C is for your countless ways of helping me,
O is for your observant comments,
L is for your lively attitude,
L is for your luminous presence,
E is for your effervescent Nicenet discussions,
A is for your accurate responses to tasks,
G is for your generous sharing,
U is for your unimaginable help,
E is for emotional messages posted as “good bye”,
S is for your style as teachers.
Thank you all !
Who's reading ?
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Week 10; Appreciation Poem for Deborah
D is for your determination to make us better,
E is for your engagement in your role as an instructor,
B is for your brightness that inspired us,
O is for your omnipresence throughout the course,
R is for your reliable presence all the time,
A is for your availability 24 out of 24 ,
H is for your helpful guidance.
Thank you, special teacher !
E is for your engagement in your role as an instructor,
B is for your brightness that inspired us,
O is for your omnipresence throughout the course,
R is for your reliable presence all the time,
A is for your availability 24 out of 24 ,
H is for your helpful guidance.
Thank you, special teacher !
Monday, August 23, 2010
Week 10; Acrostic for Webskills course
Hence our course is ready this week,
One of my feelings is that I have reached a peak.
Thus I promise to use every technology-enhanced technique.
Week 10 ; Beware of ...blogging
As you already know class blog enhanced with other Web 2.0 tools is my idea of my project plan .Anyway , things are not as easy as they may look .
Reynard (2008b) notes five common mistakes when using blogs in instruction and how to avoid those:
1. Ineffective contextualization: For students to benefit, instructors must have clear planning as to "exactly where the tool will be used in the flow of the course, how often the tool will or might be used, and how necessary the tool is to the learning process. In the case of blogging, the most effective use of this tool is in the area of self reflection or thought processing" (online p. 1).
2. Unclear learning outcomes: Learning outcomes are more than course objectives. "If the instructor is unclear as to what the learning outcomes of the course are and is focused only on course objectives, the potential of the blog tool may not be maximized." A blog can be a place to help students process their thoughts and ideas for analysis and synthesis, capture new ideas well for others to view and absorb, and a place where they can articulate how new ideas they've acquired can be directly applied in real life contexts of practice and use (online p. 2).
3. Misuse of the environment: What is the purpose intended for using the blog? Blogs are not the same as wikis. Reynard believes "The essential difference between a blog and other online tools is that it is intended to be an individual publication: a one-way monologue or self-post to which others may comment but do not contribute" (online p. 3). The blog entry remains as originally posted.
4. Illusive grading practices. Students need rubrics to know how they will be graded. As blogs contain a series of statements, an assessment rubric might address specific statement types such as reflective statements, commentary statements, new idea statements and application statements (online p. 3).
5. Inadequate time allocation: Students need adequate time to process information and then post to a blog. Reynard recommends the blog remain open throughout a course (online p. 4).
Advance preparation is needed, including preparing students for how to write to a blog so that what they say is LARK, the acronym for Legal, Appropriate, Responsible, and Kind. Julie Sturgeon (2008) also provides some pitfalls to avoid when using blogs in the classroom:
1. Educators should not just jump in to blogging. Before students blog alone, Anne Davis (Sturgeon, 2008) says that teachers should "spend time letting students see samples, understand guidelines, and anticipate blogging and what it can mean to their learning" (p. 26). Consider using Anne Davis's Webquest, Blogging: It's Elementary!, to introduce your elementary students to blogging.
2. Don't confuse blogging with social networking. An educational blog is about collaboration and expressing ideas related to academic content.
3. Don't leap to freebies. Some free blog spaces post advertisements out of the educator's control. The blog might not be a private space. Students might be able to access the entire blogging world and vice-versa.
4. Don't force a sequential style. Blog posts appear in reverse chronological order and valuable content might be overlooked as time passes. With advance preparation, teachers can add structure to a blog by designating topics for discussion.
5. Don't leave the blogging to the students. Teachers need to join in the discussion. (pp. 26-30).
Reynard (2008b) notes five common mistakes when using blogs in instruction and how to avoid those:
1. Ineffective contextualization: For students to benefit, instructors must have clear planning as to "exactly where the tool will be used in the flow of the course, how often the tool will or might be used, and how necessary the tool is to the learning process. In the case of blogging, the most effective use of this tool is in the area of self reflection or thought processing" (online p. 1).
2. Unclear learning outcomes: Learning outcomes are more than course objectives. "If the instructor is unclear as to what the learning outcomes of the course are and is focused only on course objectives, the potential of the blog tool may not be maximized." A blog can be a place to help students process their thoughts and ideas for analysis and synthesis, capture new ideas well for others to view and absorb, and a place where they can articulate how new ideas they've acquired can be directly applied in real life contexts of practice and use (online p. 2).
3. Misuse of the environment: What is the purpose intended for using the blog? Blogs are not the same as wikis. Reynard believes "The essential difference between a blog and other online tools is that it is intended to be an individual publication: a one-way monologue or self-post to which others may comment but do not contribute" (online p. 3). The blog entry remains as originally posted.
4. Illusive grading practices. Students need rubrics to know how they will be graded. As blogs contain a series of statements, an assessment rubric might address specific statement types such as reflective statements, commentary statements, new idea statements and application statements (online p. 3).
5. Inadequate time allocation: Students need adequate time to process information and then post to a blog. Reynard recommends the blog remain open throughout a course (online p. 4).
Advance preparation is needed, including preparing students for how to write to a blog so that what they say is LARK, the acronym for Legal, Appropriate, Responsible, and Kind. Julie Sturgeon (2008) also provides some pitfalls to avoid when using blogs in the classroom:
1. Educators should not just jump in to blogging. Before students blog alone, Anne Davis (Sturgeon, 2008) says that teachers should "spend time letting students see samples, understand guidelines, and anticipate blogging and what it can mean to their learning" (p. 26). Consider using Anne Davis's Webquest, Blogging: It's Elementary!, to introduce your elementary students to blogging.
2. Don't confuse blogging with social networking. An educational blog is about collaboration and expressing ideas related to academic content.
3. Don't leap to freebies. Some free blog spaces post advertisements out of the educator's control. The blog might not be a private space. Students might be able to access the entire blogging world and vice-versa.
4. Don't force a sequential style. Blog posts appear in reverse chronological order and valuable content might be overlooked as time passes. With advance preparation, teachers can add structure to a blog by designating topics for discussion.
5. Don't leave the blogging to the students. Teachers need to join in the discussion. (pp. 26-30).
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Week 9; Learner autonomy , MI, and assessment
Speaking about learner autonomy, engagement in language learning and Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences, I think we should also take into account the way we assess our students.
The so –called “ alternative assessment “ refers “to any form of measuring what our students are able to do other than traditional standardized tests . Alternative forms of assessment include portfolios that are collections of students' work over time, performance-based assessments, and other means of testing students such as open-ended essays with no single correct answer, and project work that involves collaboration with peers.” .(http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/eric/faq/gt-altas.html)
“Learner portfolios,”– collections of individual work– are common examples of alternative assessment. Portfolios can include such items as reports on books read, notes from learner/teacher interviews, and learners’ reflections on their progress, writing samples, data from performance-based assessments, and scores on commercially available tests (Fingeret, 1993; Wrigley, 1992).
In our case of technology-enhanced classes, I think we could consider portfolios our students’ reflective blogs, a useful tool which gives the teacher an insight into the learners' written ability as well as any problems that they are encountering linguistically or socially.
I know, you will say that they are hard to assess, but what do you think about assessing learners’ ability to use language holistically, in this case reflecting on their process of learning? Moreover, it is less stressful for students and attempt to cater to all learning styles and intelligences because we could give them the possibility of enriching their reflections with a variety of media. Another drawback of assessing our learners’ blogs could be the time needed to read everything. Maybe a weekly checklist for their blogs would be useful. Or the other peers’ evaluation for a couple of week’s .Or a rubric for evaluating their blogs developed with their help. Building the rubric together, teacher and students could make students feel a sense of ownership .More than that, their participation could make the evaluation freely complied, not something threatening and imposed for learners. Trying to include in this rubric technology standards and creativity, I think it would help the students express themselves in a more personalized way, according to their type of prevailing intelligence.
As a goal for assessment process should be the development of the whole child through creative and productive activities.
I understand through productive activities not only speaking and writing, but also any other type of students’ results of their own learning. Even a drawing. We can use drawing dictations (I have used). The students’ task is to draw and colour the description / scene read by teacher .Or they can produce drawings to represent something they have read. This is less stressful for students as they connect it more with learning than testing.
Besides portfolios and drawings, as alternative assessment tools we could evaluate our students’ oral ability through the use of audio and/or video recordings. In the same time role –plays could be another way of assessing them.
During the last three years I have used my personal catalogue .This is a table where I have written students’ grades from written tests and where I kept the record, and graded at some point, of the participation in class .Maybe it sounds too subjective to grade participation, but, in my opinion, the children’s effort and attempts to improve should be rewarded. It has been an alternative way to stimulate and motivate them.
Participation and effort should also be taken into account because I feel that they are important elements of any overall assessment of a child. A child's attempts to improve (even if unsuccessful) should be rewarded in some form.
Alternative forms of assessment, on the other hand, monitor progress and development over time whilst minimizing the level of anxiety felt by the child. In doing so, they also try to accommodate different learning styles and intelligences.
“A more practical idea is to observe the child doing everyday activities in a classroom setting. Gardner points out that this would be time-consuming but time well spent and a worthwhile investment in the student's academic future. Lazear (as cited in Chipongian, 2000) goes as far as to suggest using games such as 'Twister' in order to assess an individual's bodily kinaesthetic intelligence. This is truly at the opposite end of the spectrum from paper and pencil tests and this idea would be welcomed with open arms by children worldwide. Gardner's and Lazear's ideas may be seen as eccentric by many educationalists. Nevertheless, the point that they are making about the need for testing to be multifaceted is one that cannot be ignored. Paper and pencil tests must be complimented by alternative forms of assessment which evaluate multiple intelligences to a greater extent.”(http://www.teyl.org/article7.html )
The so –called “ alternative assessment “ refers “to any form of measuring what our students are able to do other than traditional standardized tests . Alternative forms of assessment include portfolios that are collections of students' work over time, performance-based assessments, and other means of testing students such as open-ended essays with no single correct answer, and project work that involves collaboration with peers.” .(http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/eric/faq/gt-altas.html)
“Learner portfolios,”– collections of individual work– are common examples of alternative assessment. Portfolios can include such items as reports on books read, notes from learner/teacher interviews, and learners’ reflections on their progress, writing samples, data from performance-based assessments, and scores on commercially available tests (Fingeret, 1993; Wrigley, 1992).
In our case of technology-enhanced classes, I think we could consider portfolios our students’ reflective blogs, a useful tool which gives the teacher an insight into the learners' written ability as well as any problems that they are encountering linguistically or socially.
I know, you will say that they are hard to assess, but what do you think about assessing learners’ ability to use language holistically, in this case reflecting on their process of learning? Moreover, it is less stressful for students and attempt to cater to all learning styles and intelligences because we could give them the possibility of enriching their reflections with a variety of media. Another drawback of assessing our learners’ blogs could be the time needed to read everything. Maybe a weekly checklist for their blogs would be useful. Or the other peers’ evaluation for a couple of week’s .Or a rubric for evaluating their blogs developed with their help. Building the rubric together, teacher and students could make students feel a sense of ownership .More than that, their participation could make the evaluation freely complied, not something threatening and imposed for learners. Trying to include in this rubric technology standards and creativity, I think it would help the students express themselves in a more personalized way, according to their type of prevailing intelligence.
As a goal for assessment process should be the development of the whole child through creative and productive activities.
I understand through productive activities not only speaking and writing, but also any other type of students’ results of their own learning. Even a drawing. We can use drawing dictations (I have used). The students’ task is to draw and colour the description / scene read by teacher .Or they can produce drawings to represent something they have read. This is less stressful for students as they connect it more with learning than testing.
Besides portfolios and drawings, as alternative assessment tools we could evaluate our students’ oral ability through the use of audio and/or video recordings. In the same time role –plays could be another way of assessing them.
During the last three years I have used my personal catalogue .This is a table where I have written students’ grades from written tests and where I kept the record, and graded at some point, of the participation in class .Maybe it sounds too subjective to grade participation, but, in my opinion, the children’s effort and attempts to improve should be rewarded. It has been an alternative way to stimulate and motivate them.
Participation and effort should also be taken into account because I feel that they are important elements of any overall assessment of a child. A child's attempts to improve (even if unsuccessful) should be rewarded in some form.
Alternative forms of assessment, on the other hand, monitor progress and development over time whilst minimizing the level of anxiety felt by the child. In doing so, they also try to accommodate different learning styles and intelligences.
“A more practical idea is to observe the child doing everyday activities in a classroom setting. Gardner points out that this would be time-consuming but time well spent and a worthwhile investment in the student's academic future. Lazear (as cited in Chipongian, 2000) goes as far as to suggest using games such as 'Twister' in order to assess an individual's bodily kinaesthetic intelligence. This is truly at the opposite end of the spectrum from paper and pencil tests and this idea would be welcomed with open arms by children worldwide. Gardner's and Lazear's ideas may be seen as eccentric by many educationalists. Nevertheless, the point that they are making about the need for testing to be multifaceted is one that cannot be ignored. Paper and pencil tests must be complimented by alternative forms of assessment which evaluate multiple intelligences to a greater extent.”(http://www.teyl.org/article7.html )
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Week 9; Fishbone (Ishikawa) Diagram
A fishbone template can be an essay planning tool.The fishbone approach involves selecting four main factors, then providing three key pieces of detail about each. Students could be asked to produce and print off a fishbone diagram for the key question under consideration, which they could then use for reference purposes.
It can be used for revision , for literature essays or simply for organizing ideas. I believe it is sort of similar to a mind map.
Learning styles addressed :
-Verbal-linguistic
-Visual-spatial
-Intrapersonal/Interpersonal
-Logical -mathematical
Resource : http://classtools.net/
Week 9; Dustbin game
Sample Lesson Plan using the Dustbin Game
Individual students take a topic of study and brainstorm a list of key words.In pairs or small groups, students come up with four category headings under which these key words could be organised.
The teacher should lead a classroom discussion after a few minutes so that a variety of ideas can be expressed. This will help struggling students to come up with ideas of their own and encourage the most able to reflect on whether their categories are the most sensible.
Students use the ClassTools.net Dustbin Template to organise the key topic words under each of the four headings.
Students can then play the game they have created!
Learning styles addressed if the game is created by students :
-verbal-linguistic
-visual-spatial
-bodily-kinesthetic
-interpersonal
Resource : http://classtools.net/
Monday, August 16, 2010
Week 9; Class tools; Random name/Word picker
http://classtools.net/education-games-php/timer/
This activity was created with Random name/Word picker template at http://classtools.net/
Students grouped in 2.The first member of the first team sits in the "hotseat" with his/her back to the screen .The teacher uses the "Random Word Picker" to choose and display a word at random on the screen.The rest of the team have 30 seconds to get their teammate to guess what word is on the screen behind him/her by giving a definition.
A correct guess gets points for the team based on how many seconds are left on the clock (e.g. 25 points if they get it after 5 seconds).
This activity is suitable for pre-intermediate students .I have used adjectives to describe personality . Students ' definitions should be simple, something like :
friendly - someone who is nice to other people
funny - used to describe someone who is amusing
generous - someone who shares their time or things with others
grumpy - bad-tempered
hard-working - someone who works very hard
honest - someone who is truthful and who doesn't cheat or steal
kind - someone who behaves in a caring way towards other people
and so on .
Resource : http://www.esolcourses.com/content/exercises/grammar/adjectives/personality/words-for-describing-personality.html.
Learning styles addressed:
-visual-linguistic
-visual-spatial
-bodily-kinesthetic
-interpersonal
Week 9 ; Class tools -Arcade Game Generator
This exercise is created on the template : Arcade Game Generator from http://classtools.net/.
The purpose of it is to match the quotations with the characters from the 1964 film ' My Fair Lady' .
Classtools.net provides free, customisable flash templates to embed into blogs, wikis and websites. There is no signup, no passwords, no charge.
Learning styles addressed :
-visual-linguistic
-visual-spatial
-logical-mathematical
-bodily-kinesthetic
-intrapersonal
-interpersonal ( used as speed competition in groups )
Even students can create this types of exercises . Being involved in the assessment process they will become more autonomous , in my opinion . Especially if their ' creation ' is embedded on the blog and used effectivelly with other learners of English .
Week 9 ; Xtranormal
The activity is aimed at the 7th graders ( pre-intermediate ) .
Task :
A group of 13-years olds conducted a class survey to find their classmates musical preferences.
1.Listen and say which six kinds of music are mentioned.
2.Draw and complete a chart with the six types of music and their corresponding percentages.
3.Number the types of music in order of popularity .
Learning styles addressed :
visual -linguistic
visual-spatial
musical
intrapersonal
interpersonal ( if activity is done in "think-pair-share" technique)
logical-mathematical
The activity was created on http://www.xtranormal.com/.
The process is pretty simple and doesn't take a lot of time .We can use these films to introduce new information , to revise the taught one or as practice . I think pupils will be delighted to use this tool .
Week 9- Peer review answer about my project plan and Fotobabble
Fotobabble takes photo sharing to a new level by making it possible for you to add the emotion of voice to any photo you share with friends and family. Adding a voice - your voice, your child’s voice, grandma's voice - gives photos life and creates a more memorable experience for everyone. Just imagine:
* Send talking greetings to Grandma from the kids
* Narrate and describe your favorite photos to friends
* Add voice and energy to a card you’re sending your sweetheart, whether it’s Valentines Day, their birthday or for no reason at all
* Send talking postcards from your recent travel destination
* Add voice to an event invitation, bringing to life the party theme or the BYOB details
Source :http://www.fotobabble.com/s/about#aboutyou
I believe this is another tool good to use with our children . See above how we can use it in our teaching .Moreover , we could use it as a short dictation or a method for our children to describe their house , friend or hobby and embedded it in their blogs . Maybe it could also be an alternative method to evaluate our students'pronunciation.
I assume this tool will please the visual-linguistic and the visual-spatial learner, as well as the intrapersonal one who could narrate his own story undisturbed, at his/her own pace.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Friday, August 13, 2010
Week 8 ;Task: Create an online course site or an exercise to use online or offline
This week I applied my project plan into something real: a class blog at http://7thfclassblog.blogspot.com/.
The fact that I had to think ahead about how the really apply what I had learned so far was a thoughtful approach according to the Chinese proverb “Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand.”
Why have I chosen the blog as a tool?
Firstly, blogs are publicly accessible and can help students to develop a sense of audience awareness (Ward, 2004; Palfreyman, 2005b). They have also been reported to help to promote a collaborative class environment (Barrios, 2003; Huffaker, 2004). Another reported benefit is that comments posted by readers can spark an online debate (Godwin-Jones, 2006). In addition, writers receive feedback, sympathy and encouragement (Lowe & Williams, 2004), which may increase motivation (Palfreyman, 2005b). Finally, blogs allow students to post pictures and links which support their ideas and help them to express themselves more clearly.
Learner autonomy and blogging ?
I believe that if students created their own blogs as ESL learners and added them to the class blog , another step towards autonomy would be taken .Why ? Because being in the position of directing and controlling their own blogs creates autonomy .Maybe this sort of reflective ( at their level of 12-13 years old ) blog that we are keeping for this course would be good even at their level because , having to decide what to post , when to post , choosing the appropriate way of expressing themselves , they actually turn a critical eye on the entire work, mine as a teacher, and in the same time theirs , as learners . Their HOT would be challenged and they will discover, little by little, which is the best way of becoming better learners.
Moreover, their posts give them the sense of responsibility because so many people can see and judge their thoughts and ideas .Reflecting on their activity over a week , for example , they could use the new knowledge in their personal way . At some point I hope they will feel free to add their own multi-media materials they believe are good for improving a certain approach or their own research results on a certain theme .
My issue stated in the project plan was that I have not addressed to all learning styles .As you could see in the class blog I considered necessary to introduce the learners to Gardner’s multiple intelligences theory .I thought my students would have nothing to lose if they are aware of their learning styles. This way they will be more attentive at the way they aquire the language and their awareness on the subject would lead them to autonomy in learning.
The fact that I had to think ahead about how the really apply what I had learned so far was a thoughtful approach according to the Chinese proverb “Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand.”
Why have I chosen the blog as a tool?
Firstly, blogs are publicly accessible and can help students to develop a sense of audience awareness (Ward, 2004; Palfreyman, 2005b). They have also been reported to help to promote a collaborative class environment (Barrios, 2003; Huffaker, 2004). Another reported benefit is that comments posted by readers can spark an online debate (Godwin-Jones, 2006). In addition, writers receive feedback, sympathy and encouragement (Lowe & Williams, 2004), which may increase motivation (Palfreyman, 2005b). Finally, blogs allow students to post pictures and links which support their ideas and help them to express themselves more clearly.
Learner autonomy and blogging ?
I believe that if students created their own blogs as ESL learners and added them to the class blog , another step towards autonomy would be taken .Why ? Because being in the position of directing and controlling their own blogs creates autonomy .Maybe this sort of reflective ( at their level of 12-13 years old ) blog that we are keeping for this course would be good even at their level because , having to decide what to post , when to post , choosing the appropriate way of expressing themselves , they actually turn a critical eye on the entire work, mine as a teacher, and in the same time theirs , as learners . Their HOT would be challenged and they will discover, little by little, which is the best way of becoming better learners.
Moreover, their posts give them the sense of responsibility because so many people can see and judge their thoughts and ideas .Reflecting on their activity over a week , for example , they could use the new knowledge in their personal way . At some point I hope they will feel free to add their own multi-media materials they believe are good for improving a certain approach or their own research results on a certain theme .
My issue stated in the project plan was that I have not addressed to all learning styles .As you could see in the class blog I considered necessary to introduce the learners to Gardner’s multiple intelligences theory .I thought my students would have nothing to lose if they are aware of their learning styles. This way they will be more attentive at the way they aquire the language and their awareness on the subject would lead them to autonomy in learning.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
' We cannot hold a torch to light another's path without brightening our own.' - Ben Sweetland
Blogs strike the perfect balance of providing information anytime and anywhere, social networking and interaction, and the ability to openly share thoughts and achievements.To address all learning styles in my final project I believe blog enhanced with multi-media is the solution . The main one.Besides engaging students in their learning I can also use it to extend collaboration with classmates from all over the world.
At http://www.ifets.info/journals/12_4/9.pdf I have found the article “Emerging Web Technologies in Higher Education: A Case of Incorporating Blogs, Podcasts and Social Bookmarks in a Web Programming Course based on Students’ Learning Styles and Technology Preferences”.
At http://wikieducator.org/How_to_use_Blogger there is a great source about adding multi-media to your blog .
At http://edublogs.org/ I have discovered thta I can create an educational blog where I can integrate video, postcasts and other media.The enviroment is focused on teachers and students . There is educational support and features. Very important , it is a safe and secure environment for children , not exposed to other blogs, with professional support from other teachers .
At http://marynabadenhorst.globalteacher.org.au/blogging-what-how/ it is an amazing site called " Teaching and learning in the digital age ". Completely wonderful regarding the resources you can find there about technology !
At http://www.ifets.info/journals/12_4/9.pdf I have found the article “Emerging Web Technologies in Higher Education: A Case of Incorporating Blogs, Podcasts and Social Bookmarks in a Web Programming Course based on Students’ Learning Styles and Technology Preferences”.
At http://wikieducator.org/How_to_use_Blogger there is a great source about adding multi-media to your blog .
At http://edublogs.org/ I have discovered thta I can create an educational blog where I can integrate video, postcasts and other media.The enviroment is focused on teachers and students . There is educational support and features. Very important , it is a safe and secure environment for children , not exposed to other blogs, with professional support from other teachers .
At http://marynabadenhorst.globalteacher.org.au/blogging-what-how/ it is an amazing site called " Teaching and learning in the digital age ". Completely wonderful regarding the resources you can find there about technology !
Week 7
Task: One-computer classroom lesson
I have uploaded my technology-enhanced plan in a one-laptop environment on our wiki at http://sites.google.com/site/webskillssu2010/participant-files. Why technology will make the lesson more effective? Because this way I can address to almost all learning styles and this way I keep all my students engaged. Integrated multimedia content from a variety of sources helps students make connections and contextualize information. Active learning is promoted, high-level thinking is challenged and collaborative problem-solving makes kids want to work.
Discussion: One-computer options
Both students and teachers can use the computer for assessment, presentation, accessing information, communication, production and publishing.
I have used the laptop for my students to take assessments as a large group. Teachers can also check understanding as they work through a unit. I have used the computer to provide context, to provide information, to illustrate concepts, to stimulate discussion, to ask questions or to review the taught material.
I have used the Internet to search information for my own professional development and I came to an interesting article “That’s not a drinking fountain “ at http://www.ncrtec.org/tl/digi/onecomp/.
I like the idea of having small groups students print the resources they find because “Most people prefer reading a printed page rather than reading lengthy text from the monitor” (Great! I have not thought about that! ) . This way there is time and space for other small groups to search the Internet for their resources.
Another good idea for time-saving is using Delicious to directly access Web sites that you would like all the students to see.” Encourage students to make their own bookmarks and to share with others good Web sites that they find”.
Discussion: Learner Autonomy
Speaking about learner’s autonomy, in addition to classroom activities, I have provided personal and instructional supports meant to facilitate the developing sense of student autonomy. At some point I have told my children I needed 15 people out of a class of 30 to be part of a e-twinning project. I explained to them what I would expect from them and sent them via e-mail the first task and the deadline to all 30. Of course, not all of them responded to the task. Only 20. The next off-class task was also sent via e-mail together with a deadline. And only 15 remained. For the third and the last assigned task all of them responded in time. Between the second and the third task some of my students came with their own ideas of projects .I let them develop as many as they wanted , and they were rewarded accordingly .I think allowing students some decision-making role in terms of being involved or not in extra-curricular activities , in this case , and offering them choices about the use of different media to present ideas are ways of tackling autonomy in our children and cognitive autonomy support (e.g., affording opportunities for students to evaluate work from a self-referent standard.
Learning is an active process and our role as teachers is to help students become active participants in their learning. More than that, we have to pay attention to their confidence and give frequent, positive feedback to support students' beliefs that they can do well. We have to help them feel as valuable members of their community. We have to be involve in the process of teaching topics of interest for our children in order to find value in them. Last, but not least, we have to create an open, fun atmosphere for learning.
I have uploaded my technology-enhanced plan in a one-laptop environment on our wiki at http://sites.google.com/site/webskillssu2010/participant-files. Why technology will make the lesson more effective? Because this way I can address to almost all learning styles and this way I keep all my students engaged. Integrated multimedia content from a variety of sources helps students make connections and contextualize information. Active learning is promoted, high-level thinking is challenged and collaborative problem-solving makes kids want to work.
Discussion: One-computer options
Both students and teachers can use the computer for assessment, presentation, accessing information, communication, production and publishing.
I have used the laptop for my students to take assessments as a large group. Teachers can also check understanding as they work through a unit. I have used the computer to provide context, to provide information, to illustrate concepts, to stimulate discussion, to ask questions or to review the taught material.
I have used the Internet to search information for my own professional development and I came to an interesting article “That’s not a drinking fountain “ at http://www.ncrtec.org/tl/digi/onecomp/.
I like the idea of having small groups students print the resources they find because “Most people prefer reading a printed page rather than reading lengthy text from the monitor” (Great! I have not thought about that! ) . This way there is time and space for other small groups to search the Internet for their resources.
Another good idea for time-saving is using Delicious to directly access Web sites that you would like all the students to see.” Encourage students to make their own bookmarks and to share with others good Web sites that they find”.
Discussion: Learner Autonomy
Speaking about learner’s autonomy, in addition to classroom activities, I have provided personal and instructional supports meant to facilitate the developing sense of student autonomy. At some point I have told my children I needed 15 people out of a class of 30 to be part of a e-twinning project. I explained to them what I would expect from them and sent them via e-mail the first task and the deadline to all 30. Of course, not all of them responded to the task. Only 20. The next off-class task was also sent via e-mail together with a deadline. And only 15 remained. For the third and the last assigned task all of them responded in time. Between the second and the third task some of my students came with their own ideas of projects .I let them develop as many as they wanted , and they were rewarded accordingly .I think allowing students some decision-making role in terms of being involved or not in extra-curricular activities , in this case , and offering them choices about the use of different media to present ideas are ways of tackling autonomy in our children and cognitive autonomy support (e.g., affording opportunities for students to evaluate work from a self-referent standard.
Learning is an active process and our role as teachers is to help students become active participants in their learning. More than that, we have to pay attention to their confidence and give frequent, positive feedback to support students' beliefs that they can do well. We have to help them feel as valuable members of their community. We have to be involve in the process of teaching topics of interest for our children in order to find value in them. Last, but not least, we have to create an open, fun atmosphere for learning.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Final Project -My students' needs
Aiming at improving my teaching with technology I thought more about my students and I created a SWOT analysis on them. After having read everything with a fresh and keen eye I think all my students’ needs could have as a common root the fact that I haven’t thought to address all the learning styles .All their weaknesses could exist because the external threat coming from me –that I have not taken into consideration their different ways of learning . Their internal strengths and the external opportunities make the perfect blend of a great base for planting technology in diverse ways .Now , the next step , take action !
I have uploaded Camelia's SWOT analysis at https://sites.google.com/site/webskillssu2010/participant-files.
Hoping I am on the right track !
I have uploaded Camelia's SWOT analysis at https://sites.google.com/site/webskillssu2010/participant-files.
Hoping I am on the right track !
Week 6 - Final Project - putting things together
I am trying to make everything clear for me and my colleagues about my plans for the final project .
I. Background
•Who are the learners?
There are 30 students (18 girls and 12 boys). They have their English classes split in 2 groups of 15 pupils. Both groups consist of 9 girls and 6 boys each. The two groups have English classes in the same time but in different classrooms: one group in the English lab and the other in their own classroom. They have 2 English classes of 50 minutes a week and each week the groups change classrooms and the English teachers. My counterpart is an American Peace Corps volunteer.
All our students are Romanian and they are 12 or 13 years old. Most of them (90%) come from decent, caring and well-off families.
They have varying levels of English, with an overall high level of comprehension. They are engaged, hard working and creative. All the students are familiar with computers and the Internet and have computers with an Internet connection at home.
They can be competitive at times and it is important that the project is going to require everyone to have equal participation and individual goals. This is important, because the quieter or lower leveled students will not be left behind by more competitive and higher leveled students who seem to be more than willing to take charge or take over.
The students need to be engaged and challenged. They seem to flourish when planned lessons allow them to use their imagination inside of structured activities. Therefore they are given freedom to be creative but in a manner that hits directly to the objective of the lesson.
•What is the setting?
The English classroom setting (for a group of 15 pupils) is a cosy room with 15 tables and chairs arranged for group / pair work. There is a laptop with an Internet connection, a projector, speakers, a printer, a screen, a whiteboard and 2 CD-players (one is used in the other English class). There are also two cabinets with English literature, tapes, CD-s, DVD-s , English literature, dictionaries , posters , flashcards and other additional materials . We have posters about culture and civilization in England and the USA as well as the maps of these countries.
All over the walls and on the cabinets I have posted pictures and reports of my students' English activities, contests, and parties.
II. Issue or problem to be addressed that technology can help with
At this point I realized that I have diagnosed a lot of issues .Listing all of them will help me select the most appropriate way to handle all or will make me choose one or to in order to take care of them once at a time .
1. Thinking about me and my recent discovery about a difference between my lesson plans and Deborah's template for lesson plans involving technology, another issue could be that I, as teacher, do not address to all types of learning styles.
2. Speaking about student-oriented problems, I can also see that my students' vocabulary is not developed enough to produce fruitful communication (in writing or speaking). That is why my American volunteer meets them in a 1 hour and a half session a week outside classes for a so-called creative writing course.
3.Anyway, I feel that a common problem of each of us is that our students do not spend enough time for self-study. Most learning involves reading and the better they read, the easier it is to learn. The more they read, the more they know. Nowadays majority pf students do not read. Not more than the daily lesson, if they even do that. We have somehow make them understand that reading is a skill that enhances vocabulary, comprehension, assimilation of ideas and synthesis of arguments to arrive at conclusions.
4. For sure, I should try to motivate them intrinsically. Malone and Lepper (1987) have defined intrinsic motivation more simply in terms of "what people will do without external inducement." Intrinsically motivating activities are those in which people will engage for no reward other than the interest and enjoyment that accompanies them. According to their research I think I have to think more about ways of promoting intrinsic motivation.
5.I should pay more attention to choose subjects they are interested in- this way trying to challenge them. Because anybody wants to have control over what happens to them I could let them choose these topics in a special session at the beginning of semester .Of course, we have to follow a syllabus, but there are a few hours at the teacher's disposal. And I think if I knew from the beginning the area of topics, I could integrate them into syllabus topics.
6. Cooperation as a factor of intrinsic motivation could be enhanced in my class using group and pair work more.
7.Making the result of students' work visible, I believe they will feel prouder and will be more careful about their work.
III. Possible solution(s) to try
•What will you do?
Issues 1 and 6 -In my post regarding class issues I have mentioned that I do not address to all types of learning styles and students do not cooperate enough. The PBL discovered this week with its WebQuest seem a great solution.
Benefits of problem-based learning include, besides skills development, working in groups to realize a common, final product. This way my students will have a common goal. Their interpersonal skills will be challenged this way and they will have to refine them .They will gain greater respect for themselves and their fellow students working collaboratively. This way they will become good listeners and recognize that there can be many valid points of view. They will communicate their ideas so that all can learn from them. In conclusion they will develop transferable skills that are valuable to their life after formal education.
Searching, solving, creating and sharing involved in PBL will address to all types of learning styles. Using images, pictures, colours, and maps PBL will address to visual learner. The aural learning style will be challenged by sounds .The verbal one will be a good guide for the other at reading and writing. The non-static atmosphere during the project process will help the kinaesthetic one. Classifying and grouping information will help the logical style learner .Learning in group will be appealing for the social learning style and the way of letting children think independently will address to the solitary type .
As Azhar said in her last post , blogs can also be a helpful tool . I have already posted on my blog some ideas about how to use them under: "Week 1-pondering on using blogs in my English classes " , at http://cami-camisthoughts.blogspot.com/2010/06/pondering-on-using-blogs-in-my-english.html.
Because I also think international collaboration is a good way to involve technology and to foster our students' motivation, I would like to collaborate with you and your students starting from this school year. Having a common base in web skills so far, both of us could create a technology-enhanced and collaborative path to follow with our students. We can compare the compulsory topics in our curriculum for certain levels and decide what would work for both. Or we can expand the topics out of mandatory.
I would be glad to twin with any of my colleagues who think this way we can keep our students on the track of becoming good English users.
I. Background
•Who are the learners?
There are 30 students (18 girls and 12 boys). They have their English classes split in 2 groups of 15 pupils. Both groups consist of 9 girls and 6 boys each. The two groups have English classes in the same time but in different classrooms: one group in the English lab and the other in their own classroom. They have 2 English classes of 50 minutes a week and each week the groups change classrooms and the English teachers. My counterpart is an American Peace Corps volunteer.
All our students are Romanian and they are 12 or 13 years old. Most of them (90%) come from decent, caring and well-off families.
They have varying levels of English, with an overall high level of comprehension. They are engaged, hard working and creative. All the students are familiar with computers and the Internet and have computers with an Internet connection at home.
They can be competitive at times and it is important that the project is going to require everyone to have equal participation and individual goals. This is important, because the quieter or lower leveled students will not be left behind by more competitive and higher leveled students who seem to be more than willing to take charge or take over.
The students need to be engaged and challenged. They seem to flourish when planned lessons allow them to use their imagination inside of structured activities. Therefore they are given freedom to be creative but in a manner that hits directly to the objective of the lesson.
•What is the setting?
The English classroom setting (for a group of 15 pupils) is a cosy room with 15 tables and chairs arranged for group / pair work. There is a laptop with an Internet connection, a projector, speakers, a printer, a screen, a whiteboard and 2 CD-players (one is used in the other English class). There are also two cabinets with English literature, tapes, CD-s, DVD-s , English literature, dictionaries , posters , flashcards and other additional materials . We have posters about culture and civilization in England and the USA as well as the maps of these countries.
All over the walls and on the cabinets I have posted pictures and reports of my students' English activities, contests, and parties.
II. Issue or problem to be addressed that technology can help with
At this point I realized that I have diagnosed a lot of issues .Listing all of them will help me select the most appropriate way to handle all or will make me choose one or to in order to take care of them once at a time .
1. Thinking about me and my recent discovery about a difference between my lesson plans and Deborah's template for lesson plans involving technology, another issue could be that I, as teacher, do not address to all types of learning styles.
2. Speaking about student-oriented problems, I can also see that my students' vocabulary is not developed enough to produce fruitful communication (in writing or speaking). That is why my American volunteer meets them in a 1 hour and a half session a week outside classes for a so-called creative writing course.
3.Anyway, I feel that a common problem of each of us is that our students do not spend enough time for self-study. Most learning involves reading and the better they read, the easier it is to learn. The more they read, the more they know. Nowadays majority pf students do not read. Not more than the daily lesson, if they even do that. We have somehow make them understand that reading is a skill that enhances vocabulary, comprehension, assimilation of ideas and synthesis of arguments to arrive at conclusions.
4. For sure, I should try to motivate them intrinsically. Malone and Lepper (1987) have defined intrinsic motivation more simply in terms of "what people will do without external inducement." Intrinsically motivating activities are those in which people will engage for no reward other than the interest and enjoyment that accompanies them. According to their research I think I have to think more about ways of promoting intrinsic motivation.
5.I should pay more attention to choose subjects they are interested in- this way trying to challenge them. Because anybody wants to have control over what happens to them I could let them choose these topics in a special session at the beginning of semester .Of course, we have to follow a syllabus, but there are a few hours at the teacher's disposal. And I think if I knew from the beginning the area of topics, I could integrate them into syllabus topics.
6. Cooperation as a factor of intrinsic motivation could be enhanced in my class using group and pair work more.
7.Making the result of students' work visible, I believe they will feel prouder and will be more careful about their work.
III. Possible solution(s) to try
•What will you do?
Issues 1 and 6 -In my post regarding class issues I have mentioned that I do not address to all types of learning styles and students do not cooperate enough. The PBL discovered this week with its WebQuest seem a great solution.
Benefits of problem-based learning include, besides skills development, working in groups to realize a common, final product. This way my students will have a common goal. Their interpersonal skills will be challenged this way and they will have to refine them .They will gain greater respect for themselves and their fellow students working collaboratively. This way they will become good listeners and recognize that there can be many valid points of view. They will communicate their ideas so that all can learn from them. In conclusion they will develop transferable skills that are valuable to their life after formal education.
Searching, solving, creating and sharing involved in PBL will address to all types of learning styles. Using images, pictures, colours, and maps PBL will address to visual learner. The aural learning style will be challenged by sounds .The verbal one will be a good guide for the other at reading and writing. The non-static atmosphere during the project process will help the kinaesthetic one. Classifying and grouping information will help the logical style learner .Learning in group will be appealing for the social learning style and the way of letting children think independently will address to the solitary type .
As Azhar said in her last post , blogs can also be a helpful tool . I have already posted on my blog some ideas about how to use them under: "Week 1-pondering on using blogs in my English classes " , at http://cami-camisthoughts.blogspot.com/2010/06/pondering-on-using-blogs-in-my-english.html.
Because I also think international collaboration is a good way to involve technology and to foster our students' motivation, I would like to collaborate with you and your students starting from this school year. Having a common base in web skills so far, both of us could create a technology-enhanced and collaborative path to follow with our students. We can compare the compulsory topics in our curriculum for certain levels and decide what would work for both. Or we can expand the topics out of mandatory.
I would be glad to twin with any of my colleagues who think this way we can keep our students on the track of becoming good English users.
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