LDT 505: Lesson 2 My identity affects what I see as takeaways from our readings every week and influences my perceptions of people and events around me on a daily basis both on a personal and professional level. As I learn, my identity also changes with my understanding of myself and who others position me Read More…
Bridging the Gap in the English Language Learning Classroom
LDT 505: Lesson 1 Blog Post As a language instructor, I’ll start my post with a definition from our friends at Merriam Webster who define a “gap” as: A break in continuity A wide difference A lack of balance An understanding of this simple three letter word as it relates to socioeconomics, learning, and language Read More…
Who am I and my Reflections on WILD for Learning
LDT 505 Introductory Post Who am I? I’m Tara Ondra. This marks my fourth LDT course and I’m excited to be here. My background is in language instruction working primarily with adult English Language Learners and secondarily with Spanish language learners. Technology has always been an important tool in my instruction which is why I Read More…
Learning Philosophy 2.0
Learning is the active process of acquiring knowledge that builds upon or is connected to previous knowledge. Effective teachers are able to engage students by drawing on previous student experience and knowledge in order to guide students in associating new information to old. Those connections are key both for engaging learners and for learners Read More…
Learning in the Time of Corona
“New technologies are changing how people of all ages learn, play, socialize, exercise judgement, and engage in civic life. Learning environments – peers, family, and social institutions are changing as well.” – The Future of Thinking: Learning Institutions in a Digital Age Davidson and Goldberg couldn’t have written truer words nor foreseen how COVID-19 Read More…
Pokemon Go and Language Learning
Understanding Pokemon To understand Pokemon, I decided to immerse myself in both the card version of the game as well as the augmented reality version. It’s a whole new, overwhelming world filled with unfamiliar visuals, symbols whose meanings are unknown, character names that are completely foreign, and powers that are mysterious. Learning how to play Read More…
Participatory Culture: Creative Expression
Henry Jenkins defines participatory culture as “a culture with relatively low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement, strong support for creating and sharing one’s creations, and some type of informal mentorship whereby what is known by the most experienced is passed along to novices.” Participatory culture can be classified into the following forms: affiliations Read More…
World of Wikis
The world of Wikis is absolutely fascinating. I’ve used Wikipedia thousands of times but had never truly considered the work that has gone into creating one of the most visited websites in the world. I’ve never taken the time to scrutinize the contents nor contribute to the project, but the readings this week certainly stimulated Read More…
Podcast: Technology for ESL Learners
This week I had the pleasure of interviewing my colleague and friend, Jennifer Latzgo, as I created my very first podcast. As lead instructor at Lehigh Carbon Community College’s non-credit ESL program and Adjunct Professor in the credit program, Jennifer has over 15 years of experience in teaching English Language Learners. In addition to her Read More…
The Challenges of Media Literacy
With the internet, the information is indeed at your fingertips, but how do you wade through the mire to find the gems? How do you distinguish between what’s real and what’s fake? How can teachers of children and adults alike help their students navigate through the vast expanse of information? How can teachers further connect Read More…