Gwangju-Jeonnam Chapter June Meeting
----- Morning Reflective Practice Session -----
Topic: Levels of Reflection
Session Facilitator: Jocelyn Wright
Time: 11:00 - 12:30
Place: Starbucks, Chosun University branch (back gate area), 2nd floor.
----- Main Meeting Schedule -----
Time: Saturday, June 20, 2015, 1:45 - 5:00
Place: Chosun University Main Building (Gwangju), 4th Floor, Room 4211
1:45 pm: Sign-in and Meet-and-Greet (Admission is free. Future membership is welcomed.)
2:00 - 3:00 pm: Presentation
Using Alternate Reality Games in the Classroom
Paul Starr (EPIK, Hanam Middle School, Gwangju)
3:00 - 3:20 pm: Refreshment Break
3:20 - 4:20 pm: Panel Discussion
Online Professional Development Options
Lindsay Herron Facilitating (Gwangju Natl. University of Ed.)
4:20 pm: Swap-Shop: Share your Teaching Ideas, Classroom Activities, and Teaching Wisdom with the group. (Everyone is encouraged to briefly present an item, or two. Handouts welcomed.)
5:00 pm: Announcements / Drawing for Door Prizes / Closing
6:00 pm: After-meeting Dinner
Presentation Synopses and Presenter Bio-Sketches.
Using Alternate Reality Games in the Classroom
By Paul Starr
Alternate Reality Games (ARGs) are a unique blend of interactivity, problem solving, and storytelling spanning a variety of media and real-world spaces. They are fictional stories that bleed into the real world and often lead players to decode various puzzles and cooperate with other players to move the story forward. Players often report that playing in ARGs is like being in a spy movie in real life. While ARG’s have yet to be widely applied to educational settings, this presentation will focus on their potential usefulness in ELT.
This presentation will provide an overview of ARGs and their previous uses as educational tools. The focus will then shift to two recent uses of ARGs by the presenter in EPIK classrooms. There will be discussion of the successes and failures of these examples and the practical lessons learned. Participants will then be asked to design some basic ARG elements for their own learning environments.
The Presenter
Paul Starr currently teaches at Hanam Middle School in Gwangju with English Program in Korea (EPIK). He came to Korea in 2013 after completing his bachelor’s degree in Media Production and earning an MA in Adult and Community Education at Ball State University. During his time at Ball State, he produced a number of Alternate Reality Games and has presented his work with ARGs in education at conferences in Kansas and Kentucky (USA).
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Panel Discussion
Online Professional Development Options
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As the field of TESOL develops in Korea, and as young teachers confirm that they wish to make a career of TESOL, the realization is that professional development in the form of formal education will become a requirement. For many teachers, taking a hiatus from teaching to attend a brick-and-mortar institution for a certificate or degree is not an option. However, there are now a variety of online options available. This panel discussion features four EFL instructors who have acquired online professional development degrees from institutions at varied locations around the globe.
--- Meet the Panelists ---
Sally Arkley
Online Professional Development (PD) Experience: University of Sunderland, UK (MA TESOL)
Originally hailing from Toronto, Canada, Sally Arkley has been in Gwangju for the past 13 years. She began her EFL career in 2000 as a joint-venture teacher in China with Seneca College in Toronto. In Korea, she has worked in a hagwon, at Gwangju National University of Education, and is currently an assistant professor in the Department of English Language and Literature at Honam University. She recently completed an online MA TESOL with the University of Sunderland, UK.
Brandon Cameron
Online PD Experience: Anaheim University (MA TESOL)
After completing a bachelor’s in history and linguistics from the University of Victoria (2006), Brandon Cameron moved to Japan and taught English conversation classes to middle and elementary school students as part of the JET Programme (similar to the EPIK program here in Korea). He taught in Japan for two years before heading to Korea. He landed a job at a university language center in Iksan, Jeollabuk-do, and taught students of all ages and levels for one year. He moved to Gwangju to teach at Chosun University in 2009, and has been here ever since. He began his M.A. in TESOL in 2010 and completed it in November 2012. He and his family are currently in the process of relocating to his wife’s hometown in the United States, where he’ll continue his teaching career.
Maria Lisak
Online PD Experience: Indiana University–Bloomington (MSEd, Instructional Systems Technology)
Maria Lisak is a learner, teacher, trainer, designer, and facilitator. On faculty in the Public Administration and Social Welfare Department at Chosun University in Gwangju, she also has left a legacy of volunteering in her community: Gwangju International Center (GIC), Doori Community CoOp, Birds Korea, Jeolla Safety Alliance, Hollaback Korea (할라백 코리아)! She has focused on training, promotion, and fundraising. Maria is currently working on her EdD in Literacy, Culture, and Language Education through Indiana University. She is researching digital and media technology acquisition and use by low-income senior citizens.
--- Meet the Facilitator ---
Lindsay Herron
Online PD Experience: Lynda.com (design and typography courses); Indiana University–Bloomington (MSEd, Literacy, Culture, and Language Education; certificate in Learning Sciences, Media, & Technology [in progress]).
Lindsay Herron has been a visiting professor at Gwangju National University of Education since 2008. She has a master’s degree in language education from Indiana University–Bloomington, a master’s in cinema studies from New York University, bachelor’s degrees in English and psychology from Swarthmore College, a CELTA, and the CELTA YL Extension.
v v v Photo: Chosun University Main Building. Use the far left entrance for the meeting room.
