On 06/12/2012 11:31 PM, Alejandro Tejada wrote:
Richmond, in this mail list, you and Nicolas Cueto
are English teachers.
If you want to test the premise that learning
LiveCode could help you students in their
process of learning the english language,
What kind of specific tasks would you
assign to them, to prove or disprove
this hypothesis? :-)
I don't think learning Livecode could help students in their
process of learning the English language in any way beyond
the way performing anything in the target language assists
vocabulary development.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
What I do think is that Livecode is a bl**dy fantastic programming
environment that
should be available in almost every school that has pretensions to
developing its own
in-house software for content delivery and reinforcement.
I also believe that language schools rely far too much on software that
has been developed by the publishers of the textbooks they use, and that
software
is never tailor-made, never adjusted to local needs, requirements and
sensibilities
and based on the one-size-fits-all idea, which really means that it
never quite fits
anyone.
---------------- Historical Contextualisation for why I believe the
above ---------------
Prior to my setting up my own language school in Bulgaria, 8 years ago,
I worked in a series of Universities in a variety of countries where
part of my duties involved developing exactly the
sort of in-house software I have mentioned above.
Possibly the toughest time was when I was developing software with
Toolbook 6 (NOT
because of Toolbook) in the United Arab Emirates where I had to juggle
the language
requirements present in the textbooks (Longman "North Star") with the
sensibilities of
the Islamic authorities in the University. The obvious reason that I was
developing that software in the first place was that, at that time at
least, there was no EFL software that could deliver the
"goods" and not fall foul of Islamic-Wahabi feelings about matters that
they felt, very strongly, were not suitable for their University students.
Here in Bulgaria I use Longman "Backpack" for my children, and Heinle
"Outcomes" for my teenagers and adults. I don't make software
specifically for "Outcomes".
The "Backpack" software is, in my opinion, puerile and banal, and is
based on a model of children working their way through one of the seven
levels (!!!!!!) a year. But, as that is based on a model class of about
20-30 kids, and I teach kids in groups of 4-6, I generally get through 2
to 2 and a half textbooks per year, as well as a whole range of
supplementary stuff. Therefore I have an ongoing development programme
(called "what I do on Wednesdays") where I develop software that can
serve my specific needs.
If I did not work with Runtime Revolution Livecode I would, probably, be
obliged to run Microsoft Windows on my computers in my school; an
unnecessary expense and headache as far as I am concerned; as I would be
dependent on one of the 'other' RADs that, apart from being inferior
(pace Toolbook) tend to produce standalones for Windows or Macintosh.
Between Livecode, GIMP, Audacity and a digital camera I can produce what
I require very quickly indeed.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
However, and it is a big 'However', I have a 35 year track record of
computer programming; 24 years of that specifically for education.
The problem (if RunRev is interested) is how to get teachers, who are
TEACHERS rather than PROGRAMMERS, to:
1. want to make their own in-house software.
2. set aside the time to learn how to do that.
About a month ago I went to a presentation by Jeremy Harmer at Hotel St.
Petersburg here in
Plovdiv. Harmer made an impassioned and well-crafted speech for using
technology intelligently
to the assembled EFL people of Plovdiv. Those of us who understand
Bulgarian and were flapping our
ears heard this sort of comment; "That's all very well, but our kids
learn English perfectly well without all that, and why should I spend
time outwith the time I teach getting all that stuff ready? My employer
will not pay me more and/or set aside time from teaching to do that."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Imagine, if you will, the following:
A room with 13 computers, each running Livecode; 12 hooked up to
monitors, the other to a data projector.
A series of well thought-out lessons on how to make a set of content
delivery and reinforcement standalones based on pre-prepared templates.
Teachers attending this 'course' being paid to attend.
Teachers being 'given' copies of Livecode so that they can develop in
the comfort of their own homes.
Teachers being rewarded every time they produce a half-decent program
that can be run on the machines in their places of work.
Pie-in-the-sky? Doesn't have to be. There is, however, a general apathy
and lack of will power.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sorry Alejandro; perhaps not what you wanted; but what I care
passionately about.
Richmond Mathewson. BA, MA, MSc.
Al
--
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http://runtime-revolution.278305.n4.nabble.com/English-language-learners-and-LiveCode-tp4650501p4650538.html
Sent from the Revolution - User mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
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