Online Education from Sweden

If you are interested in getting a University degree or follow a Postgraduate Programme but work and cannot move around, then Sweden offers a great opportunity for you. Just follow the link:
http://www.antagning.se/intl/start and browse the courses and programmes which are offered. Don't forget to add to your search the level of education you desire and the fact that you are looking for distance courses. I am an MA student myself and I must say that it offers a high level of education! 

Happy New Year...A fresh beginning for the blog?

Happy 2013. May this year help the teachers all around the world to discover their inner strengths  and be "equipped" with as many "tools" as possible. Trying to be of some help, allow me to share a post with you with the 10 most important social media curation tools according to Professor Duma. The list is detailed and really helpful so if you feel like diving into deep waters...take the step!!
http://bitly.com/pleaseshareLucianCurationArticle

Week 10 -.....

"It is with more than a little sadness that I write this final, formal email to all of you as a group" as Jodi has just sent to us...

 So, this is it... I will start my "formal" reflection on the actual course. 

Although I found it REALLY hard (due to my family "duties"), I must admit it was WORTH every minute I spent on studying and working for it! I've learnt about tools I didn't even know they existed! The instructors' "insistence" on working-experimenting on them was really rewarding for me as it made me feel better and more comfortable at using technology for teaching purposes. Among the tools, I found particularly useful Rubistar (and Quizstar-I found out about it myself!) because rubrics will help my students understand what exactly I want from them, Webquest as it is a great tool for creating and organizing projects, ANVILL, as it is an interesting and exciting way for students to start using their English, the Interactive PPT (I just LOVED the way I could have links on it!) and last but not least the Delicious tool where I can save my favourite tools!

 As for the "informal" part now, I must say that I wouldn't make it (for sure!!) without the continuous support from Jodi and Celeste (sorry for my bothering you!) and Marija (I still believe that I was a lousy partner). Mane thanks to Jeff who answered ALL my questions about ANVILL,and to Courtney who suggested a very clever way of using PPT!

  What can I say about my classmates... You were ALL really kind and helpful and ready to share your wisdom with me... I feel a much richer person now not only in knowledge but also in friends (among the most valuable riches!!). I wish I could comment on everyone's blogs and posts but it was just impossible!!! (Blogging has proved a perfect idea as it helped us express our thoughts and feelings and get to know each other better!)

 Last (but not least) a big "thank you" to my husband and 3 kids who really put up with my "absence" sometimes. I am sure they knew it was worth it!! Keep in touch!! I know I will!!

Week 10- Back to...childhood!!

This is the clip chosen by my kids!!! Time to have fun and relax!

Week 10-You 've got a friend...

I am still delaying the "farewell" post to my blog, although I am thinking of keeping it going... It's a way for me to keep in touch with all of you..
OK. Here's a song dedicated to all of you, dearest classmates and instructors. Even if I am far away from you, I can still help you. Just say so!

Week 9- This is a learner's world...

I can see some light at the end of the tunnel.... Now that the pressure of handing in in time my project is over, things seem much easier.
However, during this week we have been dealing with different learning styles. As I have posted in one of my comments on Nicenet, the teacher's job is getting more and more demanding as he has to identify and cater for his learners' learning styles. Research has to offer a lot in this field and a variety of sources and tools are at a (willing!) teacher's dispposal so as to implement this shift of teaching towards as many learning styles as possible.
I liked a lot (because it is colourful and easy for the students to understand) this link: http://www.open2.net/survey/learningstyles/ . It's a quiz which I intend to give to my students at the beginning of the school year in order to identify their learning styles. Then (the hardest part) I will need to adapt my teaching methods so as ti include all learning styles.. Is this possible? So far, I have managed to include the kinaesthetic, auditory and  visual learners as I use lots of songs where students dance, move, sing, and PPTs which make it easy for visual learners to learn and understand new notions. Furthermore, reading the assigned texts has shown to me that there are different classifications (in name mostly) of learning styles made by different researchers. Thus, we have the "classic" Gardner classification and,now, according to Montgomery and Groat (http://www.crlt.umich.edu/publinks/CRLT_no10.pdf), Myers-Briggs, Kolb and Felder-Silverman have provided us with more analysis of the learning modes. Thus, now, we have a whole list of styles to deal with! I have found 3 pictures which I consider very good for keeping in mind how learners learn:

Our realization that every potential learner comes into the classroom with his/her personal learning style, makes the shift towards a learner centered teaching much more immediate and necessary. I would like to end this post by quoting Montgomery and Groat's words (adapted by Randall et al.): "Acknowledgement can be empowering for students if they can be made aware of their preferred learning style(s) and assisted in stretching their capabilities to accomodate greater variety".

Week 9 - Don't give up!

I believe that some of you ( I know I am!!) are still working hard on the final project... This is something to cheer you up and make you want to go on... It has helped me, at least! Enjoy...