The end of the course coincided with another memorable event in my life - the concert of Sting along with the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra on 7th June. That would never been possible if the world had not changed so dramatically 20 years ago.
I love the feeling of completeness which engulfs me when I listen to Sting, he is undoubtedly a musical genius, but I also admire his talent as a writer - do read Broken Music - it is a revelatory book, and a real treat to people who love the English language. There you can almost physically experience his life as a student and a teacher. We are lucky that the world has changed beyond comparison.
Can't stop myself from playing with it - it's such fun! And it can " talk" in different accents, male and female, and can be embedded in blogs, Moodle in my case :)
And that is what I found on their facebook page:
Youth is not a time of life, it is a state of mind. It is a temper of the will; a quality of the imagination; a vigor of the emotions; it is a freshness of the deep springs of life. Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over a life of ease. Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years; people grow old by deserting their ideals.
Samuel Ullman, 1840-1924
Sadly this great experience is over. Sharing thoughts with people around the globe in this very way was unthinkable just a couple of years ago. Teaching the way we did a couple of years ago will fall flat among a generation raised on computers and the internet. This amazing course more than met my expectations - I got a lot more than I could possibly imagine, and not only in the field of technology. Actually I regard the concepts of Project Based Learning, Multiple Intelligences, Alternative Assessment as the ones which would make the differences in my teaching, assisted by the technological tools.
I learned also how to manage time, to learn from others, to share. And this is also the first time I feel some people so close without even meeting you. I cannot fathom that this great community is going to end now.
I suggest we continue posting in our blogs and share ideas on teaching and life. Thus we would miss each other less and the spirit of the community would be retained. We'll also share if we are climbing up the LoTI scale.
I am not saying ""Good bye", only "Chat to you soon"
Time has flown in the blink of an eye. Before we even have time to notice, the course is over. It seems like yesterday when the panic seized me when I read the schedule and thought I wouldn't be able to keep to it, because of the trip. Just to think what I could have missed:
the mystery of interactive PP, Hot Potatoes, ANVILL, ABCD objectives, etc.
the stress when creating delicious pages, a blog, the interactive Power Point!!!! and the crash of the Internet when you mostly need it :(
the pleasure of creating the webquest and seeing the concentrated faces of my students;
the pride of having accomplished something new on my own - i.e. submitting the project report before the deadline despite the crashing Internet;
the feeling of having developed all kinds of intelligences, even the existential one, in no time :D
I could compare the course to a good book or a film - at certain times you are stunned by the sudden revelation that somebody out there can word the truths that we have sensed but never been able to express so clearly and profoundly. Here I mean the ideas of Alternative Assessment, the Multiple Intelligence Theory, and above - our ultimate objective - Learner Autonomy!
Teaching will never be as it was for me. Maybe in a small way but on a daily basis I will be using the things I have learned.
If you do not believe me, you can come and check on me, and then we'll have a beer in the park.
We hardly realize what a great part of our brain this course has occupied. Whatever I do, working on it comes first on the list. And now that I see......6 days till the project, I wonder what will occupy the niche. One thing on the agenda is a three-day crash course on this course for my colleagues:) They feel envious (in the good sense) and want to have at least part of it. The other thing I have set my heart to learn is the interactive PP - I want to master it as well as all of you! Hot Potatoes (thanks to Alex) is another thing on the list. And also the other fun-creating engines - tools for educators, and so forth.
But this week's magic is the Voiceboard in ANVILL! This is what has been missing in our distance learning and would be a great tool for all the kids living far from enthusiastic teachers.
But anyway, at first glance ANVILL is over my head and have to show it and discuss it with "the Master of Disasters"- our school's admin. It is really amazing how far technology can take us teachers. Yet, there are some who wouldn't even bother to learn how to enter a pasword, or attach a file. We will be literally thrown overboard if we don't keep up. My students needed three seconds to see how zunal or quia work, and the next moment they were using them for the project.
The Project! We are working hard on it. The first quest is under way and on Monday there will be a presentation and the assessment. There is some agitation, but maybe triggered by extrinsic motivation (end-of-year grades).
This week is seemingly more relaxed - we have less to read and less to discuss, possibly with a view to the coming project deadline. However, the issue at the core of our discussion is Learner Autonomy - can it be fostered? Is it a bird in the hand, or a bird in the sky above?And what can we do about it? I found some support here
Effective learning can take place and independence fostered when there is "... warm-hearted interaction between teachers and learners, as well as among learners themselves." Learners become independent in an atmosphere:
... which encourages people to be active;
... that facilitates the individual's discovery of the personal meaning of ideas;
... that emphasises the uniquely personal and subjective nature of learning;
... in which difference is good and desirable;
... that consistently recognises the right to make mistakes;
... that tolerates ambiguity;
... in which evaluation is a co-operative process with emphasis on self-evaluation;
... which encourages openness of self rather than concealment of self;
... in which people are encouraged to trust in themselves as well as in external sources;
... in which people feel they are respected;
... in which people feel they are accepted;
... which permits confrontation.
... in which the teacher creates conditions by which he loses the teaching function.
... in which instruction is carefully personalised in an attempt to meet the individual needs, interests, and abilities of students.
The treatise was possibly written before the advent of technologies in the classroom otherwise it would have mentioned that in implementing the ideas especially under items 13 and 14 a teacher has a new set of tools, i.e. the computer and specifically Internet.
We had a very fruitful discussions on autonomy, and the use of one computer in the classroom. It is amazing to see how teachers from all parts of the world share the same concerns, students enjoy the same pranks and
suffer from the same lack of organization and willingness to "walk the extra mile".
We are likely to be busy with our projects a lot during the following weeks. There is some agitation among the students. Not as much as I expected, but it is again a week off school and besides they have a lot of final tests to do. It is slavish work, inevitable but necessary. Compared to it, the webquests might be seen as a breath of freshness. Hopefully!!!
As soon as Donna send us the tasks, the "monster" of Power Point loomed large on the horizon! Until this week, it was my technological "pet hate", for a number of reasons. The first is the amateurish overuse that I have witnessed. It seems I am not alone because look at what I have found :)
To be honest, the bottomline is that " the way PowerPoint is used should be ditched, not the tool itself. Suggesting we abandon PowerPoint because it's often (usually?) misused and abused to produce awful presentation visuals is like saying we should dump the idea of 24-hour cable news because so much of it is vacuous rubbish. "
Anyway, this week put an end to my excuses. I need to mention that seeing the worth of the interactive buttons made the difference. And, above all, the examples posted by my course mates had such a boosting effect. It will take a long time to master the countless shades and nusances, popping up or falling down opportunities to be able to create something that will meet the expectations of the bored (with PP) audience of teenage experts.
Talking of them, another word loomed large as well - feedback! Always in need of motivation, as seen from the last survey . I think we speak different languages when it comes to this word.
Or I suppose they are simply tired of being spoon-fed and expected to reproduce. I would be in their place. We had a long talk about the project, they got acquainted with Zunal WebQuest Maker and found it friendly to use. A number of my colleagues were intrigued , too, so I suggested the kids take the initiative and teach them (the teachers who do not speak English) how to use WebQuests. A group work on a web quest in any subject can transfrom the classroom and help students express themselves in a new way.
The project..........Time is ticking away and we have to get it going! Besides, we don't have classes next week because of the state exams. On Monday I will show them some interactive PPPs (Eldin's and Katty's, most probably) to see if they have learned it in their IT lessons. A quiz done interactively can be a great final product for the project.
To recap, Power Point has had a very powerful point this week.
Searching for the unknown is innate in human nature. We are curious to learn for not only the sake of learning, but because we need various bits of information in our daily round - e.g. how to cook lazagna, how to find a budget hostel in Paris, or a convenient train to Budapest, or a cheap airplane ticket to Brazil :)))
It is no wonder computer games are so popular with teenagers (and not only!) - mastering level after level, they head for the ultimate objective, whatever it is. And we do it on our own, with a clear purpose in mind, trying to be fast and efficient (Autonomy, Mastery, Purpose - the three words wrapping up our daily quests:).
Going on a quest is going on the way to discovery. Given a meaningful purpose, we can go beyond our capabilities. Now that we have the net at the tips of our fingers, we can set out on a journey to whatever realm of knowledge and pleasure we can think of. Setting on such a journey with our students will probably be much more rewarding and meaningful that filling in blanks. But I wonder if I could make them design a journey for us to go on - to find what they like, what they value, what they dream of !?Will the fair assessment with the rubrics be able to motivate them? - I'll have to wait and see.
I was on an unforgettable trip this memorable week 5 - traditional as I am, I still value face-to-face contact, the six-sense perceptions but now I am only left with the Internet to keep contact with these nice people I see twice a year, to roam the streets of these picturesque towns. I have a number of things I need to explore about Spain, so I will have to set on a web quest before I could afford to go on a real one.
Spain is a must-visit; its people are the kindest, warmest, most straightforward people I have met.
La Sagrada Famila from the inside (you feel shielded under the enormous tree) - the genuis of Gaudi
Time does fly, indeed! ABCD objectives seem ages ago, Delicious is a good friend already!
This week we are "old hands" - having explored the listening skill sites, now it is time for the reading and vocabulary. Delicious is bubbling with new finds. At times I think I need one more life to explore the infinite knowledge saved for a later day.
The issue of concern made me more concerned about what we are doing, are we doing it correctly and why is that we, teachers from all parts of the world, define a common problem - the lack of motivation or interest in our students. We (the teachers at our school) always feel guilty that we have not done enough, that it is somehow our fault. But Helo posted a video
that once again led me to believe that they are right to have high expectations from us. Overtaken by routine, complying with educational requirements, doing paperwork, marking papers, calculating grades - are we as creative as we would like to be?
I think a lot about my students these days - I often do, but the tasks made more aware of them now, made me stop and think. And not about the ones that bring us satisfaction and pride, but the ones who fail to fit. Long ago I chanced upon a video - it seems that everywhere people are having the same problems.
My students are intrigued when I speak to them about the project. They see a challenge. They started talking about the grouping, what they are going to make the others search. Will they manage to overcome their inertia and do some work on their own for a change?
We are going on a trip to Spain early tomorrow morning. It is part of an European project, called "Intercultural competences and IT skills- a key to success". We are six schools altogether and this is our third meeting. We can take only four kids. The "boarding pass" was a sort of a webquest - to choose a partner country and search the web for some specific characteristics, concerning business protocol, and make a PowerPoint presentation. The results are amazing. The kids are the same. The inference is clear.
I think that we are already used to the new pace of our lives - having one new responsibilty (the multiple tasks of the Webskills course) is helping in developing better personal organization.
Such is the aim of the Delicious we have to create this week I had never heard of Delicious before, and at first panicked as I always do when i have to do something "technological", simple thaough it may be. The more I panic, the more complex a very simple thing seems, the more boggled I become. Suddenly the toolbar got three times bigger, comprising all the items I had stored, until the window in which to write suddenly disappeared!
However, when it was all over, and I could see the innumerable benefits it could have, especially for scatterbrains like me - the tags and description of sites provide clues so as to find the info I need faster; besides the sharing function makes it possible to explore other people's secret sources of knowledge :) There was a bit of reward in the whole thing as well - when I asked my students if they had heard about Delicious, nobody nodded (or shaken their heads as is the case with us Bulgarians, when we mean Yes!!!). When I explained the benefits, some volunteered that I !!!! teach them how to create a profile and use it.
It shouldn't have taken me so much time, though, because it was at the expense of the more serious issue - Teaching aural skills. We have discussed the three articles in details, adding our personal experiences and beliefs, sharing URLs like crazy - my delicious listening tag bursting already! No wonder - the skill is vital, and it has been overlooked as a tradition. Communication is difficult as it is, and when we add the problem of not understanding, we are likely to end up with two people sharing monologues! I remember that when I was at university, we had a long and elaborate course on phonology, but not a single lesson on how to overcome the problems of understanding. No wonder that only when the world became a global village and technology developed do we have learners who may not be able to speak, but understand when spoken to. And for me the classroom learning complements real life exposure and may provide some guidelines for better understanding. For complete understanding there a lot of other factors involved.
The final task - commenting on the projects of our predecessors made me aware of the seriousness of the work to come! And of the gift to have so many people to discuss ideas with.
Thank you, guys, and Happy Easter to those who celebrate it.
What a week! First, being stressed by the seriousness of the ABCD model - after the first reading of the suggested material I thought I would never make it. I dared tackle it only on Friday, when Donna had elaborated a lot on my colleagues' attempts and finally (thanks to Eldin, Helo, Katty, Mariangel, and the others, of course) managed to come up with something that is sensible and practical. We are often asled to define the long-term goals, rather than the daily ones, whose results accumulate little by little in the little heads of our learners:)
And again this week - what an abundance of useful sites, found via new search engines. A lifetime is not enough to explore the videos, magazines, the sites for teachers. Bing is my new fav, and Helo's http://www.blinkx.com/ http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/ for books and videos are great finds.
And finally the project! An idea formed in my mind while walking far from the city, with the soft hills ahead and the blue sky above. It incorporates My map-ping, blogging, search engines, mysteries and only needs students' will and enthusiasm to implement it.
We are so used to the little gossips, the bits and pieces of other people's lives shared with the rest of the world. In FB we write scraps, to quote Helo. The blog can give us the opportunity to express a belief and to voice an opinion.
That is why on Monday, enthusiastically enough, I suggested the idea to my students. Some of Grade 11(my weakness - you will learn about them later on) pricked their ears:D. Some looked at me with suspicion. Some with a new kind of respect. Some with surprise. Some with indifference. One boy was quite enthusiastic. I said it is not obligatory. Unfortunately, there was no Internet (bad luck!) so I couldn't boast with my accomplishment. In the end, I set it as additional assignment, that will bring extra credits. I told them about the ground rules, the forbidden expressions, the respect they are to manifest to their readers. "Who will read us?" - they asked. "And can we write about whatever we want?" The questions caught me unprepared. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised by the second question. As I teacher, I was thinking of posting topics and waiting for responses, may they be songs, or quotes, or videos, together with their writings. But of course I nodded several times and answered "Yes, and I'll write to my colleagues to find you "followers" from their schools." Now, if they create the blogs, I'll have to find these followers for them and only you can help me. I am sure you wouldn't mind and that your students might like the idea as well.
The idea of the project is still vague in my head , but it has to include them, the challenge to all teachers!
Here is a photo of them, taken two years ago on the Danube in Budapest :) Now they have grown wiser and nicer!
It a leisurely Saturday morning - quite bleak actually with a grey sky and a lot of wind, a perfect excuse not to go out but to spend the day in front of the PC, enjoying that new craze - blogging! Messing with the templates was such fun, and it felt so rewarding! It is so nice when something like that awakes the child in us.
I can't wait to see my students on Monday after the week's holiday - I am sure they will welcome the idea of going semi-paperless (thank you, Gil:) and being given a free hand to share ideas, memories, videos, links. I will give extra points for that to motivate them. It will also encourage the ones who are shy, slow and introvert.
We have been discussing happiness, success and achievement in the last module, so that would give them plenty of material to share.
Here is something from me for a start
Three things in life that, once gone, never come back - Time, Words, Opportunity;
Three things in life that are most valuable - Love, Self-confidence, Friends;
Three things in life that are never certain - Dreams, Success, Fortune;
Three things that make you - Hard work, Sincerity, Commitment;
Three things in life that can destroy you - Alcohol, Pride, Anger;
Three things in life that, once lost, hard to build-up - Respect, Trust, Friendship.
Sometimes to realise this we spend entire lifetime.
And a song (the sweet Irish memories of two years ago have materialized without even realzing it). On this day two years ago I started a TELL (technology enhanced language learning) course in Cork.
It took me every free minute today (I am on a short holiday) to cope with URLs, instructions, failures, frustrations, some tentative rays of hope, lengthy explanations what I am doing - to be able to create the thing called BLOG. I don't think I have much to say but it will record my efforts to become a more effective teacher by using e-means :) My mates seem very advanced and I will do my best not to be a straggler.I shared the songthe Wallnot only because I love the way it engulfs me, but as a warning - whatever we do in the classroom, no matter what methods we use - we shouldn't be building "bricks in the wall"
Spring is still very tentative too, so that is whyI published this photo taken a few days ago from the nearest mountain
