Hi
I can't believe it. We've come to the end of ten blissfully, exciting jam packed weeks! Now I have to do the impossible, decide which week was the best. I feel like one sitting with a bag of your favourite Lindt chocolates having to decide which your favourite is. I know, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE! So let me give you a peek and you’ll see why it is so difficult to select the best learning week;
Week 0: It was great to meet everybody from around the world. Suddenly the world was an oyster in my hand.
Week 1: To BLOG or not, you’re must be joking! How exciting it was to learn about blogs, personal and class blogs were most useful to me. I have already decided to make this part of next semester’s writing activities.
Week 2: Well the alphabet starts with A, so too learning. It is all about the audience. Here I was reminded to how to focus my energy and planning to best suit my student’s needs. At the same time I was saving time and energy because I did what I set out to do and enjoyed the reward of meeting my objectives.
Week 3: What a little sweet treat Delicious was! My favourites organized and available when ever but best still where ever I am. This tool came at the right time for me. I remember during week 3, I travelled 800km away from home with my Delicious page waiting for me. It saved me the hassle of transferring documents.
Week 4: I was introduced to this great resource for reading /writing skills. Authentic texts with-wait for it- its own completed exercises, and the cherry on the cake, with the answers!!! Now isn’t that grand?
Week 5: How wonderful it was to be introduced to Webquests! Make no mistake it takes some time to put everything together but oh that great sense of pride once you webquest is published.
Week 6: Rubrics came served on its own platter, Rubistar, your one stop rubric shop. It was so easy to create new rubrics. It was interesting to be reminded of the different learning styles of students but the best part was how to adapt your lessons to reach them.
Week 7: I had never liked power point! That was until week 7. Now I too believe this great tool has a valuable place in my teaching. We were also introduced to great tips on handling large classes. The same techniques were also suitable for smaller classes.
Week 8: We were reminded to make the learner the focus of our teaching. At the end of the day our task is to help develop learner’s sense of independent learning. The examples by Susan on the one-computer classroom were interesting and helpful.
Week 9: I think this was my best, best week. It was during this week I had to defend the incorporation of technology in our courses. The information during this week aided me in my presentation which led to the green light given to incorporate technology in my courses.
Week 10: I feel a bit bereft. Not that the LoTI assessment tool is not interesting, it’s quite the opposite. I have a tool which will help me progress in the use of technology in my classes.
Well all good things must come to an end so too this course. I wish to thank our facilitator, Deborah for the great job she had done. I learnt, was empowered and feel ready to conquer.
Now I’m off to the States for a short break.
Wishing you all a wonderful technology incorporated time ahead
Regards
Jules
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
TEACHER RESOURCES
Hi
We had endless problems with our sysytem resulting in me only uploading my post today.
This week was absolutely amazing in terms of all the Teacher Resources online we received. The best part was that it came at the perfect time. Just this week we, all coordinators/supervisors were called in to discuss our e-learning component of our courses. I shared my desire to incorporate blogs, podcast, power point presentations and using the www to help with searches. My colleagues were stunned that I knew so much. Yet I felt like I only scrapped the tip of the techno ice-berg.
I had created my first nicenet page and it was quite easy. I managed to create the first 3 pages. I look forward to next semester to see my students’ reaction to this far more user friendly site.
I felt quite spoilt by all the resources shared to help us create more fun exercises to print. I especially liked the Test Maker; it allows you to change the format of tests.
This week I learned not to give up.
If you wonder whether to use technology in your class or not, save yourself the time and start using it. You’ll be surprised at the world out there waiting to be explored.
Regards
Jules
We had endless problems with our sysytem resulting in me only uploading my post today.
This week was absolutely amazing in terms of all the Teacher Resources online we received. The best part was that it came at the perfect time. Just this week we, all coordinators/supervisors were called in to discuss our e-learning component of our courses. I shared my desire to incorporate blogs, podcast, power point presentations and using the www to help with searches. My colleagues were stunned that I knew so much. Yet I felt like I only scrapped the tip of the techno ice-berg.
I had created my first nicenet page and it was quite easy. I managed to create the first 3 pages. I look forward to next semester to see my students’ reaction to this far more user friendly site.
I felt quite spoilt by all the resources shared to help us create more fun exercises to print. I especially liked the Test Maker; it allows you to change the format of tests.
This week I learned not to give up.
If you wonder whether to use technology in your class or not, save yourself the time and start using it. You’ll be surprised at the world out there waiting to be explored.
Regards
Jules
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Week 8:Learner Autonomy, One-computer classroom
Hi
This was a very emotional week for me. My colleague lost her 3rd son in a car accident on Wednesday. It was so sad.
Amidst the sadness, I manage to submit my draft project. It was actually interesting to submit my work for on-line peer evaluation. This project made me reflect on some of my successes since incorporating technology and some of the other theory we had learnt in this course.
This week I was reminded of learner-centered learning. What does it really mean? The learner takes charge of its learning as quoted by Holec in Thanasoulas. The only concern I have with learner autonomy is that the learner must be mature to realize its learning is dependent on itself and not on the teacher. The reality is that so many learners expect the teacher to perform whilst the learner sits back and watch. I was so taken aback, stunned when a learner told me another lecturer had sent him to me as his English lecturer to improve his English. I don't know when I became God to quickly fix fossilized errors. The irony was that this very same student didn't bother once to apply any of the things I had shared concerning his poor spelling.
For teachers to embrace learner autonomy they to should experience autonomy. Smith suggested to use the loophole in the system to create teacher autonomy. Sheu suggested some ways to incorporate learner autonomy by encouraging students to read other types of material, like newspapers, magazines, watching and listening to English programs. Learners can also make their own vocabulary cards or keep diaries. students must be encouraged to learn outside the box.
Furthermore we also looked at the one-computer classroom. We don't realize how privilege we are to have computer labs for our classes. We learnt how to use a very basic technological tool, like a laptop, to enhance the effectiveness of a lesson. We received numerous valuable resources/websites that we can use. I liked the one by Susan Gaer, her handout to various activities for Low Level Activities for Adult ESL. It is complete, relevant, varied and useful.
We had a visiting moderator, Jeff. who showed us some other tools. I even create a wordle. It was great fun. I will definitely use it in class.
Well, it was great to learn something new. The challenges of becoming better teachers should keep us motivated to try our best.
Regards
Jules
This was a very emotional week for me. My colleague lost her 3rd son in a car accident on Wednesday. It was so sad.
Amidst the sadness, I manage to submit my draft project. It was actually interesting to submit my work for on-line peer evaluation. This project made me reflect on some of my successes since incorporating technology and some of the other theory we had learnt in this course.
This week I was reminded of learner-centered learning. What does it really mean? The learner takes charge of its learning as quoted by Holec in Thanasoulas. The only concern I have with learner autonomy is that the learner must be mature to realize its learning is dependent on itself and not on the teacher. The reality is that so many learners expect the teacher to perform whilst the learner sits back and watch. I was so taken aback, stunned when a learner told me another lecturer had sent him to me as his English lecturer to improve his English. I don't know when I became God to quickly fix fossilized errors. The irony was that this very same student didn't bother once to apply any of the things I had shared concerning his poor spelling.
For teachers to embrace learner autonomy they to should experience autonomy. Smith suggested to use the loophole in the system to create teacher autonomy. Sheu suggested some ways to incorporate learner autonomy by encouraging students to read other types of material, like newspapers, magazines, watching and listening to English programs. Learners can also make their own vocabulary cards or keep diaries. students must be encouraged to learn outside the box.
Furthermore we also looked at the one-computer classroom. We don't realize how privilege we are to have computer labs for our classes. We learnt how to use a very basic technological tool, like a laptop, to enhance the effectiveness of a lesson. We received numerous valuable resources/websites that we can use. I liked the one by Susan Gaer, her handout to various activities for Low Level Activities for Adult ESL. It is complete, relevant, varied and useful.
We had a visiting moderator, Jeff. who showed us some other tools. I even create a wordle. It was great fun. I will definitely use it in class.
Well, it was great to learn something new. The challenges of becoming better teachers should keep us motivated to try our best.
Regards
Jules
Sunday, May 23, 2010
MY powerpoint game
Hi
I managed to create my first ever powerpoint game. It was an interesting experience.
Now my work is part of our group's wiki, julesjeopardy.
Enjoy
Jules
I managed to create my first ever powerpoint game. It was an interesting experience.
Now my work is part of our group's wiki, julesjeopardy.
Enjoy
Jules
Large classes, and INTERACTIVE powerpoint
Hi
Wow what a week! We are facing the end of a semester and it was really hectic. In addition I had to travel to Cape Town. The learning this week was interesting.
I’d never liked PPT. The worst punishment was listening to a presenter reading from their slides, expecting me to stay awake or worst, show interest. Most of the time, I would leave a presentation and just ask for a copy of the presentation. I never thought PPT can be interactive or very effective to be part of my lecturers. Since I never liked boring presentations, I had no desire to use it.
However, I’ve learnt PPT can be a very useful tool as part of the class. I can use PPT to continue class outside class use as part of the tutorials. This is great in that it allows the discussion/work to continue outside class. In Incorporating Multimedia in Your Teaching, the author states that we need to include as many of the learning strategies to teach as many of the learning preferences. The author further stated that 65% students are visual, 35% auditory and 5% kinaesthetic learners. Since the majority of learners need visual stimulation, proper use of PPT can be effectively incorporated to enhance learning. PPT further highlights/ illustrates speech and does not replace handouts. Another advantage is that it allows you to include a variety of media; sounds, videos, music, etc., to enhance teaching and learning. PPT can further include interactive games using action buttons. This amkes PPT a very useful tool indeed.
Best Practices in Presenting with PPT, presents any user with very useful tips on creating quality PPT. The fonts are classed as Serif; with tails like Times News Roman and Georgia best used for large amounts of text and Sans Serif fonts; no tails like Arial used for small amounts of text. Secondly the size of the font must be big enough to be read from any angle by all in the class. A size 36 was presented as suitable for the body text. Also Arial and Times New Roman was presented as the better font options. I further learnt to keep to (7/7)25 rule: 7 words, 7 sentences not more than 25 words per slide. It is advised to keep the slides as simple as possible yet interesting .I liked the fact that the author emphasised the fact that PPT should accompany the lecture and not dominate the lecture/class. Before presenting your PPT lesson, make sure to practice, knowing your moves before presenting the lesson to a class.
I’ve learnt that PPT, if used interactively, can be an effective lesson aid. I am looking at PPT with new eyes.
Thanks
Jules
REFERENCES:
http://www.uoregon.edu/~tep/technology/powerpoint/powerpoint.html
Best Practices in Presenting with PowerPoint: Teaching Effectiveness Program, Academic Learning Services.
Wow what a week! We are facing the end of a semester and it was really hectic. In addition I had to travel to Cape Town. The learning this week was interesting.
I’d never liked PPT. The worst punishment was listening to a presenter reading from their slides, expecting me to stay awake or worst, show interest. Most of the time, I would leave a presentation and just ask for a copy of the presentation. I never thought PPT can be interactive or very effective to be part of my lecturers. Since I never liked boring presentations, I had no desire to use it.
However, I’ve learnt PPT can be a very useful tool as part of the class. I can use PPT to continue class outside class use as part of the tutorials. This is great in that it allows the discussion/work to continue outside class. In Incorporating Multimedia in Your Teaching, the author states that we need to include as many of the learning strategies to teach as many of the learning preferences. The author further stated that 65% students are visual, 35% auditory and 5% kinaesthetic learners. Since the majority of learners need visual stimulation, proper use of PPT can be effectively incorporated to enhance learning. PPT further highlights/ illustrates speech and does not replace handouts. Another advantage is that it allows you to include a variety of media; sounds, videos, music, etc., to enhance teaching and learning. PPT can further include interactive games using action buttons. This amkes PPT a very useful tool indeed.
Best Practices in Presenting with PPT, presents any user with very useful tips on creating quality PPT. The fonts are classed as Serif; with tails like Times News Roman and Georgia best used for large amounts of text and Sans Serif fonts; no tails like Arial used for small amounts of text. Secondly the size of the font must be big enough to be read from any angle by all in the class. A size 36 was presented as suitable for the body text. Also Arial and Times New Roman was presented as the better font options. I further learnt to keep to (7/7)25 rule: 7 words, 7 sentences not more than 25 words per slide. It is advised to keep the slides as simple as possible yet interesting .I liked the fact that the author emphasised the fact that PPT should accompany the lecture and not dominate the lecture/class. Before presenting your PPT lesson, make sure to practice, knowing your moves before presenting the lesson to a class.
I’ve learnt that PPT, if used interactively, can be an effective lesson aid. I am looking at PPT with new eyes.
Thanks
Jules
REFERENCES:
http://www.uoregon.edu/~tep/technology/powerpoint/powerpoint.html
Best Practices in Presenting with PowerPoint: Teaching Effectiveness Program, Academic Learning Services.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Rubrics, Alternative Assessment, and Learning Styles
Hi
I've been using rubrics for some time. It is an indispensable tool. I find that it helps me to stay objective of what the student had achieved. In addition, it ensures that all lecturers in LPB mark consistently and marks are awarded fairly, irrespective of the marker. In addition, I found some great examples of rubrics;
http://www.ncsu.edu/midlink/rub.pres.html - an easy to use rubric for presentations.
A great student friendly- Student Friendly Writing Rubric- that will help the student to edit its work before submission, www.middleweb.com
Nilufar also created a good presentation rubric, Begibaeva_rubric.doc.
If you are stuck with creating rubrics, visit, TeacherVision.com, they will even help you to create your own rubric.RubiStar is a very user friendly tool; http://www.rubistar.4teachers.org/
This week I was reminded of the importance of knowing how my students learn, Learning Styles. I must admit, I did not pay much attention to this. Now I have the opportunity to properly provide for my students learning styles when drafting our new course workbook.The article on technology and Multiple Intelligences, presented good explanations on the various [9] different intelligences and the bonus was what to use to help the different type of students learning style. If you wish to test your student's learning style let use this link, http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html. here you'll find a questionnaire with 40 questions. The student completes, submit and learns about its learning style. If you are still in the dark about Learning Styles, read Sailing the 5C's with Learning, http://www.nclrc.org/sailing/ It's a bit long, 5 chapters BUT believe me it was worth the read. The best part of it was the tables used to illustrate the various styles and how to teach them.Lots of useful strategies and examples.That was just Chapter 2!
According to Rick Finnan and Donna Show, a teacher must have knowledge how the student learn to transform the student into an active learner. The workshop handout, Teaching Large Classes II, Enhancing Learning by Engaging Students, Oregon University, was very helpful.The best part was the practical tips to help enhance learning in large classes and conduct alternative assessments. I was challenged to use different assessment methods other than the traditional test. I was reminded that students are part of assessment. I don't have to be solely responsible for my student's learning. If we, student and teacher, assess student's work, we share the load. The student would be motivated to work harder. However, I must confess, I enjoyed the article by Rick Finnan and Donna Shaw, very useful, http://oregonstate.edu/dept/eli/osu-hedp/large_classes_enaging_students.html
Here you'll find some very practical ways to rejuvenate your large classes. I particularly liked the small group informal learning activities, Think-Pair-Share, Concept Test, Quick-thinks, Minute paper and Concept Maps, simply because I can use them immediately in my class.
Well it was an interesting time.
Regards
Jules
I've been using rubrics for some time. It is an indispensable tool. I find that it helps me to stay objective of what the student had achieved. In addition, it ensures that all lecturers in LPB mark consistently and marks are awarded fairly, irrespective of the marker. In addition, I found some great examples of rubrics;
http://www.ncsu.edu/midlink/rub.pres.html - an easy to use rubric for presentations.
A great student friendly- Student Friendly Writing Rubric- that will help the student to edit its work before submission, www.middleweb.com
Nilufar also created a good presentation rubric, Begibaeva_rubric.doc.
If you are stuck with creating rubrics, visit, TeacherVision.com, they will even help you to create your own rubric.RubiStar is a very user friendly tool; http://www.rubistar.4teachers.org/
This week I was reminded of the importance of knowing how my students learn, Learning Styles. I must admit, I did not pay much attention to this. Now I have the opportunity to properly provide for my students learning styles when drafting our new course workbook.The article on technology and Multiple Intelligences, presented good explanations on the various [9] different intelligences and the bonus was what to use to help the different type of students learning style. If you wish to test your student's learning style let use this link, http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html. here you'll find a questionnaire with 40 questions. The student completes, submit and learns about its learning style. If you are still in the dark about Learning Styles, read Sailing the 5C's with Learning, http://www.nclrc.org/sailing/ It's a bit long, 5 chapters BUT believe me it was worth the read. The best part of it was the tables used to illustrate the various styles and how to teach them.Lots of useful strategies and examples.That was just Chapter 2!
According to Rick Finnan and Donna Show, a teacher must have knowledge how the student learn to transform the student into an active learner. The workshop handout, Teaching Large Classes II, Enhancing Learning by Engaging Students, Oregon University, was very helpful.The best part was the practical tips to help enhance learning in large classes and conduct alternative assessments. I was challenged to use different assessment methods other than the traditional test. I was reminded that students are part of assessment. I don't have to be solely responsible for my student's learning. If we, student and teacher, assess student's work, we share the load. The student would be motivated to work harder. However, I must confess, I enjoyed the article by Rick Finnan and Donna Shaw, very useful, http://oregonstate.edu/dept/eli/osu-hedp/large_classes_enaging_students.html
Here you'll find some very practical ways to rejuvenate your large classes. I particularly liked the small group informal learning activities, Think-Pair-Share, Concept Test, Quick-thinks, Minute paper and Concept Maps, simply because I can use them immediately in my class.
Well it was an interesting time.
Regards
Jules
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Project-based learning and Webquests
Many a time I am amazed at the prehistoric picture people have of Namibia, lions roaming free with people running from elephants, that are found around every corner. Hahahaha. Yet I felt quite the dinosaur when we started. Every week I am pleasantly surprised at how technology can liven up teaching. This week we learned about webquests. I asked my colleagues and students if they knew webquests? Only to learn it is a term not known and an activity not used.
This week I learned about valuable tools, project-based learning [PBL] and webquests. Susan Gaer, describe PBL as a dynamic way of teaching. Imagine, teaching becoming vigorous, energetic, and full of life! Indeed PBL and webquests open a new world of learning. The teacher is not the central component but the student. A real student centered practice. The student is given a real problem and allowed to explore ways to solve the problem or create a product. The student becomes a creator in its learning process simultaneously developing different skills, like language. Dr. Bernie Dodge of Santiago State University defines a webquest as an inquiry-orientated activity that uses resources on the World Wide Web (www.zunal.com). The picture that comes to mind is not the one of the teacher with a stick, but of a teacher standing with the world in its hand presenting it to the student with the instruction, “Here, use it, explore, learn and have fun creating.” With webquests, students become independent learners, learning at their own pace. In the process they unconsciously improve/ develop language skills while focusing on developing a project. Students can work on their own or in groups further developing interpersonal and social skills. The best part is the student is motivated to finish the project.
Since I want my teaching to be full of life, I will most definitely incorporate webquests and PBL as part of my curriculum next semester. I concur with Susan Gaer’s article title, Less Teaching and More Learning, cause surely the time has come for teachers to step back and allow student greater autonomy in their learning process.
I found it quite daunting to create a webquest but the instructions on www.zunal.com
were clear and made it easy to create a webquest. The best part of this site was the access to already created webquest with the option to adapt them for your class.
Would you believe, I actually created a webquest. I still have to add some more pictures but it is there. the experience was worth the time. It was not even difficult. If you plan to create a webquest, I would advice you first find all the pictures, music, videos and quizzes you want to use. I am very excited and can't wait to use this new tool. Believe me it was an absolute joy creating the webquest. Try it for yourself, www.zunal.com.
Let’s throw those spoons away and give our students the globe, step back and enjoy their learning.
Regards
Jules
http://www.ncsall.net/?id=771&pid=385
http://susangaer.com/studentprojects/
http://www.zunal.com/part1.php
This week I learned about valuable tools, project-based learning [PBL] and webquests. Susan Gaer, describe PBL as a dynamic way of teaching. Imagine, teaching becoming vigorous, energetic, and full of life! Indeed PBL and webquests open a new world of learning. The teacher is not the central component but the student. A real student centered practice. The student is given a real problem and allowed to explore ways to solve the problem or create a product. The student becomes a creator in its learning process simultaneously developing different skills, like language. Dr. Bernie Dodge of Santiago State University defines a webquest as an inquiry-orientated activity that uses resources on the World Wide Web (www.zunal.com). The picture that comes to mind is not the one of the teacher with a stick, but of a teacher standing with the world in its hand presenting it to the student with the instruction, “Here, use it, explore, learn and have fun creating.” With webquests, students become independent learners, learning at their own pace. In the process they unconsciously improve/ develop language skills while focusing on developing a project. Students can work on their own or in groups further developing interpersonal and social skills. The best part is the student is motivated to finish the project.
Since I want my teaching to be full of life, I will most definitely incorporate webquests and PBL as part of my curriculum next semester. I concur with Susan Gaer’s article title, Less Teaching and More Learning, cause surely the time has come for teachers to step back and allow student greater autonomy in their learning process.
I found it quite daunting to create a webquest but the instructions on www.zunal.com
were clear and made it easy to create a webquest. The best part of this site was the access to already created webquest with the option to adapt them for your class.
Would you believe, I actually created a webquest. I still have to add some more pictures but it is there. the experience was worth the time. It was not even difficult. If you plan to create a webquest, I would advice you first find all the pictures, music, videos and quizzes you want to use. I am very excited and can't wait to use this new tool. Believe me it was an absolute joy creating the webquest. Try it for yourself, www.zunal.com.
Let’s throw those spoons away and give our students the globe, step back and enjoy their learning.
Regards
Jules
http://www.ncsall.net/?id=771&pid=385
http://susangaer.com/studentprojects/
http://www.zunal.com/part1.php
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Useful URL
Hi
This week we also had to find useful websites. Reading the posts by the other participants proved to be like opening a big gift. Eve even added some useful links to her blog.
I found the resourceful list of multi-skill websites very valuable. Since what I don’t use now, is still available to enrich a next lesson.
1.What I found?
I found this great website for my LPB classes. It contains exercises on current topics.
http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/ -different free lesson topics, selected the first topic ‘Teacher on Trial for Attacking Student, (29 April 2010)’
http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1004/100429-teachers.html
2. What is expected from the students?
i. The student start of with a warmer activity; answering some questions on careers, and teaching.
ii. Then a before reading/listening activities
-T/F, synonym match, and a phrase match
iii. While reading/listening activity
-gap fill [like a pre-reading/listening activity]
iv. After reading/listening
-word search, article with questions, gap fill, vocabulary, test each other [how the given words were used in the text], survey, discussion [great different question cards for student A and B], 12 MCQ, short writing activity with the option to correct your partners work, followed with homework and best of all the answers!
3. Why it will work? Why useful?
Work is prepared with a variety of useful exercises. The teacher spends time selecting the specific topics. There are so many relevant topics. Students are required to interact with the text through the various activities. My students will not be bored because text are authentic and activities engaging.
4. ABCD for this lesson
After searching the URL as presented on the board, LPB students will interact with the text to complete the various activity, submitting the writing activity with 100% correct vocabulary.
Well enjoy
Juliet
This week we also had to find useful websites. Reading the posts by the other participants proved to be like opening a big gift. Eve even added some useful links to her blog.
I found the resourceful list of multi-skill websites very valuable. Since what I don’t use now, is still available to enrich a next lesson.
1.What I found?
I found this great website for my LPB classes. It contains exercises on current topics.
http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/ -different free lesson topics, selected the first topic ‘Teacher on Trial for Attacking Student, (29 April 2010)’
http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1004/100429-teachers.html
2. What is expected from the students?
i. The student start of with a warmer activity; answering some questions on careers, and teaching.
ii. Then a before reading/listening activities
-T/F, synonym match, and a phrase match
iii. While reading/listening activity
-gap fill [like a pre-reading/listening activity]
iv. After reading/listening
-word search, article with questions, gap fill, vocabulary, test each other [how the given words were used in the text], survey, discussion [great different question cards for student A and B], 12 MCQ, short writing activity with the option to correct your partners work, followed with homework and best of all the answers!
3. Why it will work? Why useful?
Work is prepared with a variety of useful exercises. The teacher spends time selecting the specific topics. There are so many relevant topics. Students are required to interact with the text through the various activities. My students will not be bored because text are authentic and activities engaging.
4. ABCD for this lesson
After searching the URL as presented on the board, LPB students will interact with the text to complete the various activity, submitting the writing activity with 100% correct vocabulary.
Well enjoy
Juliet
Reading and writing skills and technology
Hi
It is amazing to note how time flies. I arrived last Sunday from the north, conducted workshops for the teachers in the capital, then left for the south, about 500km this time, to return this afternoon. In addition to all this, I still taught my 20 hours of class.
The best of all was the very relevant topic we had this week. Valuable resources were shared by the lecturers and by the various course participants. Several good examples of lesson plans were also posted in the class discussion. Nadina presented an interesting interactive lesson plan on tree appreciation.
I enjoyed reading the article by Jarek Krajika,'using the Internet in ESL writing Instruction'.His article, “Using the Internet in ESL Writing Instruction”, presents a good summary of various work done on using web pages, e-mail connection and creating class websites, to enhance the teaching of writing. Some of the summaries Krajka highlighted were that of; Wilkinson (1996), prompted teachers to include e-mail in their classes by supplying them with useful, how-to steps. Tan et al. (1999) presented how lessons can include a combination of off-line and on-line instruction. Nagel (1999) dealt with more advanced issues like how to be most effective and get optimal use with e-mail as an instructional tool and he also presented some possible solutions for problem cases. Fox (1998) explains how the Internet can be used to boost students’ learning English and integrating the on-line component with the broad curriculum.
In addition the article list some advantages of on-line lessons such as; lessons provides recency to the classroom, linking current issues with English learning, variety of choice, presenting the unique opportunity to find a topic of personal interest, cooperative learning, in report back sessions class is exposed to a variety of current issues. The students’ cultural awareness is developed. They use authentic material and additionally motivated since they are using the computer to complete the task. The great thing about using topics which are discussed now, is that it can be linked to what is in the newspapers. This leads to an extension of lass activities.
Furthermore the article presents some options as to how to incorporate the on-line component into the curriculum. The students’ level of English should be not be lower than intermediate level and they should be computer literate.
The teacher is not kicked out of the on-line class but is part of the process. The teacher should be very well prepared for the lesson, knowing exactly what will happen at the click of the next button. Furthermore the teacher should have some technical know how in the absence of a lab technician. In addition, the teacher must have a plan B, in case of a breakdown. I've experienced very tight moments in the lab without the technician. I comprehend why teachers/lecturers must have technical know how to deal with minor problems. At times a cord is accidentally removed other times the students use the wrong log in codes.
According to Krajka the success of the on-line lesson further depends on the resources at hand. The teacher must have access to a computer lab, with Internet connection and students should either have their own computers or work in pairs on one computer.
Krajka stressed the fact that the success of an on-line component depends on the level, secondary school, 4-6 hours of mostly grammar instruction per week with one hour dedicated to on-line learning.
The article further presents great practical examples to teach, the formal and informal letter, a biography, various descriptions, an argument, notices and advertisements, a description or review, a newspaper report and the personal opinion essay.
He concludes that the Net is a tool that must be incorporated in face-2-face lessons.
I found the article very useful and easy to read.
Regards
Juliet
http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Krajka-WritingUsingNet.html
It is amazing to note how time flies. I arrived last Sunday from the north, conducted workshops for the teachers in the capital, then left for the south, about 500km this time, to return this afternoon. In addition to all this, I still taught my 20 hours of class.
The best of all was the very relevant topic we had this week. Valuable resources were shared by the lecturers and by the various course participants. Several good examples of lesson plans were also posted in the class discussion. Nadina presented an interesting interactive lesson plan on tree appreciation.
I enjoyed reading the article by Jarek Krajika,'using the Internet in ESL writing Instruction'.His article, “Using the Internet in ESL Writing Instruction”, presents a good summary of various work done on using web pages, e-mail connection and creating class websites, to enhance the teaching of writing. Some of the summaries Krajka highlighted were that of; Wilkinson (1996), prompted teachers to include e-mail in their classes by supplying them with useful, how-to steps. Tan et al. (1999) presented how lessons can include a combination of off-line and on-line instruction. Nagel (1999) dealt with more advanced issues like how to be most effective and get optimal use with e-mail as an instructional tool and he also presented some possible solutions for problem cases. Fox (1998) explains how the Internet can be used to boost students’ learning English and integrating the on-line component with the broad curriculum.
In addition the article list some advantages of on-line lessons such as; lessons provides recency to the classroom, linking current issues with English learning, variety of choice, presenting the unique opportunity to find a topic of personal interest, cooperative learning, in report back sessions class is exposed to a variety of current issues. The students’ cultural awareness is developed. They use authentic material and additionally motivated since they are using the computer to complete the task. The great thing about using topics which are discussed now, is that it can be linked to what is in the newspapers. This leads to an extension of lass activities.
Furthermore the article presents some options as to how to incorporate the on-line component into the curriculum. The students’ level of English should be not be lower than intermediate level and they should be computer literate.
The teacher is not kicked out of the on-line class but is part of the process. The teacher should be very well prepared for the lesson, knowing exactly what will happen at the click of the next button. Furthermore the teacher should have some technical know how in the absence of a lab technician. In addition, the teacher must have a plan B, in case of a breakdown. I've experienced very tight moments in the lab without the technician. I comprehend why teachers/lecturers must have technical know how to deal with minor problems. At times a cord is accidentally removed other times the students use the wrong log in codes.
According to Krajka the success of the on-line lesson further depends on the resources at hand. The teacher must have access to a computer lab, with Internet connection and students should either have their own computers or work in pairs on one computer.
Krajka stressed the fact that the success of an on-line component depends on the level, secondary school, 4-6 hours of mostly grammar instruction per week with one hour dedicated to on-line learning.
The article further presents great practical examples to teach, the formal and informal letter, a biography, various descriptions, an argument, notices and advertisements, a description or review, a newspaper report and the personal opinion essay.
He concludes that the Net is a tool that must be incorporated in face-2-face lessons.
I found the article very useful and easy to read.
Regards
Juliet
http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Krajka-WritingUsingNet.html
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Technology in the language class
Hi
This week we were asked to review possible useful aural/oral websites. I would like to share my review with you.
Randall’s Cyber Language Lab was very promising. There are various listening activities like, General Listening Questions, Basic Listening Questions, 20 minute ESL Vocabulary Lessons and Language learning and Life Skills.
Site: www.esl-lab.com/elc/elcrd1.htm,
Topic: English Language Centres
Level: medium
Here I found a pre-listening activity, 5 questions eliciting a focused response on available Language courses
This is followed by the listening text. The best thing about this is that it offers various audio choices, like Window media. In addition you can view the question whilst listening to the text and the text can be replayed. The sore is displayed immediately.
Topic: Movie Review
Level: Difficult
Again it had various activities, pre-listening, followed by the listening text, questions and score BUT, in addition it had a vocabulary section that presents some words used in the text supplying synonyms. Then there was quiz. You read e script while listening to it. This incorporates reading skills. Then there are also key vocabulary-words from the text and the part of speech indicated. For example, awesome(adj):fantastic; e.g. Te movie was awesome. I could stop here and it would still be worthwhile using this website BUT , there’s more absolutely great activities. There are further exercises, mix up sentences, MCQ, sentence + vocabulary material and closed exercise; complete the text as quiz. The best part is the teacher only selects the topic and it IS ALL THERE. Learners will be actively engaging in their learning process. As if that is not enough benefits, the exercises can be used for CASS
I’ve saved the various inks on my Delicious account, http://delicious.com/namjules
I also manage to look at http://www.real-english.com/reo/1/unit1.html
Although it is a great free resource, with short and log version of the listening, you need Java to play the texts.
These sites/ activities provide the teacher with valuable resources to enhance listening and reading skills.
In my opinion, this site is a valuable resource for all teachers. It provides the learner an interactive way to learn and improve their computer skills. It is not age specific but level of English competence. It occupies learners with different English abilities all at the same tie in the same class!
Now isn’t that great?
Kind regards
Juliet
This week we were asked to review possible useful aural/oral websites. I would like to share my review with you.
Randall’s Cyber Language Lab was very promising. There are various listening activities like, General Listening Questions, Basic Listening Questions, 20 minute ESL Vocabulary Lessons and Language learning and Life Skills.
Site: www.esl-lab.com/elc/elcrd1.htm,
Topic: English Language Centres
Level: medium
Here I found a pre-listening activity, 5 questions eliciting a focused response on available Language courses
This is followed by the listening text. The best thing about this is that it offers various audio choices, like Window media. In addition you can view the question whilst listening to the text and the text can be replayed. The sore is displayed immediately.
Topic: Movie Review
Level: Difficult
Again it had various activities, pre-listening, followed by the listening text, questions and score BUT, in addition it had a vocabulary section that presents some words used in the text supplying synonyms. Then there was quiz. You read e script while listening to it. This incorporates reading skills. Then there are also key vocabulary-words from the text and the part of speech indicated. For example, awesome(adj):fantastic; e.g. Te movie was awesome. I could stop here and it would still be worthwhile using this website BUT , there’s more absolutely great activities. There are further exercises, mix up sentences, MCQ, sentence + vocabulary material and closed exercise; complete the text as quiz. The best part is the teacher only selects the topic and it IS ALL THERE. Learners will be actively engaging in their learning process. As if that is not enough benefits, the exercises can be used for CASS
I’ve saved the various inks on my Delicious account, http://delicious.com/namjules
I also manage to look at http://www.real-english.com/reo/1/unit1.html
Although it is a great free resource, with short and log version of the listening, you need Java to play the texts.
These sites/ activities provide the teacher with valuable resources to enhance listening and reading skills.
In my opinion, this site is a valuable resource for all teachers. It provides the learner an interactive way to learn and improve their computer skills. It is not age specific but level of English competence. It occupies learners with different English abilities all at the same tie in the same class!
Now isn’t that great?
Kind regards
Juliet
एन्जोयिंग Delicious
Hi from Oshakati
This week was filled with loads of excitement. I called in our IT assistant to help me create my Delicious account. Unfortunately he was unable to help me, offering to install another surfer. You see I need detail step by step instruction when it comes to technology. If my screen does not show the exact same page as on the notes, I panic. I realized that different software and editions have some different display settings. But, what a great sense of achievement I felt, when I finally managed to create and add links to my delicious account.
Deborah’ article, Social Bookmaking-Saving and Sharing Links, Sept, 2007, [http://www.uoregon.edu/~dhealey/techtips/sept2009.html], is a great resource on creating a Delicious account.
The article states that the benefits of Delicious include;
1. Storing all your favorites/ bookmarks in one place,
2. which is accessible anytime from anywhere.
3. Further, it has a public and private view.
4. Tags are used to organize your favorites.
5. New categories can also be created
6. You don’t have to start afresh, use import your current favorites
These are not possible with the usual favorite or bookmarks.
The benefit for me, is that I can now access my favorites/ files, all organized and at and for my convenience.
Regards
Juliet
This week was filled with loads of excitement. I called in our IT assistant to help me create my Delicious account. Unfortunately he was unable to help me, offering to install another surfer. You see I need detail step by step instruction when it comes to technology. If my screen does not show the exact same page as on the notes, I panic. I realized that different software and editions have some different display settings. But, what a great sense of achievement I felt, when I finally managed to create and add links to my delicious account.
Deborah’ article, Social Bookmaking-Saving and Sharing Links, Sept, 2007, [http://www.uoregon.edu/~dhealey/techtips/sept2009.html], is a great resource on creating a Delicious account.
The article states that the benefits of Delicious include;
1. Storing all your favorites/ bookmarks in one place,
2. which is accessible anytime from anywhere.
3. Further, it has a public and private view.
4. Tags are used to organize your favorites.
5. New categories can also be created
6. You don’t have to start afresh, use import your current favorites
These are not possible with the usual favorite or bookmarks.
The benefit for me, is that I can now access my favorites/ files, all organized and at and for my convenience.
Regards
Juliet
Sunday, April 18, 2010
WEEK 2: ABCD Learning Objectives and search engines
Hi
Wow! What a week.
I've learnt that there is more planets out there besides Google. NoodleTools was a revelation! Deborah's, article , Better Web Searching was great. If any of you are stuck with web terms, try this article; htt://www.uoregon.edu/~dhealy/techtips/june2009.html
What I liked about noodletools.com was that it presents specific searches that makes finding specific information much easier and faster. I've learned about Clusty a search engine that presents information in a refined narrow way pertaining to the topic requested.
I tried Clusty, Surfwax and Twurdy. I looked for summary writing guides. I found a lot of useful sites like http://www.englishdaily626.com/summary.php.013. On Surfwax I found a great blog site, that I plan to use; http://nikpeachey.blogspot.com/2008/10/animayed-efl-esl-writing-prompts.html
This blog contains embed –a new pc word for me-codes to have animation talk. Imagine that!
Twurdy was a great revelation too. I liked how it graded the text according to ease of reading. One search showed a harder passage at 597 points, an easy passge at 381 and an easier one at 140. It was all clearly color-coded.
In addition I've learnt the ABCD Learning Objective Framework.
The A-presents the audience, my students. B—that which I expect my students to accomplish and C- the tools or materials I’ll give to my students and the D- refers to the expected mastery of the learning. A sample objective might be; Given the opportunity to listen to and participate in a lesson on summary writing[C] the student [A]will be able to summarize passages of 300-400 words[B] correctly including 80% of the main points in the passage[D].
The article, Planning for Instruction, Classifying Objective, presented a summary of the Revised Taxonomy. The list was great in helping to create measurable objectives. The article, Tech&Learning, even had Bloom's Digital Taxonomy, helping us correctly create objectives for the technological components of our work.
The best thing about this week was that I could present a picture of my class.
1. Overview
The Polytechnic of Namibia, main campus, is situated in the capital city, Windhoek. The other 12 regions have centers to accommodate distance students. The Institution celebrated 15 years of transformation, innovation and capacity building. The Poly is expanding rapidly. Depending on government approval, the Polytechnic will in future be known s the University of Science and Technology. This year more than 11000 students, of a national population of about 2 million, registered at the Polytechnic. The Communication Department is one of several service departments. The Department offers 6 different levels of English service courses and 3-degree programs. I serve as the coordinator of LPB, the 3rd of 6 levels. Our aim is to bridge the gap between secondary and tertiary education expectations. Language in Practice B has a NQA level 5, intermediate level. English is the official language in Namibia and the medium of instruction. At the beginning of the year all first year students must write a placement test to test their English proficiency and accordingly placed in 1 of the 6 levels. Currently LPB has about 520 students, 14 full-time and 7 part-time classes/ groups. There about 500 students on distance mode. Each class has about 30 students. I teach 3 groups. Fortunately, I share the teaching responsibilities with 6 other lecturers. We use a course workbook that is revised every 3 years. LPB focus on all 4 skills. A lot of emphasis is placed on enhancing reading and writing skills.
2. My students
My students come mostly from the various regions in Namibia, and some from Angola and even Botswana. These students have very diverse cultures and educational backgrounds. Many of them speak 3 to 4 languages. We have 4, 1-hour classes per week. There are fairly even male/ female ratios in my classes. All service courses last 1 semester. Their ages range from 18- 25 and older, especially in the part-time classes. The majority of my students are first year students, fresh from high school.
3. My classroom
The English Department has classrooms 1 to 6 in the Auditorium building. However due the high number of students we also have classrooms in the other buildings; Engineering, lecture block and Science and Technology building. The later is the more modern fancy classrooms. My class can easily accommodate up to 34 students. There are desks and chairs for all students. There’s a central air conditioner, big windows, tv-video, white screen and power supply plugs. There’s a overhead projector with the door security.
4. Levels of IT skills
All students must do a semester course on PIS, Principals of Information Science before they graduate. Since my students are fresh from school, their IT skills vary. There are those who had never used a pc to those who have their own pc at home. In addition the students following different programs are mixed. The IT students advance faster than some of the other students.
5. Technology
At Polytechnic each staff member has a pc and printer. The Internet speed depends on the number of users at a time. Students are given email accounts upon registration. In addition they mostly use wireless connection. There are a quite a lot of them who have a laptop or notebook. The English Department has 3 computer labs and 1 audio lab. We are blessed to have our own IT technician supported by the Computer Service Centre. In addition students have access to the computers in the library. The capital city is littered with Internet cafes. About 35%+of the students have a pc at home or in their dorms. I have a Mac at home, which I seldom use, opting to let my children use and learn on it.
It was indeed an eye opener week for me.
Now I just need to figure out why my blog does not show the new template I'd selected. The struggle continues!
Regards
Juliet
Wow! What a week.
I've learnt that there is more planets out there besides Google. NoodleTools was a revelation! Deborah's, article , Better Web Searching was great. If any of you are stuck with web terms, try this article; htt://www.uoregon.edu/~dhealy/techtips/june2009.html
What I liked about noodletools.com was that it presents specific searches that makes finding specific information much easier and faster. I've learned about Clusty a search engine that presents information in a refined narrow way pertaining to the topic requested.
I tried Clusty, Surfwax and Twurdy. I looked for summary writing guides. I found a lot of useful sites like http://www.englishdaily626.com/summary.php.013. On Surfwax I found a great blog site, that I plan to use; http://nikpeachey.blogspot.com/2008/10/animayed-efl-esl-writing-prompts.html
This blog contains embed –a new pc word for me-codes to have animation talk. Imagine that!
Twurdy was a great revelation too. I liked how it graded the text according to ease of reading. One search showed a harder passage at 597 points, an easy passge at 381 and an easier one at 140. It was all clearly color-coded.
In addition I've learnt the ABCD Learning Objective Framework.
The A-presents the audience, my students. B—that which I expect my students to accomplish and C- the tools or materials I’ll give to my students and the D- refers to the expected mastery of the learning. A sample objective might be; Given the opportunity to listen to and participate in a lesson on summary writing[C] the student [A]will be able to summarize passages of 300-400 words[B] correctly including 80% of the main points in the passage[D].
The article, Planning for Instruction, Classifying Objective, presented a summary of the Revised Taxonomy. The list was great in helping to create measurable objectives. The article, Tech&Learning, even had Bloom's Digital Taxonomy, helping us correctly create objectives for the technological components of our work.
The best thing about this week was that I could present a picture of my class.
1. Overview
The Polytechnic of Namibia, main campus, is situated in the capital city, Windhoek. The other 12 regions have centers to accommodate distance students. The Institution celebrated 15 years of transformation, innovation and capacity building. The Poly is expanding rapidly. Depending on government approval, the Polytechnic will in future be known s the University of Science and Technology. This year more than 11000 students, of a national population of about 2 million, registered at the Polytechnic. The Communication Department is one of several service departments. The Department offers 6 different levels of English service courses and 3-degree programs. I serve as the coordinator of LPB, the 3rd of 6 levels. Our aim is to bridge the gap between secondary and tertiary education expectations. Language in Practice B has a NQA level 5, intermediate level. English is the official language in Namibia and the medium of instruction. At the beginning of the year all first year students must write a placement test to test their English proficiency and accordingly placed in 1 of the 6 levels. Currently LPB has about 520 students, 14 full-time and 7 part-time classes/ groups. There about 500 students on distance mode. Each class has about 30 students. I teach 3 groups. Fortunately, I share the teaching responsibilities with 6 other lecturers. We use a course workbook that is revised every 3 years. LPB focus on all 4 skills. A lot of emphasis is placed on enhancing reading and writing skills.
2. My students
My students come mostly from the various regions in Namibia, and some from Angola and even Botswana. These students have very diverse cultures and educational backgrounds. Many of them speak 3 to 4 languages. We have 4, 1-hour classes per week. There are fairly even male/ female ratios in my classes. All service courses last 1 semester. Their ages range from 18- 25 and older, especially in the part-time classes. The majority of my students are first year students, fresh from high school.
3. My classroom
The English Department has classrooms 1 to 6 in the Auditorium building. However due the high number of students we also have classrooms in the other buildings; Engineering, lecture block and Science and Technology building. The later is the more modern fancy classrooms. My class can easily accommodate up to 34 students. There are desks and chairs for all students. There’s a central air conditioner, big windows, tv-video, white screen and power supply plugs. There’s a overhead projector with the door security.
4. Levels of IT skills
All students must do a semester course on PIS, Principals of Information Science before they graduate. Since my students are fresh from school, their IT skills vary. There are those who had never used a pc to those who have their own pc at home. In addition the students following different programs are mixed. The IT students advance faster than some of the other students.
5. Technology
At Polytechnic each staff member has a pc and printer. The Internet speed depends on the number of users at a time. Students are given email accounts upon registration. In addition they mostly use wireless connection. There are a quite a lot of them who have a laptop or notebook. The English Department has 3 computer labs and 1 audio lab. We are blessed to have our own IT technician supported by the Computer Service Centre. In addition students have access to the computers in the library. The capital city is littered with Internet cafes. About 35%+of the students have a pc at home or in their dorms. I have a Mac at home, which I seldom use, opting to let my children use and learn on it.
It was indeed an eye opener week for me.
Now I just need to figure out why my blog does not show the new template I'd selected. The struggle continues!
Regards
Juliet
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
WEEK 1: TO BLOG TO BLOG
Hi
It was an absolutely amazing week learning about blogs. I've heard about blogs but never thought of the many benefits it has for my teaching. Now I know blogs are seen as online diaries with loads of potential to enhance learning.
Firstly the ELT article showed that there are three different types of blogs. The tutor blog is operated by the teacher. Students are limited to the type of input they can make. then there is the class bog. This blog is more interactive in terms of sharing work space and the responsibility to maintain the space. The learner blog is far more labour intensive. I'm reminded of the saying that refers to the benefits of hard work with its numerous rewards. Likewise this blog too offers according to the ELT article far more rewards to learning process of the student. The great thing about these various blogs is that hey can be used collectively or individually.
Many advantages to blogging were mentioned in the ELT article written by Graham Stanley.
*Blogs is the perfect place to present students with extra reading exercises. This is a very important factor since it can help create a reading culture among students.
* Blogs can also be used to reflect on the relationships between students and teachers and between students and students. Students ca also document their progress.
*I've also learnt that the tutor blog is best to link students to relevant portals to enhance their learning. This will lead to higher level of learning since students are guided towards more stimulating material.
*In the discussion forum Eve responded to the possible abuse of blogs when used by sick students to catch up on missed work. However after some thought I believe the learner blog can be used to post additional work to the face to face sessions. This will ensure sick students have access to the day's work but that same work does not equate to the tasks performed in the class. I realize this would mean some extra work for the teacher but at least it is possible to use the learner blog to post general content.
*Furthermore I've learnt that blogs is the perfect solution to make the introverts part of class discussions. Blogs provide the more timid student a safe non threatening environment to air their voice. This in itself can lead to the increase of self confidence.
*I don't have to feel guilty about closing a topic especially one that my students really warmed up to. With a blog, I can continue the discussions. this is great for both pre and post class discussions.
*A major concern was always the haste my students have when doing writing tasks. At times I've even wondered at the worth of highlighting errors. Now with a blog my students will realize I am not the only person to see their work. Students usually make more effort when they know other people will review their work. That's why my students' presentations are so good. The good thing about a blog is that the students work is presented to the world. the student is now exposed to the view of others concerning its work. Hopefully this greater sense of community as stated by Stanley will result in more thoughtful writing .
Needless to say blogs also present some disadvantages like the lack of privacy and also the thoughtless comments by others. Since Stanley has warned of these pitfalls I can be more alert to it and create a more conscious environment for my students. Yet I still believe the benefits outweighs the disadvantages.
I further found the list of free blogging software presented by Campbell very helpful. We operate in different countries with various technological tools at our disposal. I must agree with Campbell, that blogging has the potential to assist any ESL class.
I know I am eager and willing to incorporate blogs in my teaching.
http://iteslj.org/Techniques/campbell-Weblogs.html
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/print/452
I must admit the best advice I got this week was when Joanna took the time to direct me how to change the appearance of my blog. Thanks a million Joanna.
Wishing you all a wonderful blogging experience.
Regards
Juliet
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