Week 7 Reflections

WEEK 7: Learner Autonomy

  Congratulation to all Week 8 has come to an end . Two topics were discussed : the first was about learner autonomy ; and the second about one-computer classroom .

The task for the first topic was to discuss the ways and the techniques through which I can encourage greater autonomy in students either with or without technology . Though I read the articles and explored the additional reading provided in the reading section .

During this week I have learned  about the learner autonomy. There was an interesting article written by Thanasoulas Sheu, Interconnections  who explains that learner autonomy does not mean that the teacher becomes redundant abdicating his or her control over what is transpiring in the language learning process.

It is important to understand that the learning autonomy is a  dynamic process amenable educational interventions rather than a static product, a state, which is reached once and for all.

The term autonomy has been used in different ways but it includes independence, language awareness, self-direction. The autonomous learner takes a proactive role in the learning process. To develop the learner autonomy could involve: learner needs, motivation, learning strategies and language awareness. Autonomy does not mean teacher less learning. It means that the teacher must show the way to use or discover the mental steps or operations that learners use to regulate their effort to learn.

The task of the second task was about using one computer in the classroom .  My  areas are :

1-  to make new learning blog for my students ;
2-  to create an online course on Nicenet ;
3-  to create online Jupiter Grades  for our students' grades . 
Then, I 'm going to make a new sample of one computer class plan. In the sample I'll mention general information about the class, theme, duration, number of students, the materials used in class, the introduction to the class, the ABCD objective for this lesson, the procedure, the activities, the way I used technology  computer, projector, internet, etc, and the final activity.

Hillcrest Elementary School - It's All About LEARNING!

WELCOME TO MY BLOG!

WEEK 6 REFLECTIONS

                                     Hi Everybody!

   Week 6 also was over! A whole week was full of  real discovery and creation, I feel very entertained! I have read some the suggested articles and I was eager to read more so that I can achieve a better performance. Reading about how to make our PowerPoint slides very dynamic and interactive has made me think more about my audience making them part of what I can produce. The point is that our students must not only react to our slides but also interact with them. We -as teachers- have to feel the difficulties that learners face if they are not involved in our presentations. They can easily share the responsibility of learning if they are doing something with what we present. In my class many children can't produce their own slides and I'm going to encourage them to do it. I'll assign them a free project thast they can create nice simple but very meaningful presentations. I hope they can understand better if I actively engage them in a game or a quiz or even a reading comprehension activity provided that it will be interactive.

       

 Using Technology in Teaching Large Classes from UO tell me how I can manage large classrooms and Technology is the biggest support in large  classes. I like this kind of support. For example:

•   Online Assessment
•   Respondus
•   Portable Computers and Projectors for Classrooms
•   Successful Lectures with Computer Projection
•   Unleashing the Power of PowerPoint
•   Using Clickers (Personal Response Systems) to Facilitate Active Learning in the Classroom

I guess if I have a lot of students in class, technology is one of the best tools to solve this problem because all of the students are working and have the opportunity to get participation. If I get the opportunity to use them I can save time because all the activities about test and grades the software are excellent!

 Practice makes everything perfect! And this week was full with practice. It’s true that I have known how to use PowerPoint since ten years now but still the time of rediscovery, that pleasure to produce a purposeful task and share it with others. I feel a great relief when I finish constructing  slides and the next day invite young learners discover them with me as if we were both the producers and consumers! I hope the same feeling is shared by us all because our students should exist in anything we produce for them! 

It was really enjoyable to work in slideshare.I can easily upload   ppt there and share in "Interactive Power Point" section on BlogRole.

Since last ten years I used to  work with internet at home.Usually I've had low internet connection at home and at school.But from 2009 I find solution for that problem.But for widely use of internet I do need to have it at my workplace too.Last year I achived to have Wi-Fi connection at my school.Unfortunately it had very low speed  and I and others couldn't use  net in classrooms.

Last year they connected my region schools to intranet connection.It was successful project but again we had problems wby electricity lines.This year we've joined (as I said before) to E-School project and hope everything will O.K.At the end of the last  week our Education Ministry provided my school with high speedy internet.I and my students ,we all are so happy.I know the"Change" begins.

Week 1. Getting to know the members of our online learning community

    Hello dear friends  and collegues!I've started to new distance  course about "Building Teaching Skills Through the Interactive Web"  today.
And  I 'd like introduce myself  and my course reflections here.I think I"ll add my comments about winter term  from beginning to end  and have opportunity  share with ESL teachers from all over the world!
I am not  new  in blogging and firstly I'd like to share my former blog with you:
http://www.ismaillycitysecondaryschool1.blogspot.com/
A blog - weblog  looks like to an online journal. It's so easy to create and update a blog.  It is one of the easiest ways to publish student writing on the WWW. It's almost as easy as sending an email.
 

 Blogging is  free and easy way to be online,collaborate ,learn,share.
I'm looking forward to seeing your comments!