AI in education discussion

How AI-powered gamification tools changed my classroom engagement

        Greetings to the followers of my blog!✋😁 Today's post will be focusing on my personal experience as a teacher with using AI-powered gamification tools. 

        I would like to start mentioning that digital tools in education are truly innovative in the way that they provide collaboration, even in remote educational settings. We are able to view individual practices during the lessons as social ones (Williams, Abraham and Bostelmann, 2014). Moreover, among digital tools present in modern world, AI tools with gamification elements seem to be changing the education's landscape. Artifical intelligence is viewed as a reformer as well as the facilitator of language learning (Alam, 2021). Therefore, let's explore some AI tools that changed student engagement in my classroom completely.

        First tool that did wonders to the student engagement in my classroom was Memrise app. To be honest, I did not intend to use it in my practice on a daily basis since I had a belief that it was a great application to practice self-study rather than integrate it into teaching-learning process. However, as I started using Memrise from time to time with my students, I began noticing that it provided great learner autonomy. For instance, the students would learn new vocabulary during the class and then revise it with the help of Memrise's repetition exercises. The platform would provide valuable information on pronunciation of the words, which would make my students more confident in their speaking. In fact, a study by Aminatun and Oktaviani (2019) revealed that English language learners who use Memrise daily had anonymous learning skills and increased student motivation. Particularly student motivation was reinforced with the help of gamification elements like reward system and challenges the app provides (see full list of gamification instruments in Pic. 1).

Pic 1

    

        Another helpful AI-powered gamification tool that I used to integrate in my classroom was Classcraft. This is a gamification tool with which the students choose a character for themselves, complete assignments and earn points that can be used for different purposes afterwards. For instance, the teacher may allow using these reward points when being late to the class or missing and assignment deadline. Particularly, Classcraft has role-playing game (RPG) elements that was very suitable for my teen students aged 14-16 since this is the age when the learners are into video games and want to complete some challenges with games rather than do any exercises on paper (Sanchez, Young and Jouneau-Sion, 2016). I believe this AI-powered tool had the most influence on increasing student engagement in my classes, considering that the students really seemed to be experiencing adventure and enjoying the process with its help. For the teachers, this tool is useful in lots of ways:

• Assignments and tutorials can be easily organized through interactive forums;
• Students can earn points directly on the forums when they answer questions and help each other;
• Performance analytics allows students' parents to receive complete information about their children's progress.
• Contains AI component that personalizes learning for each student.

    However, there is still one major drawback of this AI-powered tool. For the last 2 years, it is not openly available on the Internet and the teachers have to pay for full package to gain its access. Nevertheless, it is worth spending your time and resources on. Part 2 of my experiences with different digital tools is yet to come. Stay tuned!

References

Alam, A. (2021). Possibilities and Apprehensions in the Landscape of Artificial Intelligence in Education. IEEE Xplore. Available from https://doi.org/10.1109/ICCICA52458.2021.9697272.

Aminatun, D. and Oktaviani, L., (2019). Memrise: Promoting students’ autonomous learning skill through language learning application. Metathesis: Journal of English Language, Literature, and Teaching, 3(2), pp.214-223.

Sanchez, E., Young, S. and Jouneau-Sion, C. (2016). Classcraft: from gamification to ludicization of classroom management. Education and Information Technologies, 22 (2), 497–513. Available from https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-016-9489-6.

Williams, L., Abraham, L. and Bostelmann, E.D., (2014). A survey-driven study of the use of digital tools for language learning and teaching. Digital literacies in foreign and second language education, pp.29-67.

Thoughts on TPACK

    Link to the article: What is TPACK?

    As a TESOL teacher, I believe that the knowledge of TPACK framework is essential in today's technology-driven environment. The article given to us provides some crucial insights on how the framework is shaped and how important it is to integrate all its key elements together for teachers. Based on the information provided by the article, TPACK framework contains the following knowledge areas:

Table 1
(created with the help of AI tool - Eraser diagram maker)

            It means that, within this framework, language instruction should be supplemented with digital tools while maintaining relevant teaching strategies. Content refers to "what we teach", pedagogy to "how we teach", and technology refers to "tools we use" to teach. For example, teachers may use online community tools like Padlet, online quizzes in Google Quiz and Quizlet to improve students' language skills and help them memorise new content. In addition to this, we must remember that TPACK framework is beyond simply giving attention to the mentioned three knowledge areas during the lessons. In the contrary, these elements should be interconnected rather than used in isolation (Matherson et al., 2014). 

        However, it is important to mention that the article also points out the possible challenges the technology-driven education presents. Many teachers may struggle with the complexity of current digital tools and find it difficult to implement them in their classrooms. Hence, the need for teachers to keep up with the new tools and platforms is identified, sharing that the teachers need to be flexible and adaptable. Therefore, if we want to integrate technology successfully in our practice, we should be on an on-going professional development route.  

    References

    Matherson, L.H., Wilson, E.K. and Wright, V.H., (2014). Need TPACK? Embrace sustained professional development. Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 81(1).

Designing an online course: setting aims and objectives

   

    In this blog post, I will share my insights on the process of designing a short online course on LMS Google classroom. As I have mentioned in my previous blog posts, I am familiar with the structure of Google classroom courses since the times when I had classes for the module named "ICT in education" at Uzbek State World Languages University. However, I have always been in the position of a learner, taking the course and completing assignments to reach my goals. I have never imagined how difficult it would be being in a position of a creator, designing an online English course for any level of learners. There are a few nuances about the beginning of the online course design process that I would want to share here.

    The first point to consider while designing an online course is the topic selection. The target audience for this course are intermediate (B1) level English language learners. Hence, I initially planned to create a course on building communication skills for intermediate (B1) level learners. However, considering the requirements of this assignment that allow us to create an at least 6-hour online course, I decided to focus on a more narrow topic so that the students taking the course would gain practical experience targeted at one skill area, which would provide depth of information rather than just getting the general idea of concepts. After careful consideration, I chose "Mastering Everyday English Writing" as a topic for my course. Another point to take into account is that a well-organized online course has clear and specific aims and objectives (Jaggars and Xu, 2016). Hence, I believe that the following aims and objectives can be identified:

    The aim of this course is to improve intermediate level learners' writing clarity, fluency and tone.

    By the end of this course, the students will be able to:

• write professional and personal emails;
• write informal messages for everyday situations;
• create engaging social media posts using appropriate language;
• write short stories and personal narratives using experssions;
• understand and apply tone in different contexts.

    Meanwhile, as we can see from the objectives of this online course, there is a lot of information to cover for learners. Therefore, another decision was made to make the course manageable and improve student retention rates. Each lesson was divided into two milestone points so the students would not feel overwhelmed and keep on completing the tasks (Stavredes and Herder, 2014). For instance, the first lesson will take 1.5 hours to complete and I will separate it into two parts: "lesson 1.1 - Email structure" and "lesson 1.2 - Writing professional and personal emails". Additionally, I plan on including a lot of interactive tasks to keep learners engaged through the process (Chakraborty and Muyia Nafukho, 2014).

    As I move forward with the process of designing the first online course on my own, the next blog post under the label "Online course design" will include the course rationale and teaching context. I also plan to demonstrate the structure of this online course. Stay tuned for more updates!

reflection of my state

References

Chakraborty, M. and Muyia Nafukho, F., (2014). Strengthening student engagement: what do students want in online courses?. European Journal of Training and Development, 38(9), pp.782-802.

Jaggars, S.S. and Xu, D., (2016). How do online course design features influence student performance?. Computers & Education, 95, pp.270-284.

Stavredes, T. and Herder, T., (2014). A guide to online course design: Strategies for student success. John Wiley & Sons.

Introductory post

 

    Welcome to my educational and learning blog!

    My name is Zokhida Usmanova (Solieva) and I am an ESL teacher and researcher pursuing a postgraduate degree in Teaching and Learning (TESOL). I have been working in this field for the past three years. In my professional experience, I have always been fascinated to implement different digital tools and explore new technologies that would facilitate learning experiences for my students. Particularly, I have used iSpring Suite and Moodle platform as learning management systems and for assessment as well as gamification tools like Quizlet and Kahoot! in my daily pedagogical practice.

    

    In this blog, I will be sharing my insights on my professional experience with modern technologies and innovation and my reflections on current trends in educational technology. I believe that understanding the influence of technology on the present and future of education is more critical than ever. Therefore, I hope the posts that I write in this blog will provide practical advice for fellow TESOL teachers. 

    

    This space is open to every teacher who want to join me on this journey, sharing viewpoints and improving student learning with the help of technology. 

    

    Let's grow and learn together! ✌😀