ENG 321 | Module 3 - Lesson 1: Productivity Software Applications for Language Teaching and Learning

Jarte

- A Microsoft Word alternative (Investintech, 2020) Based on Microsoft WordPad Engine. - Features include an ergonomic tabbed interface, small resource requirements, portability, support for touchscreens, and quick loading time. - It also has built-in spell checking and can export to HTML and PDF files. - Allows you to insert images, tables, hyperlinks, and everything else that you have come to expect from word.

Google Docs

- A Microsoft Word alternative (Investintech, 2020) which allows one to create, collaborate, and share documents, spreadsheets, presentations, drawings, and even forms, - Documents can be published as a web page, downloaded or emailed as an attachment in Word, ODT, PDF, plain text or RTF Formats. - Allows you to invite collaborators to work on the document with you or only allow others to view it without the ability to edit, - Can be enabled to offline access and keep editing your documents even when you are disconnected from the Internet. All it takes is a free Google account

WPS Office 2016 Free

- A Microsoft Word alternative (Investintech, 2020) which is a free document processing suite whose app will serve you well as a Microsoft Word alternative. - Can open and save a long list of popular file formats native to those applications like docx, doc, and more. - You can get the application in languages other than English (French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, and Russian) - the suite has the same familiar look and feel of MS Office with one exception it has a tabbed viewing window, so you can open more than one document at a time. - Not only scalable for teams, but can also be as collaborative and seamless as its Microsoft counterpart.

AbiWord

- A Microsoft Word alternative (Investintech, 2020) which is a free word processing application very similar to Microsoft Word. - Available for LINUX distributions only - Fully compatible with not only Microsoft Word, but also OpenOffice.Org - Has advanced document layout capabilities and can do mail merge as well which allows you to automatically fill in specific form fields in documents with information from databases and comma separated or tabbed text files. - This software can be enhanced and expanded with freely available plug-ins that will give you even more features and functions.

SoftMaker FreeOffice

- A Microsoft Word alternative (Investintech, 2020) which is a great free suite that offers a full featured Microsoft Word alternative - The suits's textMaker application allows you to focus on creating documents just as you would in MS Word. - This suite offers up essential editing features and even a handful of basic templates for creating and editing documents. - Tables, charts, shapes and graphics are available along with the standard text formatting options. - Available for Windows, Linux, and Android, so you can keep your document processing tasks going even while away from your desktop.

OpenOffice

- A Microsoft Word alternative (Investintech, 2020) which is a package including six programs that use the same engine making them inherently the same and extremely easy to learn and use. - The 6 applications include in the suite: Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, and Base and Math. - Writer can even natively do some things that Word cannot, like open PDF files without the addition of a plug-in or commercial add-on. - An open-source software maintained by large community meaning help and bug fixes are freely available and quickly created. - The leading free desktop alternative to Microsoft Word/ office

Etherpad

- A Microsoft Word alternative (Investintech, 2020) which is an online document editor primarily intended for collaborative editing in, as the site claims, "really real time." - An open-source, highly customizable tool for online document collaboration with friends, fellow students and classmates, or colleagues at work. - There is no sign-up, all you need to do is start a new pad and share the link with your collaborators

Spreadsheets

- Are very helpful in introducing some lessons in language courses - Through these, one can teach with tables and charts, make a table and graph, compute students' grades - It also contain text, dates, and other content that can be presented in language courses for discussion

Organization Presentation

- Basic instructional design in preparing presentation (Brooks and Gavin, 2015) about the proper organization of information as one of the most important competencies that must be developed among students. - This also refers to a need to learn how to separate the presentation into meaningful sections and present each section separately to reduce the cognitive work that is required in the presentation.

The use of visual aids

- Basic instructional design in preparing presentation (Brooks and Gavin, 2015) which are important part of oral presentations because they provide support for both the speaker and listeners during the presentation. - These can be used to give more details about the topic, help the audience members to understand what is being said, and act as a concrete reminder of the message for both the audience and the presenter

Presentation Skills

- Basic instructional design in preparing presentation (Brooks and Gavin, 2015) which is very important to consider in developing oral presentations to spend time to consider the macro and micro skills that are needed - These micro level skills include genre specific language items, such as the vocabulary and grammar that students need to be successful in oral presentation

Presentation software applications

- By using these, students can also develop their project outputs and reports to be able to share in the class or in the world wide web. - Through these, both teachers and students can learn variety of skills in the process of planning, developing, presenting, and evaluating their information.

Open-ended tools or productivity software applications

- These are the ICT tools that help the teachers and the learners make their learning together concrete, efficient, encouraging, and meaningful. - The use of these tools plays a vital role as it helps meet the demands of the learners in 21st-century classrooms.

Office Online

A Microsoft Word alternative (Investintech, 2020) for Microsoft Word and Office aficionados, the best possible free online alternative for their document editing need is this which comes as a part of the Office Online Suite. - It allows one to open, create, and edit Word documents online - Enables one to access and see update from co-author w/ an internet connection. You can share and collaborate on documents - It has cross-platform compatibility

Drop Box Paper

A Microsoft Word alternative (Investintech, 2020) which is a free online word processor offered by the online cloud storage provider. - You can add rich media (e.g. audio, video, images) - Allows you to access apps that let you embed Trello cards, YT videos or SlideShare - Other online collaborative feature include document link-shring, creating and assigning checklist items to members or embedding your Dropbox documents. - Does an excellent job at creating dynamic documents you can share and access online

Zoho

A Microsoft Word alternative (Investintech, 2020) which offers around 20 free online applications including Writer for word processing. - It automatically saves your documents, as you finish typing. - Well-equipped with feature that allow you to work easily online: two-way desktop sync, large file transfer, encryption, file recovery ,two-step authentication, in-app chat, and more. - Offer all the standard text formatting and document creation features and can export to DOCX, ODF, PDF, Latex, RTF, TXT, and even HTML. - It can plug into Echosign for digital signatures, publish document to a blog or make it public for all to see

Palmer (2015)

According to this source, teachers need to demonstrate 21st-century characteristics to be able to meet the demands of the 21st-century learners.

Speaking

This is the developed macro skills in the integration of presentation software applications to language teaching and learning wherein the material that students have read, organized, and summarized has to be presented orally to convey a clear message to an audience of peers.

Reading

This is the developed macro skills in the integration of presentation software applications to language teaching and learning wherein the students analyze the article critically, compare and contrast the ideas presented, synthesize and evaluate. FInally, they select highlights for inclusion on their presentations.

Writing

This is the developed macro skills in the integration of presentation software applications to language teaching and learning wherein the students compose slides and condense the information they have gathered to present only the main points.

Word Applications

Example of scaffolding using these applications are learning plans, assessment tools, templates and forms, graphic organizers, and others. Word Applications

1. Setting Up the Presentation Class 2. Organization of the Presentation 3. Presentation Skills 4. The Use of Visual Aids 5. Performing Self-Reflections

Guidelines in designing presentations according to Brooks and Gavin (2015) (5) (S-O-P-T-P)

Presentation software application In language teaching and learning, these can be used as a presentation tool in an innovative skill integration task, and the other as a novel writing tool. Students can use language actively for speaking, listening, reading, and writing (Schcolnik & Kol, 1999)

In language teaching and learning, these can be used as a presentation tool in an innovative skill integration task, and the other as a novel writing tool. Students can use language actively for speaking, listening, reading, and writing (Schcolnik & Kol, 1999)

Scaffolding

This is a term used to refer to various forms of support given to assist, guide, or facilitate the learning process.

Listening

This is the developed macro skills in the integration of presentation software applications to language teaching and learning wherein the class listens to the oral presentation

Setting Up the Presentation Class

Basic instructional design in preparing presentation (Brooks and Gavin, 2015) including such things as when to use eye contact, how to organize a presentation, how to connect with an audience, how to use body language and manage time, and how to construct effective PowerPoint Presentation. Example: Voice projection, eye contact, and the use of gestures.

Performing Self-Reflections

Basic instructional design in preparing presentation (Brooks and Gavin, 2015) which is the final stage of each oral presentation that involves students writing a self-reflection of their presentation. Through this activity, writing skills are further enhanced together with the ability of the students to do self-reflection.

- Drop Box Paper - Office Online - Google Docs - Etherpad - Zoho - OpenOffice - AbiWord - Jarte - WPS Office 2016 Free - SoftMaker FreeOffice

Microsoft Word alternatives according to Investintech (2020)

Graphic organizer

This graphic organizers purpose is to compare and contrast two or more concepts.

Frayer Model/ Bubble Diagram/ Concept Map

This graphic organizers purpose is to describe a concept

Story Map/ 5Ws Chart

This graphic organizers purpose is to identify basic components

T-Chart

This graphic organizers purpose is to make a decision

Fishbone Map/ inductive Tower

This graphic organizers purpose is to show causes and effects

Flow Chart

This graphic organizers purpose is to show sequence

Computers

Teachers can use these to create visually and audibly appealing presentations that utilize a variety of media tools

Reading, writing, speaking, and listening

The four language skills developed by the presentation software applications (Schcolnik & Kol, 1999)

Brooks and Gavin (2015)

Their study confirmed that the use of presentation software facilitates the acquisition of the four macro skills. They stressed that most teacher recognize the spoken component of presenting, as students are required to speak when giving their presentations.