Well, I'm reaching the top of the mountain (see Prezi)...
In this last tutorial I had the opportunity to see all of my classmates' presentations. It was very interesting to see how they've learned to manage ICTs. I saw how they used Prezi, Knovio, Voki, Hot Potatoes, blogs, etc. My classmates are very talented. They are entusiastic and seem challenged by technology.
I feel a little bit more confident too. I want to show my daughters what I've learned, so they can use it in their school tasks. But most of all, I will like to try it with my students. Although we do not have the means at school, I will try to make them part of my procedures as much as I can.
I only wish we had more time to develop some of the tools in class. Some of us need a little guidance to "get it." I guess I will have to sit down and just experiment, practice, chick here and there!
Anyway, this virtual dimension is out there...It is not that abstract to me any more. And all because of this course...
Good luck to all...
Thanks Professor Ariel, I admire your entusiasm...
domingo, 5 de agosto de 2012
Hello dear classmates Here's the Prezi that I promised. I hope you find it useful.
And time goes by...this is what happened in
the third tutorial...
First of all, it caught my attention how
all my classmates got hooked up in technology. Everybody had something to say. I
noticed how some were more skillful than others. I include myself in the second
group, since I need a lot of practice to really master all the tools. I suppose
that arriving late to this high tech era is interfering with the speed in which
I grasp the concepts. It also has to do with my learning style.
Something I noticed in the third tutorial
was the great amount of information that was given and shared at the same time.
I felt confused to the point of not recalling certain basic info of the first
class. Maybe I was overwhelmed. On top of that, there is a list of concepts we must know by heart for the test. God help us!
Something that I believe it would really help to access these tools (blog, glog, webquest, wiki, podcast, etc.) during class because it would help us visualize, at least for a brief moment, what
we are going to do next...Maybe not all, because that would take a lot of
time.
Anyway, we talked about the chapters
assigned, the main features of the chats, e-mails, wikis, blogs,
podcasts...advantages, disadvantages, and ways we can use them in the
classroom.
I am not completely clear with the
podcast...However; it is a matter of taking the time of playing with them to
see how they can help us.
I liked the social networks (web 2.0), I
think they really can help English teachers to mediate contents. Linguistic and
social skills interact simultaneously. The action is happening right away (real
medium concept). Tasks are really communicative.
Interesting idea that of an e-pal project.
Before doing it we better teach netiquette though. If planned right, it could
be very beneficial.
On the other hand, I just checked out Voki.
Here, students write a paragraph, type into voki.com, listen, and make the
changes. The last step is very important since students can reflect on their
own work. Although students may be
working in pairs, this formative self assessment leads students to be more independent.
Here is a video, where you can check it
out. So long, got to study…
So, I explained Vygotsky's ZPD concept in class. I spoke about it in the Forum 1. Here is a picture that best describes the concept. It is better than the one I drew on the board. What a shame for a teacher. I had a reason, I was nervous!
The
role of the teacher is to provide the adequate mediation in order to reach the
goals. Like I explained in class, teachers can use scaffolding (Bruner) to help
the students reach the outcomes. Technology is a tool teachers can make use of
as part of mediation. With it, the information can be presented in different
ways within the children's ZPD.
At
the same time, as mediation requires us to reach the students through their
learning channels (Multisensory learning), the use of a computer, for instance,
stimulates the visual, aural, and kinetic channels.
As
a matter of fact, Treichler (1967) (as cited in Ladam Shams & Aaron R.
Seits, 2008), points out that “people generally remember 10% of what they read,
20% of what they hear, 30% of what they see, and 50% of what they see and hear”
(Shams, et. al., 2008, p. 5). Here the importance of not relying in only one
sense, but in the combination of all three modalities. When using different
channels for learning, the teacher is helping the children with their cognitive
load, given that the information can be “chunked into short term memory and
used to build long term representation” (p. 5). Here is when the Knovio
presentation comes in handy.
The
good thing is that, depending on the devise, images can get enlarged and sounds
magnified. This specially important if we think about special needs and
inclusion.
Another
thing, it is important to guide the students (give clear guidelines, short,
simple), not leave them alone until they are able to master the skills. It is
advisable to work in pairs or groups, “group work generates interactive
language” (Brown, 2001, p. 179). And, at the end this is what we want from the
students!
I'm starting my first blog today. I´m also starting a new adventure in my life: an adventure I have postponed for a long time...but, I can no longer delay.
As a player in this huge stage, the world, I have to perform well.
This course is going to help me perform better in school. Moreover, it will help me update concepts, procedures, skills...On the long run, it will help me improve my teaching and reach the students in their diversity.
Today in class, I learned that not all my classmates are technology skilled (what a relief), including me, of course. I was a little nervous at first, but I felt relaxed later. The proffessor contributed to "lower my affective filter" (Krashen) with his warm attitude and comments. I appreciated this very much. Thank you Ariel!
I had the opportunity to become familiar with other technological devises some classmates brought to class. The professor brought a "tablet." I´ve seen them only in pictures before and today I touched it. I felt clumsy with it and was affraid I could break it (it is very expensive).
I have to admit, at some point of the class I felt overwhelmed with the concepts. I also have very clear in my mind, that I am not a digital native. So, I'm not going to worry about asking or making comments out of place any more. I just want to learn and have fun at the same time...
After all, isn't it what this course is about anyway?
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