Integrating Technology into the ESL Classroom

Faculty Development Workshop
Passaic County Community College
Hudson County Community College, New Jersey City University

October 27, 2006
Christine Bauer-Ramazani
Saint Michael's College, Colchester, VT

Participants will get hands-on practice with technology tools and resources that they can incorporate into their teaching.  In addition, they will explore pedagogical considerations of the tools with the instructor.
Note: It is assumed that participants are fairly comfortable with the basic functions of Word, such as layout, creating a new document, changing font size and color, saving a Word document.

9:30-11:15  Hands-on Practice 1: It is so easy! (Creating a One-Page Class Newsletter using Advanced Functions of Word))

 11:15-11:30 Discussion: Creating a newsletter as a student/class project
URL for this page: http://academics.smcvt.edu/cbauer-ramazani/Fac_Dev/PCCC/newsletter.htm
 
Teaching/Learning Objectives: Technical Objectives:
  1. Create a newsletter for your class or your program/ school.
  2. Have students create a newsletter as a collaborative class project.
Using advanced features of Word to create the newsletter 
 
Samples:

 Hands-on Practice: Open up MS Word (Start > Programs > Microsoft Office > Word).

TASKS

STEPS
  1. Adding toolbars--Formatting, Drawing, Picture
 On the menu bar, click View > Toolbars.
Put a checkmark next to Drawing, Formatting, and Picture.
  1. Adjusting Page Setup
 On the menu bar, click File > Page Setup.  Reduce the Left and Right Margin to 1 inch (or less, as desired) by clicking on the drop-down arrow.
  1. Open up Newsletters in Word 2003
     (handout).
 Read through the Desktop Publishing Guidelines--page 1, left column (Basic Guidelines, Graphic Considerations, Text Considerations).
  1. Adding WordArt and editing it
     
    2.
Handout, page 8, column 2:
Click on WordArt on the Drawing toolbar (usually on the bottom of the page).
Choose a design for the title of your newsletter. 
Try editing the text by following the instructions (e.g. adjust the size of the title).
To center the object, click on the Center icon on the top toolbar.
See more options for WordArt, e.g. vertical text, on page 9, Handout.
  1. Formatting WordArt objects
 To change the color of the WordArt text, right-click inside the object > Format WordArt > Fill Color > Fill Effects > 2 colors.  Choose your colors and Shading Styles.
  1. Adding a page border
 On the menu bar, click Format > Borders and Shading > click the Page Border tab > Art, and select the border you like.
  1. Setting up columns     
Put the cursor after the title object and press Enter twice to add space. To add columns, click Format > Columns > 2 > Apply to "This point forward".
To show the boundaries of the columns (but not print them), click View > Print Layout, then Tools > Options >(View tab) Text Boundaries (see also Handout, page 3: Editing Columns). 
  1. Adding bullets
 Add bullets to your text to highlight examples or supporting points.  Click the icon for numbering or bullet . Use the (decrease indent) icon to move the cursor back to the beginning if necessary.
  1. Adding tables      
To add a table, on the top menu bar, click Table > Insert Table.  Select the number of columns and rows desired > Ok (you can always add more later).  You can also use the AutoFormat option and select the desired one. 
To edit, move, or resize the table, follow the instructions in Handout, page 6 (Moving an Object, Resizing an Object).
  1. Formatting tables
 		To format the table (add/remove lines, shading, etc.), on the top menu bar, click Table > Select Row (or Cell or Table).  On the top menu bar again, click Format > Borders and Shading.  On the Borders tab, select the line color and width, grid/no grid. 
On the Shading tab, select the Fill color from the palette or click More colors to see many color gradations.
  1. Adding graphics--formatting options, resizing
                                          
To add graphics, choose from Clip Art (Insert > Picture > Clipart > Search -- specify topic), your own pictures (Insert > Picture > from file), or pictures from the Internet (use Google > Images > Search for topic; attribute source; or use Images in the public domain (http://academics.smcvt.edu/cbauer-ramazani/Links/freeware.htm#Images).
To format graphics, see Handout, page 6--Resizing an Object and Reshaping an Object.
To position a graphic inside the text, right-click the graphic > Picture Properties > Appearance tab > choose Wrapping style and increase Horizontal and Vertical Spacing.
  1. Inserting hyperlinks           
Caution: NEVER type in a URL!  Always use copy (CTRL+C) and paste (CTRL+V). 
On the Internet, find the link to the page you wish to insert.  Highlight the URL in the address window.  Right-click > Copy.  Then return to your newsletter, click the icon or Insert > Hyperlink.  In Text to Display, type in the text for the link (the title).  In the Address, paste the URL with CTRL+V (right-click won't work!).
  1. Adding and formatting AutoShapes, Callouts, and textboxes
 AutoShapes are lines, circles, rectangles, arrows, stars, banners, callouts, and text boxes.  They are some of the most versatile and effective illustrations.

Handout, page 6: Follow the instructions for Drawing an Object--Drawing from the Toolbar, Inserting AutoShapes--Adding Text to an Object, Moving an Object, Resizing an Object, Reshaping an Object, Changing Object Attributes, Formatting an Object, and Text Boxes
  1. Adding a footer
     
 Handout, page 11: Follow the instructions for Creating Headers and Footers.  Use the Switch between Header and Footer to create a footer.  Include your name, institution, and date.
  1. Using font styles, font colors/sizes, highlighting, and text effects
 On the toolbar, select the font style, size, and color to fit your purpose   . Add highlighting as needed.
  1. Using the spell-checking and AutoCorrect features
 Always use the built-in spell-checker to help with proof-reading.  Use the AutoCorrect feature to have the software correct spelling errors as you type and show various options.  To enable, click Tools > Autocorrect Options. 
  1. Other newsletter options
 Drop Cap Letters--Format > Drop Cap (also see Handout, page 12).  Adjust the size as necessary.

Additional/optional tutorials on Word:

Additional tools: spell-checker, grammar, and language tools (Thesaurus) in Word -- with easy to follow screenshots
       1.  Click Free Microsoft Word Tutorials (from LearnThat.com).  Then choose and practice the tutorials for Correcting Your Document (Word 2002 Series), Creating a New Custom Dictionary (Word 2002 Series),  Spell Check Your Word Documents (Word 2002 Series).
       2.  Using Find and Replace (http://www.sussex.ac.uk/USCS/Publications/Info_Sheets/058.pdf)

11:30-12:30 Lunch Break

12:30-2:30 Hands-on Practice 2: Using the Internet in the ESL Classroom--Resources and Web Site Evaluation