I finally discovered how to embed vids in blogger.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
Week 6: Interactive Ppt based on Touchstone
I have done a Ppt about the E-components the book series we teach with has got. We have finished the semester at the university and we will start again the second week of September so I am not teaching at the moment. The idea of doing this power point presentation is to show it to students the next semester so I can make them realize of how many things they can do as extra-curricular activities to support their learning and at the same time promote autonomy. It is very important to teach students what they can do to complement their learning; sometimes not even teachers realize of the materials there are available.
In my opinion, in Ecuador, teacher like to spend a lot of time planning and writing on the board, it is amazing that some teachers still go to their classes and the space for writing on the board is limited to them, Many of them know that there is a vast amount of information, teaching ideas, lesson planning and so on available out there. However, some are teachers refuse to not because of they do not like the idea but because of they do not know how to do use search engines or simply they are afraid of using technology.
As Robert suggested before, it is always good to have a look at the materials available online before starting to make your own planning.
This presentation is explained how the interactive website “Touchstone Arcade” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbdxrGItbkk, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P38XfG1oWdM can help students be more autonomous, the CD-ROM activities they can do, the test crafter works, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuBJLitMaJM&feature=relatedthe interactive whiteboard options, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7V4QxtKuDqo&feature=related, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P38XfG1oWdM, Video Program and others. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdKa0xLJITA&feature=relatedI have included the URLs. All these E-components work perfectly with students who are learning with Touchstone book series, it does work with others who use other books as well. The most interesting video I included in the Ppt in the touchstone promo video, students love it and it is a very nice way to motivate them, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=offymLYVVIY&feature=related .
To see My Ppt go to: https://sites.google.com/site/webskillswikisummer2011robert/powerpoints
Does any of you use touchstone?
In my opinion, in Ecuador, teacher like to spend a lot of time planning and writing on the board, it is amazing that some teachers still go to their classes and the space for writing on the board is limited to them, Many of them know that there is a vast amount of information, teaching ideas, lesson planning and so on available out there. However, some are teachers refuse to not because of they do not like the idea but because of they do not know how to do use search engines or simply they are afraid of using technology.
As Robert suggested before, it is always good to have a look at the materials available online before starting to make your own planning.
This presentation is explained how the interactive website “Touchstone Arcade” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbdxrGItbkk, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P38XfG1oWdM can help students be more autonomous, the CD-ROM activities they can do, the test crafter works, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuBJLitMaJM&feature=relatedthe interactive whiteboard options, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7V4QxtKuDqo&feature=related, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P38XfG1oWdM, Video Program and others. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdKa0xLJITA&feature=relatedI have included the URLs. All these E-components work perfectly with students who are learning with Touchstone book series, it does work with others who use other books as well. The most interesting video I included in the Ppt in the touchstone promo video, students love it and it is a very nice way to motivate them, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=offymLYVVIY&feature=related .
To see My Ppt go to: https://sites.google.com/site/webskillswikisummer2011robert/powerpoints
Does any of you use touchstone?
Interactive ppt by javier burgos part 3
View more presentations from UTN University
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Week 6: Large and small classes teaching Techniques
I have thought of some techniques and technology that could help when teaching small and large classes
Teaching large and small classes is very linked to classroom management, as we all may know, the best number for a class is probably 12 Ss because they can be divided into different groups, for instance, we can make 4 groups of 3, 3 groups of 4, 2 groups of 6. Having 12 Ssas the average numbers of students in class makes it a lot easier for them to hear one another in a whole-class activity. Unfortunately, we cannot choose the number of students in our classes. Most classes are large and I think that the larger the class is the more necessary is to implement technological tools is, one of the differences between large and small classes is the time we have got to monitor students, I think even having 30 students we can still walk around the class during the lesson and spend a few moments listening to each groups and take some notes but with a larger class so we should keep track of which groups we have not got time to listen to in one lesson so that the next lesson we will pay specially attention to those, another interesting technique that works is to rearrange the students and where they sit, in my opinion., it is better to sit students close so they can hear each other when talking softly. A lot of students talking loudly make a lot of noise in class.
When teaching students in small classes, they tend to be more teacher-dependent, waiting for praise or encouragement while they talk or do something; I really think that as teachers, we should avoid becoming part of the group and encourage students to answer their own question as we move from group to group instead.
Technology could certainly help a lot in large classes. Personally I believe that Webquests and blogs are great because students can identify real-world feedback. Moreover, students can also do it offline; they can conduct a class survey on their favorite band or use email, polls and questionnaires interviewing colleagues, friends and family. Just like Webquests, PBLs are also an engaging and stimulating introduction as a lead-in to the quest itself, it gets learners involved from the outset and draw then to a conclusion that clearly demonstrates what they have covered and that rounds of the quest off satisfactorily.
Teaching large and small classes is very linked to classroom management, as we all may know, the best number for a class is probably 12 Ss because they can be divided into different groups, for instance, we can make 4 groups of 3, 3 groups of 4, 2 groups of 6. Having 12 Ssas the average numbers of students in class makes it a lot easier for them to hear one another in a whole-class activity. Unfortunately, we cannot choose the number of students in our classes. Most classes are large and I think that the larger the class is the more necessary is to implement technological tools is, one of the differences between large and small classes is the time we have got to monitor students, I think even having 30 students we can still walk around the class during the lesson and spend a few moments listening to each groups and take some notes but with a larger class so we should keep track of which groups we have not got time to listen to in one lesson so that the next lesson we will pay specially attention to those, another interesting technique that works is to rearrange the students and where they sit, in my opinion., it is better to sit students close so they can hear each other when talking softly. A lot of students talking loudly make a lot of noise in class.
When teaching students in small classes, they tend to be more teacher-dependent, waiting for praise or encouragement while they talk or do something; I really think that as teachers, we should avoid becoming part of the group and encourage students to answer their own question as we move from group to group instead.
Technology could certainly help a lot in large classes. Personally I believe that Webquests and blogs are great because students can identify real-world feedback. Moreover, students can also do it offline; they can conduct a class survey on their favorite band or use email, polls and questionnaires interviewing colleagues, friends and family. Just like Webquests, PBLs are also an engaging and stimulating introduction as a lead-in to the quest itself, it gets learners involved from the outset and draw then to a conclusion that clearly demonstrates what they have covered and that rounds of the quest off satisfactorily.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Week 5: PBL
Well, in my opinion, one of the biggest problem students in Ecuador have is autonomy, some students, not to say the most, think they cannot survive in class without the teacher and I believe that Internet –based projects can be like an extension of the kind of individual- lesson work. How can this motivate students? Clearly, using technology can be very motivating because of the wide range of stimulating activities Ss can do, a good example can be playing language-learning games. Many learners simply like using the computer without realizing how useful It can be to proceed at their own pace, furthermore, they have the chance to make their own choices in multimedia exercises and other materials. The “Interactivity” of the language can be also very beneficial since web-based exercises are interactive than paper-based ones. Three great websites I love to work on are:
1. 2. “Macmillan English Campus” Macmillan Publisher
2. 3. “Open Mind” Macmillan Publisher.
The type of feedback these good interactive site materials provide is appreciated by learners, it is instant and accurate. These activities lend students to the sharing of knowledge and encourage them to do cooperative learning.
Week 5: WebQuests
I have read about WebQuests and definitely think that they are great, I discovered there are two types of WebQuests Short-term WebQuests and Long-term WebQuests.
1. Short-term WebQuests: These aim at making students understand the most significant new information and make sense of it. They might last for three of four classes and will involve learners in browsing different sites to get information and use it for achieving the aims of the class.
2. Long-term WebQuests: These aim at making students analyze a body of knowledge deeply, they should show that they do not only understand the information but can debate and produce something out of it; it could be a product, report, a presentation and interview survey and so on.
The process for WebQuests involves research skills, analyzing skills and word processing skills.
Interesting note:
Bernie Dodge, a professor of Educational Technology at San Diego State University has been one of the first people to attempt to define and structure this kiond of learning activities. He said “a WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the internet”
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