Fellow and Specialist
Jimalee Sowell
Activity Description - Supporting U.S. Department of State Reporting and Outreach:
English Language Specialist Jimalee Sowell delivered a keynote presentation at the 9th International Vietnamese Conference on TESOL. The main purpose of the talk was to create a deep awareness about how we use technology for educational purposes and to encourage critical thinking and analysis regarding the kinds of technology chosen for learning uses. In this talk, the Specialist focused on learning from past failures of technology in education in order to make good decisions in the present. The Specialist emphasized that choices regarding technology use must fit the context. In addition, the Specialist mentioned the importance of being a discriminating user of technology and introduced ways to evaluate different technologies before adopting it for learning purposes. The Specialist also introduced some useful technologies for low-tech contexts.
In Your Own Words - Describe Your Experience:
On the whole, delivering the keynote presentation on technology in Vietnam was a rewarding experience. I chose to focus on technology because it was one of the themes of the conference. Although technology can be a useful tool for teaching and learning, in my experience, I have found many instances of uses of technology for learning purposes for the sake of doing so. I believe that when adopting certain technologies for learning purposes, we should think carefully about our decisions. Choices about use of technology for learning purposes should be meaningful and purposeful. I wanted to convey this message in my talk. I also wanted to explore ways that we can make technology work in our specific learning and teaching contexts. Additionally, I wanted to also touch on teacher resistance to technology and explore ways that we can be independent learners of technology. My main desire was to encourage the attendees to be critical thinkers regarding technology and education. At the end of the talk, I was pleased that I had comments and questions. One participant was a teacher of IT at a university in Vietnam, and she offered an interesting addition. She said that teachers should choose technologies that fit their learning styles, which I thought was a good point. Another participant said that the talk inspired her to change the way she thinks about lesson planning and that instead of choosing the technology and then crafting the lesson, she wants to chose the lesson first and then find ways that the technology might fit. In other words, she realized that technology can be a tool but should not dictate how we plan our lessons. I was pleased that my talk sparked conversation about the topic.
Jimalee Sowell
Activity Description - Supporting U.S. Department of State Reporting and Outreach:
English Language Specialist Jimalee Sowell delivered a keynote presentation at the 9th International Vietnamese Conference on TESOL. The main purpose of the talk was to create a deep awareness about how we use technology for educational purposes and to encourage critical thinking and analysis regarding the kinds of technology chosen for learning uses. In this talk, the Specialist focused on learning from past failures of technology in education in order to make good decisions in the present. The Specialist emphasized that choices regarding technology use must fit the context. In addition, the Specialist mentioned the importance of being a discriminating user of technology and introduced ways to evaluate different technologies before adopting it for learning purposes. The Specialist also introduced some useful technologies for low-tech contexts.
In Your Own Words - Describe Your Experience:
On the whole, delivering the keynote presentation on technology in Vietnam was a rewarding experience. I chose to focus on technology because it was one of the themes of the conference. Although technology can be a useful tool for teaching and learning, in my experience, I have found many instances of uses of technology for learning purposes for the sake of doing so. I believe that when adopting certain technologies for learning purposes, we should think carefully about our decisions. Choices about use of technology for learning purposes should be meaningful and purposeful. I wanted to convey this message in my talk. I also wanted to explore ways that we can make technology work in our specific learning and teaching contexts. Additionally, I wanted to also touch on teacher resistance to technology and explore ways that we can be independent learners of technology. My main desire was to encourage the attendees to be critical thinkers regarding technology and education. At the end of the talk, I was pleased that I had comments and questions. One participant was a teacher of IT at a university in Vietnam, and she offered an interesting addition. She said that teachers should choose technologies that fit their learning styles, which I thought was a good point. Another participant said that the talk inspired her to change the way she thinks about lesson planning and that instead of choosing the technology and then crafting the lesson, she wants to chose the lesson first and then find ways that the technology might fit. In other words, she realized that technology can be a tool but should not dictate how we plan our lessons. I was pleased that my talk sparked conversation about the topic.