Forvo is a kind of pronunciation exchange. Users can add requests to hear various language speakers pronounce a word. These pronunciations are recorded and playable online, so students can find out how real people pronounce a word. Yes, these people are not linguists nor language teachers (necessarily), but if you travel to another country, what …
Author Archives: wtaylor
Flipping flipped instruction
The research comes out as the idea of a "flipped classroom," in which students first watch videos or read texts and then do projects in the classroom, has been growing in popularity at colleges and graduate schools. The study’s conclusion suggests that the current model of the flipped classroom should itself be flipped upside down. …
Displaying 3D models online
This summer, we worked on making a 3D map of the library to show patrons where various things are located. The ultimate goal has been to print it as a sort of easy reference guide which shows what is located where in relation to other floors. It occurred to me that it would be handy …
Do we have to choose?
A recently retired high school teacher wrote: My students did well on those [AP Exam] questions because we practiced bad writing. My teaching was not evaluated on the basis of how well my students did, but I felt I had a responsibility to prepare them for the examination in a way that could result in …
Cal State may turn to virtual labs
Of course, by virtual labs, they don’t mean virtual computer labs, but virtual science labs. Dissections on a computer screen and that kind of thing to make it so classes which require physical skills are no longer a bottleneck due to physical equipment limitations. The nice thing about virtual labs is that they can be …
Holding on
I saw this article this morning and thought it was interesting. What are things we’re doing because we’re used to them and not necessarily the best way of doing them? How can we move past nostalgia and into the present or even the future? I’m not saying that all skills and methods used “long ago” …
Easy grading!
I think everyone wants to maximize the time they spend doing enjoyable things and minimize the time they spend doing drudgery. Similarly, I think we’d all like to spend less time carrying assignments around, marking them up and handing them back to students, especially when not all the students get their papers back the first …
Cheating Lessons, Part 1 – The Chronicle of Higher Education
James M. Lang reports on a book about dishonesty in the first part of a three articles on cheating on the Chronicle of Higher Ed. The article and book discuss findings on cheating. An earlier article in the Chronicle discussed a MOOCÂ that teaches students how to cheat. Of course, this is done so that participants …
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Do’s and Don’ts of Classroom Technology Use
Campus Technology’s Bridget McCrea recently wrote about several things a synchronous online teacher should and shouldn’t do, but the list applies to the use of technology in any class, I think. One thing McCrea does not mention, that I’ve always wanted to have when I teach, is some kind of tech or assistant in …
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Credit for taking free, massive open online courses
In what I think is an interesting first, one of CSU’s campuses will grant students credit for participating in, and passing a test on, the Introduction to Computer Science course offered through Udacity, as reported in the New York Times. In another turn of events more recently, the Chronicle of Higher Education recently reported that …
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