Week 10

Hi everyone,

Learning in the online course of web skills, I now see how my understanding of new technology gives good effects on my teaching practice.  I read through my Nicenet discussion comments and my assignments, and I see remarkable transformations in my teaching practice. This course changed my attitude toward technology.  Now I am open minded and willing to try new ideas to improve my lessons.

Before taking this course, I was afraid of using technology. I would like to use　technology tools; however, I do not know how to use them. I thought I need special skills and knowledge to use technology tools. Taking this course, I now realize that we do not need to have special skills to use them.

I learn the most from writing my final project report. Making final project report helped me to learn how to improve my students’ interpersonal skills by using technology tools. I chose Vocaroo and Padlet. Vocaroo is a very simple on line recording device.  I also use Padlet to share audio files. Padlet is an online notice board. Students can just double-click on the background to post their thoughts and URLs, and they can upload their audio files. I am sure that learning how to use specific technology tools, such as Padlet and Vocaroo enforces my teaching practice.
 
In addition to Vocaroo and Padlet, I will use Nicenet discussion in my future practice. I was so surprised to learn that it is very easy to make a Nicenet class. The advantage of using Nicenet is that students can share their discussions and learn from each other outside of classrooms. I think my students will have good experiences to exchange feedback by using Nicenet discussion.

I think I would like to read more articles which are related to developing writing skills by using technology tools in this course. If we have enough time, it is good idea to make a final project which is focused on writing skills. Thus we can learn how to apply technology tools into our lessons which are focused on writing skills.

I have been seeking a better way to help students to learn better.  Unfortunately I did not have enough knowledge of technology, and I did not know how to improve my teaching practice effectively.  This course gave me a lot of knowledge and specific technology tools to improve my teaching practice. Now I know how to improve my teaching practice and have basic technology skills to back up my teaching practice. I will keep learning from my students and my colleagues.

 
I would like to say thank you to all of you.
Thank you,

Megumi

Japan

Week 9

Hi everyone.

Thanks for Begona’s checklist, I was able to revise my final plan report. It looks much better than before. I am glad that I experienced the effectiveness of using checklists. Therefore, I added the checklist for my final plan report. I think using checklists is a good way to develop learners’ autonomy. I will surely use checklists in my future classes.

I enjoyed this week’s Nicenet discussion. To be aware of students’ intelligence is essential. I always tried hard to make my class communicative. However, social discourse cannot be seen often. I realized that many students have low level of functioning in interpersonal intelligence. To develop interpersonal intelligence, I should know what technology tools are useful and choose the suitable activities for my classes. By taking this course, now I know how to make Nicenet classes and Padlet walls. I think those tools are very useful for my classes. By using those tools, my students can share feedback and discussions. Moreover, those tools can be a help to do peer-tutoring. Thanks for this course, I am sure that I can make my teaching practice better using Nicent and Padlet.

Megumi
Japan

Week 8

Hi everyone,

This week, I was glad to make the Nicenet class by myself.
Using Nicenet in this course, I wanted to make one by myself.
I was so surprised to learn that it is very easy to make a Nicenet class.
The advantage of using Nicenet Conference is that students can share their discussions and learn from each other outside of classrooms. I think my students will be motivated to use Nicenet discussion, because it is a good experience to exchange feedback.
Sometimes, people afraid of using technology. It is because they do not know how to use it. Now I know how to make Nicenet class. I am very excited to use Nicenet in my classes.

 I learned a lot by filling in the checking list of Plan Template.

I experienced how the check list works in the class. By filling out the checklist, I realized what is missing in my Plan Report. It is important that learners realize how to improve their skills by themselves. This experience develops learners’ autonomy.  I am glad that I have a chance to exchange check list with Begona. I am looking forward to reading the checklist from Begona.

Now I experienced how the checklist promotes autonomy of learners. I will surely use checklist in my future plan.

Megumi
Japan

 

Week 7

Hi everyone,

The most impressive thing of this week is Padlet.
I have never used Padlet.
The advantage of Padlet is that students can share information outside of the classrooms. Moreover, it is very easy to use.

When I plan discussions in my classes, I always spend time for sharing information before discussions. By using Padlet, students can share information before the classes and they can spend more time for discussion and activities in the classroom.

I will surely use Padlet in my future classes.

I enjoyed this week discussion of learners’ autonomy.
hat is something I always keep in mind when I practice my teaching.
Satsita suggests to give rubrics to students in order to do peer evaluation
Rubrics enables students to have objective eyes to implement peer evaluation.
I also think peer evaluation develops autonomy of learners.
I would like to take her advice when I implement peer observation in my future classes.

Next week, we will exchange the final reports, and will exchange the checklists. I think that is a good practice of peer evaluation. I have never experienced peer evaluation when I was a student.

Begoña's post and Donna’s post of learners’ autonomy made me think the importance of giving students choices of their learning. When I give choices of tasks, students motivate and learn more. I think it is very good idea to involve students in the decision making process of their learning.

Megumi
Japan

week6

Hi everyone.

This week I learned Interactive Lecture techniques.

We can use Interactive Lecture techniques in any size classroom.  I especially would like to try Just-in-Time Teaching. I have never tired it before. By using Just-in-Time teaching, you can save time by reviewing students’ response to see what to focus on in the class. Instructors only have to make web-based assignments and students have to respond before classes. The advantage is that I do not have to put so much effort to implement Just-in-Time Teaching, and I can go over students’ responses to guide them to understand the main topic of lecture.

 I sometimes use PowerPoint in my classes. Before taking this course, I did not have any ideas of making interactive PowerPoint. I would like to use PowerPoint slide master to make some quizzes. PowerPoint slide master enables me to make different kinds and levels of questions. Students make a pair, and choose the questions and exchange ideas.

By using the PowerPoint slide master, I can check if my students understand my lecture.

 This week, I learned some techniques that I would like to use in my future classes.

 Megumi

Japan

week5

Hi everyone.

It is hard to believe that it is week 5 already.

The most surprising thing in this week was Rubistar: http://rubistar.4teacgers.org.

When I make rubrics, it takes so much time. When you use Rubistar, you can select the task such as presentation. Then you can choose the categories such as props. You do not have to think from the beginning. This site is a big help for me. I am so happy to make my rubric by using Rubistar.

Until reading this week materials, I did not know there are two kinds of rubrics.
There are two types of rubrics, holistic rubrics and analytic rubrics.
I did not know those rubrics. I am glad that I could learn that.
As I wrote in my post, both rubrics have disadvantage and advantages. It is important for the instructor to use the appropriate rubric according to the situation.

I believe self-confidence leads learners to be successful autonomous learners. Project-based learning is very useful to build students’ self-confidence. Students can experience the joy of accomplishing the tasks. In Japan, still project-based learning is not so popular. Many people points out that the entrance examination system should change. Students are tested about their knowledge. Because of that, I think many classes are still teacher centered classroom. I am aware of the advantage of project-based learning, so I would like to implement project-based learning in my classroom.

Megumi
Japan

Week 4 Sorry Youssef

Week 4

Hi everyone.

Since I take this course, I have difficulties using new technology. I have troubles almost every week. In this week, when I tried to add my lesson plan document in the Wiki, I accidentally moved Yousself’s document into my file. I tried to move it to the original place. However, I could not find the way to move it back. I was so afraid to make another mistake. So I decided to make a new file which is titled “Lesson Plan Youssef” and put his document into that file. That was the best solution I could think of at that time. I am so sorry Youssef.

When you try to use technology into the classroom, problems just happen so suddenly. For example, computers and software do not work. Have you ever experience that? I have experienced many times. Thus I think it is important that we prepare technology alternative plans.

 Having read the posts of “Week 4 Discussion, Reading, Writing, and Vocabulary,

I found a favorite website: http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/ . It has variety of materials. It provides listening materials as well as vocabulary aid. I think that is the advantage of this site. It is easy to find the materials according to students’ level.  This is another good point of it. I will surely use this site in my classes.

I enjoyed reading the description of issues in the project task #3. It is interesting to learn how other teachers analyze the problems. It is helpful task for me. I now clearly see the problems of my class. I am so excited to learn how other teachers try to solve problems by using new technology.

Megumi

Japan

Week 3

 

Hi everyone.  This is what I learned form week 3 materials.

Conferencing Topic: Week 3 Discussion –Aural/Oral Skill Building:

Having read coursemates posts on Aural/ Oral Skill Building, I was surprised to see there are many recommended sites to develop listening skills. Some of my students told me that it is hard for them to find suitable sites for listening practice. For instance, RealEnglish (http://www.real-english.com) and Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab: http://www.esl-lab.com/ shows the level of listening materials. My students should be able to find suitable listening materials from these sites. Until this time, I did not know there is a site which even provides Pre-listening, While-listening and Post-listening activities such as Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab: http://www.esl-lab.com/. It was a good surprise. I will use this site for my classes.

Delicious com:

Delicious page is very useful. Even if when I find good websites to use for classes, I don’t save the list of websites. So it always takes time to recall my memories to find the sites which I found before. By using Delicious com, I do not have to do that anymore.

Danna gives me detailed explanation of making a page on Delicious com. I thought it was easy to follow the steps. I bought my computer about 5 years ago. I did not update Internet explorer. Thus my computer told me I should install Internet explorer 11. To use Internet explorer11, I have to install windows7 support pack 1. I took me a few hours and it did not work out. In the end, I went to my parents’ house to borrow their computer to make my Delicious page. I learned that the computer setting is also important to use technology in the classroom. I should update my computer.

Read final projects:

I enjoyed reading final projects of former participants. It gave me a whole picture of this course. I especially interested in Aleyda Linare's project. She shows the advantages of using a bog in a class. Blogging enhance the reading skills, writing skills, and communication skills.  I especially liked her final step. Students were given the materials to study grammar in the first step. They had to find the materials to study grammar by themselves in the last step. This step developed student learning autonomy. I think learning autonomy is very important, because instructors cannot teach everything in a class.

 Megumi

 Japan

Week 2

Hi everyone.
 I learned a lot from my coursemates this week too. Websearching: Having read coursemates posts, I found that some of them already knew many types of search engines, and already used them in their teaching practice. I think that is impressive since I did not know many search engines until this week. Many of them agreed that Google is the wonderful search engine to get a rich list of results. I agree with this idea. However, each search engine has advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, I think users should select the search engines according to their needs. I find “Better Web Searching" by Deborah Healey is very useful. I even did not know the usage of quotation marks. I realize that my students need to obtain more online research skills including how to type in precise search words including the usage of quotation marks. I did not have a course to build up online research skills in our school. I wonder if my coursemates’ schools have such a course in their school. I will find a time to teach online research skills in my classes in the future.

ABCD Behavioral Learning Objective:
I had feedback from Donna, and I was able to improve my ABCD Behavioral Learning Objective. You sometimes think your objective is clear enough, but your colleagues think it is not clear enough. I think it is important that instructors share objectives of classes and do the peer observation of classes. Then instructors can improve their objectives and their teaching practice. This year I did the peer observation once in June, and I will do that in September.

Project task#1- describe a class:
Describing a class is the important first step to improve my teaching practice. Now I can see my students’ needs clearly. By implementing a new technology tool into my class, I hope I can find a way to meet their needs.
Megumi Japan

Week 1 Reflection : Megumi Tabata

Week 1: Reflection

 I had a great experience this week. I will talk about what I learned from each task.

 1. Nicenet Discussion
 a) Week1 Discussion-Topic 1: Introduction
In my self-introduction, I wrote about the reason why I wanted to take this course. I also introduced my experience which showed how technology could apply into the extra curriculum. Reading classmates’ self-introduction, I found that classmates had different cultural background and teaching experiences. I think that is wonderful, because we can share many different skills and experiences. I am happy to meet new teachers in this course.

 b) Week1 Discussion-Topic 2: Discussions
While discussing the Ground Rules for Discussion, I realized the importance of discussing the ground rules before staring discussion. I just explained the rules of discussion in my class. I now know the way I did was not good enough. That is why students keep forgetting the rules. Students will understand from the bottom of their hearts by examining carefully and discussing the rules. I will let my students discuss the ground rules for discussion in my future class. I carefully read the rubrics of posts. I sometimes explain the rubrics of certain tasks by using the blackboard. I now think it is better for students to have written rubrics. Students can go over the rubrics as many times as they want. I will give written rubrics to my students.

 2. Making a blog
 Making a blog is the most exciting experience I had in this week. I found that it was not so difficult to make a blog. I thought it would be difficult to make one. Making a blog is new to me. Thus, I was very careful and read the explanations many times. Having experienced making a blog, I now know how the person would feel when he or she has to try new technology. When I bring new technology in my classes, I have to remember that some students need more support than others depending on the experience of using technology. Making a blog teaches me this. I am excited to learn new things next week. Megumi Tabata Japan