Week 8: More and more online resource should result on much better learning process

No reading this week does not mean less knowledge and resource. Experimenting with the online resource such as toolsforeducators.com, wizard.4teachers.org,  easytestmaker.com could be much more productive and creative experience. Creating test, games, worksheet, making poster, crossword puzzles, board game and so on are the very real and creative experience for me as a teacher. These resources are not only for teachers since the students can also enjoy the experience of creating things like the games. I plan to not only use the tools for teaching my students but also let the students to create their own learning materials.

from: http://myhometruths.com

Another golden chance I had this week is the ANVILL. I can say that this website make the concept of language lab as a building with four walls is totally challengeable. The website designed by Oregon University Language Center has been available for global users for a better oral and aural learning experience. ANVILL has the characteristics of anvil that can be used to shape the listening and speaking skills through the voiceboard. It may also enhance learner autonomy, creativity, and confidence to speak up.

Source: it.uoregon.edu

I also learned a lot about collaborative learning by working a lot with my friend Sonia Low from Phillipines and Juan Carlos from Ecuador for my project plan. They shared valuable feedbacks and comments that will help develop my teaching plan by using the technology in the future.

Finally, I successfully made my own google site that can be further developed for my future courses. I am happy to share my site on https://sites.google.com/site/englishclasswithherman/ and https://sites.google.com/site/classwithmrherman/ for anybody who wants to have medium to enhance their learning process.

Enjoy all these tools while I am enjoying my very own ....

Week 7: Dealing with the Blocking Wall of Learner's Autonomy

After reading some articles on learner autonomy  i realize that making the learner can be said as the ultimate goals of teaching. Maybe, in Bloom's taxonomy we can say that learner's autonomy as the creating skills that students can achieve. I understand that sometimes the given curriculum does not provide enough space to stimulate learner autonomy. Even, the system such as curriculum and decided learning objectives could be the blocking wall for building autonomy of the learners. Just like the little baby, if the parents give more freedom to express his or her felling, he or she can be surprisingly very creative and brainy.

source: www.livesofteachers.com

To implement the learner autonomy concept, I will discuss more with my students before, while, and after the class about what they want to learn, how do they want to learn, and what do they think about their own learning process. I just fell in love with the padlet/wall wisher website that can be one of the tools to create interactivity and more expression for me and my students.

source: www.padlet.com

I wish my student can share anything such as link, file, video, audio, or anything without any blocking wall with this tool. Finally, I wish that they will be long-life autonomous learner who are creative and expressive in the same time.

Week 6: Interactively Engaging Students in Big Class with Powerful Points

Being a big class with plenty of students is one of the biggest challenge for a "good" teacher who cares with the students as individual. Some strategies I use to keep my interaction with the students are followings:

source: www.Ftutordoctorofwny.wordpress.com

1. In the first meeting, I ask the students to make an identity card with their personal info and picture that they  want to share with others.
2. The first assignment in the first meeting will be writing email to me entitled "Me and My Dreams". They need to share about who they are, what are their dreams, and how they want to achieve the dreams. The should also connect the writing with my subject. I have the chance to talk to them personally using email.
3. The students in my big class should also write an "Intellectual Diary" where they can write about anything like the past, present, future, poems, caricature, even lyric of a song with their comments. I can only read the diary if they allow me to read it. I got this idea from Erin Gruwell and The Freedom Writer's Diary.
4. Making video project is one of my ways to give the students in the big class the opportunity to express themselves. They can make video with any topic but every student should get the chance to speak English individually in the film.
5. Last time, I asked my students to make a class blog. They can choose the role as writer, blog designer, photographer, journalist, or anything that can contribute to the blog. I found that the students enjoyed the task and I can build interaction with them.

However, this week I found that I can do more to make my big class interactive. Using some software and websites like blackboard online assessment, and activities of project based learning. 

source: http://appitive.com

Another thing that can support my class interactivity is the PowerPoint  In fact, PowerPoint is not only a tool to deliver material but it is something that can make your class more interactive. 

I can put some activities like think-pair-share, rapid reflection, quick think, concept map, and quiz in my PowerPoint  Even a blank page can be a powerful way to draw student's attention. 

Therefore, I can say that PowerPoint can make the points of your lesson more powerful and interactive. 

Week 5: Rubrics, Alternative Assessment, PBL, Webquest, and Project

Rubik or rubric? Sounds like something similar for me because they both can be very complicated. Rubric is very important in teaching because it becomes the parameter of how the students' works will be graded. I found it very difficult in the beginning to decide how the students will be graded. It takes time to formulate the rubric. However, this week I found a very helpful resource to formulate the rubric in easy way using www.rubistar.4teachers.org. I have created two rubrics for photo story assignment and essay writing. I will definitely keep using this website.

source: http://21centuryedtech.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/pbl.jpg

Another thing that I learned is about PBL. Problem Based Learning for me will gradually make the learners become independent. The learners decide what is important and useful for them and do it for class activities to meet the learning objectives. I found Susan Gaers' examples very inspiring and motivating. I am happy that actually I have implemented some PBL approaches in my teaching.

Webquest is a very good example of project based learning. I have created my own webquest in www.zunal.com. I plan to use this tool to solve a problem that I currently deal in my class. I believe webquest can be very useful to support students and to prevent plagiarism problem. It is an inquiry based activities using technology that may stimulate and motivate the students to read more and write better.