Just a beginning

 Dear all,

          We've come to the end of this course, but I don't see it as an end. For me it is the beginning of the implementation of what we have learned here. We have been introduced to many new tools and activities that we can use to enhance the learning of our students. We have been reminded of very important issues in teaching, such as setting learning objectives, learning styles, rubrics and learner autonomy. We have discussed how to deal with large classes and one-computer classrooms. We have heard many wonderful ideas and suggestions from our instructors and from each other.

         Now it is time to start putting it all in practice. I believe that as the spring comes and the nature starts awakening, so our ideas will start blossoming and we will start applying many of the things we have learned in the course.

         It has been a wonderful experience not only because of the knowledge we have gained, but because of the opportunity we have had to learn about each other and from each other and to share our ideas and experiences. I hope that we will keep in touch and continue our communication through Nicenet, our blogs and email. Paul Carvel said: "Internet: absolute communication, absolute isolation". After all we have learned here, we should use all the advantages of the Internet and keep on helping and encouraging each other in our efforts to improve out teaching practices and provide better learning experiences for our students.

Best regards,

Nina

On-line Tools for Enhancing Learning

          This week, like all the previous weeks, was full of new ideas and suggestions for using online tools and exercises in our teaching.  Among them were online class websites such as Nicenet and Google Sites, and a myriad of online tools for creating exercises such as word search, bingo, crossword puzzles, board games, flash cards, matching exercises, multiple choice exercises and so on.

         As we have been using Nicenet for this course, we can see how easy it is for both teachers and students as it doesn't require any special knowledge to use it. So, it can be used in combination with face-to-face learning, so that it can increase the communication between the teacher and the students and offer more opportunities for discussions and exchanging and sharing of ideas, materials and weblinks. Google Sites is another useful tool for teachers for creating class websites. I hadn't heard about it before, but I tried it and found it very easy to use. 

         Among the many online tools for creating exercises, Hot Potatoes is my favourite, although there are many others that I am sure all of us will use. What I like about this software is that it allows you to create several types of exercises which you can publish and students can do online in class or at home, or if there are no computers in the classroom you can print them out and use them in class. Moreover, students can create their own exercises which they can share with their classmates, and which can help them learn and retain the material better and become more active participants in the learning process.

        Using online tools can certainly help our students become more autonomous learners because by doing online tasks such as writing blogs, doing webquests, taking part in creating class websites, or by engaging in other online exercises and activities, they become more involved and more motivated to learn the language, they can discover ways of learning the language that suit their learning styles and preferences,  which can boost their self-confidence, improve their knowledge of the language and increase their awareness of the importance of taking responsibility for their own learning.

         

Learner autonomy

         One of the most important learners' goals is to become autonomous learners. What are the characteristics of autonomus learners? As the diagram shows, autonomous learners are learners who are independent, self-directed, self-aware, collaborative, self-motivated, critically reflective learners with highly developed decision-making skills. These are learners who are aware of the importance of planning, monitoring and evaluating their learning and their progress. They do not see the teacher as the person who is responsible for their failure or success. They know that the teacher is here only to help them and direct them, but it's all up to them how much effort they will make, how much they will learn and how successful they will be. In one class of 30 learners, there are more successful and less successful students, and the teacher is the same. So, one of the factors that contributes to the success of the good learners is their motivation and their willingness to take responsibility of their own learning. Research has demonstrated that successful learners are autonomous learners who use many different approaches and strategies, who are active learners in and out of class, who do not rely only on the teacher but try to find other sources and other opportunities for learning.

          So, our mission as teachers is not only to help our students learn in the classroom, but to show them ways of continuing their learning on their own, and motivating them to do so. They need to understand that school can only give them the foundation on which they have to build, and it will never be enough if they want to become successful in their professional life. They need to acquire skills and abilities that will prepare them to work independently or to be contributing members of a team in whatever situations they find themselves in their future life. We need to work on this goal constantly so that they will understand the importance and value of taking steps to become more self-directed and independent learners.  

           Here are some inspirational quotes on learning: 

Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence.

Abigail Adams (1744 - 1818), 1780   

Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous.

Confucius (551 BC - 479 BC), The Confucian Analects      

Whoever ceases to be a student has never been a student.

George Iles      

The wisest mind has something yet to learn.

George Santayana (1863 - 1952)      

What is important is to keep learning, to enjoy challenge, and to tolerate ambiguity. In the end there are no certain answers.

Martina Horner, President of Radcliffe College    

Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell 'em, 'Certainly I can!' Then get busy and find out how to do it.

Theodore Roosevelt (1858 - 1919)

Interactive PowerPoint Presentations

     This week was the turning point in the way I use PowerPoint. I had seen and used many interactive PowerPoint presentations, but I have never thought it would be so easy to create one myself. And once you start, there's no going back to the old ways. I was so happy when I saw the result of what I did. The youtube video caused me a little headache, as I didn't know how to download it and include it in the presentation, so I tried a few programmes, but unfortunately they didn't do what I wanted. Finally I found a surprisingly easy way of including youtube videos in the presentation, and it was there. What a nice feeling! Of course there are so many things I still need to learn, there are so many unexplored options, but now that I have seen and learned that we can make our presentations much better by including interactive features, I don't think that I will ever create another presentation without at least one interactive element. 

       Interactive PowerPoint presentations can be used with both small and large classes, which was the other issue we discussed this week. Although it is much easier to teach small classes, large classes are a reality in many contexts, so we need to find ways to teach them both successfully. Combining online learning tools and face-to-face teaching can help us cope with the large number of students better. Using different methods to cater for the many different styles in large classes is one way to help us reach every one of our students. Using pair/group work in class, engaging students in doing projects and other tasks that require communication and collaboration is another way to help build closeness between students and create a positive learning atmosphere. 

      There is solution for everything, we just need to be willing and prepared to look for them and to try them out in order to see what works best for our groups of students. Is there a better reward for a teacher than successful, happy and satisfied students? It is worth every effort and every minute spent on achieving that goal.

Learning Styles and Rubrics

              This week we were reminded of the importance of considering the different learning styles that our students have when designing our lessons. Not only do we have to think about the objectives of the lesson, the procedures we will use to achieve these objectives, the materials and technology tools that are most suitable for that particular lesson, but also we have to think how to accomodate all learners by tailoring the activities to their needs and preferences. It may seem a difficult task for teachers since there are so many students in one class and a lot of learning styles. But if we vary the activities and if we combine several different ways of presenting and practicing the language items, we will certainly cater for the needs of students with different preferences and different learning styles.                 Many students will benefit from using technology tools as they offer greater possibility of providing different ways of learning, so that every students can find activities and tools they feel comfortable with. We have seen that there is a great choice of tools available for all types of learners. As many tasks can be done via different routes, whenever it is possible teachers should allow learners to choose their own way. However, in order to help learners develop different skills, teachers should also  provide opportunities for expanding students' learning styles and preferences by encouraging them to try out different ways of learning and doing things so that they can be better prepared for their future professional life.             The other important issue on the agenda this week was the use of rubrics for evaluating students learning. Rubrics are a valuable tool for both students and teachers. If students are familiar with the rubric before they do the given task, the criteria in the rubric will tell them what are the important aspects of the task and how they have to approach it in order to achieve better results.   When the task is completed, the rubric can serve as a self-evaluation tool for the students and an evaluation tool for the teachers. Rubrics can contribute to more objective and easier assessment of activities such as presentations, projects, compositions and other tasks that are more difficult to evaluate and where usually the subjective judgment prevails. Preparing rubrics may take some time,  but there are so many ready-made rubrics for all types of activities on the Internet, that teachers do not have to start from scratch, they just need to adapt them to their particular class of learners and to the particular purpose.

Masked Ball and Carnival

       Today I would like to tell you about the events taking place in my town these few days. Last night I went to the traditional masked ball (can you recognize me) that takes place every year as part of the centuries-old tradition, Strumica Carnival, that starts with the masked ball on Saturday and lasts till Wednesday. 

         Last night there were about 500 people, not only from my town but from other towns in Macedonia as well, because this is the only masked ball of this kind in my country. There was also a group from Finland who had a short programme (belly dance). I have included some pictures so that you can get a small glimpse of what was happening. 

        Today is the Day of Forgiveness. According to tradition, younger people visit their parents and ask for forgiveness. Today is also the day of children's carnival which takes place at the center of the town where you can see thousands of children in many different masks. 

       Tomorrow is Ash Monday, the first day of the Great Lent that lasts till Easter. 

       On Tuesday is the main carnival, which is an event worth seeing. You can visit the website of the Carnival, read about the tradition and see the masks. There are carnival groups not only from Macedonia, but from Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro and other countries. 

           Wednesday is the last day of the 'Trimeri' days. On this day people visit the homes where there are engaged girls, and where special dishes are served. 

       I hope you enjoyed reading about this tradition in my town. I would like to hear about some traditions in your countries. 

Project-Based Learning and WebQuests

           Another week has passed, eventful, demanding, exploratory, stimulating, absorbing. This week our attention was turned to the use of technology for doing projects and creating WebQuests. We have learned new ways of using technology in the classroom for enriching our students' learning experiences and helping them become more independent and autonomous learners.

          Project-based learning and WebQuests engage students in activities that require higher-order thinking skills as they have to read, collect, analyze and synthesize information from the web in order to complete the given task.  They also promote communication and collaboration among the students as the activities are done in groups, so that they need to work closely together in order to achieve the desired outcome.

            However, we have to use them wisely and appropriately, because, as Bernie Dodge says, not everything lends itself to being used in a WebQuest. Creating a WebQuest is not an easy task for the teacher, as we have all seen by trying to create our first WebQuest. But experience is a great teacher, so I am sure that we will soon become more skilled in creating WebQuests for our students.

           At the end of this week we are richer for new knowledge and new experience in using technology for enhancing our students learning and creating opportunities for developing their communicative, problem-solving, decision-making and other higher-level skills.

Technology enhanced teaching and learning

             Technology does not drive change,

                                        it enables change. 

          Technology has become part of our everyday life. It has affected every sphere of human activity. Education is not an exception. Using technology in education can bring many positive changes and improve teaching and learning practices. 

          During the last two weeks we discovered many ways of implementing technology tools for developing language skills. There have been so many ideas and suggestions, and so many useful websites that it is difficult to absorb it all in such a short time. My delicious page has been growing steadily, and I have already started using it to find appropriate material. 

         We have been shown ways of developing  listening, speaking, reading and writing skills with the use of technology that will make the lessons more interesting, engaging, motivational and enjoyable for students. Combining traditional instructional methods with technology will certainly bring better results and will help our students become more independent and autonomous learners. 

         Even if schools are not equipped with computers, teachers can find ways of using the limitless Internet resources and adapting them to the school conditions. It all depends on the teacher's imagination, creativity and willingness to make the learning experience more worthwhile.

       

T

What is delicious about Delicious.com?

      It was interesting to hear the first comments of some of our colleagues who thought that Delicious.com was about food. That's the normal association that the name of the website brings to mind. But, although it has nothing to do with food, we have all discovered its deliciousness. It is so simple and yet so helpful and practical. You find a useful page, bookmark it, add a tag, and it's there for you whenever you need it, wherever you are. 

     Another delicious thing about it is that when you need a website on a certain topic, and you don't know where to start, you just look at what others have saved on their page and you get going. It is especially helpful when you have added people in your profession to your network, because you know that you can trust their choice. So, Delicious.com is not only about saving and sharing addresses of websites, but it is also about helping each other and learning from each other. 

      Finally, sharing your bookmarks with your students will be of great help to them. Although many students are skilled in using the Internet, it may not be easy for them to find websites relevant for the subject they are learning. So, looking at their teacher's bookmarks will make it easier for them to find the right websites without wasting any time. What is more, they can be sure that these websites can provide valuable and trustworthy information, as they have been checked and bookmarked by someone who knows more about the topic.
       Delicious, isn't it?

Setting objectives

Setting objectives is the key to successful completion of whatever endeavour you decide to pursue. You need to know where you start, where you want to be at the end, and how you are going to achieve that. Objectives provide a motive, a structure and an aim towards which all activities are directed.

Setting objectives for a lesson is essential, as they show what the students are expected to learn, what activities the teacher should use in order to help students meet these objectives, as well as how to assess if the objectives have been achieved. The ABCD model for learning objectives is very useful as it shows clearly what are the four components that the teacher should consider in setting the objectives.  Using this model helps define the objectives clearly, so that both the teacher and the students will know what are the desired outcomes of the lesson and whether the lesson was successful. The discussions of our colleagues show that we have all grasped the idea and the structure of the ABCD model, and I believe that even if teachers are obligated to use another format for lesson planning, they will include this model as well.

Web searching

The Internet is an endless source of information, but it is important to know how to find the right information in as little time as possible. This week we have seen that there are many search engines which make the searching easier from the start, as many of them are specialized for certain areas or use categories so that information is organized by subject. We haven't had time to explore them all in depth, but what we have seen so far shows that being familiar with these search engines is essential for successful web searching.

It is also important to educate our students how to search for information on the Web. Very often they need to use the Web to find information for their homework or for projects, or to prepare for debates and discussions. Using a general search engine would take more time and might produce results that are not so relevant for their purpose.I have just discovered an excellent search engine for researching current social issues (http://www.multcolib.org/homework/sochc.htm)l, which would be very useful for them when they prepare for debates and discussions as it offers multiple perspectives on these issues.

So far I have used mostly Google and Yahoo, and as Andreja says, some habits are difficult to change, but as we discover the advantages of other search engines, I am sure that we will get used to using different search engines for different purposes.

 

Using blogs in ELT

We’ve had a very successful week discussing the use of blogs in language teaching. There have been numerous ideas and suggestions, discussions on the positive and some negative sides of blogging, so that we now have a starting point from where to build on. I would like to thank all the colleagues who came up with so many insightful ideas and comments and wonderful suggestions for using blogs with our students.

So far our discussions have centered more on what, but now we have to focus on how. So, we have to think of ways of using blogs for different areas of teaching, how to incorporate it in our regular programme and how to make students eagerly participate in the online activities. Having a tutor and a class blog at the same time is a good idea. Teachers can concentrate on the tutor blog where they can post materials, useful links, assignments, important information and instructions, and leave the class blog more to the students so that they can show their knowledge and creative potential and create a blog they can be proud of.

Hello dear colleagues,

I've spent a few hours exploring the possibilities, but there is so much to learn. I'm sure we will learn a lot during this course, both from our teachers and from each other.

I'm so glad we are such a nice group, very professional, enthusiastic and friendly. I'm really starting to enjoy this course.

It's pretty late now, but I wanted to send my first posting. The next one will follow soon.

I look forward to reading all your blogs.

Nina