discussions and reflections

Big data is a huge amount of information stored that can be used to analyze Ss' performances in institutions and universities or to analyze what is happening in the learning process. Due to technological development huge amount of data can be organised and stored in a dashboard otherwise traditional tools couldn't compile those complex data, and it's easier and quick to find what you are looking for which can save your time. Today educators are using data analytics programs to discover institutional problems and find ways for improvements, for positive change. Analytics of learner data are great opportunities for educators to optimize learning and the environments in which it occurs. By identifying trends, EFL professionals from all over the world can develop new classes, teaching strategies to offer learners what they need and want. For example, through online learning, which has a flexible schedule, will be convenient for adult learners who are working, have families. Edu...

Through Open Educational Resources teachers have the opportunity to enrich their teaching practice. They can compare their own teaching materials with other teachers all around the world as well, so this environment again opens great doors and creates community for developing teaching and learning processes. There are many sources of open educational resources available to help teachers customize their classes to the developing needs of their Ss and make those resources their own. OER will play an integral part of Armenian EFL teachers' teaching that will give them access to knowledge that would otherwise be completely inaccessible to them. This kind of freedom of knowledge will allow them to break the barriers that hold people back from getting education. Through open educational resources Armenian EFL teachers can find and introduce new activities into their classes. They can offer lots of resources to their Ss as well that they can use independently. Teachers can find already cr...

Video games are so attractive, that parents use them to entertain children when they are cooking dinner, cleaning the house or resting from a heavy day. Research has proven that violent video games affect on brain's activity that involves emotions, attention and they increase aggressive behavior among children. However, it's said that these changes are temporary and after a short time the brain again goes back to its normal position. The children who have capacity for higher aggression and anger will be stimulated by these games and the aggression will increase, so for these children, it is better for the parents to limit game playing. There are lots of non-violent video games that require higher levels of thinking that will improve their problem-solving skills, will develop reading skills, will help think quickly, make fast decisions, improve memory and concentration. To cut it short, in order to have video game playing be the best experience for the child, the educated parent...

It's said that online learning has changed the face of the education system and it is better than classroom-based learning, though I partly agree with the last sentence. Classroom-based learning will always stay an integral aspect and a popular tool of the education for me as well as for many teachers, though you can create blended learning environments combining both classroom-based learning and network-based learning to keep up with the time and with the new learning styles of Ss. This combination is more acceptable for me than using online learning separately. However, learners have individual preferences, backgrounds and priorities, and these facts should always be taken into account when teaching as learners may reject either online or face-to-face environments if one does not meet their expectations and does not fit with their individual learning styles. On the other hand, I don't deny the fact that online learning will be beneficial for adults in remote areas of Armenia,...

PLE is a combination of tools that make up individualized resources and approach to learning. It is centered around a person's efforts to learn. When this environment is designed well, it will connect you to the people and information that are useful for you. It's a personal resource for answers to questions, supporting context for ideas. Everyone is unique and has a unique mind, and learning works best when everyone uses special ways to learn, to get information. Unfortunately teachers can't show a personal approach to every student in class, they present information to an entire class, so maximize learning process you should create your own elements of learning and to take control of of it in order to make it work for you. If a student is working on a project and does research, he is visiting lots of websites, so he can choose to use a bookmarking tool, such as Diigo, to help him efficiently retrieve pieces of information. He can also use the audio recorder on his phone t...

Chatbots are programmed the way they only know what they are taught, so they cannot understand the context of humans and interact with them in natural conversational language. I don't think a chatbot can be an appropriate partner to practice a language, though in reading books for children it can be useful. When I was interacting with George I noticed that he replies to the last sentence only, giving inadequate and unsufficient answers, it avoids answering through asking questions. These are all disadvantages that the science tends to solve. A chatbot can be used in ESL classrooms for fun practice, but they are not useful for developing any language skill. Chatbots are programmed around pattern matching, they search for key words to give responses. Practicing chatbots with advanced learners will be fun, but practicing AI(artificial intelligence) with learners having lower proficiency may be helpful a little. A learner can interact with it at home and bring interactions to the clas...