Week 10: The most Interesting WEBSKILLS course topics for me

Hello Robert and everyone,

I have learned from all topics but here the most interesting ones:

1.     Project steps

Very useful for the final project, as Robert said in one of his emails, most of the information and ideas we have to include in the final report was written during the class process.

2.      Technology Enhanced Lesson Plans

Great stuff!

I have always done Lesson Plans or gotten them from online resourceful websites, but very few time worked on Lesson Plans based on technology. In the week 4, I had the chance to do it and changed ideas with others.

3.     ABCD objective

Pretty good as well, every singles class should have a clear objective and I always write it on the upper left part of the board so students can see what the topics to be learned are and what they should know at the end of the lesson.

4.      WebQuests

I had not heard of them up until week 5, I will definitely keep using them and teach other at my school how to create and use them with students.

5.     One Computer Options

Great topic!

In Ecuador NOT all schools have the budget to implement English labs or at least to buy one computer for each classroom. Even though, most teachers manage to have one in the class either their personal ones or even a borrowed one, so this was very interesting to share ideas on what can be done in case  we have only one computer in class.

6.     Discussion on Learner Autonomy

Learner Autonomy is one of the problems my students are facing up in the class I described in the Week 4 Project Step #3 Class Issue, so it was very enriching to read from lots of interesting ideas to face and overcome this problem.

7.     Teaching with Online Tools

On the week 8, we were asked to discuss about a) how could using these tools promote learner autonomy, b) what are the constraints that would make it difficult to use these tools, and
c) how will you overcome them? Then I discovered ANVILL for the first time, I have not explore it a lot yet but I am sure I will because I would really like to know how I can use the following tools into my classroom.

Voicethread

Wetoku.

Clear

Short Reading

Sample Login

System Checker

Voiceboards,

8.     Creating an online course site or an exercise

Since the very beginning of the course I was thinking of how to create a Google site, on the week 8 we were asked to create one online tool and I definitely went for it, it was tough at the beginning but I am learning how it works. I am still working on it, to see my sites go to https://sites.google.com/site/caiutne/

9.     Assessment, Rubrics and PBL

This topic also taught me a lot, as all may know, Rubrics have become an integral part of teaching and learning at all universities" and places specially involved in ELT. EFL. ESL and others in the past few years. Let us Remember that assessment is not necessarily an either-or option. Instead, these assessment strategies can be used together in order to gain a better picture of your students' grasp of the content.

10.                         And finally, I would like to write a bit about “My Best Series” Blog by Larry Ferlazzo

Larry Ferlazzo Blog is the “Delicious” for two reasons.

1.     It is very similar a “Delicious.com”

2.     It has saves time when doing online research

I will save it to my “favorites” and keep a track on it, best link I found was The Best Resources For Learning What Google+ Is All About.