Saturday, May 30, 2015
Week 8
Sunday, May 24, 2015
WEEK 7 - One Computer Classroom
This week was a challange when the internet was horrible... Urgh! Nevertheless, strive on and plow ahead regardless of the obstacles laying in front.
Used the Padlet website for the first time. Posted my link on the Padlet website and I was happy that it finally got attached!. It was something interesting to do. Somehow it was like I was writing on some 'Post-it' then pasting it on the 'wall'. One activity I taught of that I could do with this website is, students are divided into groups of 4. Then they are given a topic to discuss on and post the Padlet website. For example; 'Suggest ways to stop bullying in schools.' or 'In your opinion, how can you become an excellent student?'.
Students could link videos, websites or articles on the Padlet. After the groups have posted their findings or post on the Padlet website, students from other groups are allowed to post their comments regarding the topics that were posted on the Padlet. The teacher too would post on the Padlet website and add his/her remarks to the posts.
Another topic that we did this week was on the one computer classroom. This is a senario that I have faced many times. Most of the time I would use my own laptop in the classroom and setup the LCD. The lesson would normally be about a new topic and PowerPoint would be used or videos would be shown. But now when I need to inclue the learners' autonomy into the classroom, students need to be put into focus and less of the teacher. So how would you do this in a one computer classroom when you have a large class? It was a challange but not impossible.
One way that I have found was I could do more groups discussion activities. Students could use the one computer to do their presentation. They would do their research and discussion beforehand. Creating groups would be easier to handle and students get to do their own research. Students are given the autonomy to learn as much as they can on the topic. They could look up articles, read journals or visit websites. They then would gather to discuss and pitch their ideas to their group members and finally present their ideas to the entire class. During their presentation, their peers and teacher would judge them on their presentation based on the rubrics given to them earlier.
Now I hope I can finally get back to school after nearly a week travelling away escorting my students for their state competition. Wish them all the best and pray they come back champions! Fingers cross! Will post pictures of where I went with them and hopefully I can get stronger internet connection.
Have a great week ahead! I know I will have one. :)
Saturday, May 16, 2015
Week 6 - The Interactive Class & PowerPoint
This week we had to create an interactive PowerPoint.
Yes, using PowerPoint. But one might say, PowerPoint is for presentation; the audience listen and we present our ideas; right? It can be a challenge but we can do anything if we put our minds to it.
One excellent thing about making PowerPoint interactive is that students would not fall asleep during our lesson which can sometimes be too much of a 'lecture'. They need fun and excitement while learning English Language. What better way to learn but by playing language games. Inserting flashy and animated pictures, videos and music helps stimulate and motivate students to learn.
So the challenge is, how can we make PowerPoint interactive? To make it interactive, I have to have a two-way communication between me and my students. Okay, so the easiest way was to create a game using PowerPoint. I have done quizzes a few times, multiple choice questions, mix and match, I needed to find something I have not done before. (Needed to challenge myself too)
After creating the game, I still needed to test it before I could run it with my students, besides they were having their semester's examination. So a few of my colleagues became my guinea pigs. Alas, they were so hooked to the game I had to pull my laptop away from them! Actually I only did 4 words so it did not take long for them to complete the game. But it proved that the game can capture anybody's attention and get them hook to it.
First run of the game was done, now I had to make it more animated and fun. Have to attract the students attention too. So make a few things fly in, spin around , make the slides colorful
and decorate the slides but keeping in mind not to make it too crowded and suitable for students.
If you want to learn how to create your own Hangman game, here's the link to the website:
http://www.pptalchemy.co.uk/PowerPoint_Hangman_Game.html
Have fun! I know I did. :)
I think I would use this as my technology tool to be used in the class as my school does not have strong internet connection and most of my students have no internet access. So I have to work with what I have. The downside of teaching in a rural school that lacks internet access. :(
But then, when there is a challenge staring at you, brace yourself and climb over it. Its great to challenge oneself to improve for the better.
Have great and fun week ahead!
Happy Teacher's Day!!!!
Saturday, May 9, 2015
Week 5 - Assessments, Rubrics, Project Based Learning & more
Besides, as teachers we must keep developing ourselves to improve our teaching methods or skills. Its the 21st Century and the students nowadays are very different. They are more technological savvy and information is easily accessed to them. Teaching now have to be visually rich, entertaining and fun to capture their minds.
I did have to crack my brain on the rubrics that I made using the Rubistar. Doing it for the first time is never easy but then how else can one learn but through adversity. Having a specific rubrics lets us to be focused in the assessment and this must also be exposed to the students. Letting them have the rubrics actually would let them have a clearer understanding of the requirements. There is a baseline for them to work with and lets them know what their weaknesses are.
Having clear and transparent rubrics lets students know how their assignments or projects are being scored. This creates self-motivation in my students to get better scores. Using alternative assessments helps us to specifying assessments based on the needs of each students' learning capabilities. Getting students to be more in control of the assessments will let them identify their level and thus adjust to improve themselves to get better scores. It in itself creates inner confidence and self-motivation in my students themselves. Weak students need motivation to strive on and when they are in control of their learning process this works best for them.
Now this is where I found that project-based learning lets students have a voice and choice to manage their own learning process with little intervention from the teacher. What is good is that students are free to carry out their own inquiries to find out their own answers to their questions. We coach students to think for themselves and discover new insights. Students with educational technologies are able to apply knowledge to new real-world situations, analyze information, collaborate, solve problems, and make decisions. Students get the opportunity to practice team-building activities, reflect on thinking and develop problem solving thinking.
At the end of the day, I hope that I am creating students who are more self-aware, have critical thinking-and-doing, creative, innovative and have self-reliance.
Creating the Webquest was fun. It looked like a lesson plan but with the activities attached. Need to further explore this site and use it to the fullest extent. Still needed to work on the process section.