Hello, everyone!
I am really please to read your comments and to find out that the topics I have raised are of your interest as well.
Now, I’d like to hear from you as regards teens and technology in education.
In 2007 I had the chance to join  the Webheads’ group and discover a whole new world in terms of teaching and learning opportunities which the use of Web 2.0 technology can open up for us.
Needless to say, I tried to include in my lessons the use of  technology as a means to foster interaction among my students and other classes, both locally and internationally, by making use of  class blogs. I also asked my students to produce PowerPoint presentations to upload to our page, to produce movies using dvolver, to produce podcasts and etc. All related to the things they had been leaning along the year.
However, I was not completely satisfied with the results I got as I realized that I was much more excited about all that than my students! I mean, when I learned English, even tapes were difficult (and very expensive!) to buy here in Brazil. There was neither cable tv nor easily accessible DVDs with close captions for us to practice our English. The only real  English I had access to was in the letters I received once a month from an American pen friend.  So what puzzles me in my teaching context is that my middle-class students from the so-called digital generation certainly have the world at their feet. Yet, they do not seem to be motivated to enhance their own leaning experience by making the most out of what is available for them. It is true they use the Internet to watch videos, to socialize, to listen to music, to play games and so on. But, they just want to have fun and NOT to learn / practice English.
I am not sure whether this lack of interest to go beyond what is required has to do with  typical teenage behaviour (i.e. my  students faced these activities simply as school work, so they showed little interest to work on them from home, for example) or if this little motivation to learn by oneself is something culturally biased. What do you think? Have you ever tried to involve your  EFL teens with the use of technology? How did they react?Let’s share!Doris Soares
Doris, I think your students sound fairly typical. The challenge is to get them so excited about the technology or whatever type of activity you are using in class that they do not really realize they are learning. It isn’t easy.
Doris- I teach English to kids and teens in Argentina – sometimes I think it’s part of our cultural background in South America but then I read comments from people like Nancy and then I realize that our ELT world has lots of things in common regardless culture and traditions (globally speaking).
Nancy says it is typical and I agree.
If you try the website my name links you’ll go directly onto the blog I use with my students (kids and teens)- There you will find (during the Academic Term 2007) some of the activities that they really enjoyed -samples of tasks for different ages and levels of the target language-
http://english_studio.blogspot.com/search/label/Activities%20in%20class
But it’s not easy- It’s time consuming and sometimes you will feel it’s not worth the effort- But I know I have to keep trying -There’s always one specific way to do things and suddenly, out of the blue…. VOILAAAA- But there are no magic recipes-
However the road towards discovery teaches you interesting stuff for your professional background.
All the best
Dear Doris,
I started using technology last year with my students. The biggest problem I encountered was not the students but the Directors of Studies. Take a look at an interview I had last year http://jenverschoor.wordpress.com/2007/02/20/my-first-integrating-technology-journey/
I can assure you that your students will become really motivated with technology. It all depends what you want to achieve and how. My experience was wonderful and I can`t imagine teaching without technolgy.
Jennifer
Hi Doris,
What you have experienced with your students happened to me exactly the same way. If you go to my blog and read the post “Blogs in the classroom” you can read about the experience I had with blogging with students. Now I realize that my expectations were just too high (just because I was going to use technology) and that I was too excited about the use of technology with the students. Well, I think it was the lack of experience that contributed to it, too. I agree with Nancy, you need to get them interested in something without giving them the feeling that it’s just more school work. It isn’t easy. Teachers need to be patient, persistent and savvy about what they’re doing. I think experience is a key factor to improve and making mistakes is a normal part of the process.
Let’s learn with each other and grow together professionally!
Hi Doris, thanks for you comment on my blog. Yes, I think it’s harder to get students commenting if they have their own blogs. In a collaborative class blog you can ask students to comment on what you post and it can be a good strategy to get students used to blogs before they run their own blogs. But this I know only now. I didn’t know this when I started using blogs with my students. On the other hand, once you manage the students to blog, having an individual blog can have some advantages. They might feel it as being a space of their own, a place that they have under their own control. Besides, it may work as the students portfolio. A blog as the students’s portofolio seems to be a good idea to me.
Doris, we all seem to agree the your students’ reaction is a typical one. I’ve tried blogging with a group from school aged 16 and with a group from an institute, mixed ages but mostly 12 years old. My 12 year students got engaged immediately.
It’s sometimes difficult for teens to admit they are enjoying a class activity, they won’t show their feelings as spontaneously as children do.
I think first of all we need to control our anxiety, over enthusiasm may be an obstacle.
And we also need to be patient, and in the meantime keep trying different approaches and surely, as Alicia says, one day…voila…
I agree with all of you who said that the activities need to be interesting to get them engaged and that it is difficult to do. I never do one topic with the entire class (unless we are doing a model essay writing, for example), but I always ask them to focus their projects on something that they find really interesting in their life or something that may help them with their future academic career (major). Having said that, I also realize that NOT EVERYONE will become interested and engaged EVEN IF we give them the option of focusing/developing their interests. I have realized over the years that my wish to engage and inspire EVERYONE is overambitious and there always be kids who plainly don’t care. This may seem a bit against the whole philosophy of All Children are Equal but I don’t think it is fair to assume that what we do can engage all children equally. This may sound like a minimalist approach but if I have a couple of students who continue blogging beyond the classroom homework, that satisfies me because I know I have reached someone. Of course, I always strive to do better than just a couple of students, but I don’t feel I am unsuccessful if not all of my students become engaged.
Dear Soares:
Hi, I’m Doris from Taiwan
I’m studying my MA Applied Linguistic and TESOL in Newcastle, UK.
Recently I’ve read your article
‘Understanding class blogs as a tool for language development’ (2008, Language Teaching Research)
I’m interested in the Action6 class blog.
However, once I type the address (http://Action6. motime.com), it requires me to type in password.
Could you help me solving this technical problem?
And it’s my honour to read your future journals or books
Best Regards
Dear Doris,
I´m really glad you enjoyed reading my article on blogs.
About the action 6 blog, it seems that Motime is now Splinder. That´s probably the reason why they are requiring a password now.
I tried to open the page and since I don´t have this password either, I could get past the window just by clicking on cancel several times.
I was able to see the pages and the comments as well, but you’ll notice that some pictures are missing.
The blogs (action6.motime.com & ouridols.motime.com) are no longer active as I left that language school in December, 2007 to pursue my doctoral studies and I am currently working on something else.
Please let me know if you succeeded in seeing the page. If not, I can try to send you some screens of it.
I wish you good luck on your MA.
Best wishes, Doris Soares
Dear Soares:
Sorry for keeping bother you
C’z this morning I try to access to this blog again
But the outcome is still the same
Could you send me another screens of it?
Many thanks and give my great blessing on your doctoral studies as well
Doris
Did you try cancelling the password? As I said, I clicked on cancel about 10 times and it worked. If it doesn´t, please let me know, ok?
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Dear Soares:
After pressing the cancelling button
I finally can access to this blog
Thanks for your reply
Sincerely, Doris
Hi there,
I feel really pleased to browse your blog. I am doing a critical review on your paper ‘Understanding class blogs as a tool for language development’!!
Dear Jessica,
I´m glad you enjoyed the blog, even though it´s not updated.
I also hope you enjoy reading the article.
Good luck on your studies.
Doris