Week 8 Reflection: AN-believably ANVILL

http://healingatheavensfountain.blogspot.com/

Believe the “ANVILLievable,” lovable and live-able!

This week’s learning is ANVILL. I was all set to try ANVILL but the internet connection got me on the way. I was mega excited to try Voiceboard because I thought that it would be a good tool to use in voice and video recording for my students in enhancing their listening and speaking abilities. It is a good tool for the students to practice their oral and aural skills. I intend to use this in my speech class eventually. I believe this is an answer to one of the speech classroom inadequacies.

What I like most about ANVILL is that the teachers can create their own courses and manage them well at the same time! The tools are excitingly easy to handle and are remarkably practical. Learning tools are there anytime, anywhere for anyone who is willing to learn. Students can work at their own time and pace. It provides different learning activities to diverse groups of learners. You just choose what suits them best to be able to address the needs.

“ANVILL stands for A National Virtual Language Lab. It is a modern web based replacement for the audio and video consoles of an old language facility in a school based setting. But ANVILL is eminently portable: Any teacher or student with web access can use ANVILL to listen to the news, watch video clips, and submit voice or video based assignments.”

You only need a computer and an internet connection; and have these tools imbedded: a microphone and a webcam; a modern browser like safari 5x, firefox 4x or Microsoft 8x, and adobe flash player. These tools are free to download and to use just like ANVILL.

http://babel-old.uoregon.edu/anvill/11-anvillOverview.pdf

Relative to some constraints in the use of ANVILL and other teaching technologies, Jeff Magoto said, “The first problem would be lack of availability of the Internet connection. Secondly, lack of available computers. Then comes more serious problem and that is the lack of students' accessibility of all those technologies. To top it all, there is almost always the lack of concerned authority's interest which is definitely beyond our reach! “

Almost all of us have the same level of constraints and impediments in using these technology tools. Nevertheless, there is no more stopping now, life grows as another life comes. We have to learn how to flow with the tides and fly freely where the wind goes.

You have to see it to believe it; you have to touch it to discover it; you have to be into it to learn from it. Usable and viable ANVILL!

https://anvill.uoregon.edu/anvill2/frontpage

ANVILL brings communication at the forefront of a learner-centered environment. Go try it and see what I mean.

Moreover, effective management of the technology learning tools can boost aptitude and change attitude. It will create a new mindset, a new way of thinking and a new way of living.

Another thing I learned is that you don’t have to be technology savvy or you don’t need to be a geek to learn many things using the technology. You can learn just by doing it and trying new things at your command and at your own time.

As for textbooks and reference books--Let’s set aside the old and take the new. ----side by side we can still use them. If we don’t look back the past we can never learn anything from the present nor can we look forward to what lies ahead. Old is old, new is new and both can blend. 

However, no one and nothing is indispensable, to keep the flow of the positive energy and prosperity, relative to the things that can be seen and touch, we need to let go of some things so as not to accumulate unnecessary things.

For as long as one has a computer and an internet connection, one has always someone to share thoughts with. Voila!

Week 8 was overwhelmingly magnificent and notably marvelous but it somehow makes you unbelievably kooky and addle pated figuring out what to do and where to go, what to read and what to write first. Smile!

Having fun with Padlet/Wallwisher

My World Literature Students

My English 4-World Literature Students