Sunday, July 25, 2010
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Podcast Activity
http://eslcorner.podomatic.com/
The podcast assignment was one of the most difficult assignments I worked during this course. Right now I still struggling with the posting of my students interviews.
I am currently teaching students from grades 8 to 12 in the ESL summer school. There are 23 students in my classroom and all of them in one way or another have access to different forms of technology.
Every day we have a circle time that we use to practice our English and discuss about different topics of interest. Last week we had a good conversation about their own definition of technology and how much access they have to it. It was very interesting to hear their comments and definitions of technology.
These are the questions I used during our conversation to get the information I needed for this assignment. What is technology for you?, Can you tell me what is Social Technology and Academic technology?, If you use technology at home what type of technology do you use?, If you have any type of technology at school can you name some of it?, Do you think the use of technology at school is important and why? How much time do you spend using technology at home?, How much time do you spend using technology at school?
All these questions made my students aware that almost everything that surrounds us nowadays is technology and that not everything that is plugged to the wall is technology too. They also found out that every day we learn something that is related to technology, even when they are texting. Right now the time they spend using technology in school and home is from 12 to 24 hours. Some of them like to text each other late at night or like to chat with friends from other countries during our sleeping time.
Some of the comments my students made about the use of technology at school were these: "In school not all the teachers like to use technology." "School technology will not help me in the future" "Some teachers do not like for me to try some other ways to do my assignments" "Sometimes they do not know how help me to solve a technology problem and they do not let me ask my classmates" " What we do in School with these computers will not help me in High school"
Since some teachers do not link the use of our programs or activities to real life situations, students feel that the way technology is presented at school is not useful and will not help them when they get out of it. The inconsistency of the use of technology and the lack of training creates this conflict and confusion in our students. They do not see the link between the technology they use at home with the one they use at school.
Some teachers do not feel comfortable with the integration of technology in their classes so they do not use it. Some others try to use it as a book, where every body has to follow the same sheet and write on the same blank in silence.
In conclusion the integration of technology in our classroom opens the door to new ideas and more interaction between teaches-students and students-students. The question here is are we ready for it?
The podcast assignment was one of the most difficult assignments I worked during this course. Right now I still struggling with the posting of my students interviews.
I am currently teaching students from grades 8 to 12 in the ESL summer school. There are 23 students in my classroom and all of them in one way or another have access to different forms of technology.
Every day we have a circle time that we use to practice our English and discuss about different topics of interest. Last week we had a good conversation about their own definition of technology and how much access they have to it. It was very interesting to hear their comments and definitions of technology.
These are the questions I used during our conversation to get the information I needed for this assignment. What is technology for you?, Can you tell me what is Social Technology and Academic technology?, If you use technology at home what type of technology do you use?, If you have any type of technology at school can you name some of it?, Do you think the use of technology at school is important and why? How much time do you spend using technology at home?, How much time do you spend using technology at school?
All these questions made my students aware that almost everything that surrounds us nowadays is technology and that not everything that is plugged to the wall is technology too. They also found out that every day we learn something that is related to technology, even when they are texting. Right now the time they spend using technology in school and home is from 12 to 24 hours. Some of them like to text each other late at night or like to chat with friends from other countries during our sleeping time.
Some of the comments my students made about the use of technology at school were these: "In school not all the teachers like to use technology." "School technology will not help me in the future" "Some teachers do not like for me to try some other ways to do my assignments" "Sometimes they do not know how help me to solve a technology problem and they do not let me ask my classmates" " What we do in School with these computers will not help me in High school"
Since some teachers do not link the use of our programs or activities to real life situations, students feel that the way technology is presented at school is not useful and will not help them when they get out of it. The inconsistency of the use of technology and the lack of training creates this conflict and confusion in our students. They do not see the link between the technology they use at home with the one they use at school.
Some teachers do not feel comfortable with the integration of technology in their classes so they do not use it. Some others try to use it as a book, where every body has to follow the same sheet and write on the same blank in silence.
In conclusion the integration of technology in our classroom opens the door to new ideas and more interaction between teaches-students and students-students. The question here is are we ready for it?
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Reflection
During this course I understood that technology can not be learned without application. My technology skills were very basic and right now I think they are a little above that. The best thing I learned is that technology is a process of trial and error. The use of technology in the classroom opens the door to a more student centered education. Technology allows students to take different roles and one of them is to lead the teacher and their classmates. It promotes the true team work since some students are very proficient than others. From now on I will pay more attention to the different variations of technology my students bring to the classroom and I will ask them to please create a lesson for all of us to learn how to use it then I will implement it in any of our lessons.
My two long term goals are for me to become more proficient in the use of podcast and the use of moodle. I will write a proposal for my principal to get permission to open a podcast for us. I will explain him the benefits for our school of having such a neat 2.0 tool in work. Then I will try to convince all my colleague teachers to try to use our moodle program in our school as a way of communicating among us and the students and integrate podcasts in their classes.
My two long term goals are for me to become more proficient in the use of podcast and the use of moodle. I will write a proposal for my principal to get permission to open a podcast for us. I will explain him the benefits for our school of having such a neat 2.0 tool in work. Then I will try to convince all my colleague teachers to try to use our moodle program in our school as a way of communicating among us and the students and integrate podcasts in their classes.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Partnership for 21frst. Century
In the document Partnership for the 21st. Century I read how the needs of our new society requires that education focus in some aspects that in the old times were not as important as today. Such as interpersonal relationship, this important business skill in the past was totally banned form schools. In the old days students were not allowed to speak in class nether to share their opinion about any subject in class. In our traditional schools to be in silence and follow the rules without asking why was awarded and applauded for teachers.
I have no disagreement with this document on the contrary I totally like what it says about teachers changig the way of creating lessons. As a teacher I am preparing myself and trying to provide my students of this type of education to help them succeed in their future lives.
The implications this type of education brings is that teachers need to get rid of the traditional background. They need to try to reinvent education by keeping in mind that core classes can be thought in a different way. They need to find a more meaningful way to teach each of them and provide the students with the right tools they need to be part of our constantly changing society.
I have no disagreement with this document on the contrary I totally like what it says about teachers changig the way of creating lessons. As a teacher I am preparing myself and trying to provide my students of this type of education to help them succeed in their future lives.
The implications this type of education brings is that teachers need to get rid of the traditional background. They need to try to reinvent education by keeping in mind that core classes can be thought in a different way. They need to find a more meaningful way to teach each of them and provide the students with the right tools they need to be part of our constantly changing society.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Project Based Learning and ESL students
Since I was introduced to the Project Based Approach I got to the conclusion that if regular teachers apply it correctly, the dream of a more inclusive education will become truth. On the article Project Problem and Inquiry Based Learning by Nelly Deutsch, She describes and provides good citations over this methodology. I read it and made me reflect on how much this type of teaching can be beneficial for my ESL students.
I could clearly see how the usage of this methodology can help the ESL students to fully be integrated in a regular classroom. Project based learning uses technology to help any student to use their higher order thinking skills and to solve daily situations with the help of technology.
The use of technology facilities the full integration of the ESL student because it helps them to develop vocabulary and practice it at the time they learn it.
I could clearly see how the usage of this methodology can help the ESL students to fully be integrated in a regular classroom. Project based learning uses technology to help any student to use their higher order thinking skills and to solve daily situations with the help of technology.
The use of technology facilities the full integration of the ESL student because it helps them to develop vocabulary and practice it at the time they learn it.
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