Week 10

(hover over the image)

Here we are, almost at the end. It seems as yesterday I was laughing at the last week posts of the previous participants, thinking they were overreacting when they were mentioning sadness and tears. I am not going to cry, but I do feel very sad and I try not to watch too often the last video on my Oregon page.

I find writing this last post to be most difficult because I need to summarize the most successful topics and the most useful tools and there were so many of them, so I still don’t know where to start. All the topics covered proved to be very interesting, but if I had to choose I would say websites for enhancing different language skills, alternative assessment, multiple intelligences, PBL, social bookmarking and lessons for the one computer classroom were my favourite.

As I stated before, alternative assessment was something completely new to me and I can’t wait to try out creating various rubrics using Rubistar4teachers again. I was aware of some social bookmarking tools, but I had never used one before. Delicious proved as very useful and I am going to continue with creating ‘delicious’ stacks. I was also familiar with Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, but I never came across so many useful resources at one place and I was grateful for having the opportunity to read about using different technologies for catering the needs of students with different learner styles.

My favourite tools would be Delicious, Rubistar4teachers, Zunal (WebQuest) and my least favourite one was LoTi because it was rather confusing. Of course, there are many web tools just waiting to be explored so I am not sure which one could be covered in the future. Maybe I could suggest Edmodo or other similar free networks for communication and collaboration. Then maybe creating an online CV (DoYouBuzz) or even an e-portofilo, exploring websites for publishing and sharing, tools for surveys and brainstorming (Tricider), digital stories.. I mean, I could go on like this forever but I better stop :)

One of the things I liked best was that this course does not describe the web tools only, but emphasizes the importance of methodology and pedagogy which we should always bear in mind in order not to drown in this ocean of web tools. I also value the experience of writing a project, since I have never written anything similar, using the ABCD model and following the steps provided.

I would also like to thank our mentors Jodi and Celeste, for being professional, helpful and accurate, which I really appreciate. I will definitely use their teaching methods in school and online as well as on some future courses for teachers if I get the chance to pass my knowledge further on.

A big thanks goes to all my classmates as well! It wouldn’t be the same without you! Our discussion and communication were priceless to me and I would really like us to occasionally share ideas regarding the use of technology. You've got my e-mail, so don't hesitate to contact me. I created this image above using all your names and I intend to print it out and keep it as a memory of this wonderful online journey!

Wish you all the best and I am looking forward to meeting you again online and offline!

Marija

P.S. I forgot to mention that I will not continue using this blog actively except to reply if any of you adds a comment or asks me something in the future. The reason is rather emotional: I want to keep this blog as a gem, as a memory of all of you, of the course, its mentors and the participants, of the knowledge I gained and of my learning about Oregon and teaching about Serbia. I am thinking about creating a new blog, although I am already moderating several places on the web, but some of those are in Serbian. Anyway, if I decide to create a blog I will let you know for sure! Meanwhile I’ll be sharing useful resources on our Facebook page.

Week 9

WOW I've done it! I've uploaded my project report! It seems as yesterday I was reading reports from previous course participants and thinking how this mission would be impossible for me. As I stated at one of my first blog posts, I'm not so good at writing long essays, journals or projects. I do have ideas and ways to implement them, but sometimes I am not confident enough if I explained the project process so well. Georgia and Justin have helped me and said I was on the right way which I hope is true. Anyway, besides the project report, the most important thing is that I have finished the project itself successfully and that I am satisfied with the results. What I haven't stated in the report was something that happened just yesterday. One group asked me to prepare one more dance, to describe it and actually perform it by the end of the term and the second group (the one whose video I posted on WebQuest) told me that they are going to be even better for European day of languages celebrated in September and that they plan to collaborate with one boy, my former student, who is good at dancing and they are going to practice on regular basis. I was amazed especially since children don't have enough physical activities these days, but rather spend time playing computer games.

This week has also been my favourite regarding the resources given and the next step is going to be creating a 'delicious' stack of useful links leading to articles on multiple intelligences.

I will miss this course, these people and I will have somehow have to prepare myself for the course ending.

Meanwhile I have to relax and I suggest you do the same.

Week 8

At the beginning of this week I was under a lot of pressure. I had to finish my project draft on time but at the same time I had to finish the project itself. The students are thrilled because they collaborated online and combined English and Music and we can’t wait for their dance performances. I hope I will be able to record it and I would really like to show it to you all their Glogsters and their dance performances. 

Most importantly, they liked the idea of Edmodo and they are excited because they are doing something in a rather unusual way. They have collaborated and did the task as a group which was my main goal at the beginning. They have been working on developing reading and writing skills online and there are listening and speaking skills left to be seen as well as their dancing skills 'offline', which I believe is a real challenge especially for the boys who are usually not so eager to dance.

This week we have been exploring the online resources and experimented with creating online exercises. Although I was familiar with many of the tools suggested I didn’t know there was an option of creating a survey on Google docs, so I spent some time creating one. What I liked was a detailed report I get when somebody answers the questions.

Learning about ANVILL was an interesting experience and during the holidays I will definitely spend more time exploring its possibilities. As I once said, any good web tool which integrates several useful tools and enhances learner autonomy is more than welcome. I liked the idea of organizing a webinar too and I wish we had had at least one more during the course.

I also enjoyed exchanging ideas with Georgia and Justin and I have to say it is a great idea to have a partner when working on a project, because you cannot always be objective enough or sometimes the partner notices something you haven’t.

Getting closer to finishing my draft and somehow I think right now we all need a pump-up video which I am going to post tomorrow on Oregon page.

Week 7

So, here I am, writing a week 7 reflexion on my not so modern and not so blogspot friendly mobile phone. The only thing worse than having no connection is having no computer! My PC has broken down and besides buying a new part I will need a lot of patience and hope that all the data will be restored. Meanwhile, I've been using my mobile for checking my mail and reading the Nicenet discussions. Fortunately, I have already finished all the tasks for week 7. Unfortunately, I lost some precious time for writing a project draft.

Under construction (the image was added after fixing my PC)

Except the problem mentioned, everything else regarding the project goes fine. I would say 90 percent of my students are actively participating and slowly moving towards the end of the tasks given. 10 percent of them still doesn't take the project seriously enough. I would say the reason for this is the fact thay they are not used to using Internet actively for learning purposes. I will try to explain to them again the importance of online collaboration.

What I found exciting was the fact that some parents have showed interest in project and used Edmodo for asking questions and leaving comments.

The only thing that concerns me right now is: Will my students be able to meet the deadline? They are actively discussing, collecting information and they are collaborating which was my very first goal towards developing integrated language skills, but there is still one week to go before I get to see their Glogs and their dance performances.

I would also like to mention that this week we have been reading and discussing about learner autonomy and about one computer options. My classmates have shared some innovative lesson plans and I will definitely note down each lesson plan and try them out during the next term. I would also like to think that my project promotes learner autonomy, but my webskills partner Georgia is the first to judge about that in three days and later on our mentors as well. Lookin forward to week 8 and even more to fixing my computer!

Week 6

As I have mentioned at the beginning of the course, I want to improve collaboration in my class. I want them to collaborate online and offline, inside and outside the classroom and more importantly I want them to get used to this type of work as something usual and regular. If my ‘experiment’ succeeds, I will use the tool I have chosen with my other classes as well. 

Still blurry, but I can see the lights in the distance. 

I have decided to use Edmodo, as something rather new to me, to students and to teachers in Serbia in general. Edmodo promotes collaboration, group work and hopefully PBL and it is a platform which allows for anytime anywhere communication between students. One of the reasons for choosing this platform is an option of sharing files and documents easily. It also reminds me visually of Facebook and my students are already familiar with that social network more than enough, so that could be an advantage. I have already used one of my lessons for introduction and instructions. I have divided my group of 16 students into four groups and assigned the tasks. My project is going to be student-centered as much as possible and the topic is ‘Dances’. I will only give the tips and additional instructions, but they will have to collaborate and rely mostly on themselves as a group and as a class if they want to succeed.

The next phase of the project is going to be done outside of the classroom and it includes online discussion, web search and of course the magic word ‘collaboration.’ Of course, I will be a part of it as I will be monitoring their collaboration.

This week the discussion on Nicenet has been livelier than ever. There have been many interesting suggestions regarding the use of interactive Power Point and many original examples of presentations posted on Wiki and I will probably use at least one interactive presentation during the project.

I have to admit that stepping into the week number 6 has made me a little bit sad, because we are slowly moving towards the end of the course. When I was reading the posts of previous participants who mentioned sadness because of the end of the project, to be honest I thought they were overreacting. However, I think I can understand them much better now.

Oh, I almost forgot. I know you are all very busy, but I invite you all to sing along the song I have posted here and feel free to have a look at other pages, too.

Week 5

This week we have been discussing about PBL. I find PBL highly motivating, even for those usually not interested in learning, especially when combined with technology or something practical. It also promotes teamwork and collaboration; it provokes communication and cooperation and ends with pleasant emotions of pride and satisfaction. As I have once said, there is no greater reward than seeing all of my students being very busy making a robot made of pieces of toys, a paper rocket, a wooden bridge or musical instruments.

(Science Olympiad Project, a robot made of pieces of toys by the 5th-graders. The robot can move, too)


PBL is also perfect for implementing alternative assessment. We have been introduced to Rubistar, a tool that helps the teacher who wants to use rubrics. This useful tool, Rubistar, provides generic rubrics that can be adapted, published or printed and it will certainly help me revolutionize my grading when my students are doing the projects. I have created a rubric on creating a poster for the 7th grade, but I have slightly changed some details, such as points. Using rubrics allows me to mark different aspects of projects, such as creativity, organization and timelines.

We also had an extra task, creating a WebQuest. At first I was a little bit confused by this tool, but then I read the tips on Nicenet and created my very first WebQuest about Strange Instruments. I find this activity very enjoyable and I will definitely use this tool for my future projects.

We have also discussed about our problems regarding the final project and named the tools that could help us in solving the problems. This thread on Nicenet is one my favourite and I will often come back to it in search of useful ideas and tools.

I have to admit that this week has been the most stressful to me, because of my busy schedule, but I gave my best to do all the tasks. The next week I have a two-day school trip, so I have to organize myself the best I can.

Week 4

These three things left an impression on me during the fourth week:

1) Describing issues or problems – It was interesting to read and learn about the problems of other teachers in teaching and compare them to mine. Although I have posted one problem of mine: Collaboration, I actually share most of the problems named in different classes. It will be interesting and of course useful to see at the end of the course how all these problems were solved and try something similar to solve my own. By the way, the problem I wrote about is actually more a challenge to me, than the actual problem, but I hope to find a unique solution not only for one of my classes, but for all the others as well. It is also a piece of a bigger puzzle and while solving the problem of collaboration I will try to improve all the language skills of my students and try to make learning more student-oriented. It will certainly not going to be an easy task, but I have to make the difference, as these boys in the video did!
(Note: duration 5 minutes and you can watch it in full-screen format)

2) Reading/writing skill-building–  This week we have been doing reading, writing and vocabulary skills and my classmates have suggested loads of sites. Not only did I find many of the links on Nicenet useful, but I plan to add them to my Delicious page, too. There is a great variety of authentic material and suggestions to apply in the classroom or outside the classroom. Of course, the next step would be choosing the right websites for my students and incorporating them in teaching.

3) Creating a technology-enhanced lesson plans – This was I guess the most interesting part of the week. I had to make a good technology-enhanced lesson plan and to include the ABCD objective. This task came at perfect moment, since we finally have internet access in the computer lab. I also had the opportunity to read other lesson plans and to see how other teachers use technology, what websites and tools they suggest and what goals they accomplish by introducing technology in teaching.

I am looking forward to the 5^th week and new tasks. Time certainly flies but it seems to  me as we have just started this interactive journey!

And for the end of this reflexion, here’s a funny website which combines reading and drawing. It could maybe even be used as a warm up activity for a lesson on dragons, creatures, fairytales or if you are teaching imperatives: http://www.drawastickman.com/index.htm

Week 3

Most of my classmates called this week’s task a delicious one. It was not a surprise to me since we have used a bookmarking tool called Delicious. I’m one of those people whose list of favourites goes down to the floor and it gets longer every day, so Delicious will be a perfect tool for cleaning up the mess on my computer. Except allowing us to keep our links online, Delicious allows us to create stacks of links,  tag them, share them or keep them private, to follow other users and add their links to our stacks, which will certainly be one of most useful options to me.

We were also given three articles on teaching aural/oral skills. The one I particularly found interesting was  Developing Listening Skills with Authentic Materials by Lindsay Miller. Ms Miller has mentioned different listening activities and different approaches to developing listening skill. She has also mentioned the fact that listening has been a relatively neglected skill and pointed out the importance of movies in English. Lindsay also mentioned in the article that “The authentic lecture discourse contained many false starts, redundancies and repetitions. None of these show up in English language teaching (ELT) textbooks.” The article was first published in 2003, so I have to agree with the author regarding the books published several years or decades ago. However, nowadays, coursebooks tend to have more redundancies, slang and repetitions in order to prepare the learners for the real life situations.

Lindsay has also suggested that getting used to subtitles could be one of the reasons for neglecting the listening skill. However, subtitles were a key point in my English language acquisition, since I have learned English for several years by listening to the music and watching movies. My formal language learning started much later, but my listening and speaking skills were quite well developed for my age. That is why I often suggest watching films and listening to music to my students and I cannot help but wonder how difficult it has to be to learn English in countries where movies are dubbed.

During this week, we have been also asked to examine one of the previous projects and give our opinion about it. The projects were all interesting and they gave me enough clues about what I am expected to do and how the project plan should be presented at the end of the course.

Of course, Nicenet discussions were a great help this week, too and I have learned more thanks to other participants ‘comments than I would if I were to study by myself.

And here is one powerful audio tool that could be used for developing the listening skill: SoundCloud. It lets users upload and share their audio files, not only songs, but more importantly brings a social element by adding commenting and likes to the audio stream. Press play, please and enjoy one of my favourite songs.

Week 2

  This week we have dipped our toes in the ocean of various search engines. I have to say I used to be one of those stubborn people who had used mainly Google, but after revealing this ocean I have started looking at the skill of “searching” from a whole new perspective. The tools our teachers suggested not only help us do a more refined search, but the search engines themselves give us new ideas for our lessons. At first, I was impressed by Biography.com, but when I read the inspiring ideas of my classmates for using other tools, I added many others to my list of favourites. Actually, those ideas that were mentioned during the discussion are priceless and I will certainly use that treasure in the future. And I especially like the idea of making a Search List on Wiki.

The second task we had was related to behavioural objective using the ABCD model. At first, I was a bit confused, so I patiently read the other examples and they really helped me come up with my own objective. By the way, in my country, when we write a lesson plan, we are supposed to create three objectives: educational, pedagogical and functional and these three always demand serious thinking,.

The second week seemed to me more hectic than the previous one, but very fruitful.  I have also described one of my classes and learned a lot about the classes of other teachers. I have read the additional resources and found Twurdy very convenient. It was also interesting to read each other's comments on Nicenet. Our teachers did have a lot of work this week, replying to our posts, giving advice, encouraging us and suggesting new approaches. 

A Blog Roll Permission

I have created a blog roll on the right side of my blog. At first I started adding your blogs, but then I thought some of you maybe wouldn't like the idea of sharing your blog here, so I removed them for the time being.

Now, I just wanted to ask for your permission to share your blog on my blog roll. If you agree, please post a comment below this post. If you don't agree, I understand. Jodi has already agreed about her blog, so hers is still there. As for mine, feel free to share it on your own blog roll if you decide to have one.

Thank you and have a nice weekend!

Marija

p.s. This weekend we celebrate Easter (Orthodox Christians use a different calendar), so lots of good food (yummy) and family gatherings.