Jarred TLC FA07

Hi Jarred,

First off, what a great webpage presentation here!  It looks like Google Pages gives you a clean layout and template.  Did you find it easy to navigate?

Yes, good points here.  It's interesting because I kind of struggle with this in the L2 classroom myself.  I'm inclined to not allow students to mine their e-dictionaries during class.  I'd rather have them ask 3 people before they go for their dictionaries.  But, I suppose as a learner I would probably want to have it nearby for a sense of security.  Is that hypocritical?

Very clear opening paragraph here - focsued, states the problem you are interested in and your reasons for exploring further.

I'm curious what you mean here in your use of fossilization, Jarred.  Typically this concept is associated with older learners.

Ah yes!  That was my experience in high school as well.  A lot of memorization and vocabulary tests.  A lot of translation.

Ah yes, especially as you enter into different registers and get into different genres - the associated vocabulary will become critical.  In EAPP, we would focus a lot on cohesive devices for example.  I can see where moving into language for specific purposes then makes sense for learners because it creates frames around which new language can be associated.

could you offer up a definition here so we're working with the same concept?  I appreciate your links to the articles, but providing clear explanations within your text would be more reader friendly.

So, one might say a multi-modal approach?

I wonder how the tool that I am using to annotate your project might be a tool you could use to build such glosses?  I found a number of tools and decided on this one called "Trailfire." 

Yes, interesting results, indeed.  This would raise particular issues for a teacher wouldn't you say?  Especially for a teacher who doesn't share students' L1.  Hmmm...

Yes, I suppose that might be the best alternative.  I recall other glosses had even more data including audio and video - I think that was in the context of Reading comprehension, but just the same, interesting in the sense of adding scaffolds for lexical help.

Well said here, Jarred.  Your exploration into the research offers up some clear routes to take with glosses and I appreciate your point of view.  As a teacher you can make incidental or intentional choices as well.  I hope this project sets you on a course for the latter, and maybe a way to focus some interesting classroom based research.

One question I have for you with regards to your discussion of incidental vs intentional is whether you see a connection between the two processes.  Is one less active than the other?  Can incidental learning translate into more intentional learning?

In phase 2 you'll take your exploration and consider some different tools, create an example or two and dig into this approach a little more to share with other teachers.  Do you have any particular tools in mind?

Overall, your project hits the mark pretty well.  I see a clear foundation for a design on this topic and look forward to working with you on the pedagogical implications for working with technology to build vocabulary.

Grade: 18/20 A -