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What you can see now is my mini-action research project.
I teach English in a secondary school in ITALY: I teach general ENGLISH and also ENGLISH for BUSINESS and for BUILDING and CONSTRUCTIONS.
The project is aimed at my 5th year class of students of BUILDING and CONSTRUCTIONS.
Their level of English is lower intermediate but they are required to make presentations in English and they are used to working together for school projects in many school subjects.
They are going to be guided by me in making presentations on line about architecture and great Masters of Architecture of the XX-XXI century.
The teacher sets rules about TIME for on line presentations and WHO/WHAT they are going to present by using Google.
They need to have an internet access from home and a Gmail account.
They already know how to use e-mails and GOOGLE-DRIVE.
They will have to work in groups by collaborating and using Google for their presentations. They need to be able to use
GOOGLE Drive, GOOGLE Docs and GOOGLE presentations.
The teacher will follow their activities on line : 4 people in each group . In my class there are only 16 students and so it will be easy for me to monitor them and how they are making progress. I might have to make a lot of suggestions and help them with their English descriptions in the slides.
Google Presentations is good : you can write texts, use images for your presentations by using Google and also adding VIDEOs from the YOUTUBE.
The research will be guided by the TEACHER who will provide them with websites to use while they are searching on line for more information.
Possible problems:
- internet cannot be fast and not everywhere in my area they can work well and they are expected to work from home in the afternoon
- not everybody can work well with schoolmates
- students need to know how they will be assessed
What's next?
If the presentations on line can work well I will continue working by using presentations on line so that they are more engaged and like what they are doing, maybe next time I will make presentations by using Thiglink or Prezi and teach them how they work. Since Google is free and quite easy to use I decided to use it. As a teacher I like the way it can integrate a lot of tools.
My presentation on line explains how I have started to work and what type of problems may come to my mind in the next weeks. For sure I would like to have their presentations on line and presented in my blog or in the school website.
venerdì 27 febbraio 2015
giovedì 26 febbraio 2015
More about WEB 2.0 TOOLS
Some Interesting Tools you might like to use when working on line to make your lessons better and create a better learning environment for your students :
An interesting Tool for Collaboration and also Brainstorming ideas and organizing activities PADLET
Visuword for languages: you have a dictionary on line based on a visual presentation. A great Tool for teachers of Languages!!!
SYMBALOO FOR ORGANIZING YOUR CLASSROOM AND MORE FOR YOUR PERSONAL LIFE . You need to register and have an account
http://piratepad.net/front-page/
A great Tool for collaborating on documents!
The same can be done with this tool: you do not need to sign up!!
https://titanpad.com/
https://quip.com/about/tour
I have just come acroos quip, it is something similar to Google doc but it is easy to use as you do not need an e-mail and people can collaborate ............ it can be used with pc, smartphones but not all the smartphones....... just have a look at it ...
Another interesting Tool:
http://www.plotbot.com/
With Plotbot, you can create private screenplays to work alone or with invited friends, or you can create public screenplays to find new friends. All changes are tracked to each writer, and you can revert to prior versions at any time.
A nice Tool for creating a journal on line , or your diary on line, you just need an account and then you can write............just think about the many possibilities for your students........ You need to register and have an account.
This tool enables you to write nice word clouds ...... and you can use your imagination ..........
WORDITOUT
Another tool : this one helps you create word clouds and you can share them thanks to a link. You can choose the size and the colours of your word clouds.
More information can be found on line or by following this link
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2010/02/word-it-out-like-wordle-with-more.html
ZAPTION
This tool enables you to create video-lessons by choosing videos and then creating a lesson about the topic/or a listening/video activity based on what you have presented. Videos can be shared thanks to a link or embedded .
This is my first presentation : this is the link
To create such videos you need to have an account : you need an e-mail and then a password which you can choose.
Have a look at what I created... it can be better ... but I liked it.
GOOGLE HANGOUTS : an interesting Tool for chatting and having discussions on line.............you just need to have an account with Google +and then you start....... and get connected with everyone from anywhere in the world.
A tool which enables you to create webpages and add videos, it can be used for presentations and for photos.
Once more look for information and see how useful it can be :
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2014/04/tackk-create-webpages-for-announcements.html
These are just a few tools, but you will fall in love with them because they make your life as a student much better ...................and also teachers will be much happier.
TO BE CONTINUED....................................
venerdì 6 febbraio 2015
#ADBledMOOC Weeks2-3-4 and final considerations
"ADVENTURES IN BLENDED
LEARNING "
MOOC Course : what I learnt this year
Reflecting on my learning path as a life long learning teacher................. into the modern technologies
The Mooc took place in the first part of the year 2015 but what I did in the next months was also based on the interesting ideas I came across while doing this Mooc.First of all I did more Moocs on new technologies, web 2.0 tools and digital skills.
I followed the course " ADVENTURES IN BLENDED LEARNING" but it was so rich in terms of news, links and special guests meetings on line that I could not cope with all the deadlines. Working at school and doing a Mooc with lots of deadlines makes your life very busy, with 6 classes and more than 100 students you feel that it is too hard to follow what has been going on.
What I liked : the interesting videos and the people who shared their ideas about a different type of work for teachers and also students. There is a new world that is going to change the world of education as we have seen it so far.
Most of the experiences are based on an American situation and the context that was different from mine. First of all, they have more technology in schools and more money is invested in education.
However, I have learnt that also in Europe and in most countries the great shift has begun.
INTERESTING VIDEOS ON LINE
I liked Catlin Tucker's interview and her enthusiasm for making lessons more engaging. I feel that as educators we should all bring more into our Learning environment and she has done great work.
Her motto : " THINK BIG , START SMALL!"
Carri Schneider - Director of Policy : interview on 26 January 2015
Dr. Anthony Picciano : someone who knows a lot and can suggest something for studying and getting into BLENDED LEARNING
Good ideas about collaborative Learning and use of blogs for sharing ideas
(14 January 2015)
Moocs and Blended Learning
Jeff Sandefer: an interview
Self-Blended Learning? Towards a new route
The end of the journey: I was a bit late but I managed to post two activities online and got 100% for each one. I think I should say we have now reached the beginning of new learning time where students and learners are more important.
What am I going to do in order to face the new year ? To look back and see what nice experiences there are and try to build the first step for new projects for my students. This year I am working in a more difficult situation and my expectations are not similare to the ones I had two years ago..............
I am sure that the new technologies will help me to develop learning paths where my students can be more engaged and where Learning does not only depend on me but on their interests and choices to be better learners .
Thank you to the people who shared their ideas in the course and to Dr. Bernard Bull...................... I will continue my journey into the new planet of education!!!
"...... if educators can instill in students that learning is about the process of doing the work and not about the grade, they are sure to hold students’ attention. "
Jeff James - assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction at Montgomery County Schools in Troy, NC.
giovedì 5 febbraio 2015
USING SOCIAL MEDIA IN TEACHING - MY REFLECTIONS ON TWITTER used for communication with students
https://www.coursera.org/course/newtechtools
The course which is organized by COURSERA has just started and it provides us with more information about the WEB 2.0.
I must confess that I am eager to learn more because students need to be engaged while they are learning and teachers should try to be good facilitators and follow their interests!!
This week I had to think about one of the many web 2.0 tools which can be used for getting in touch with students, families and also when working with classes. ( MODULE ABOUT TOOLS FOR COMMUNICATION)
I had to analalyze a lot of interesting tools but some seemed to be too " difficult to use"; the topic was how to communicate and I thought that my TWITTER account could help me to be connected with my students and to provide them with help in a fast way. I must admit that I use Twitter to be in touch with people who work in ELT and for some webminars which I am following on line. In some way it is good for self-development and professional development on line.
Also the MOOCS that I am doing have a TWITTER account and I usually check their tweets.
I was right when I thought about this idea of Twitter and when I saw last week's conference on line with young and good students who presented their activities while using twitter, I told myself that working with students needs changes also in Italy: please follow this link
http://studenttechnologyconference.com/page/recordings2015
All the webminars were run by students and I was able to follow an interesting presentation
by students who clearly said that SOCIAL NETWORKS like TWITTER can help classroom activities.
I have uploaded my video presentation for COURSERA this week and I would like to know which other tools can be used by students and teachers. For sure you may mention Face Book and also GOOGLE.
Twitter is nice and good because you need one account, an e-mail and a password and then you can tweet or follow hashtags(#). A good teacher needs to know that Twitter can be followed by most of his/her students since they just need a computer or a smart phone.
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