Week 8 Reflective Blog

Hi everyone I have been very busy during this week with my project report. Although I tried my best to keep notes and reflection on what I did and what my students had been doing, I was extremely tired by the end of week 7 to manage to complete writing the report. After that I started exploring a number of web Sites to decide upon a technology tool that I could use with one of my different classes. I was amazed by the huge number of Web Sites and links that are available online, but I had no idea about them before. I laughed at myself when I created a Cross Puzzle Game to revise vocabulary. I did not know before how it is easy and possible to create games after adding input and then press the button' make it' and I can find a nice, beautiful and challenging activity for my students. I used to teach in a traditional way, the textbook, the black board and a piece of chalk. Even when I started to use Power Point presentations I did not make use of them to the extent that they add something new to my learners. During this course I was exposed to many new technology tools . This helped me to increase confidence on my self that I can do search , explore, and browse endless Web Sites for the sake of my learners. I teach different levels, at the MA level I teach 'Current Trends in Language Teaching', I intend to support my students in this course with ideas of how to design technology tools from available online resources: class sites, web sites, wiki, and could also start by creating their Delicious pages as I did with a different group before. Issues on Power Point presentations will be great to MA (ELT) students . I have already started saving sources and articles from this course to use in teaching and exploring ideas. I really feel sad as the course is due to end. But what Rosmery said is great that we should keep in touch after the course ends. Sources during this week: http://www.toolsforeducators.com/ Title: Tools for educators http://www.toolsforeducators.com/spelling/ Title: Spelling and Reading http://www.fun2write.com/colours.shtml?gclid=CPa2g-b1rrcCFSbHtAod1igAag Title:Fun2 write .com http://www.toolsforeducators.com/boardgames/ http://www.toolsforeducators.com/boardgames/boardgame.php http://www.toolsforeducators.com/boardgames/plural2.php http://quizlet.com/ http://quizlet.com/subject/english/ https://vimeo.com/43225288 http://quizlet.com/languages-and-vocab/ http://www.crosswordpuzzlegames.com/create.html http://www.crosswordpuzzlegames.com/cryptomaker.html

Week 7 Reflective Blog

Hi Everyone This week I want to reflect on my project. This is the third week since I have started working on this project. There was significant increase in learners’ motivation. By the end of the second week, almost all the students joined the group and started posting their tasks. I did not make up my mind at that time about rubric. I wanted to motivate them to join the group, get used to make posts, edit them and tell them later about rubric for correction. From the beginning of the third week I started to drag their attention to the importance of making corrections to their mistakes. I encouraged them to edit their own work by themselves and to help each other in peer correction. I told them if a student corrects him/her self by himself/herself, he/she will get one extra mark. And if a student helps another student, he/she will also get extra mark. Now after completing this post I will check my students’ response.Then I will send them the rubric to correct their own work and their colleagues' too. Thanks Nada

Week 6 Reflective Blog

Since last Wednesday, I have started implementing my technology tool with my students. As I mentioned before, they are at college and this is the first time for them to use a technology tool to enhance teaching and learning processes. So, a week before last Wednesday I started preparing them by asking different , but focused questions. When I asked them about what they know about technology tools, they told me about Facebook,YouTube, and mobile phone. Three of them expressed their desires and delivered three amazing presentations about the use of cell phones to develop English language skills,but in Arabic. Their level of English does not help them to present in English. I encouraged them and appreciated their contribution. The following lectures when I told them about the aim behind choosing blog to develop their writing skills,the idea was then clear for them. I created the blog, but up to the moment only two students joined and posted exercises to the blog. It is not a bad start, we only started last Wednesday, so I hope by the coming Wednesday the majority will join us. Thanks Nada

Week5 Reflective Blog

Hi Everyone Week 5 Reflective Blog This week I did many great and amazing tasks. I will start by creating a Web Quest. This is because the idea is new for me. Now I have many technology tools that I can choose according to students’ different levels and different situations. I browsed a number of links from the extra activity tasks: First I started by exploring the meanings and functions behind creating Web Quests in ELT: http://zunal.com/zunal-help/help-about-whatiswebquest.php I discovered that Web Quests are interesting and motivating to teachers and students.They develop critical thinking skills.Students learn as they search for information using the Web, following a prescribed format that focuses on problem solving and authentic assessment. They ask them to analyze a variety of resources and use their creativity and critical-thinking skills to solve a problem. They help students analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information. There are two kinds of Web Quests: short term and long term. They can also work off line (Dodge) Alternative kinds of assessment can be used to judge the results of Web Quest projects. I can use, for example, my rubric for letter writing to assess my students’ work on the Web Quest. Web Quests are tools, not educational theories. So they can be used in virtually any classroom with appropriate computer access. I watched Videos on Web Quests at http://www.webquest.org/search/index.php Examples at : http://questgarden.com/ Then I browsed Essential parts of a Web Quest at http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/webquests/index_sub3.html I created my Web Quest for my students to combine it with a blog. I will use both of them as educational tools in my class project for the coming weeks. The URL for the Web Quest is : http://zunal.com/webquest.php?w=195924 For rubrics, I started by Rubri Star that shows us how to create quality rubrics for our students at http://rubistar.4teachers.org/ I chose writing as a theme I created my own rubric for an elementary class-Letter-Writing I saved my rubric online on database of Rubri Star The URL is http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php?ts=1367417353 My rubric ID # is: 2318148 Then I surfed other links to make rubrics more interactive at http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php?screen=Waypoint&module=Rubistar Then I browsed way point http://waypointoutcomes.com/get-started/rubric-library It takes from minutes to months to create a rubric. Rubrics should be authentic. http://rubriclibrary.com/ I found recent example of rubrics . Critical writing assessment : URL: http://rubriclibrary.com/assessment-methodologies/course-embedded-assessment/critical-writing-assessment/ http://waypointoutcomes.com/screenshots/rubriclibrary/spotlight/critical_writing_assessment_w.jpg and more information at http://health.usf.edu/publichealth/eta/Rubric_Tutorial/default.htm I read the article: ‘Creating a Rubric: Tutorial’ URL for an example rubric for oral discussion: http://health.usf.edu/publichealth/eta/Rubric_Tutorial/documents/dimensions_online_Discussion.pdf Rubrics are essential teaching tools that we as teachers can regularly use with our students as alternative way for deep critical assessment. For PBL I had great ideas from the following links http://www.ncsall.net/index.html@id=385.html Title: Less teaching and more learning by Susan Gaer. The expression ‘Making meaning , making change’ is very deep and useful. The themes of cook, folktales( a way to preserve culture), help students to learn a language for purpose, developing sense of community help and foster motivation. This is very useful in areas of multiculturalism in which English is used as a second language or as foreign language. More and extra links at http://pbl-online.org/ Here I had ideas about how to design a project with my students. URL: http://pbl-online.org/pathway2.html I downloaded a project planning form in word The PBL modules are based on The Project Based Learning Handbook, published by the Buck Institute for Education. You may browse the contents of the Handbook at http://www.bie.org/index.php/site/PBL/pbl_handbook_introduction/. I watched a video from Singapore, a project authorized by the National Ministry of Education lasted for six months .It enhances critical thinking, students self directed learning, teachers as facilitators, they do not teach, but help learners to do their tasks and develop their skills. Then I browsed an example : http://www.edutopia.org/new-technologies-link-ancient-cultures title ‘ learning matters’ New Technologies Link Ancient Cultures Then I browsed : for an example of a school sharing at Hawaii, what works in public education http://www.edutopia.org/classrooms-without-boundaries URL for Practical Ideas on Alternative Assessment: http://www.cal.org/resources/digest/tannen01.html I browsed Practical Ideas On Alternative Assessment For ESL Students Jo-Ellen Tannenbaum, Montgomery County Public Schools (MD) The main goal is to "gather evidence about how students are approaching, processing, and completing real-life tasks in a particular domain" (Huerta-Macias, 1995, p. 9) OH, what I did was great. Now I have feelings that with minimum teaching I can achieve maximum learning. By using different , combined, and easy educational and technology tools I can facilitate teaching. My students can learn by themselves, they can make use of all the facilities available for them in the Internet, with my help, to use language in contexts. Now we are helping our students to be creative, critical thinkers, autonomous and self-directed learners. Thanks Donna very much for your help. Nada