Week 6: Simply Technical

Dear all! Another week full of learning has come to an end, rather technical this time! Indeed, the discussion as well as the task were centered around "Technology tools for creating student-centered classes, including large classes”,
What I learned in week 6?
1-  Some good ideas and tools to help resolve the issue of large classes, pointed out by many colleagues, an a daily and worsing reality for me, expeciaaly. Fortunately, the readings of the weeks have suggested interesting, simple to implement ideas such as  Think-Pair-Share, Think-Pair-Square, ConcepTest, Quick-thinks, Minute paper, Scripted Cooperative Learning, Concept Maps.

The paper: Teaching Large Classes II – Enhancing Learning by Engaging

Students, by Rick Finnan and Donna Shaw sggests, in addition to the above mentioned ideas, some issues to take into consideration ( Making sure task is clear, specific and discrete, making learning objectives clear, keeping group work fairly simple and the time frame short", as well as the various advantages offered by these techniques.
Some of them are worth trying, as they will defitely help students have more practice ( Speaking, short writing practice) while teachers are more and more complled to teach in a lecture-style.
2- Technology software ( Blackboard 9, REspondus) that will probably be useful, but f which the "price" issue ( among others) is beyond our control as teacher
3- Interactive PowerPoint: a discovery for me! I have used PPt tools for a long time, but could not imagine there were so many things to do with me! I was just excited as I was going through the different steps contained in the document "Creating Interactive Presentations Using PowerPonit". The language ( my operating sytem is in French) and the software version of the document caused a few difficulties at the beginning, but I was able to implement a sample Toefl quiz.
I think I will deepen my skills in Interactive PowerPoint, that is particulary suitable for digitalization of TOEFL tests, especially the Grammar section ( Structure and Written Expressions).
 
 I think I've got my third idea for my porject!!!!
Best regards!

Week 5: Hope Restored !

Dear webmates!

Obviously, we are at the right place! Week after week, we are adding to our experience.

Indeed Week 5 has been another useful learning experience.

Here are my comments:

1.       Alternative Assessment – Project Based Learning – Rubrics – WebQuests: obviously, Week 5 laid emphasis on the learner: this week’s activities reveal the importance of putting the learner at the center of the learning process thus helping him/her achieve autonomy and gain interest into learning.

As I concluded in my Discussion, “all three techniques could be powerful sources of motivation and autonomy in learning for my students. A wise combination of Alternative Assessment tools with either Project based Learning or WebQuests can be help resolve some the problems pointed out in Project step 3 ( motivation, lack of time, variety of levels, ) because of their intrinsic qualities:

• ·         They focus on communication skills building, are centered around the learner, ensure learners ‘involvement in the setting of criteria, offer learners opportunity to  evaluate themselves ( Alternative Assessment)

• ·         Learners can participate in the choice of projects that must be of interest to them ( Project Based Project)

• ·         They are ideal for areas of activity learners are already accustomed with (WebQuest on  Environment, Water, Energy, Civil Engineering issues) “

2.       I also enjoyed discovering the website for generating rubrics (Rubistar (http://rubistar.4teachers.org/), something I did not know before. Now I’m thinking of the different possibilities this resource can offer.

I won’t omit to mention Workshop: Webquest (http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/webquests/index_sub3.html), which provides step by step tips to implementing a Webquest.

3.  

     Project Task 3: learning the above mentioned techniques gave me an idea of the  “technology-related change “ I could do “implement to help with some of the issues mentioned before”: A priori, I think a WebQuest could be interesting to overcome the limited number of teaching hours  ( learners can work on projects spread over 5_6 weeks with weekly support from the Teacher) and motivation ( WebQuests seem ideal for learners’ areas of study ( Environment, Water, Energy, Civil Engineering), of which they already have some knowledge.

Additional sources of motivation for implementing a WebQuest are: availability of WIFI connection, learners having individual laptops, their level of computer literacy, etc.

Finally, a balanced composition of teams could help resolve the major weakness (student’s varied English Proficiency levels) and Threat (Technological problems: WIFI connection breakdowns, general lack of time).

Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to complete the Extra-credit task, but I’m still working on it, and I  think I’m having an idea of what I could do in my final project.

I can conclude that, compared to Week 4 when I had some apprehensions, Week 5 has helped me dispel my doubts, so: Hope is Restored!