Week 8: Lots Of Resources!

Wow! I am really thankful for the different wonderful resources suggested during this week.  Even if I haven’t been able to explore all of them yet, the ones I have checked out gave me ideas and inspirations about how to improve my teaching and I am sure all of them are all great in bringing changes in teaching and learning.

The course with Jeff was also helpful and let me discover a new effective and practical tool to be used in class: "ANVILL". It's a tool where we can do many things: uploading different materials for students to access them easily, assigning tasks, recording comments and instructions, interacting through chat, accessing students' responses ... It's worth trying and using.

The task about creating something using one of the technology tools listed in the resources offered me the opportunity to give a tool a try. I chose Padlet because it’s simple, and I find it practical in accessing the students’ work in just one click! I will add it in my project. I have created a Padlet wall for my students in High Intermediate to upload their final product in the project: the accuracy checklist which will allow them to track their progress. This is the link to my Padlet http://padlet.com/ravakarabeh/677bqyv4c8xr.

HotPotatoes is also great as we can use it even offline. It can work well in my classes as internet access is limited in my classes and I'm also thinking of creating review activities with it.

Finally, the project  peer review we did this week has helped me better improve my project report for the final version. I reviewed Anar's and William's project plans and they were great. I could understand them easily. I was the only one who didn't do a plan because I  have a class, so it was also an opportunity for me to see the difference between the plan and the real project. I could learn from my peers' work and feedback, and I can say that it was an example of independent and cooperative learning.

Well, to cut a long story short, I enjoyed this week experience and discovery. I liked everything I’ve done and I’ve learnt!

Week 7: Project going on!

Last week, my students were introduced to Blog and created theirs. They were really excited about it. Through a discussion activity, I also prepared them for the questionnaires the answers of which they were going to record. This week then, I took them to the computer lab again and introduced them Vocaroo, the tool they would use to record their answers to the questionnaires, and had them try it. They liked it very much! I had them listen to more recordings about American weddings and had them answer comprehension questions on them. We also dealt with readings on the topic and had vocabulary building activities. I gave an overall explanation of the project: what they would do; and presented them the rubric as a guide in the accomplishment of all the tasks waiting for them in the project. After a clear understanding of the rubric, I gave them the questionnaires. I allotted them some time to think and brainstorm ideas for the answers. The questions were not really new but questions they already met in the class discussion last week. After some time of reflection, I asked them to record their answers on Vocaroo. They had to speak freely during the recordings.

Each student was paired up with another student and asked to post the link of the recording on his/her peer’s blog.

I noticed the students were a bit shy when recording themselves on Vocaroo. I think because it’s the first time they were asked to do that, and also they knew their recordings would be listened to by one of their classmates. They were not used to that kind of activity. I hadn’t really expected this kind of hesitation and reaction despite their open-mindedness towards each other.

Week 7: Learner Autonomy, Mobile Phones in Class, and Padlet.

It’s really amazing that we’re now in week 7! Only 3 weeks left and this rich and exciting experience will be over. Everything I have been learning so far has really contributed to my skills development in language education and especially in the use of technology in class. This week, autonomous learning and the use of mobile devices and/or one computer in class have been emphasized in the readings. Autonomous learning is important to enhance students’ critical thinking. Students should not be spoon-fed, nor should they be left alone in learning. There should be a good balance between the students’ role and the teacher’s role in the language education. Becoming an Autonomous learner entails taking responsibilities in the learning and being able to develop one’s skills oneself without expecting the teacher to give everything but just considering him/her as a guide and a facilitator in the learning. One feature of general education in Madagascar is that students are often seen as spoon-fed and reluctant to work on their own. It’s only when they are at university that they realize the importance of independence in learning as they have to do their own research and work autonomously; so they tend to have some difficulties in pursuing their studies. That’s why in our school, we always try to encourage students to take responsibilities, be curious, be ready to overcome challenges and be a good time manager through activities such as portfolios, video viewing and the use of social networks to interact in English, in order to remedy the situation. Other different ideas were stated in the article “Emerging Technologies-Autonomous Language Learning” by Robert Godwin-Jones (URL: http://llt.msu.edu/issues/october2011/emerging.pdf) and some of them can be used in my class. The article “Twenty Ideas for Using Mobile Phones in the Language Classroom” by Hayo (URL: http://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/48_3_4_reinders.pdf) Reinders also provided different ideas on how to use mobile phones in class but still encourage learner autonomy. The readings were really helpful and useful.

Padlet: Just a great tool!

Four weeks ago, we were introduced to Delicious, a very good tool to save and store links. It has been very useful but this week, the online course has gone on spoiling all the participants in presenting us another tool: Padlet. It is as very interesting as Delicious because not only can it allow us to share links, but also we can upload the videos or the file or copy the links we want to share and everyone can access them right away on the Padlet site. It’s very easy to use and it is like a virtual bulletin board! so coooool!! :) I like using it very much.

Week 6: Project implementation

Now, it’s time to put everything together in practice! I started implementing my project last Thursday. I was really excited to live it and see the impact it would have on the students. As I mentioned in the nicenet discussion last week, I was hesitating between the use of Blog and Vocaroo as a tool to cope with my class issue, but in the end, I have decided to use both of them for my project. I already checked all the materials in the computer lab and they are still in a good condition, which can allow the students to have good quality recordings. Therefore last Thursday, I started by introducing Blog to my students. I had already asked them about blog before, and they had known it but only few of my students had already used it. So, I took them to the computer lab and I made a short presentation about blog as reinforcement of what they already knew. I showed them my blog. They seemed really interested in it and I was very excited and happy. I thought it was a good start.  To continue, I gave them handouts on how to create a blog. We went through the readings and then after that, it was time to practice. I had them create their blogs by following step by step the instructions given in the handouts. They enjoyed creating it and more interaction could be seen among the students asking for help from each other and checking each other’s blogs. They seemed more motivated, relaxed and enjoyed the session.  They even said it should have been introduced to them earlier, at the beginning of the term. I already expected their reactions as my students have always enjoyed discovering and experiencing new things and in addition, it was technology related.

For last Friday, we went on with our normal class. I made a presentation about American wedding customs through a short video viewing. We also had vocabulary building activities. Then, I had them compare American and Malagasy customs as regards wedding. Then they paired up with another student and discussed the similarities and differences they’ve found. I also asked them which one they liked, the American customs or the Malagasy ones. And finally, I gave them time to think about their dream wedding: what it would be like.  All these were done orally to prepare them for the questionnaire I’m going to give them in the next session, and the answers of which they will record on Vocaroo. I hope everything will always go well and the project will be a success.

Week 6: Interactive PowerPoint

As it is stated in the article “Presenting with PowerPoint”, “PowerPoint is an easy-to-use presentation tool and its use is only as effective as the presenter who is using it.” The use of PowerPoint helps the teacher to break down the routine of presentation with textbooks. Students can be more focused because the PowerPoint itself forms an effective visual aid. It helps the students to retain the lessons especially for visual learners and it keeps the students involved through the interactive elements it includes. My favorite task this week was the interactive PowerPoint slide show creation. I enjoyed it! The guidelines and tips from the readings made it easier to create and made it look more interactive, which will engage the students in speaking. My PowerPoint is about the use, the form and the structure of Conditional Type 2. I’ve created it for my High intermediate class and I hope it will be successful, following some of the 10 best practices suggested in the article.