ancient to modern times

 

2-Fill the gaps by choosing an appropriate word from the text.

1-Prehistoric men were drawing on the walls and ceilings of the ——————-.

2- The group of taggers was called ——————-.

3- The action involving deliberate destruction of or damage to public or private property is called ——————–.

4- Graffitis are part of city culture and they make the city more ———————.

5-  Artists mainly use ———————- to draw their painting on the walls of street.

6-A template used to draw or paint identical letters, symbols, shapes is called ——————-.

4. a) Which idea is NOT mentioned in the text?

• Graffiti is a work of art.
• Graffiti was a band in New York.
• Graffiti is a sign of vandalism.
• Graffiti is a way of making business.

 

1. b) According to the text, which idea is FALSE?

• Nobody has reached an international fame by the help of graffiti.
• John Lindsay declared the first war on graffiti.
• Graffiti makes the city residents more vibrant.
• Graffiti is neither considered vandalism nor a work of art.

1. c) What does Peter Vallone mean by telling the graffiti artists that their “freedom of expression ends where my property begins”?

• Freedom of expression has turned into vandalism
• Graffiti artists need to be careful of New York Council
• His property is in danger because of graffiti artists
• Graffiti artists should not damage other people’s property.

 

Reading Activity: What Makes a Good Road Sign?

Many road signs are bizarre when thought about logically. Just what is one supposed to do if there is a danger of falling rocks? And if the road is slippery, will your car tires really cross like the frightening slide marks seen on the sign? But even if some symbols do not stand up to inspection, they send a message that is quickly recognized. Or at least, that’s the hope.

Out of 500 drivers surveyed last year, none was able to correctly recognize 12 road signs and only one sign – the speed camera – was known to all of them. A review of signs has begun by the Department for Transport, looking at ways to decrease the number of signs and introduce more technology. So what makes a good sign? “The most important thing is that it works,” says Michael Wolff, chairman of The Sign Design Society. Not only do modern drivers travel faster than before, they are also listening to the radio, chatting on their hands-free phone and trying to get children in the back under control. Distractions are everywhere. With so much competition for a driver’s attention, a good sign must be clear and simple so that it can be seen, read and understood immediately. The red no-entry sign is one that, even without words or pictures, transfers its message. But others signs don’t. Many drivers are unable to recognize the “no stopping” sign. And former police driving instructor Chris Walker says the “give way to oncoming traffic” sign is debated at driving school because it is illogical and takes too long to “work out”.

“Symbols don’t have to be correct; they are there to transfer an idea and be understood,” Mr. Wolff says. Some widely used signs have attracted criticism for being outdated. The image of stooped elderly people crossing a road has been branded as “insulting” by Help the Aged.

Different colors create very different reactions in the human mind, says Dr. David Cowell, who specializes in the psychology of color. The brain is very sensitive to the level of energy in the light that passes through your eyes, with different colors of light carrying different amounts of energy. “Blue [the color of motorway signage] suggests harmony and relaxation,” says Dr Cowell. “It is the color of nature in relaxed form. It encourages social communication and consideration of others.” Orange and yellow “suggest a positive future”, he says, the point being that the color of signs surrounding road works is clearly meant to encourage frustrated drivers to think beyond the current delays. Different shaped signs also create different psychological reactions, suggests Dr Cowell. “A triangular sign has points and represents danger,” which is why the shape is used for warning signs. “Rectangular signs are the same shape as a book and therefore give information. Round signs are instructional. They look like the end of a pointing finger giving you an instruction.”

While the fundamental design of the country’s road signs has remained unchanged for almost half a century, the number of signs seems to be multiplying. Today British roads can seem crowded with symbols warning drivers of every foreseeable danger, from falling rocks to passing deer. As well as fuelling fears, the streetscape is being damaged, and the increase in signs reduces their effectiveness. “Drivers now face a system overload,” says Mr. Walker. “Signs are doubled, in some cases triplicated, leaving little time for the information to be seen and processed.” Even the most well-designed road sign will be of little use if nobody can make it out.

Adapted from © Dominic Koole, BBC News 2008

1. a) Give short answers to the following questions.
2. Which road sign was known to all drivers?
3. What is considered as a good sign?
4. What is the red no-entry sign?
5. Which sign is unrecognizable by drivers?
6. Why sign is debated at driving school?
7. Which image has been branded as “insulting”?

 

Read the text and fill in the gaps with appropriate words.

Various colors incite various reactions in the human mind. The brain is subtle to the level of 1___________in the light that passes through your eyes. 2________ symbolizes coordination and relaxation. It is the color of nature in calm form. It inspires social communication and consideration of others. 3________ and yellow “propose a bright future, which means that the 4________ of signs near the road works encourages the drivers to think past the postponements. Various 5________ signs create different psychological reactions. A 6________ sign has points and says danger. 7___________ signs are the same shape as a book and give information. 8_______ signs are instructional. The number of 9_________ is increasing. Today British roads are packed with 10__________. The streetscape is being damaged, and the increase of signs decreases their efficiency. If nobody understands the signs, then it will be of little use.