Thursday, 11 February 2016

Collaboration Webtool: Tricider

INTRODUCTION

This post aims to serve the needs of educators of middle school or higher levels of students. It includes 8 parts:

1.What is Tricider
2.Outstanding features
3.How to use it
4.How it may support teaching in English classroom in China
5.Limitations
6.My ideas on using Tricider to teach English
7.Sources of information
8.My Tricider


What is Tricider

Tricider is a free online application which can be used for online collaboration and brainstorming ideas. It can collect ideas as well as thoughts in various settings.

In education, it allows students to brainstorm ideas online and express opinions on others' points of views in a relaxing environment. Besides, it renders students to ask questions to the public to gain different ideas from inside and outside the classroom.


OUTSTANDING FEATURES

  • Unlike the normal online voting application, it allows people to speak up their mind (give out opinions) when they are voting. This is particularly useful in terms of classroom discussion, as it not only renders students to share ideas but also ensures the participation of students in discussion.
  • People can customize the voting by setting a limit to the number of votes and ideas. According to their need, they can also set time limit to their questions so that they wouldn't get more responses after a certain time.
  • Participants are not limited to use text when expressing their opinions. Multimedia, such as video can be uploaded as ideas. 


HOW TO USE IT

Tricider is very easy to use. There are only three basic steps required to set up your Tricider question! Now follow me!

1. sign up on Tricider website. (http://www.tricider.com/home)

2. Simply put in the question in the blank on the home page of Tricider and click "go" ! For me, my question is "How to learn English without being in the target language community?" 


3.Add the first idea by clicking on "add ideas" so that people can be inspired or comment on your ideas!



Below is a more detailed video tutorial! Please feel free to explore it by yourselves!




How it may support teaching in English classroom in China

Problems of Chinese students: Having gone through the Chinese education, I know that Chinese students are less inclined to speak up their mind in English class for the fear of losing face. When a teacher tries to collect ideas from students, he should be expecting silence or very few response.

Tricider in China supports English teaching: The use of Tricider may be able to increase the rate of students' participation. They can input their thoughts by answering (anonymously) the Tricider questions set up by the teachers without raising their hands and "embarrassing themselves". By giving out opinions in English, students are more likely to think in English. Thinking in English, which is the opposite of Chinese thinking, has been advocated by a great number of IELTS teachers who think the major reason Chinese students failed their IELTS speaking part is that they think they have nothing to say.

I have spoken to a facilitator who works in UC Berkeley and he told me that he found Chinese students the most innovative ones in class when they are made to think and speak up in class. I was both surprised and proud when he said that. At the same time, I feel that if all the Chinese students are given the opportunities to speak up their mind,  how STRONG China would be. Therefore, I really look forward to the use in a Chinese classroom. I believe it can change the education in China!


Limitations of Tricider

1. Students who type faster will outperform those who type slower but may have brilliant ideas.

2.It doesn't have the "dislike" option. It has the "like" option for people to show approval, but it hasn't the "dislike' option for people to show disapproval.

3.It doesn't include the "grey area". When commenting on an idea, you can only categorize your ideas as pros or cons.


My ideas on using Tricider to teach English

These idea of activities are mainly designed for Form 1 to 3 middle school students in Hong Kong who aged 11-14. Educators can make adjustments to this plan to fit in their contexts.

Brainstorming ideas and thought: Pre-writing and post-reading brainstorm. Before the writing, students can collect ideas by brainstorming with others. After reading, students can enhance understanding by sharing ideas.

Vocabulary game 1: Under the guidance of instructors, students can play "Word Solitaire" with it: The teacher gives out the first word and the student types in the next word as opinions.

Vocabulary game 2: Teachers ask students to come up with words relevant to a theme: "give out words related to the word 'coziness'."

Wiki page (grammar): Teachers can ask students to make an interesting sentence using a grammar point, for example, past tense. Students have to respond to the questions with a sentence like "I missed a bus yesterday because I met a lovely girl at the bus stop".


Sources of information

The video tutorial is retrieved on Feb 11, 2016 from  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvLuwL9Quzw

The website of Tricider is http://www.tricider.com/

My Tricider

Below I attached a question that I always want to ask. How can I be fluent in a second language without being in that country? I feel like it is very hard as I am not emerged in that language environment. What do you think? Can you give me some ideas?

1 comment:

  1. Hello Cindy,

    Thanks for explaining how Tricider works. Voting can be used in that way for exchanging opinions but how can we use the ideas that students brainstormed?

    ReplyDelete