Week 8: Teacher Resources Online

This week, I extremely appreciate the overwhelming websites suggested.  I would like to express my great thank to our guest moderator this week, Jeff Magoto, director of the University of Oregon's Yamada Language Center who introduces ANVILL (https://anvill.uoregon.edu/anvill2/) which broadens my language perspectives including assessment tool, voiceboard. I have never experienced such the program. I spent many hours surveying and could not help comparing the centre to that at my university. ANVILL is indeed virtual language self-access center. Students there are very lucky having opportunities to use well-designed programs. Apart from the astonishment, I also gain much more benefits such as making exercises to use online or offline on a computer or to print out; making exercises online to use online; or how to create Nicenet and Blog class. Besides, I could make bingo and board games, matching from http://www.toolsforeducators.com/, the website we can make exercises online to print out.

This semester, I also teach the 5^th year student majoring English in Education faculty. They had a teaching apprenticeship last semester. When I asked them to access the site mentioned above, they said if possible they would like to come back to the schools they had been the apprentice.

http://www.easytestmaker.com/default.aspx is very useful and practical for teachers. I like the way I can make ‘filling blanks’ test without leaving space for filling. I just place [  ] around the words to be left. The result was found like we manually left the words ourselves. It is very convenient.

In relation to making exercises online to use online, I could make a poster from http://wizard.4teachers.org/ . I have learned this by trial and error. At last, I could do it. I have learned how to insert a picture in the poster. It will be found when you access http://poster.4teachers.org/view/poster.php?poster_id=399577.

With this regard, I have an idea to ask my students to produce posters on purpose. Moreover, their peers can give comments on the poster in Nicenet class.

Shortly, if websites suggested this week were disseminated to teachers of English, I believe, not only would students give more attention to language learning, teachers would be proud that they could produce their instructional material which serve lessons they teach and student needs.

Best,

Moo

Week 7: Learner Autonomy and the One-computer Classroom

This week our focal issues fall on ‘Learner Autonomy and the One-computer Classroom’  which have been discussed widely  among our group. The issues assigned every week are definitely valuable for us, teachers of English or those who teach other languages. Our students should be encouraged to be autonomous learners because our world has been changing with information technologies. They should be exposed to the information themselves under their teacher guidance.

Thanasoulas’ article provided me deliberated detailed information concerning ‘Learner Autonomy’ even though he states that there are some pieces involved missing.

With regard to the definition of ‘Learner Autonomy’, as Thanasoulas (http://iteslj.org/Articles/Thanasoulas-Autonomy.html) stated, the relevant literature is riddled with innumerable definitions of autonomy, I do agree with Holec’s definition (1981, 1983, cited in Thanasoulas) that 'the ability to take charge of one's learning' and ‘the learner's willingness and capacity to control or oversee her own learning’. If I were asked to define the term I might do it shortly as ‘learning to learn’. This is in line with Holec’ s suggestion in that autonomy is a process, not a product. Whit this regard, I think it should be ongoing or lifelong process.

Some part of the article provides me with new perspective ,that is, constructivism view positing that knowledge cannot be taught but only learned because knowledge is something 'built up by the learner' (Candy, 1991, cited in Thanasoulas) . Therefore, to encourage our students gain more knowledge or experience, learner autonomy must be promoted.

One-computer Classroom is the other interesting and practical issue. Strategies and applications for the One-computer Classroom are suggested. Tons of activities are demonstrated when I access the websites suggested by Robert. For instance, ESL Activities for the One Computer Classroom (S.Gaer): Word-Processing Ideas (http://www.susangaer.com/sgaer/onecomputer/wordprocessing.html ) and Internet ideas (http://www.susangaer.com/sgaer/onecomputer/internet.html)

The sites give me a thrill to see hundreds of activities which can be done via Word-Processor or adapted from accessing the Internet. Without any doubt, we can regard a computer as a great teacher assistant  in a classroom.

Apart from the two main issues I have learned this week, I also get the answer I have tried to find for a couple months since my computer was installed Office Word 2007. Where is the Auto Summarize tab on the menu bar? Technology Tip of the Month: Microsoft Word and PowerPoint in the Classroom by Deborah Healey reveals the answer to me. It is about ‘Auto Summarize’. If I had not downloaded PDF that explains how to have the tool available on the quick access toolbar, I would have been stuck on the question. Thank you Deborah for your tip making my job easier…

Best,

Moo

Week 6: Creating Student-centered Classes and Interactive PowerPoint

This week assignment makes me realize how technology is important in large classes. We are introduced two topics- Creating Student-centered Classes and Interactive PowerPoint (PPT) and have Donna Shaw as our guest. I do like her constructive comment on our PPT. According to Felder’s article: Beating the Numbers Game: Effective Teaching in Large Classes (http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Papers/Largeclasses.htm), I have learned many things such as in-class exercise techniques, how to form a group for out-of-class assignments, and miscellaneous ideas useful for teaching practice. 

Regarding PPT, I have never used it in my teaching so I can gain applicable benefits from this week task through Top 10 Slide Tips - basic information about making a better presentation (http://www.garrreynolds.com/Presentation/slides.html), YouTube video showing how to create interactive PowerPoint: Making a Jeopardy game and Using PowerPoint to Make an Interactive Story (http://www.microsoft.com/education/story.mspx). Having practiced creating PPT, I have found out that PPT is easier and more efficient to prepare instructional materials than is word processor. This week I have created two power point documents for my students and tried out using three techniques-concept test, blank slide, and rapid reflection.  It was found that they could help the students remember vocabulary and I could check their understanding more conveniently and rapidly. Apart from this, it seemed that the students were more willing to choose the correct answer from the screen. Can I claim that PPT increases the students’ attention in learning process?

Best,

Moo

Week 5: Wonderful Web Quests

Hi all,

The more I learn the more I realize the benefit of making use of technology for instruction. I have talked with my colleagues about Web Quests and Rubrics. No one knows about the former but some know some of the latter. However they do not know that we can create the rubrics through websites contributing assistance in doing so. Since I am very new to Web Quests, video clips pertaining Web Quests help me a lot to understand what it is, what 6 common attributes of it are and why we should use it. In my context, I think using Web Quests searched through the Internet is suitable for the time being because it takes time to create our own. However, this could be our project in the future.

I, accidentally, met a secondary school teacher talking with him about using technology for language teaching and I told him what I have learned from this course and what technology I am using now. He has been interested and would like me to introduce it to his friends in English program. Next week, on Thursday evening, I will informally visit the secondary school for a couple of hours and hopefully I have something to share with you. Even though I am not a technology expert, I feel happy to share what I know with others.

Last week, the second week of semester 2, was my starting step using technology in classes. The problem I encountered deals with equipments provided in the teaching rooms. The computers have been used for many years when they were connected to the Internet, they processed very slowly. I solved the problem by taking my own computer to class but it was not compatible with the projector so next week I plan to borrow one from the university computer center.

In my freshman classes, through the projector, I demonstrated how to use CD dictionary to my students, showed them how to access a website concerning computer tutorial. They were enjoying the lesson because they could listen to native speakers and read subscript. In addition, they could interact with the lesson if they access the Internet themselves. To follow up the class activity, I had them extract 20 sentences from the subscript they read and translate into Thai. 

For the senior students in Education program, I encouraged them to use technology for their future career by forwarding my favorite websites collected on delicious resource and suggested them to register delicious.com for their own website collection. One thing I have learned from this class is that many of them are better at technology than me. In other words, we learn from each other. Can this be called cooperative learning?

Best,

Moo