Step 5 :)

This time we have to conclude all what we have done so far. I think that from the beginning it has been difficult but step but step everything was getting easier. Not because at first we didn't know what to do but because of the fact that we were confused and didn't have a clear plan. After some time we were able to identify our goals, what students need and how we were going to explain to them. It was I magnificent experience to be in front of my friends and to explain to them. I don't want to repeat myself about the media that I have used during my project. I used only what I thought it will be good and help me to present it. So I want to thank also all the students that participated and are participating during all the presentation. All of as has a clear goal: To became great teachers 

And here are our first steps toward a long journey.I am enjoying my time in these presentations.

Hope all of you have a great weekend :)

Step 4 and we have done it :)

Good evening everyone :) How are you doing?
As the assignment for this week was to conclude our final step of our project I have chosen to make some changes because some new ideas come in my mind. I think that I have cover all the material and my steps in the assignment that I have uploaded before.
But today it was my turn to present it. At the begging it was a bit difficult to deal with my friends in role of my students. I had prepared my plan before so for me it was easier to explain everything. The class allowed me to show my self and I 'd like the atmosphere that was created. I had created four media to explain my topic but with one intention to mix up lesson with a bit of fun caused by the videos.
I hoped that all of you that were presented today have enjoyed our presentation. And also I want to thank all of you for your positive comment, and for some of your advise ...I really appreciated them.
I wish all of you to have a nice weekend despite the weather :)

Step 3 is done :)

Hello everyone!
I have come to the end with this project. I hope all of you have finished and are ready to make your presentations in the class. For this week we have to deal with some problems that we might occur while we use technology in the classroom and the beneficial of using it. I think that as students we understand it perfectly what impact might have technology on us. So we don't have to pretend that they will follow us in every step because we haven't done the same thing. But as teachers we should make a big effort in order that our students will pay attention to what we are explaining.
So I think I am ready to present my project next week.
Thank you and wish all of you to have a wonderful weekend :)

Hope so!

Step 2

This step is about how idioms are explained by the use of technology. Now days technology facilitates many aspects of our lives and also the process of teaching. As a teacher I would use technology to make the process of learning interesting and attractive so this step is going to treat the ways how I would incorporate technology for teaching idioms within the classroom. So I have chosen some application in order to make the lesson more interesting for my students and to help them to memorized as many idioms as possible. I will use 3 medias to fulfill my objectives:  Prezi, Movie maker & Show Me Interactive Whiteboard.
  

2

Step 1 is done :)

Hi everyone :)

As you all know for this week we have to prepare the first step for our final project. It was a bit confusing because we have to select a topic that is appropriate for our presentation and to be beneficial for us and our classmates. Since this project is in groups as a team we have chosen “Idioms” as the topic of our project. Then each of us have to prepare the first step of how we will present the topic in the class. I have clear ideas how I am going to work with this topic. Today I have just make a short outline of what I am going to do for the final project but things may change if something new and interesting came suddenly in my mind. I was focused mainly on student’s level, setting, course goals and students needs. But in the following weeks I am going to add more things in my project and I hope to cover every aspect that is needed.

The WebQuest assignment

Today for the first time I have tried to make an online project. It was a bit difficult for me because I had never work with this kind of project. At the beginning it was a bit strange because I couldn’t understand how I will create a project in order to help my pupils. But I read some information online and I watched some video in order to create a clear image of what I was going to do.

WebQuest was different from other tasks that we have made so far but it wasn’t so difficult because in order to fulfill our pupils needs we have to create things and methods that the will understand better the new lesson.

Step by step I learn to create a web project. Maybe it isn’t as good as a professional project but it is useful and very productive. I saw also examples on the net and examples of my friends and I think that they are good too. But we should remember that we are only in the first steps of using technology for a good purpose for our pupil.

In conclusion I hope that this WebQuest project will be one of many that I will create for my pupils.

Great Teaching

How Technology Can Improve Learner-Centered Teaching

For faculty looking to create a more learner-centered environment there are always a few bumps in the road. First they need to get used to no longer being the “sage on the stage” and then there’s the adjustment period for students who aren’t used to being active participants in their learning.

In many ways, technology can help pave the way for both faculty and students, but only if the instructor “is adept at creating a course that capitalizes on the pedagogical benefits that technology facilitates in helping students meet the desired learning outcomes for the course,” said Ike Shibley, associate professor of chemistry at Penn State – Berks. In other words, technology for the sake of technology is never good.

In the recent online seminar Learner-Centered Technology: Aligning Tools with Learning Goals, Shibley provided a road map for matching technological tools to course learning outcomes. Grounded in the five core principles of learner-centered teaching, Shibley explained specific ways technology can be used to get students to interact with course content in an engaging and productive fashion.

Here are some of the ways technology can help satisfy the goals of a learner-centered classroom:

1. Shift the balance of power toward the learner: Interactive online assignments can help facilitate the transfer of power and give students opportunities to practice mastering the material at their own pace. The technologies that support these activities could include wikis, online quizzes, blogs and discussion boards.

2. Use content to organize activities: Students appreciate a structured, logical flow to their courses, and how you organize your assignments and activities can go a long way in minimizing confusion. The technologies that support how you organize and communicate course materials and expectations could include an online syllabus, the learning management system, and email notifications of important due dates.

3. Think of teaching as facilitating learning: Teaching with technology enables the instructor to create learning experiences that complement each other whether the students are working on an assignment online or meeting in a face-to-face environment. The technologies that support this goal include online homework, clickers and surveys.

4. Responsibility for learning rests with the learner: Learner-centered teaching means creating assignments that allow students to practice building connections with the material, and evaluate their learning. The technologies that can be used to help students take ownership of their learning include blogs, wikis, online quizzes, and Voice Thread.

5. Evaluation provides a way to foster learning: Shibley likes to use a lot of low-stakes grading opportunities, and he gives students multiple attempts to pass online quizzes. There are numerous technologies that can help students track their progress, including online quiz banks and online platforms that enable collaboration and peer review.

Although he admits that integrating technology takes a fair amount of upfront time in terms of getting past the learning curve and choosing the correct technology to support each learning objective, Shibley says the payoff is a more engaged classroom and improved student learning.

“Technology does do a better job of keeping students on task,” he said. “If it’s well designed and it’s not busy work, students will spend more time on task and the assumption then, which I think has been borne out and will continue to be borne out in studies of how technology can be used in an pedagogically efficacious manner, time on task will correlate with more learning and higher test scores.”

                        The Benefits of Using Technology in the Classroom