This week is hard for me. I need to be honest. Being exposed to so many tools, and links that opened my perspectives on the web made me feel overwhelmed.
Part of it is because I do not have the necessary tools to explore, listen to forums, record my voice, get in different options.
I do not feel confident signing up to so many pages at the same time because I feel a commitment to continue posting things, other wise the account will be closed and I do not want to lose this opportunity.
On the other side, I also feel this experience is extremely important. I feel what my students might feel when I ask them to sign up for a blog for the first time. I am feeling what they might feel by expecting them to post comments, complete tests and fullfill my expectations.
In our teacher training program at our institution we do have "Unknown Language" as a subject. This experience is for future teachers to be able to understand what students migh go through when learning a new language.
For me, this week was like being a trainee again. I felt I was seating on the chair, feeling little and overwhelmed with so much information.
Now, I have to digest it and continue learning, exploring, trying, sharing.
Not stay still.... continue learning
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Week 7 - Encouraging Learner Autonomy
Creating a learning environment in a classroom can be challenging. It is not an easy task. Of course it also depends on how flexible the group is but a big part of it depends on how the instructor trusts in the members of this community and knows where he or she is going by having a clear objective set up in his/her mind.
And we talk about "objectives" we are not only taking about academic learning but we are also talking about guiding our students to become responsible and commited with their own learning. Reading the article "What is Learner Autonomy and How Can It Be Fostered?" by Dimitrios Thanasoulas helped me refresh some basis for education and what our role is as teachers. In our classrooms we need to open spaces and provide opportunities in which students will be able to learn how to use tools and take more charge of their own progress.
Sharing new concepts, giving them tools and teaching them how to use them so they can have access to more knowledge, listening to them and their doubts, sharing our own doubts, trusting that together we can get to a better understanding and sharing we can obtain great results gaining a higher level of education.
When we also shared activities about "one computer per classroom" it also made me think about how we can create autonomus learners by providing this tool, which may not be available at all times, but we know that creating projects, or having them come up with new findings,research, exercises done by groups or individual activities can help them have access to more information and are able to share it using a modern instrument.
Holec's quote: "The ability to take charge of one’s learning" is so true. We have to create an environment in which parents and kids stop putting all the responsibility of learning new concepts only on the teachers' shoulders. By creating a community of respect, sharing information, providing new material, creating self evaluations, working on awareness of learning styles and strategies to aquire new knowledge, trusting and opening spaces in which kids realize they are becoming better beings can definitely help them become more conscious about their learning. This indeed will help them become better members of the community where they live in and will be able to apply this concepts and values worked in class into their own spaces with their peers, neighboors, professionals and trust that we are able to grow if we are responsible of our own learning.
And we talk about "objectives" we are not only taking about academic learning but we are also talking about guiding our students to become responsible and commited with their own learning. Reading the article "What is Learner Autonomy and How Can It Be Fostered?" by Dimitrios Thanasoulas helped me refresh some basis for education and what our role is as teachers. In our classrooms we need to open spaces and provide opportunities in which students will be able to learn how to use tools and take more charge of their own progress.
Sharing new concepts, giving them tools and teaching them how to use them so they can have access to more knowledge, listening to them and their doubts, sharing our own doubts, trusting that together we can get to a better understanding and sharing we can obtain great results gaining a higher level of education.
When we also shared activities about "one computer per classroom" it also made me think about how we can create autonomus learners by providing this tool, which may not be available at all times, but we know that creating projects, or having them come up with new findings,research, exercises done by groups or individual activities can help them have access to more information and are able to share it using a modern instrument.
Holec's quote: "The ability to take charge of one’s learning" is so true. We have to create an environment in which parents and kids stop putting all the responsibility of learning new concepts only on the teachers' shoulders. By creating a community of respect, sharing information, providing new material, creating self evaluations, working on awareness of learning styles and strategies to aquire new knowledge, trusting and opening spaces in which kids realize they are becoming better beings can definitely help them become more conscious about their learning. This indeed will help them become better members of the community where they live in and will be able to apply this concepts and values worked in class into their own spaces with their peers, neighboors, professionals and trust that we are able to grow if we are responsible of our own learning.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Butterflies in my stomach :)
And before week 6 is gone I need to share this too.
I spent such a hard time trying to figure out about how to do interactive power point Presentations. I though I knew about PP tools but I always respected from the distance this kind of quiz I was expected to do now.
Now I have the power to do that too!!
To be honest, I didn't know where to start. My program is in Spanish and tried to translate in my mind each single step and it really made me sweat.
But by the end I added my Interactive Power Point presentation I felt very good with myself and now I am thinking of how I can apply this new technique.
And PREZI!!! Oh how AMAZED I felt when I did more research about how to use this. I already added a presentation. It is not a good one, but it's my first try and I already feel like a designer!!
I am very glad I am learning all these new things!!!
Thank you!
Carol
I spent such a hard time trying to figure out about how to do interactive power point Presentations. I though I knew about PP tools but I always respected from the distance this kind of quiz I was expected to do now.
Now I have the power to do that too!!
To be honest, I didn't know where to start. My program is in Spanish and tried to translate in my mind each single step and it really made me sweat.
But by the end I added my Interactive Power Point presentation I felt very good with myself and now I am thinking of how I can apply this new technique.
And PREZI!!! Oh how AMAZED I felt when I did more research about how to use this. I already added a presentation. It is not a good one, but it's my first try and I already feel like a designer!!
I am very glad I am learning all these new things!!!
Thank you!
Carol
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Using techology - I need to share this!!!
As I am doing the readings of articles an online assessment programs this week I feel taller. Yes, taller.
I feel I am being exposed to a higher level of educational approaches that are leading me to take a higher step when sharing or facilitating learning experiences with my students and colleagues.
Yesterday was a very special day. I went to the computer lab with my group of adolescents because they wanted to join the blog I mentioned to parents through a note. Parents agreed with no problem and the kids showed enthusiasm in being members of a group. They opened gmail accounts and seemed very interested and proud being followers of the blog. They even posted some comments and we discussed about how often they should visit the blog.
I am amazed at the fact that young teenagers who seem to come to class dragged by their parents can become highly motivated when they are exposed to technology. Of course, it has to do with the age characteristic, but what I could see with my own eyes is that ther attitude can be very different when we try using their language or when we show interest in showing them more about what is out there in the cyber world.
In my training program I have some students who came to me asking if they could be members of the blog for teachers at the institute. I was very happy to give them a warm welcome.
I am just amazed at how sometimes teachers themselves do not show enthusiasm, but students do (young and older) being students or trainees.
Why is this, that is my question now. Why does this happen? Why do teachers sometimes reject or give excuses why not becoming a member of simple blogs where they can find more ideas, fun ideas, interesting materia. Is this because they are overwhelmed with so much content to cover and they do not know what they are missing, sticking up to traditional teaching techniques....?
This is my mission now, convince them and show them that we can make a big difference!
I feel I am being exposed to a higher level of educational approaches that are leading me to take a higher step when sharing or facilitating learning experiences with my students and colleagues.
Yesterday was a very special day. I went to the computer lab with my group of adolescents because they wanted to join the blog I mentioned to parents through a note. Parents agreed with no problem and the kids showed enthusiasm in being members of a group. They opened gmail accounts and seemed very interested and proud being followers of the blog. They even posted some comments and we discussed about how often they should visit the blog.
I am amazed at the fact that young teenagers who seem to come to class dragged by their parents can become highly motivated when they are exposed to technology. Of course, it has to do with the age characteristic, but what I could see with my own eyes is that ther attitude can be very different when we try using their language or when we show interest in showing them more about what is out there in the cyber world.
In my training program I have some students who came to me asking if they could be members of the blog for teachers at the institute. I was very happy to give them a warm welcome.
I am just amazed at how sometimes teachers themselves do not show enthusiasm, but students do (young and older) being students or trainees.
Why is this, that is my question now. Why does this happen? Why do teachers sometimes reject or give excuses why not becoming a member of simple blogs where they can find more ideas, fun ideas, interesting materia. Is this because they are overwhelmed with so much content to cover and they do not know what they are missing, sticking up to traditional teaching techniques....?
This is my mission now, convince them and show them that we can make a big difference!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Project Based Learning and Technology
At the beginning of the week I read the article of Susan Gaier on "Less Teaching and More Learning". I was very touched by her experience creating and adapting projects for her students needs. I automatically thought about low performance students that I would love to gather from different classes I know and would love to put them all together and share this kind of experience with them to help them build up more confidence in their language production.
When I started reading about Web Quests I honestly started trembling. For me it is very hard to understand how to apply it. I tend to be disperse and since I work with many teachers and know many students many classes come to my mind and want to brin remedial ideas for everybody. Well, I shared my fears and worries and doubts on nicenet and Robert's, Tony's and Perizat's comments and support on letting in flow and try to find an issue I could work with my students in a concrete way really helped me.
I decided to open a blog with my students. I shared with them my interest on continue keeping in touch with them during summer. They will actually not be my studenst next year so I wanted to open a space in which they could find me and continue practicing her English skills during summer, applying things I am learning with this great course. Perizat's support suggesting my kids to write me letters during summer and their impression on their vacations helped me focus my objectives a bit more. Again, I am so thankful for having your support. And Tony, you seem to be very calm, I need more of your philosophy of life :)
Anyways, my students were reluctant at the beginning in terms of having a blog and having to visit it every week and having to post something out. But then, after talking and sharing ideas they showed more enthusiasm and agreed. I am still waiting for parents approval, but I know they are aleady hooked with the idea of using technology to practice their language and show a "trade mark" being able to continue keeping in touch with me, their peers, use English and learn more things that will give them tools for their lives.
As for Rubrics, I also shared the fact that we are actually studying about assessment in different skills at the insititute I work with. We want to establish some rubrics we use as teachers and why not creating some rubrics that will help students self asess their process.
Rubrics definitely help kids know where they are going and what is expected of them. A single grade does not share that much, especially when we talk about language. We need degrees, we need explanations, we need words that tell us how much we are doing good and what we can do to improve.
I believe this week was very important for me. I honestly started trembling because I am facing new things, new material that I haven't used before, I am exposed to things I have been using too but now I have to apply them into technology. I need to have a good balance and smart application of tools. This is why I took this course, and I am feeling the pressure and how much I have to continue learning to know what it is outthere in the e-world. There is so much to learn and so much to share.
When I started reading about Web Quests I honestly started trembling. For me it is very hard to understand how to apply it. I tend to be disperse and since I work with many teachers and know many students many classes come to my mind and want to brin remedial ideas for everybody. Well, I shared my fears and worries and doubts on nicenet and Robert's, Tony's and Perizat's comments and support on letting in flow and try to find an issue I could work with my students in a concrete way really helped me.
I decided to open a blog with my students. I shared with them my interest on continue keeping in touch with them during summer. They will actually not be my studenst next year so I wanted to open a space in which they could find me and continue practicing her English skills during summer, applying things I am learning with this great course. Perizat's support suggesting my kids to write me letters during summer and their impression on their vacations helped me focus my objectives a bit more. Again, I am so thankful for having your support. And Tony, you seem to be very calm, I need more of your philosophy of life :)
Anyways, my students were reluctant at the beginning in terms of having a blog and having to visit it every week and having to post something out. But then, after talking and sharing ideas they showed more enthusiasm and agreed. I am still waiting for parents approval, but I know they are aleady hooked with the idea of using technology to practice their language and show a "trade mark" being able to continue keeping in touch with me, their peers, use English and learn more things that will give them tools for their lives.
As for Rubrics, I also shared the fact that we are actually studying about assessment in different skills at the insititute I work with. We want to establish some rubrics we use as teachers and why not creating some rubrics that will help students self asess their process.
Rubrics definitely help kids know where they are going and what is expected of them. A single grade does not share that much, especially when we talk about language. We need degrees, we need explanations, we need words that tell us how much we are doing good and what we can do to improve.
I believe this week was very important for me. I honestly started trembling because I am facing new things, new material that I haven't used before, I am exposed to things I have been using too but now I have to apply them into technology. I need to have a good balance and smart application of tools. This is why I took this course, and I am feeling the pressure and how much I have to continue learning to know what it is outthere in the e-world. There is so much to learn and so much to share.
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