Technology is all about transforming learning

As we slowly creep through summer and the thoughts of starting a new school year start to pop up in our dreams it is again time to reflect on how we are integrating technology into the learning landscape our our students.

I discovered this blog entry entitled: "8 things kids should be able to do with technology".  It is a powerful reminder about using the power of technology as a way to encourage learners to communicate, collaborate and create in our ever expanding global community.  Technology has so much potential for transforming learning in ways that are meaningful for our students.   Technology can also activate the authentic voices of each and every one of our students.

What I really liked about this entry was the image.  It is a clear and simple way to look at what we may have been doing with technology tools in the past to what we need to be doing in the future as we all continue to have more access to more tools.

So as we start to think about our classes, our students and their learning this year keep this image as a reminder of our continued growth and change in our learning landscapes.

Source:
http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/07/8-things-kids-should-be-able-to-do-with.html

Travel photos? Really? Resume booster?

Certainly for those of us who have done a study abroad, traveled and volunteered internationally understand how to use those experiences as a highlight in a resume.  Why? Well, because we all know how those experiences can expand our global perspectives, increase our language proficiency, demonstrate leadership and indicate our willingness to be self-motivated.  These are certainly all valuable skills for the 21st century workforce.

But did you ever think about how the photos you took can visually show your personal network of international peers, your flexibility and adaptability in new situations or your respect and appreciation for new places?

In the article, 5 Resume Boosters Hidden in your Study Abroad Photos, the writer discusses how these photos can add leverage to your resume because they can help frame a professional international persona.  In this article there are several photos with examples showing how to change the caption of a photo from just describing a pretty sunset or glorifying the attributes of a well-know monument to
explaining how the photo could demonstrate your international collaboration or how the picture indicates your open-minded to new ideas, just to name a few.

We as both language teachers and life-long language learners have always cherished our memories from our travel and study abroad experiences. We have also encouraged so many of our students to take the same paths of getting out and participating in the world.  Now let's help ourselves and our students to take even more advantage of these experiences by sharing our photos and new explanations to show our global competence.

Here is the article source:
5 Resume Boosters Hidden in your Study Abroad Photos