Reflections on Online ELT, Part 2

The 1990s: The Web is Born

In 1990, I left Oregon to be with family in Phoenix. By then, the Net existed; it grew very quickly and constantly added new features. In Phoenix, I began to teach secondary-level ESL at a now-defunct private boarding school. It had a computer lab, and eventually e-mail surpassed faxing there as a way to communicate internationally. In early 1994, I left the boarding school to take a job at Arizona State University's intensive ESL facility—where I was introduced to everyday use of e-mail. By late 1995, the Web had become well-established and was expanding geometrically. By 1996, I began to be interested in having my own website.

I remember that ELT-focused sites were among the earliest WWW venues, and some pioneers from the early days (e.g., Ruth Vilmi, Charles Kelly, Randall Davis, Dave Sperling) are still active today. Some pioneering websites (e.g., EX*CHANGE from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) have, however, disappeared.

It was also in 1995-1996 that Dave's ESL Cafe was created. I first communicated with the founder, Dave Sperling, via e-mail. We met face-to-face in 1996 at the TESOL convention in Chicago, and I began my involvment with "The Cafe" shortly thereafter. In the early days of Dave's site, I did the content work for subsites on phrasal verbs and idioms and Dave handled getting them online. We also worked together to create a number of online quizzes for learners of English, and Dave opened an online Help Center; for a while, only he and I responded to queries sent there. All of these subsites still exist, and the materials I created almost 10 years ago are still there (and largely in unmodified form).

By the late 1990s, Dave had added another content-focused subsite, "Hint of the Day." All of the Hints were created by Dave or me, though I did the majority. I remember doing new ones almost every night for about three years. They eventually evolved into several hundred "mini-lessons" covering such topics as verb tenses, use of articles, use of quantifiers, easily-confused words, sound-spelling correspondence, "conversational language," and cultural information (mostly on holidays). At first, my Hints were done on a rudimentary html editor (I don't remember the name), but I later used Claris Homepage.

By the end of the 1990s, sound and graphics had also become commonplace on the Web. Digital cameras were also available. I remember buying my first one (with a "cutting edge" 2.1 megapixel resolution) for nearly $1,000 and putting hundreds of photos (mostly of students at the IEP where I worked) online. At first, this was at a couple of different photo-sharing sites. Later, the photos were on my own website.

I also became interested in working with sound—largely because of the innovative materials Randall Davis and Charles Kelly were creating. I didn't create my own sound-based materials until late 2002 (if I remember correctly), though.

Reflections on Online ELT, Part 1

As I look back on the online presence of ESL- and EFL-focused materials over the years, I realize that there have been a lot of changes.

The 80s and early 90s: Computers Become Established

From 1977 to 1983, I worked for a for-profit chain of ESL schools at its (then) headquarters in the Los Angeles area, first in materials development and teacher training as part of its Curriculum Development department, later as a textbook editor for its publishing division. Of course, computers existed then, but during the 70s, they were big and bulky. I remember that toward the end of my time with the company, it bought desktop PCs for the top managers and eventually installed a word-processing system (with a single operator for the entire company!). That was big stuff then. By the end of the 70s and the early 80s, however, computers as we know them today were beginning to come into their own.

In 1983, I left Los Angeles and went to the Oregon Coast to work for a well-known ESL/EFL author on a materials-development team. Although I originally expected to be in Oregon for only about two weeks, I decided after seven weeks to move there—and stayed until 1990.

The author was interested in gadgetry and had been using a computer for some time to create his manuscripts, but there was more: almost everyone on the team used a computer for writing, creating logs, and other tasks. I didn't; fearing the unknown, I was reluctant to give up my trusty typewriter. In time, though, I had no choice but to use one of "those machines" because it was the only way I could keep up with the work.

Eventually, I became comfortable with computers. At one point, when my task was to use an indexing program, I even used two monitors simultaneously! Also, my boss lent me his Kaypro "portable" (or, as one source described it, "luggable") to use at home. All the computers I used at that time were DOS machines. I did text-based work almost entirely then, and used WordStar (with its hundreds of keyboard commands) for word processing.

Desktop computers were becoming popular by the 80s, and a lot of educational software (most of it of the "drill and kill" variety) was developed. The Net and Web didn't really exist for the public at large, however, and e-mail wasn't used much outside of the military and research institutions. The author that I worked for, for example, used a telex for his overseas communication.

When I first moved to Oregon, I lived and worked on the coast. Later, my boss opened an office in Portland. For a while, I stayed on the coast and drove to Portland once a week. Later, I moved to Portland and worked in the author's offices there.

By the late mid 80s, desktop PCs were pretty common in business and schools. Not long after I moved to Portland, I remember having to learn how to use a Mac because a new program called PageMaker had just come out and the author wanted to use it to create camera-ready copy for his books instead of word-processing the manuscripts, inserting special codes for different font styles, and then sending the floppy disks (and yes, they were still floppy) to the publisher as he had done previously. I didn't like the Mac at first: it seemed too "cute" to be "a serious computer." Because Macs were at that time the tool of choice for people involved in text work and graphics, however, I began using one exclusively.

By the end of the 80s, desktop computers were fully established, and I had bought my first computer (a Mac SE) and, shortly thereafter, my first laser printer (an Apple LaserWriter IINT). The Web and Net, however, were still things that only "visionaries" were talking about.


How things have changed!

Reflections on PP104 (the course)

PP104 was memorable—one of the best learning experiences I've ever had, in fact. In thinking about why this was the case, I believe it happened because of two factors: the facilitators and the small, committed class.

The facilitators, Dafne González and Teresa Almeida d'Eça, were oustanding in many ways; here are a few that come immediately to mind:

• They were living proof that online learning can work—and work well (since Dafne was in Venezuela and Teresa was in Portugal).

• The course they put together had just the right balance of structure and flexibility: it was easy to know what we were to do and when we were to do it, yet there was nothing lock-step or unyielding.
  

• They encouraged community-building and the importance of interaction from the first day of the course until the last.

• They varied the group dynamics—individual, pair/small-group, and whole-class tasks were built into the course activities.
  

• They were quick to offer help and encouragement when it was needed or when they knew it was needed, even when it wasn't requested—and did so with no delay.

• They offered regular, timely feedback—and it was always stated positively, even when their comments might really have meant "I think it would be better to do ___ this way" or "___ is a problem that you need to fix."
  

• They were models of being unafraid to try new things—as demonstrated by their own personal "stories" ofhow they came to use technology more and more.
  

• They made the course "value-added" by arranging chat sessions at another website each week and by collaborating to build a website that duplicates the course materials but will remain available long after the PP104 portal has closed.

• They included an excellent list of online resources related to the course content.

• They were genuinely nice people—and eminently approachable.

My classmates were also part of what made the course so special:

• They were varied in terms of background, teaching experience, work setting, degree of proficiency with technology, and familiarity with online teaching and learning—all of which combined to provide a rich learning environment and a non-ending supply of fresh and interesting insights.

• They were located in the southwestern, midwestern, and eastern U.S., Hawai'i, and Greece—so with the facilitators included, four quite different geographical areas were represented.

• The projects they completed were all of good quality and some were outstanding.

• They were all mutually supportive and the more experienced were happy to share what they had learned—and to learn themselves.

• Those with less experience demonstrated remarkable progress and improvement.

And I could go on. The bottom line is that the course was always interesting and there were always new things to try and new things to learn. I left the course feeling more sure of myself and with a head full of new ideas.

Thank you Dafne, Teresa, and my classmates!

D. O.

The PP104 Project: final words

Feedback on the PP104 project ("Paco's New Computer") has been positive and for the most part, I'm satisfied with the final results. There are a few things I might have changed, however, if I'd thought of them and/or had time to do them:

• I would've added a line-drawing-format matching exercise;
• I would've used an actual photo instead of the graphic;
• I might've added an exercise on multiple meanings of some of the targeted phrasal verbs;
• I might've given more suggestions for what the spin-out project would be.
• I might've included more information in the grammar notes.
  

Things I'm fairly satisfied with:

• fairly good display on both Macs and PCs;
• organization of the lesson;
• inclusion of individual, pair, and group work;
• inclusion of a variety of phrasal verbs—from some common ones to some unusual ones;
  
• inclusion of a pretty usable reference list;
• inclusion of a link, on the teachers' pages, to the student pages (Thanks, Mary).
  

Things I'm not satisfied with:

• The lesson is not really usable in most of the classes I normally teach: it's too long.
• I wasn't clear enough in distinguishing between meanings of check out and look over.
• I didn't include information on verb + preposition combinations vs phrasal verbs.

I don't know if these comments have provided enough detail to show how I proceed in developing materials, but I think they have shown one thing: the process is not fast and (for me, anyway) it moves along by fits and starts.

PP 104: The More or Less Final Version

About 20 minutes ago, I put my more or less final PP104 project online. On the whole, I'm satisfied with it, but there are still things I would adjust in the best of all possible worlds.

One thing I'd do is to make the amount of white space uniform at the bottom of each page.

Another thing I'd do is to improve the navigational system.

One more thing I'd do is to locate and link the excellent "phrasal verbs in depth" site (from Italy, if I remember correctly) that I chanced upon a year or more ago. It's typical of me that I saved it somewhere but now can't find it. It could be on a bookmarks/favorites list, on a Zip disk, on my backup drive, . . . .

I also wish I had something to replace the cheesy graphic that "signs" each page. I could probably make something, but enough is enough.

I think this lesson unit is something my own students could work with. If I end up teaching 4th-level grammar, I'll give it a try.

I thoroughly enjoyed working on this project, but it was time-intensive. I probably put in at least 30 hours on the project this week alone—and it may well have been much more time than that. I'd like to say that the project is typical of materials I create regularly for my college classes, but it isn't: not enough time. I will say, however, that the project is the kind of thing that I'd like to do regularly.

In my opinion, the strengths are the variety of exercise formats, fairly well-developed lesson- plan components, and a very usable links list. In my view, the main weakness is that the unit isn't really "plug and play": I could make it work quite well, I think, but I'm not sure how true that would be of others.

It will be interesting to see what, if any, comments there are.

I'm very grateful to Dafne and Teresa for conducting a class that made something like my project possible.

D. O.

PP104: Additions and Revisions

As I've continued working with the sample lesson materials for PP104, they've evolved in various ways.

First, I fleshed out the lesson plan with information on the student "audience," expected time needed for the activities, and objectives. I also added a simple sequencing exercise to the first reading and may add a short "Ask Your Partner Questions" to it; I haven't yet decided.

Next, I'd originally intended to have one homework exercise involving multiple meanings for the same combination of verb + particle(s)—for example, differing meanings of pick out, take out, check out. I don't know if I'll have enough time to do that, however. I did add a free-answer comprehension quiz, though--and this should be a good way of determining whether students understand the meanings of the targeted phrasal verbs and have some idea of their syntactic behavior.

Also, I'd like to include vocabulary and grammar notes to focus on the idiomatic character of phrasal verbs (vocabulary) and the issues of separability / inseparability / no object (grammar). These sections are, I think, necessary; without them, the lesson exists only in isolation and is useful only as a demonstration of how to create different types of exercises and link them to other materials.

One more thing I want to include is a short list of WWW links. (I did my own phrasal verbs site years ago and at the time, it was all there was. Now, however, there are a number of very informative and useful sites devoted to that particular topic; I think my classmates would be interested in knowing about them.

Speaking of links, I'm pleased to have been able to enable students to find definitions for the targeted phrasal verbs in the online Cambridge International Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs (via www.onelook.com).

more on the PP104 reading

I decided to add a sequencing exercise to the first reading; it may actually be too difficult, and in "the real world," I'd quickly discover whether that was the case by looking at student results.

When I was creating the sequencing exercise, I noticed that the readings needed to be modified slightly, so I made the modifications. This meant removing the previous html files and FTPing the updated ones, of course.

D. O.

PP 104 Sample Lesson: The Reading Portion

In starting the Reading portion, I first had to decide on a general content focus. I thought about several possibilities—verb tenses, noun quantifiers, idioms, and phrasal verbs. I finally chose phrasal verbs. I'm not sure why.

As I started the Reading page, I began to see the need to change the basic design. I ended up redoing all the pages that I'd done before, but they're cleaner now, I think. I also remembered that somewhere I have photos of former students working at computers. I found one, but it was too obviously in a classroom and editing out telling portions of the background proved too time-consuming. The other photo that I remember might work better, but I haven't found it yet.

At first, I thought there would be two separate readings, each featuring the same 10 phrasal verbs in a different way. Later I thought that was kind of silly for such a short lesson—so it seemed a good idea to have one reading with no aids to comprehension followed by the same reading with such help. Because I like the online version of the Cambridge International Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs, I thought it might be good to link definitions of the phrasal verbs from the CIDPV.

Now I'm ready to do the exercises. I haven't begun them yet, but I think one might be a multiple choice of meanings—some choices restatements of the Cambridge PV definitions, some far afield from that. However, the first exercise might be simple matching of phrasal verbs with meanings (as shown in the reading).

I also want to include vocabulary and grammar notes. The vocabulary notes won't be extensive, but should include at least two key points: (1) all phrasal verbs are idiomatic—i.e., the meaning is not the meaning of the verb plus the meaning of the particle—and (2) given verb-particle combinations might have several different meanings. The grammar notes need to mention what happens with separable phrasal verbs—i.e., objects may be interposed between the verb and particle(s). They might also mention that "true" phrasal verbs are not the same as verbs + adverbial prepositions.

The beginning of the Reading section is now online. Tomorrow I'll figure out what to do with the exercises. Wednesday and Thursday I'll do the notes. That's the plan, anyway.

PP104: The Sample Lesson

To create my sample lesson, I thought doing a series of webpages would be a good idea because it seemed a good way of unifying the materials and providing a way to access them.

To assemble the basics, I first made a simple file for the index ("entry") page. I then copied the index page and renamed it several times to make the content pages. To add a little interest, I found one graphic in Microsoft Word clip art (the silhouette of the person at a computer and found another one (the "under construction" graphic) at a free clip art site. Then I changed the basic material on each content page (names, titles, interior links), sketched out the lesson plan, FTPed the pages to the server hosting my personal website, viewed the pages and (in DreamWeaver) made several modifications. This meant I needed to remove the files that had been changed and then FTP the modified files to my webserver. I then announced the URL of the in-progress sample lesson pages at the PP104 site.

Thoughts at the moment:

I don't like the "plain vanilla" format of the site, but I don't want to spend time to make it more visually interesting. Also, I was (as always) amazed at how long it took to create even such a simple site as the Week 4 page.