Halfway
Through- Equator
Now
that we have reached the course equator, so to speak, it is good time to
reflect on what has already been learnt and what we are still to discover. It
would not be an exaggeration to say that so far this course has been one of the
classes I learnt the most in. Truth be told, financially, I was not too
thrilled about taking an extra course on top of the MS in TEFL coursework and
considered myself quite technologically advanced to satisfy my students' needs.
Boy, was I wrong. Below, objective by objective, I will try to illustrate where
my excitement comes from.
1.
Demonstrate the understanding of how technologies can effectively promote
student learning.
That wise use of
technology enhances classroom instruction was not new to me. Nobody would argue
that technology is an indispensable part of most of our students' lives, and we do not
have a choice but to modify our instruction accordingly. Here are some of the
resources we have learnt in this course that I am planning to use (if not
already use) in my teaching practice.
1. Google Docs I recommend it to those of my
students who do not have Microsoft Office at home. I have also started to use
it in process writing with one student I am tutoring now. In the future, I am
planning to use it with the rest of the students in a similar way.
2. Digital
Storytelling (Animoto and Photo Story 3) Since the beginning of this course, my students have been creating digital
photo stories with Photo Story 3 to
present their essays. That is truly amazing how engaging and beneficial this
tool is. Not only do they work on computer and writing skills, but also
practice pronunciation, intonation, while employing their creativity and simply
having fun. As for Animoto, I did not
know about it until last week. It seems by far more sophisticated while staying
very user-friendly.
3. Stopwatch l will use it for the first
time no later than tomorrow. This is a great tool, indeed.
4. Online polls Unfortunately,
we don't have access to a computer lab every class, but when we do, I will
check this resource out. This will allow instant feedback while having the
students practice critical thinking skills and participating in their learning
process. In fact, I often ask for their feedback but only orally.
5. Qwiki Unfortunately,
the voice sounds too artificial, but other than that, it's a great resource.
Not all kids nowadays are avid readers. However, this websites gives them equal
access to written information available at http://www.wikipedia.org/ Who knows,
watching these videos might turn them into more enthusiastic readers.
6. Screencast-O-Matic
This
screen recording resource is truly fascinating and useful. When I teach
Microsoft Word and PowerPoint next semester, I will use it to create tutorials
for those who were absent or just need extra assistance.
7. Khanacademy is an
outstanding resource. I've already introduced it to my students. Due to lack of
class time, though, it is more likely that they will use it for self study.
8. Virtual tours I haven't found a way to use it in my ESOL classroom yet but have already
spend two days studying Saint Petersburg with its world-famous museums and
palaces to educate myself and then my students of Russian about this amazing
city.
Last but not least, our
textbook Leading 21st century Schools
abounds in useful links, resources, and suggestions, and I will undoubtedly keep
it handy.
2.
Evaluate and use a variety of current technologies to enhance content instruction
and to advance students' technological literacy.
In
class, we have been introduced to Scratch and even tried ourselves in using it. Careful examination of this program
led me to believe that it can be useful but is rather time-consuming to learn.
And whether it will bring positive learning outcomes depends on how
thoughtfully it is used and how students respond to it. This course has also
taught me how to use Blogger.com, and I have had so much fun with it so far.
After this class is over, I will post in it the list of educational websites I
feel my colleagues and students might benefit from. Aside from the array of
resources described above, I have also realized how easy it is to create
surveys in Google docs and how much time Google Reader can save.
3.
Design meaningful and authentic digitally based learning experiences with
multiple and varied assessments.
I believe we are yet to meet this
objective when have created lesson plans and WebQuests.
4.
Reflect upon and demonstrate effective use of digital tools and resources.
Blogging weekly has been an
effective way for me to reflect upon effective use of digital tools and
resources. As for demonstrating it,
the upcoming lesson plan and WebQuest should meet this objective.
5.
Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of safe, ethical, legal and moral practices
related to digital information and technology.
Our discussions of
Digital Citizenship with its essential components and the two PBS videos made me reflect upon
digital footprints we leave on the web and how critical it is to bring our
students up as responsible, cautious, and ethical digital citizens. In
particular, this class raised my awareness about cyberbullying and ways of
avoiding it.
6.
Illustrate through application how state and national standards are implemented
within the curriculum (e.g., NH Curriculum Frameworks, ISTE
(NETS-Teacher/NETS-Student) and NH-ICT Literacy Standards for K-12 Students
(306.42))
We are just starting to work on this
objective in our lesson plans and WebQuests.
7.
Demonstrate an understanding of the use of adaptive technologies and other
digital resources to personalize and differentiate learning activities for
every student.
Technology lets teachers
differentiate instruction, have students work at the most comfortable pace and
demonstrate and apply students' multiple intelligences. Thus, for example,
posting weekly assignments at Wikispaces and creating
screen and audio recordings allows those students who need extra time and
support to cope with academic demands. Such projects as Scratch tap into
numerous multiple intelligences (logical, spatial, and linguistic, for
example). Smart use of technology can also accommodate learners of different
learning styles (when students listen, read, and produce the same material simultaneously
or consecutively, for instance). Virtual tours, digital stories, and WebQuests
are some of examples of such intruction.
8.
Evaluate, adapt and reflect on emerging tools and trends by participating in
local and global learning communities and by reviewing current research and
professional literature.
Our weekly posts
allowed us to share reflections and ideas with each other, so establishing a
local community. When reading the textbook and working on the literature
review, I have had some opportunity to review current research and professional
literature. I am also a member of TESOL.org, and their CALL section in
particular. Spending weekends on doing homework for this class has not been
allowing for me to be an active participant of this organization so far, but once
I am done with this class, I am sure to become a more productive member of the
TESOL society. And as I have said above, I am also planning to share this blog
with my colleagues and students once this course is over. As for adapting
available resources, I believe this happens inadvertently every time a
well-thought lesson plan is created, and that is what I do every time when
deciding how to use a particular tool in the classroom.
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