My Use of Technology and Digital Mapping

 In my teaching practice, the integration of technology has become an essential component to enhance engagement and interactivity in my classes. I utilize a variety of digital tools such as Twee, Baamboozle, Liveworksheets, Lumi, Jamboard, Genially, Screenpal, Prezi, Canva, and Quizlet. These platforms offer diverse functionalities that cater to different aspects of the learning experience.

Twee and Baamboozle inject an element of fun into the lessons through interactive quizzes and games, while Liveworksheets allow for dynamic and editable worksheets. Lumi and Jamboard serve as collaborative spaces where students can actively participate and contribute in real-time. I often employ Genially to create visually appealing and interactive presentations that capture students' attention.

Screenpal facilitates efficient screen sharing, enabling a seamless demonstration of concepts, and Prezi offers an alternative and visually dynamic presentation format. Canva helps in crafting visually appealing materials, and Quizlet proves invaluable for reinforcing vocabulary and concepts through customizable quizzes.

This diverse array of tools not only adds a technological dimension to my teaching but also fosters a more interactive and engaging learning environment. By leveraging these platforms, I aim to cater to different learning styles and provide a richer educational experience for my students, creating a classroom atmosphere that is both dynamic and inclusive.

A Field Trip to "Jalinga"

Unforgettable Memory Ever...

In this post I would like to share my takeaways from one of the most impressive field trips I have ever been to. During one of the classes of ILT Module in WIUT, we (I and my classmates from the module) visited the studio of Jalinga interactive video studio (situated in Tashkent). 

Why Jalinga?

Before stating the benefits of Jalinga studio, I want to define what it is. Jalinga is an interactive video studio where anyone like you and me, can create webinars, training courses, various interactive online classes. Any necessary digital technologies to record videos are available there so that you don't have to get out of the studio. 

Writing about the pros of Jalinga, the most important factor that makes unique is that users of Jalinga DO NOT need any editor or video operator. You can record your webinars/courses/classes by means of Jalinga's unique features, like interactive boards, ready cameras and lights, etc. So the users don't need to spend their energy, time and certainly money on finding and waiting for video editors and operators as Jalinga fulfills these tasks on behalf of these job owners. Therefore, we can save our money and time.

What for? 

Online lectures

Creating practical webinars

Training new employees

Introduction of new products

When I first heard the some of the features of the Jalinga studio, I thought that it was useful mainly in education, but Iwas wrong🙆. So in what fields can it be used: Bank and Accounting, IT, Medicine, Trading, Language Learning and Teaching, Social Projects and so on. Hence, anyone can find their "piece" in Jalinga😇
Other benefits

• Good location
• Professional digital service
• Convinient office
• Sweets and coffee🍪🍰🍵

What about the prices?

The rent of the studio costs about 80-85$ per hour 😔. Definitely it sounds much expensive to some of us, but there are some other types of packages that may suit you. So, if you are curious about Jalinga, go https://jalinga.uz/ and discover more about it. 

Amazing Educational Tool: Twee.com

 I promised to post more about educational tools in my blog and here is approval 😇When I was first introduced with the unique features of Twee.com during one of the ILT classes, I was so excited to find out that burdens on educators' shoulders could be lessened simply by means of Twee.com. It offers a wide range of benefit that you can gain in creating lesson plans and activities. It can turn YouTube videos into texts, and even can make Multiple Choice, True/False and Open-ended questions based on the given videos. Besides, the tool has the abilities to make other types of activities based on inserted texts or links. Certainly, it's better to see how Twee.com works rather than read too much. So here is the video tutorial from YouTube so that you don't waste your time searching for proper material.💁 

Empowering Educators: Essential Digital Tools and AI Instruments for Teaching Success (Wordwall)

In today's modern world, there are some digital tools and AI instruments which every teacher English language learner should know about and in a couple of my posts I would like to share some descriptions and data about how to use these tools both as a teacher and a learner. I am quite sure that you will find them useful in your educational path.

Wordwall is a versatile digital tool designed to engage learners through interactive and customizable activities. When I used it for the first time, I was struck by the wide features it offers. Its user-friendly interface allows educators to create a variety of interactive resources, including quizzes, games, and puzzles. One standout feature is its extensive library of pre-made templates, offering a time-saving solution for busy teachers and independent learners. So if you don't have much time to create a suitable task for your lessons, you can use pre-made tasks created by other fellow teachers. The platform supports multimedia integration, enabling the inclusion of images, audio, and video to enhance the learning experience. Whether in a physical or virtual classroom, Wordwall empowers teachers to transform traditional content into engaging, interactive learning experiences. If you are really curious about the educational tool, here is the tutorial derived from YouTube.

Navigating the Technological Frontier: A Reflective Journey into Integrating AI in Teaching and Learning

                  

“Technologically Alien” Learner and Teacher

At my school times, as an English language learner, I could rarely use technologies since our studies heavily relied on paper-based mode of learning and teaching. Although there were some computers and speakers, we (I and my classmates) could only use them during IT classes. Unfortunately, there was no access to technological tools and devices in other classes. Only when I was 17, I could have my first laptop that I used for IELTS listening and reading activities. Even at university, technology (let alone AI tools) was passively integrated into learning process. Perhaps, therefore in my early years of teaching I found it frustrating and depressing to include technologies, together with AI, in my teaching practices as many teaching methods I acquired before, needed some modifications by including newly invented digital educational tools.

Breaking Boundaries: from Comfort Zone to Digital Pedagogy

It was high time to get out of my comfort zone as “sometimes, it is necessary to search beyond the norm, develop new ways of doing things” (Chen, Chen, and Lin, 2020, p75264). Thanks to my MA Learning and Teaching Course (specifically ILT or Innovating Learning and Teaching Module) in WIUT (Westminster International University in Tashkent) I learnt to wisely integrate digital tools and AI invention into pedagogical practices and optimize the learning atmosphere. At the very beginning, it seemed to be a depressing, time consuming and difficult process since I, as a teacher, had to acquire IT skills, new web-based tools and e-devices to penetrate AI and cyber tools into educational environment. The next great challenge was not to teach my learners to master the language, but to adapt them to the new system full of newly created tech elements.

Unveiling the Unpredictable: AI in Education Transforms Expectations

We can never predict what is waiting for us and all of my expectations turned out to be nonsense. As Loeckx (2016) suggested, AI applications served as effective instruments in education and lessen some burdens that both students and I, as an educator, face offering a meaningful educational experience for my learners (cited in Zhai et al., 2021). Surprisingly, my students, who had been complaining about the complexity of virtual utilities at the beginning of their educational journey, liked the diversity that technologies and AI brought to the classroom. Teaching process and results become much more fruitful by including computerized aids as well as machine learning tools whereas traditional educational methods include tedious and repetitive tasks (Chan and Zary, 2019).

AI-Powered Education: Tailoring Learning Experiences for Every Student

Furthermore, AI-driven tools can adapt and personalize content and now I can cater to different learning styles and learners’ pace. Every student is unique with their various abilities and needs and it is rather demanding for educators to satisfy all students by conventional teaching approaches (Chen et al., 2020). Educational platforms and tools have added a new dimension to my EFL classes making them more participatory and engaging. Some useful features that cyber tools offer, like embedding videos (even making interactive videos), interactive presentations, eye-catching activities, vocabulary tasks that can be fulfilled even at home for reviewing purposes, captured my learners’ attention and fostered collaborative learning atmosphere.

Conclusion

To put everything in a nutshell, I discovered the field called “AI and digital tools” that has played a transformative role in my professional path both as a learner and a teacher. It has redefined conventional paradigms in education and now I can make my lessons more adaptive, inclusive and data-driven. Even a coin has two sides, likewise, any teacher may face some challenges like the ones mentioned above and some others which will be discussed in another post of mine (hope you are looking forward to reading the next post from now on). Nevertheless, I think benefits we can gain far outweigh the disadvantages. These advancements in technology are inevitable and it’s much easier and more useful to adapt to them rather than avoiding.

References

Chan, K. S. and Zary, N. (2019). Application and Challenges of Implementing Artificial Intelligence in Medical Education: Integrative Review. JMIR Medical Education, 5 (1). Available from https://mededu.jmir.org/2019/1/e13930 (Accessed 13 December 2023).

Chen, L., Chen, P., and Lin, Z. (2020). Artificial Intelligence in Education: A Review. Multidisciplinary, 8. Available from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/351470728_A_Review_on_Artificial_Intelligence_in_Education (Accessed 5 December 2023).

Chen, X. et al. (2020). Application and Theory Gaps During the Rise of Artificial Intelligence in Education. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 1. Available from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666920X20300023 (Accessed 5 December 2023).

Zhai, X. et al. (2021). A Review of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Education from 2010 to 2020. Available from https://www.hindawi.com/journals/complexity/2021/8812542/ (Accessed 12 December 2023).