Week 3- "Piano piano si va sanno, e si va lontano"

While I was working in this week's tasks this Italian proverb, which I thought I had forgotten long ago appeared in my mind. It expresses the idea that it is better to achieve your own aims step by step and even pondering on your steps which in theory is similar with the methodological approach followed by the web course.

The first task of the 3rd week was the URL on Delicious, something entirely new to me and the majority of the group. It was easy...or as its name's suggest, it was just delicious....This new URL, a more advance form than Bookmark, gave us the possibility to access our favorite webpages from every computer.

The 2nd task was related with the contribution of technology CALL in teaching and reinforcing the students' linguistic skills. The articles I read are 'Developing Listening Skills with Authentic Materials" (Lindsay Miller) and "New Perspectives in Teaching Pronunciation" (Maria Grazia Busa). Both the articles were helpful and in two words I would classify the 1st as more practical whereas the 2nd as more experimental.

The 3rd was the analysis of the sample project from the previous year. I read all of the samples quickly and the one that attracted my attention was Camelia Pagila's project School with classes I-VIII, Academician Marin Voiculescu, Giurgiu, Romenia and Nadina Nicolici, Lorin Salagean Technical High School, Romania.

Personally, what I consider as a real achievement and innovation in Paglia's project is the incorporation of Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences, with the various teaching methods in a lesson and with the implementation of technology in the teaching process mainly by using the blogs. Her idea of using Blogs in the teaching process is very similar to my first project idea. Moreover I agree with Pagila’s idea that students love to blog and it gives another opportunity to shy students to get more engaged in the classroom and outside it.  

The second sample project which I really appreciated for being practical and somehow even a bit more innovative and it has also some similarities with the subject I am teaching this semester, is Nadina Nicolici's. After a clear and detailed explanation of her audience, her classroom setting and the classification of the students’ learning styles, she presents the reader with the overall objectives of her subject and students’ needs. She explains them thoroughly, but I think she misses an important element if we refer to the ABCD model, and this is the time/semester.    

Nicolici encouraged her students to have their blogs, read the blog that she created for the class and comment on it. In addition to the blog, she created her wiki page so the students could have the possibility to get some helpful web-pages aimed at helping them learn more, to find some good online dictionaries, online exercises and games, quizzes on different topics where they could practice all the four skills: listening, speaking, writing and reading.

I really hope to find the best way out to put together all this knowledge ....

Week 2 - Is over...?!

My God!!!
I really find it hard to believe that this second week is almost over...
It has been a really fruitful week on several aspects, although the number of tasks to fulfill were a bit demanding. 

The First task was the ABCD Objectives, a thing completely unknown to me, and even to the others. After exploring several sites and articles, I come across an interesting article who somehow illuminated me and gave me the answers I was looking for. This model incorporates the four basic components in the teaching-learning process, A - audience, B- behavior, C- condition and D- degree. After I read how this separated elements could be implemented together for an overall objective I noticed that the ABCD objective is very helpful for the teacher and for the students. It makes things clear from the start what we (the teachers) are supposed to do and how the students are supposed to behave to be assessed properly. I think I will adopt this objective in my teaching process.

The second important task we had to prepare was the first draft of the Final Project. After I racked my brain I came up with the idea that the best thing to do was to use blogs to foster the students knowledge and motivate them to read more and express themselves freely in their blogs. I tried to explain to my students what I had in mind and they found the idea interesting, they were enthralled at the idea of being 'the masters' of their blogs and they saw the use of English language as a challenge. I really hope they will have the same attitude till the end of the project, they are a bit lazy and extra homework is always a good reason to complain...

The last but not the least important were the many search engines that we had the chance to use and navigate. I have always been a Google fan and now with the enormous variety of sites it will be difficult for me to stick to the old habit, thank God! The sites were really endless and they seem to offer 'the right solution for every kind of difficulties or problems.

Week 2- Mid week Reflection

We are almost are in the middle of the second week...

A lot of work has been done, a lot of time in front of the net has been spent, and the more information you get, the more you want. It seems like an endless process but with a very humanistic aim 'improving our teaching skills.'

Today I read some papers and links about the ABCD Model, but still I am not very sure what it really means and how I can implement it with my work. So I have to work harder on this point.

Today I did the first draft on my final project. I have a lot of ideas in my mind, but I have to ponder carefully on the details, the results, the students reaction and a lot of other questions that invade my mind.

Marsi 

Reflecting.....

Well, here we are... almost at the end of the first week and ready to put everything in a scale; to balance our successes and failures, to ponder on what we have gained and what we have left behind, where we have arrived and how far there is to go. I imagine everyone in the position of Robinson Crusoe in the isolated island trying to calculate the positive and the negative sides of his disaster.

In a hyperbolic way, of course, this resembles my situation. However, mine is a wonderful choice for a brighter future and although the starting difficulties I will never regret this!

Let's focus on what I have gained this week. I have had the chance to meet very professional teachers and share my teaching experiences with them. I become acquainted with on-line teaching, something entirely unknown for me. I have created my first blog, ( and the second as well, because I didn't like the first) and I am already thinking of how to use it with my students.

I think this is a good start!!

-Marsi