It feels so sad having to come to the end of this course which has been a good companion for the last tent weeks. But this is life; everything has to come to an end.
This week has not been so heavy as some of the last few weeks. We discussed two topics this week; integrating technology and the different learning styles and the advice we could extend to any future participants in the course.
The discussion on the firs topic was illuminating as it touch on the practical applications of matching learning styles with the integration of technology. Specific examples were mentioned and discussed.
I also offered some pieces of advice to the future participants in this course. The main advice was to post as early as possible so that one can get enough and good feedback from the instructor and the other participants. The other advice was to manage the time well so that enough time is given for reading , posting, and responding to the other participants' comments and views.
The course overall has been wonderful. I learnt many things about the potential the internet holds for an English language teacher. I learned some practical things which I have already started using such as developing a course website, a blog, and the tremendous materials on the internet.
Thank you very much Robert for being such a wonderful instructor. Thank you Oregon Sate University for giving us this opportunity to learn about the use of technology in ELT. Thank you very much all my classmates for being very sweet and very cooperative.
See you soon everyone.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Week 9: Technology and Learning Styles The most significant thing this week was the submission of the final draft of the Course Project. My topic for this project was on creating a course website. There were two topics for discussion this week; learning styles and technology and "Meet the FORUM editors". Frankly, the discussion on "FORUM" was not very useful. It was just limited to questions and answers about the magazine. I knew about this magazine two years ago. The only new thing I learned from this discussion was that FORUM is available online for free. The discussion on learning styles and technology was very useful though. It reminded me of the different learning styles people have. There are two approaches to learning styles; Kolb's classification and Gardner's. I am still not sure whether the two refer to the same thing or that the latter is an improvement over the earlier. However, it was very useful to read different opinions about the way the teacher can link the use of technology to this approach in teaching/learning. Specific examples were mentioned and that is what the discussion should be about. It is generally accepted that a person does not have only one learning style. In fact, it is a matter of preference or dominance that makes us say that X has this learning style/intelligence or that. Since the class will have students with different learning styles or intelligences, the teacher should vary his/her techniques and tasks in the same class or over the different classes so that he/she caters to the different learning styles of the students. In one class the teacher can design tasks and activities for two to three learning styles and in the next class other learning styles and so on. I feel sad that the course is about to end. It has become part of my daily life and I think I will feel I am missing something. This is life though and everything has to come to an end. However, I really wish, as I Naqib suggested on the social thread that the members of this course find a way to keep in touch with each other either through a yahoo or facebook group. See you soon then.
The most significant thing this week was the submission of the final draft of the Course Project. My topic for this project was on creating a course website.
There were two topics for discussion this week; learning styles and technology and "Meet the FORUM editors". Frankly, the discussion on "FORUM" was not very useful. It was just limited to questions and answers about the magazine. I knew about this magazine two years ago. The only new thing I learned from this discussion was that FORUM is available online for free.
The discussion on learning styles and technology was very useful though. It reminded me of the different learning styles people have. There are two approaches to learning styles; Kolb's classification and Gardner's. I am still not sure whether the two refer to the same thing or that the latter is an improvement over the earlier. However, it was very useful to read different opinions about the way the teacher can link the use of technology to this approach in teaching/learning. Specific examples were mentioned and that is what the discussion should be about. It is generally accepted that a person does not have only one learning style. In fact, it is a matter of preference or dominance that makes us say that X has this learning style/intelligence or that. Since the class will have students with different learning styles or intelligences, the teacher should vary his/her techniques and tasks in the same class or over the different classes so that he/she caters to the different learning styles of the students. In one class the teacher can design tasks and activities for two to three learning styles and in the next class other learning styles and so on.
I feel sad that the course is about to end. It has become part of my daily life and I think I will feel I am missing something. This is life though and everything has to come to an end. However, I really wish, as I Naqib suggested on the social thread that the members of this course find a way to keep in touch with each other either through a yahoo or facebook group.
See you soon then.
There were two topics for discussion this week; learning styles and technology and "Meet the FORUM editors". Frankly, the discussion on "FORUM" was not very useful. It was just limited to questions and answers about the magazine. I knew about this magazine two years ago. The only new thing I learned from this discussion was that FORUM is available online for free.
The discussion on learning styles and technology was very useful though. It reminded me of the different learning styles people have. There are two approaches to learning styles; Kolb's classification and Gardner's. I am still not sure whether the two refer to the same thing or that the latter is an improvement over the earlier. However, it was very useful to read different opinions about the way the teacher can link the use of technology to this approach in teaching/learning. Specific examples were mentioned and that is what the discussion should be about. It is generally accepted that a person does not have only one learning style. In fact, it is a matter of preference or dominance that makes us say that X has this learning style/intelligence or that. Since the class will have students with different learning styles or intelligences, the teacher should vary his/her techniques and tasks in the same class or over the different classes so that he/she caters to the different learning styles of the students. In one class the teacher can design tasks and activities for two to three learning styles and in the next class other learning styles and so on.
I feel sad that the course is about to end. It has become part of my daily life and I think I will feel I am missing something. This is life though and everything has to come to an end. However, I really wish, as I Naqib suggested on the social thread that the members of this course find a way to keep in touch with each other either through a yahoo or facebook group.
See you soon then.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Week 8: Real Work with Technology
This week, like the other weeks, has been very educative. One thing I felt was different this week is the real sense of achievement I felt when I managed to create a course website using ANVIL.
ANVIL is what I was looking for because I have been thinking of having a course website to supplement the face-to-face teaching in the classroom. Such tool no doubt will help me offer a better course. It will allow me to send the students more materials and allow them to discuss things using the class forum. It will also nurture self-autonomy as the students will be responsible for accessing the materials, reading them, participating in the discussion on the class forum and carry out the assignments/ quizzes they are asked to do. Compared to the other internet tools such as google sites or Nicenet, I found this much more superior because it has all the good features of these other websites. This was the task of the week
I also shared the plan for my final project with my partner Mr. Faisal Al-Hakem and sent him a review of his plan. Peer review is an excellent idea that allows the participants to look at each other's work and saves the teacher a lot of work.
I also made two posts on "Teaching with Online Tools". The discussion on using facebook and other social media was very interesting. Yes using these tools promote learners' autonomy and give them an opportunity to work at their convenient pace. There could be some constraints that would make it difficult to use these tools such as the skills of the students in using the computer and surfing the internet and there could be some basic constraints such as the availability of internet access to the learners. Such constraints need hard work to overcome and a plan need to be developed to this effect. I am working on one right now.
I don't want to forget extending heartfelt gratitude to Jeff for the wonderful ANVIL tool and his constructive feedback on my course website.
Looking forward to having another week of technology.
ANVIL is what I was looking for because I have been thinking of having a course website to supplement the face-to-face teaching in the classroom. Such tool no doubt will help me offer a better course. It will allow me to send the students more materials and allow them to discuss things using the class forum. It will also nurture self-autonomy as the students will be responsible for accessing the materials, reading them, participating in the discussion on the class forum and carry out the assignments/ quizzes they are asked to do. Compared to the other internet tools such as google sites or Nicenet, I found this much more superior because it has all the good features of these other websites. This was the task of the week
I also shared the plan for my final project with my partner Mr. Faisal Al-Hakem and sent him a review of his plan. Peer review is an excellent idea that allows the participants to look at each other's work and saves the teacher a lot of work.
I also made two posts on "Teaching with Online Tools". The discussion on using facebook and other social media was very interesting. Yes using these tools promote learners' autonomy and give them an opportunity to work at their convenient pace. There could be some constraints that would make it difficult to use these tools such as the skills of the students in using the computer and surfing the internet and there could be some basic constraints such as the availability of internet access to the learners. Such constraints need hard work to overcome and a plan need to be developed to this effect. I am working on one right now.
I don't want to forget extending heartfelt gratitude to Jeff for the wonderful ANVIL tool and his constructive feedback on my course website.
Looking forward to having another week of technology.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Week 7: Practical Ideas
The first thing I like most about this way is the idea of a "one-computer class". Yes, this is what I am talking about. In our countries talking about using high tech tools in teaching is simply wishful thinking. We face so many practical problems and obstacles with the most basic needs. Therefore, I found the ideas of how to work with one computer absolutely useful. This is real creativity. We really need to be creative within our given context.
The readings on learner's autonomy are very useful. The discussion on learner's autonomy is also useful. Good ideas have come out of this discussion of how the participants feel they con go about doing it. The net result of the discussion is that learner's autonomy is a process not simply a product. Moreover, this should be a top priority for the teachers as learner's autonomy is not simply a learning skill; it is a life-long skill.
The task of the week was to produce a lesson plan based on the use of one computer. I also like this very much because this helps us in producing good lessons with very limited resources (one computer).
The project step of this week was signing up with a partner and I have signed up with Faisal.
The readings on learner's autonomy are very useful. The discussion on learner's autonomy is also useful. Good ideas have come out of this discussion of how the participants feel they con go about doing it. The net result of the discussion is that learner's autonomy is a process not simply a product. Moreover, this should be a top priority for the teachers as learner's autonomy is not simply a learning skill; it is a life-long skill.
The task of the week was to produce a lesson plan based on the use of one computer. I also like this very much because this helps us in producing good lessons with very limited resources (one computer).
The project step of this week was signing up with a partner and I have signed up with Faisal.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Week 6: Teaching Large Classes and Interactive Power Point Presentations
The discussion in this week revolved around two topics: techniques for engaging students in large classes and power point presentations.
The main points that I got out from the discussion on "engaging the students" the following techniques:
1. Pair work and group work
2. think-pair-share
3. ConceptTests and Quick-thinks
4. Priming
5. webQuests
6. Project-based learning
7. class forums/websites
8. use of technology (PP presentations)
I suggested that the participants in this class who teach large classes can start a special forum in which they brainstorm for solutions to their problems.
In the discussion on "Power Point Presentations", we talked about the use of PP presentations and how one can make them interactive based on our reading of the materials sent by the class instructor. The most important point that came out of this discussion is that it is about the presenter more than about the presentation. Making a presentation interactive means involving the students in it by incorporating activities, questions, quick tests, blank slides for time for reflection, good design and interesting graphics.
I also created a PP presentation on "parallel Structures" in technical writing and shared it on the class wiki.
In a nutshell, it's been again another busy week and useful one indeed.
The main points that I got out from the discussion on "engaging the students" the following techniques:
1. Pair work and group work
2. think-pair-share
3. ConceptTests and Quick-thinks
4. Priming
5. webQuests
6. Project-based learning
7. class forums/websites
8. use of technology (PP presentations)
I suggested that the participants in this class who teach large classes can start a special forum in which they brainstorm for solutions to their problems.
In the discussion on "Power Point Presentations", we talked about the use of PP presentations and how one can make them interactive based on our reading of the materials sent by the class instructor. The most important point that came out of this discussion is that it is about the presenter more than about the presentation. Making a presentation interactive means involving the students in it by incorporating activities, questions, quick tests, blank slides for time for reflection, good design and interesting graphics.
I also created a PP presentation on "parallel Structures" in technical writing and shared it on the class wiki.
In a nutshell, it's been again another busy week and useful one indeed.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Week 5: Old concepts in a new light!!
The focus of this week's discussion was the following points:
1. PBL and Technology
2. Rubrics
3. WebQuests
4. Project – Step # 3: Technology-related change
I had an idea about PBL and Rubrics before this and I have been using them every now and then. However, WebQuests is new thing for me. WebQuests are one of the technology-related tools that can be used with PBL. They no doubt give it a special flavor and a new way of doing projects. The difference between WebQuests and traditional PBL is that gathering the information is done now from the internet mainly. The ready-made formats available on some websites can save the teacher a lot of time and effort. WebQuests can be developed and given to the students in a hard-copy form or posted on the internet as a webpage on one of the websites that offer this service for free.
Similarly, I knew about rubrics before. The new thing I learned about them this week is that one can get help from some websites specialized in this area. Sometimes you can get a completely ready-to-use rubrics. This again takes off the shoulder of the teacher a lot of burden and saves him/her a lot of time. However, most of the time, the teacher needs to be judicious and needs to adapt the available ready-to-use rubrics to his/her purpose.
Rubrics help the teacher in evaluating his/her students' work objectively and systematically instead of leaving it for his/her overall impression of the work. Students here can not claim any more that the teacher has under-evaluated their work.
Rubrics also help guide the teacher as well as the students throughout the process especially when these rubrics are shared with the students beforehand, something I strongly believe in; the students need to know how they will be evaluated and thus the teacher needs to develop the rubrics pertaining to a specific task and share it with the students before they actually embark on doing that task.
Finally, I shared the first thing I would do to effect a technology-related change in my situation. I got some sympathy from some of my course colleagues!!! The comforting thing is that I am not alone in this. Needless to say that I will try my best to bring about this change. All I need is patience and dedication. Change is always difficult but taking it piecemeal one can do it.
1. PBL and Technology
2. Rubrics
3. WebQuests
4. Project – Step # 3: Technology-related change
I had an idea about PBL and Rubrics before this and I have been using them every now and then. However, WebQuests is new thing for me. WebQuests are one of the technology-related tools that can be used with PBL. They no doubt give it a special flavor and a new way of doing projects. The difference between WebQuests and traditional PBL is that gathering the information is done now from the internet mainly. The ready-made formats available on some websites can save the teacher a lot of time and effort. WebQuests can be developed and given to the students in a hard-copy form or posted on the internet as a webpage on one of the websites that offer this service for free.
Similarly, I knew about rubrics before. The new thing I learned about them this week is that one can get help from some websites specialized in this area. Sometimes you can get a completely ready-to-use rubrics. This again takes off the shoulder of the teacher a lot of burden and saves him/her a lot of time. However, most of the time, the teacher needs to be judicious and needs to adapt the available ready-to-use rubrics to his/her purpose.
Rubrics help the teacher in evaluating his/her students' work objectively and systematically instead of leaving it for his/her overall impression of the work. Students here can not claim any more that the teacher has under-evaluated their work.
Rubrics also help guide the teacher as well as the students throughout the process especially when these rubrics are shared with the students beforehand, something I strongly believe in; the students need to know how they will be evaluated and thus the teacher needs to develop the rubrics pertaining to a specific task and share it with the students before they actually embark on doing that task.
Finally, I shared the first thing I would do to effect a technology-related change in my situation. I got some sympathy from some of my course colleagues!!! The comforting thing is that I am not alone in this. Needless to say that I will try my best to bring about this change. All I need is patience and dedication. Change is always difficult but taking it piecemeal one can do it.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Week 4: Reading / Writing
Another hectic week! Honestly I did not expect online courses to be this hectic. Anyways, this week the focus of discussion has been on the reading and writing skills and the use of technology in teaching them. We had a discussion based on reading materials on the use of technology in teaching these two skills, wrote a technology-enhanced lesson plan, and were asked to think about issues and concerns that face the integration of technology into our teaching.
The materials were very useful in suggesting some practical tips on how to use technology in teaching reading and writing. There was also reference to online resources and other reading materials on the issue.
Robert made excellent comments on the lesson plans we posted and this made those lesson plans much better.
Many colleagues mentioned other websites on reading and writing, in addition to those suggested by Robert in the beginning of the week.
Overall, we seem to share the same problems, concerns, and situations in English language teaching across the world, although some degree of variation also exists.
Thus, I learned this week how to write a technology-enhanced lesson plan and came to know about many websites to which I can refer for materials and resources especially on reading, vocabulary, and writing. Like in the other previous three weeks, the sharing of ideas and experiences has been invaluable for me, and I am sure for the others, too. Reading and commenting on Faisal's blog was one of the things I did this week.
The materials were very useful in suggesting some practical tips on how to use technology in teaching reading and writing. There was also reference to online resources and other reading materials on the issue.
Robert made excellent comments on the lesson plans we posted and this made those lesson plans much better.
Many colleagues mentioned other websites on reading and writing, in addition to those suggested by Robert in the beginning of the week.
Overall, we seem to share the same problems, concerns, and situations in English language teaching across the world, although some degree of variation also exists.
Thus, I learned this week how to write a technology-enhanced lesson plan and came to know about many websites to which I can refer for materials and resources especially on reading, vocabulary, and writing. Like in the other previous three weeks, the sharing of ideas and experiences has been invaluable for me, and I am sure for the others, too. Reading and commenting on Faisal's blog was one of the things I did this week.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Week 3: Oral/aural Skills
Week 3: Oral/aural Skills
Another very hectic week for me, having to do three readings, start a delicious page and add favorite web pages on it, visit the websites suggested by Robert on teaching speaking and listening, and participate in the discussion on these websites and oral/aural skills readings.
I found the discussion on the oral/aural skills websites very useful as I came to know about many websites that offer free resources on these two skills. I added, most of, if not all, these websites to my delicious page. I still hope that we will have a comprehensive list of these website on the Wiki Robert created for this purpose. This is an invaluable gain this week no doubt as this list will form a storehouse for me whenever I need to get some teaching materials and to recommend to my students for further practice, interaction, and self-study.
From the discussion sub-threads, I cam to know about many more websites and resources and I learnt about podcasts.
In a nutshell I came to know about the various ways in which the computer and the internet that can be incorporated into language teaching. The question I mentioned in one of my posts remains how can I make the best out of these available resources in my highly restricted environment. Change can be made and being aware of the possible alternatives is the first step towards effecting this change. With more thinking and hard work, I am sure these things can be optimally used in my teaching-learning situation.
I also visited Leena's blog and Aveka, read their reflections and left a comment for them.
Another very hectic week for me, having to do three readings, start a delicious page and add favorite web pages on it, visit the websites suggested by Robert on teaching speaking and listening, and participate in the discussion on these websites and oral/aural skills readings.
I found the discussion on the oral/aural skills websites very useful as I came to know about many websites that offer free resources on these two skills. I added, most of, if not all, these websites to my delicious page. I still hope that we will have a comprehensive list of these website on the Wiki Robert created for this purpose. This is an invaluable gain this week no doubt as this list will form a storehouse for me whenever I need to get some teaching materials and to recommend to my students for further practice, interaction, and self-study.
From the discussion sub-threads, I cam to know about many more websites and resources and I learnt about podcasts.
In a nutshell I came to know about the various ways in which the computer and the internet that can be incorporated into language teaching. The question I mentioned in one of my posts remains how can I make the best out of these available resources in my highly restricted environment. Change can be made and being aware of the possible alternatives is the first step towards effecting this change. With more thinking and hard work, I am sure these things can be optimally used in my teaching-learning situation.
I also visited Leena's blog and Aveka, read their reflections and left a comment for them.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Week - 2: What a hectic week it's been!!!
Week two of the web skills course has been really hectic for me. For this week we had to post on three different things and keep up with the discussion in each. Overall, I found the experience very rewarding and educative.
For starters, the discussion on web search has been extremely useful and loaded with lots of new information for me. I learned about many new web search engines and also learned that there are websites that list web search engines for different fields: Metacrawler mentioned by Mbarek and http://www.thesearchenginelist.com/ suggested by Khoin Mai. The learning was not only beneficial for me. My daughters found the askkids.com suggested by Leena very interesting and educative. To keep the wealth that resulted from this discussion, I kept a record of all the websites that figured out in the discussion and a short description of what each website is about against each one.
I also found the discussion on ABCD objectives very useful. It reminded me of how important to be clear about one's objective in every session of teaching and the importance of letting the students know about the objective(s) they have to achieve. This is an invaluable teaching-learning concept/tool. Formualting an ABCD objective for every session, topic, task …etc. is very important and useful for both the teacher and the learners. It does not only guarantee the desired result of the learning-teaching process but also guides the teacher and the learners throughout the process, saves them time and effort, and gives them a feedback eventually about how successful they have been in achieving what they are supposed to do.
Finally, posting on the "Project-step 1" was quite uncomfortable for me as it reminded me of the harsh reality I have to face every time I think of incorporating technology into my teaching. However, I was comforted by Angela and Palwasha who mentioned that they have a similar situation. Together we can think of how to make the best of a given situation. This is really the topic that has been occupying my mind for a long time. What we need as teachers of English as a foreign/second language is to think about teaching methods and techniques that work for us in our situations, not the ones developed by people in the west whose situation is quite different from ours. The thing I find surprising is that most of the theoretical literature on English language teaching methods and techniques is written by people from Britain or America based on their experiences in their own countries. What we need is to think about English language teaching within our contexts and try to think of solutions that work for us in our situations.
It was also very interesting for me to read about the various teaching-learning situations of the participants in this course. The situations seemed very diverse on the surface but, underlyingly, I found that we face more or less the same problems, that we teach more or less similar age groups, and that we are all working towards achieving the same objectives.
To sum up, it's been a very hectic week but a very informative one. Thank you every body for making this learning experience very special.
For starters, the discussion on web search has been extremely useful and loaded with lots of new information for me. I learned about many new web search engines and also learned that there are websites that list web search engines for different fields: Metacrawler mentioned by Mbarek and http://www.thesearchenginelist.com/ suggested by Khoin Mai. The learning was not only beneficial for me. My daughters found the askkids.com suggested by Leena very interesting and educative. To keep the wealth that resulted from this discussion, I kept a record of all the websites that figured out in the discussion and a short description of what each website is about against each one.
I also found the discussion on ABCD objectives very useful. It reminded me of how important to be clear about one's objective in every session of teaching and the importance of letting the students know about the objective(s) they have to achieve. This is an invaluable teaching-learning concept/tool. Formualting an ABCD objective for every session, topic, task …etc. is very important and useful for both the teacher and the learners. It does not only guarantee the desired result of the learning-teaching process but also guides the teacher and the learners throughout the process, saves them time and effort, and gives them a feedback eventually about how successful they have been in achieving what they are supposed to do.
Finally, posting on the "Project-step 1" was quite uncomfortable for me as it reminded me of the harsh reality I have to face every time I think of incorporating technology into my teaching. However, I was comforted by Angela and Palwasha who mentioned that they have a similar situation. Together we can think of how to make the best of a given situation. This is really the topic that has been occupying my mind for a long time. What we need as teachers of English as a foreign/second language is to think about teaching methods and techniques that work for us in our situations, not the ones developed by people in the west whose situation is quite different from ours. The thing I find surprising is that most of the theoretical literature on English language teaching methods and techniques is written by people from Britain or America based on their experiences in their own countries. What we need is to think about English language teaching within our contexts and try to think of solutions that work for us in our situations.
It was also very interesting for me to read about the various teaching-learning situations of the participants in this course. The situations seemed very diverse on the surface but, underlyingly, I found that we face more or less the same problems, that we teach more or less similar age groups, and that we are all working towards achieving the same objectives.
To sum up, it's been a very hectic week but a very informative one. Thank you every body for making this learning experience very special.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Week 1 - A week in Retrospect!!
As the first week of the "Building Teachers Skills through the Interactive Web" course comes to an end, I find that I have already started getting a lot from this course.
First, I learned about new internet tools that could help me in my teaching. I never knew before about Nicenet. I also came to know what a class Wiki is, the guidelines for the online discussions we will have, and the rubrics by which our discussion and work in this course will be evaluated. But probably, the most interesting thing I have learned so far is using Blogging for language teaching purposes. A word of credit is due to the people of Google who have made lots of amazing and useful internet services, in almost every aspect of life one can think of, available to the public for free. A very big thank you Google!
As I mentioned in my comment on the Class discussion board on Nicenet, when I started my personal blog around a year and a half ago, I was thinking of it more of a personal space where I can express my thoughts (political ones!!!) and share them with others. Ever since I created the Blog, I never really used it.
When Robert asked us to start a blog, I remembered I had one already. I looked it up and started using it again, but this time as a reflective page on my learning in this course and on my job as a language teacher-learner.
Second, at the social level, this course, during its first week, has introduced me to people from almost all over the World. I have already started having personal contact with some of them through visiting their blogs and commenting on their posts. Umesha, Aysel, and Faisal were my first hosts. I plan to do more of this in the coming weeks. I believe, being part of this amazingly diverse group, both in culture and in teaching experience, will benefit me a lot. I love learning from others' experience and , for me, experience is the best teacher, rather than "a hard teacher" as Tharanga Weerasooriya, one of the members of this Class, believes. I came to know a Yemeni participant through this course, whom I might have never known hadn't I been in this course.
I have already started thinking of starting a special blog for my class, like that of 'Bee Online' http://beeonline.blogspot.com/, mentioned in one of the documents of this Class "Blogging for ELT". Unfortunately, the fist semester final exams are starting in a week's time and the students will be very busy with that. Therefore, I have to postpone the actual inauguration of the "Class Blog" till beginning of March when my students join their second semester. I am sure this will be the buzz of the college as things like these are not known in our setting here. The students will like it very much because this tool will give them the chance to keep in touch with me even after the class and it will be a change for them. I am sure in the next few weeks I will learn even more about the potentials of using blogging in language teaching.
Thank you very much Robert, our wonderful course instructor, for the great start. You have been very friendly, helpful, and patient with us. It's an honor to have a teacher like you. Thank you also dear classmates for the enthusiastic start and the wonderful ideas you have been sharing with me and the rest of the class.
I can't wait to start the second week of the course, knowing that it will bring many new and useful things with it!
See you Monday, everyone. Till then, have a wonderful time.
First, I learned about new internet tools that could help me in my teaching. I never knew before about Nicenet. I also came to know what a class Wiki is, the guidelines for the online discussions we will have, and the rubrics by which our discussion and work in this course will be evaluated. But probably, the most interesting thing I have learned so far is using Blogging for language teaching purposes. A word of credit is due to the people of Google who have made lots of amazing and useful internet services, in almost every aspect of life one can think of, available to the public for free. A very big thank you Google!
As I mentioned in my comment on the Class discussion board on Nicenet, when I started my personal blog around a year and a half ago, I was thinking of it more of a personal space where I can express my thoughts (political ones!!!) and share them with others. Ever since I created the Blog, I never really used it.
When Robert asked us to start a blog, I remembered I had one already. I looked it up and started using it again, but this time as a reflective page on my learning in this course and on my job as a language teacher-learner.
Second, at the social level, this course, during its first week, has introduced me to people from almost all over the World. I have already started having personal contact with some of them through visiting their blogs and commenting on their posts. Umesha, Aysel, and Faisal were my first hosts. I plan to do more of this in the coming weeks. I believe, being part of this amazingly diverse group, both in culture and in teaching experience, will benefit me a lot. I love learning from others' experience and , for me, experience is the best teacher, rather than "a hard teacher" as Tharanga Weerasooriya, one of the members of this Class, believes. I came to know a Yemeni participant through this course, whom I might have never known hadn't I been in this course.
I have already started thinking of starting a special blog for my class, like that of 'Bee Online' http://beeonline.blogspot.com/, mentioned in one of the documents of this Class "Blogging for ELT". Unfortunately, the fist semester final exams are starting in a week's time and the students will be very busy with that. Therefore, I have to postpone the actual inauguration of the "Class Blog" till beginning of March when my students join their second semester. I am sure this will be the buzz of the college as things like these are not known in our setting here. The students will like it very much because this tool will give them the chance to keep in touch with me even after the class and it will be a change for them. I am sure in the next few weeks I will learn even more about the potentials of using blogging in language teaching.
Thank you very much Robert, our wonderful course instructor, for the great start. You have been very friendly, helpful, and patient with us. It's an honor to have a teacher like you. Thank you also dear classmates for the enthusiastic start and the wonderful ideas you have been sharing with me and the rest of the class.
I can't wait to start the second week of the course, knowing that it will bring many new and useful things with it!
See you Monday, everyone. Till then, have a wonderful time.
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