Week 9: Learning styles - technology connections

The Final plan was finished and the discussion topic was not a new one but a good revision: multiple intelligences. Last week my collegue sent me her draft and I sent her the check list to have a look at my observations. I also sent her my draft and she called me the attention on some points I had not realised were not clear. This activity was very profitable and beneficial, I think for both of us. Thanks to María Cecilia I could add some information and restate some sentences in my Final plan to make my ideas more understandable.

The discussion discussion topic of this week was Multiple intelligences and there is a list of webistes in teacher tap I would like to revise for future projects at university. I have also read about ANVILL and I think it is a useful tool I would use in my online lessons.

I would like to add I found a colleague we studied together when we were university students in Ning! A marvellous piece of news!

I assure I have a lot of work to do after finishing this course!

WEEK 8: NEW TECHNOLOGY TOOLS

This week I was trying different tools to prepare exercises for students and I wanted to try a new tool to make worksheets and I found a really interesting one: SMILE
All the websites are useful technology tools for teachers to make their lessons more attractive and appealing to students. I save the websites in delicious and in my FB, too. I assure that I will employ this material for my online lessons next year. In oroder to learn to profit from them I need time to explore these websites and make a trial with each of the options and possibilities.
For nicenet discussion I found a tool that is not mentioned but I helped me fulfill the task: Puzzle 

I copy this information from the Blackboard because I want to revise the websites after finishing the course:

Make exercises online to print out

• Tools for educators - word search, bingo, crossword puzzles, and board games: http://www.toolsforeducators.com/
• Lanternfish - flash cards, bingo games, matching, multiple choice exercises to print out: http://bogglesworldesl.com/
• Easy Test Maker (paper tests):http://www.easytestmaker.com/default.aspx

Make exercises to use online or offline on a computer or to print out

• Hot Potatoes - download this program at http://hotpot.uvic.ca/ to use it on your computer. It's easy to use and lets you create matching, cloze, scrambled sentence, and multiple choice exercises and crossword puzzles. You can get help online or download this how-to PDF.
• See some interesting exercises at http://eolf.univ-fcomte.fr/index.php?page=technically-interesting-hot-potatoes-pages
• Crossword Puzzle Games - create crosswords to save and use on a computer or print out: http://www.crosswordpuzzlegames.com/create.html

Make exercises online to use online:

• Web Poster Wizard - free website for teachers and students to use as part of a course. It uses a very plain format, but it's very easy to create something with text, one graphic, and links on each of 4 pages:
  http://wizard.4teachers.org/
• SMILE- a variety of web-based activity generators. Requires a free registration. Click on "I am a new user" on the opening page in order to register. The applications here are quite interesting, but they take more time to learn to do. http://clear.msu.edu/teaching/online/mimea/smile/v2/index.php

After finishing this course I will come back to each of these reflections in this blog to revisit all the websites. I think this course is a must for teachers who want to implement technology in their lessons.

WEEK 7 MALL

This week I would like to make reference to an article I read and I think it was the most innovative -at least for  me. I coined new terms such as MALL (Mobile Assisted Language Learning), Mobile learning or m-learning (a subdivision of the elearning movement), PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants, MobileLearn software programs and moblogging (an amalgam of mobile and weblogging) between others.
Emerging technologies Going to the MALL Mobile Assistive Language Learning is an article by George M. Chinnery University of Maryland Baltimore County. He describes the characteristics and research on MALL Applications.
Main ideas:

1. MALL Applications can be face-to-face, distance or online at a self-paced or calendar based.
2. A language learning environment is important to develop.
3. The focus must be on the learner ahead of the technology.

Common Features of cellular phones:
1. Internet access
2. Voice messaging
3. SMS text-messaging4. Cameras
5. Video-recording

All these features enable communicative language practice? Moblos  provide opportunities for language creation and collaborative activities by removing time and place boundaries and adding authentic and visual content.
Activities using cellular phones:
1. Vocabulary practice
2. Quizzes
3. Word and phrase translations
4. Access to live talking tutors
5. Vocabulary instruction

Benefits:
1. Portability
2. Less expensive
3. Simplified and flexible student-learner communication.

I have also read about Learner autonomy and we have share information on Padlet (a tool similar ti Lino). Finding a partner was not so easy for me. I am still waiting for one.




Learner autonomy

Week 6: Creating Student-centered Classes and Interactive PowerPoint

This week I was reading the articles about the use of interactive PowerPoint. I have always done linear presentations with this tool. Reading the article POWERPOINT BEYOND THE BASICS
Making interactive, non-linear slide shows and enhancing formatting I discovered that I can use powerpoint to create non-linear interactive stories for children. I think I can include this tool in my lesson plan. PowerPoint is not  a new technological tool for me; I have included it in my lessons and in my presentations when delivering a speech or presenting a piece of work. I have also tried Prezi. But I have never prepared a non-linear story or game for children. I think I can use it to prepare extra material for my students in Base Esperanza and the primary school teacher of School 38 can downloaded and show it to students in case there is no conection. This is the advantage of using PPT -you do not need internet and you can still use it. In this way, students would not miss the class.

There were some other articles about using Powerpoint:

Presenting With PowerPoint

Creating Interactive PowerPoint Presentations for Teachers and Students

Top Ten Slide Tips

These articles are really profitable to work with students at university and for refreshing how to make good and attractive presentations when presenting a project or a research.

There are some other articles that are very nice tutorials to create good PowerPoint presentations:

How To Create An Interactive Quiz Using Powerpoint Masters

How to Create A PowerPoint Jeopardy Game

How to Create and Use an Interactive PowerPoint Quiz Game

I do not like the Top 5 Alternatives to PowerPoint because the only fruitful alternative I can see are Prezi and Google Docs Presentations -the other links do not work. Prezi is a tool I have already known so I wanted to tried SlideRocket and ZohoShow. The first one does not work and the second tool is only mentioned but no website is in the article. 

In a nutshell, I enjoyed reading and watching videos about the uses of Powerpoint because I learned it is a remarkable educational technological tool for teachers and not only can it be used for presentations but also for creating quizzes and stories. 

INSPIRATION

This week I started to read about the project and the plan. I have to prepare a plan because I am on the leave -I have just delivered a baby. I read some articles Donna proposed in the week 5 and I began to think about the theory and technology I should choose to prepare my lesson plan. Suddenly, two emails I got opened up my mind:

a video from facebook:

FOTO PAL FACE


a slideshare:

Mobile Education


There are two technological tools I would like to implement in my lessons:

FACEBOOK

MOBILE PHONES

I think students push me to use them. I think I will choose at least cell phones.

Three Articles to Work On-line

Language Acquisition theories are left aside after having teaching for more than 15 years. When reading the article Using Internet-Based Children's Literature to Teach EFL (2007), by Larry J. Mikulecky. 
http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Mikulecky-OnlineChildrensLit.html, L.A. Theories came to my mind. The way children acquire a language is forgotten when we become adults and for Foreign Language teachers is a great help. Thus, the tips the article offers are worthwhile to remember:

• Ask students with access to younger relatives to read and teach the English stories to their younger relatives.
• Ask future teachers of English to read simple stories and then design lessons for younger students.
• Ask students to keep a list of what they have read, brief summaries of stories or chapters, and new vocabulary learned.
• Have students do presentations on stories to "sell" them to other students.
• Have students create their own simple stories in English, possibly with illustrations.

The article Three Extensive Reading Activities for ESL/EFL Students Using E-books (2004)

http://iteslj.org/Lessons/Liang-ExtensiveReading.html  offers very nice activities to work with students and e-books. The study guides present a list of questions that can be profitable for teachers to prepare lessons:

1. What is the title of this story?
2. What type of story is it?
3. Who is the main character in this story?
4. Is it suitable for me, too easy or too difficult?
5. Is this book interesting to me?

1. Who is in the story?
2. Where does the story take place?
3. When does it happen?
4. What is it about?
5. How does it turn out?

1. What are the main characters like?
2. How does the setting affect the characters?
3. What are the unexpected developments or problems in the story?
4. How did the author create the mood (the overall impression)?
5. What is the lesson of the story?

1. Does this book tell a good story? Is this story original and fresh?
2. How well do events build to a climax? Are these events plausible and logical?
3. Does the theme emerge naturally from the story or overpower the story?
4. How well are the characters developed? Are they convincing or stereotyped?
5. How does the style of writing compare with other books?

1. Do we have to consider other aspects than the text itself?
2. How well designed is this book? Is it aesthetically satisfying?
3. Do the sound or the graphics enhance the story?
4. What is the quality of the web pages?
5. How are the parts of the story presented and linked?

Using the Internet in ESL Writing Instruction (2000) http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Krajka-WritingUsingNet.html  reflects on the wide range of possibilities internet provides teachers when preparing a writing lesson and the three internet components the author takes into account to prepare a lesson. The author considers the role of the teacher, the resources needed, the inclusion of technology into the curriculum and the benefits of on-line instruction.

The three articles offer variety, authenticity and updates material for teachers to prepare their lessons. Students can be more motivated and they may have the opportunity to work with realia or do different activities to learn the language.

GOING UP, GOING DOWN

I thought this week would be easier. My baby got a cold and I could not create my delicious account. In fact I have one I had created a couple of years before butI signed up with twitter. I assure that posting in the blog is a way of rounding up what I have studied along the week -this is the teason why I am doing it today; there is an assignment left, though.

This week I read all the articles Donna suggested: 

         Developing Listening Skills with Authentic Materials: Lindsay Miller, ESL Magazin article.

         New Perspectives in Teaching Pronunciation: Maria Busa.

         The Employment of CALL in Teaching Second/Foreign Language Speaking Skills:Julia Gong.

I enjoye reading all of them. I was comparing my lessons plans with the examples Linsay Miller provides in her article. I posted my reflection in the conferencing of this week. 

Maria Busa's article caught my attention because I include pronunciation  in my classes. While I was reading the article Edu soft CDROM came to my mind - students could record their voices and compare it to a native.

Julia Gong made me reflect on the use of the new multimedia products offered by Apple in an iPad. The possibilities internet offers are amazing. The introduction of video in a lesson helps to develop speaking - students can watch gestures while natives talk.

In a nutshell, this week was hard, but I am still here learning web skills, thinking about my project.

Ethel from Argentina.

TAKING OFF

This week I could finally accomplish with all the assignments. It was an ardous task because I had to participate in all the discussions of wek 1 and 2 and post a reflection in my blog.

Reading and reflecting on the Ground Rules for discussion was a profitable activity or this course and a good idea for my English lessons. It reminds me when I was a student at university: trying to reach an agreement with my classmates and teachers to deliver a speech that is a trigger for discussion where all must participate and are given a mark. It also made feel important as a student because my values and thoughts are respected.

Creating a blog to keep record of my learning process is an excellent register to revise in the future. After teaching for several years, teachers tend to forget how students feel or learn. Reading about our own experience when learning helps us become more sympathetic with our students and better teachers.

In week 2 I had to use a web searching tool different from google. It was a challenge because I tried using new web searching tools proposed by Donna. Reading about techniques for searching was useful for my online English lessons at university where I am writing a project about "digital citizenship".

In this week I also had to describe a class that I teach and share a learning objective following the ABCD style. It was interesting and new for me to write the objectives in this way.  I regard valuable and helpful reading and commenting on other classmates' objectives.

Last discussion on nicenet was a starting point on the final project. I resorted to work with an online primary school student group because it is novel and original. This experimental project of working online with children is revolutionary in education and I am sure all my classmates will consider this experience fruitful.



I found Nahla's facebook idea as beneficial for all the members of this course.

GETTING STARTED WITH SOME DIFFICULTIES

I have been waiting for this course since I was told about it. I am inquisitive and I have always wanted to have time to learn about teaching with technology. Now my son is seven years old and I am on the leave most of this year -I have a two-month-old girl. Sometimes it is hard to cope with adults responsibilities and to go on studying at the same time. It is also tough to live in this part of the world where the weather is unbearable and it affects on the internet connection.  Although all these obstacles,  I thought this opportunity is a good chance. I am eager to read and participate in the online activities. I have been eager to learn about the first emails. This week was upsetting for me because I did not get the emails on time and last Monday I was checking emails and trying to sail in the Blackboard website without even being able to load the webpage! It was not until Friday I could sail there and start doing some activities. I hope the second week will prospect for overcoming all these difficulties!