Google Drive and Google Docs

Here it goes a useful Youtube video that proposes a simple how-to-instruction of Google Drive and Google Docs which I consider very useful when working online with somebody else. 

My advice is that if you want to get organised within the 'net', I fully recommend that you choose all applications that come from Google, namely Google Drive or Docs among many others. Nowadays, the company provides many applications and widgets that are really helpful for students and teachers. For instance, you count with an online calendar in which you can create new events, and if you run the possibility of having a smartphone with Android (Google Operating System), Google coordinates this online calendar with that of your mobile and delivers a message whenever a programmed event is near. 

For teacher, this applications, and many others, can be of fantastic help and time-saving. 

Digital natives

Digital natives are meant to be those kids raised and surrounded by technology that belong to the new digital generation. To add something more to my ECO II classmates’ opinions, Prensky’s (2001) conceptualization of those terms together with the YouTube video (at the bottom) awake into me an idea that those digital-immigrant teachers will have to be aware of this change on those who will be in front of them: the students. The sign in the K-12 video that calls for engagement from the part of the kids plays a key role in current learning difficulties.
Therefore, if teaching principles, techniques and methodologies are digitally carried out, there is no doubt that the learning atmosphere is going to be an enriched experience both for teachers and students. 
I'd like to comment of two extracts from Prensky's work: one that I agree with and another I don't. 

‘’As Digital Immigrants learn – like all immigrants, some better than others – to adapt to their environment, they always retain, to some degree, their "accent," that is, their foot in the past. ‘’ (Marc Prensky 2001)

 Unfortunately, I quite agree with this author’s opinion on the concept of digital immigrants. Cases of people that have changed from digital immigrants to digital natives leaving aside the so-called accent are countless. Anyway, this develops awareness that we – teachers- should never stop learning from new technological advances that may present to us as a difficulty in our future teaching career. 

‘’Digital Immigrants don’t believe their students can learn successfully while watching TV or listening to music, because they (the Immigrants) can’t. ’’  (Mark Prensky 2001)

I don’t think that technology-foreign teachers don’t believe in those digital learning techniques. They’d rather support old techniques and principles that may guarantee them against failure; obviously these teaching methods will be left aside sooner or later.

K-12:



References:
PRENSKY, Marc. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. MCB University Press.

Technology will become a normal part of ELT practice in the coming years?

Undoubtedly, every single reason the authors Dudeney G. & Hockly, N. (2007) have spotted in his article about technology as part of EFL classroom holds true. Technology has been around language teaching classrooms since 1960s, though nowadays it is crucial to the teaching of any language. What I believe is that 21th century kids or teenagers find it more difficult to adapt themselves to old language-learning techniques than dealing with computers, tablets, geolocators, and the like, which enhance the learning of a language. 

Technologies within schools

‘’Internet access – either in private homes or at Internet cafés – is becoming increasingly available to learners… ’’ (Dudeney, G. & Hockly, N. (2007)

 This author’s point is something I believe it is and has been (and surely will) present lately in our society and classrooms. Yet, if working with Internet and LAN activities (interconnected computers) within the classroom in a near future, teacher ought to be aware and competent to manage and control the whole situation. 

The pictures of the file are seemingly taking place in school environments. Technologies found are: interactive blackboard, computer lab, portable computers, tablet PCs.

References: 
Dudeney, G. & Hockly, N. (2007). How to teach English with technology. England: Pearson Longman