Talk It Up Creating a portfolio of speech samples

1. Talk It UpCreating a portfolio of speech samples TESL Canada 2014 Sheri Rhodes

2. What brings you here? • Tools • Tasks • Portfolio • Other Talk it up

3. Theinstructional objective Support our students in their efforts to improve their skills in speaking Why: "the process of building and sharing meaning through the use of verbal and non-verbal symbols, in a variety of contexts"

4. Skill of speaking includes: • Producing the English speech sounds and sound patterns • Using word and sentence stress, intonation patterns and the rhythm of the second language. • Selecting appropriate words and sentences according to the proper social setting, audience, situation and subject matter. • Organizing thoughts in a meaningful and logical sequence. • Using language as a means of expressing values and judgments. • Using the language quickly and confidently with few unnatural pauses(fluency). Nunan, 2003

5. Functions of a Portfolio • Plan educational programs; • Document knowledge, skills, abilities, and learning; • Track development within a program; • Find a job; • Evaluate a course; and • Monitor and evaluate performance. • Lorenzo and Ittelson, 2005

6. Portfolio contents • Definition: A collection of artifacts, including demonstrations, resources and accomplishments that represent an individual. • Writing portfolios • Artifacts are printed text. • Speaking portfolios • What evidence can we provide of someone’s speaking ability?

7. Feedback without audio capture Who: instructor, peers, student Form: • *Face to face individual feedback – immediate or delayed • *Group feedback – immediate or delayed • Checklist use • Rubric use • Evaluation grids use • Task reflections • Written comments

8. Capturing the Production • Advantages for the Instructor: • Hear • Assess Advantages for the Learner: • Hear and Compare • Notice • Improve • Reflect • Engage Graham Stanley, 2013

9. Then to Now

10. Solution not the tool “Technological innovation is driven by many factors, but not one of them concerns a pedagogical imperative.” Diane Laurillard “Don’t fall in love with technology. Fall in love with solutions.” Ron Sparks

11. Where can we create content?

12. In Class • “Mobile” devices • Provided by the institution • Provided by the instructor • BYOD

13. In a Computer Lab • Dedicated recording tools • Audacity / Garageband • Web-based tools • Podcasting sites • Others • Features of other software • PowerPoint narration

14. Outside of class time • Student owned devices • In the home • Mobile • Accessed at school, in community

15. Ways to capture

16. Using tools in new ways • Telephones • Voicethread • Tumblr • Cameras • On phones • Stand alone • Home computers • Audio tools included

17. Best Practices • Limit tool variety • Use it frequently • Model the use • Start with an orientation task – LTA • Clear instructions / • text based and visual guide • Use what others have shared

18. Applications • Voicethread (web and mobile) • Soundcloud (web and mobile) • Voxopop (web only)

19. Devices • Digital Voice Recorders • Smart Phones • Computers • Home Phones

20. Where can the portfolio live? • Web-based tool • Website/wiki/blog • CMS • Cloud based storage • Portable storage

21. Tasks • Discrete skills • Pronunciation • Grammar application • Integrative skills • Meaningful communication • Pragmatics use http://student1portfolio.wikispaces.com/

22. Sample Task • Soundcloud mobile app • Pronunciation Feature Task • Advantage: Comment feature, easy to use mobile app, embeds easily, private • Disadvantage: instructor account or students need own application and account

23. Have you used Soundcloud? (pronunciation)

24. Record directly on the site; Upload an existing audio file; or Use the very simple mobile app on your smartphone or tablet.

26. Download the file with an .m4a file extension.

27. Sample Task • VoicethreadPhone application • Accurate language use – How often do you …? • Advantage: visually prompted, shared with others, everyone can use, embeds easily, private • Disadvantage: limit to free access

28. Have you used Voicethread? (oral accuracy)

32. Sample Task • Voxopop • Add to a discussion thread – class survey • Advantage: easy for students to initiate discussion, asynchronous, private group • Disadvantage: prepared, less authentic

33. Have you used Voxopop? (discussion threads)

39. Sample Task • Digital Voice Recorder • Role play language exchange with a partner • Decide on a tourist attraction to research • Advantage – User friendly, minimally intrusive for interaction, not reliant on web access, synchronous which is more authentic • Disadvantage – post recording process to share, can’t view interaction between participants

40. Have you used a Digital Voice Recorder? (partner work)

41. Where do I start? • Current practice? • Where would students benefit most from review, reflection, additional models? • Select the tool that fits the task • Create a model and task instructions • Try it out (colleague – family member – willing student) • Tweak and pilot • Review and share!

42. Build the portfolio tasks • Move from only text based documents to collection of sample files, links or embedded tools that showcase speaking tasks throughout your program. • Start with initial and final tasks – of similar format and using the same audio capture. • Practice between – with repeated use of the tool but not requiring every sample to go into the portfolio Or Let students decide which samples to share such as “post 4 of the 10 weekly activities recorded in the term”.

43. Where can I get support? • Tutorials on the site • Tutorials posted on YouTube • At local workshops • Watch a webinar • Take a course

44. Thank you! srhodes@mtroyal.ca Twitter: whistlepunch Presentation will be posted at: http://srhodes.wikispaces.com