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...

Week 8- Phew!!!

This week has come to an end... I must admit it was exhausting, at least for me... We had to submit our first project draft, create a teaching resource and...attend a webinar about ANVILL. The last one is what I enjoyed the most! Apart from getting to meet its developer, Jeff Magoto, I had the chance to see how it works, as well be in "class" with teachers from all over the world. It was a unique experience. Unfortunately, I didn't have the chance to create a tool based on the resources we were provided with, but it is my intention to "delicious" them and start using them as soon as possible. I mostly prefer the sites which allow you to make exercises which can be printed and used in the class, as I am afraid that I won't have always Internet access.
 Since you seem to like the aricles I upload, I must "reveal" my source: http://www.scoop.it/t/learning-technology. It's a summary of articles concerning teaching with technology, re-uploaded by Nik Peachy. It's a great site and I suggest you "follow" it.
 Well, I guess we must rest a bit... Week 9 will be (as it is actually the end) the hardest and most demanding one!
  Bye for now...

Week 8- Something for you...

This is a "full" week... I must finish my project draft by midnight Oregon time and I am so worried about the outcome... But...among all this, I've read a very interesting article for teachers which is closely related to what we are doing in this course! I thought that you would like it as well. So, here it is! Enjoy!
http://www.teachhub.com/teacher-reflections

Week 7- Bye-bye

This week has made me really happy as it has shown to me (once more) that teachers cannot be substituted. They are, and always be, responsible for a child's learning. What I WILL definitely remember from this week's readings is the fact that learner autonomy goes hand-in-hand with teacher autonomy. So, we, teachers NEED to change our course of teaching so as to autonomize our learners. It may be hard but it's certainly worth the effort as it will produce the best for us (professional development) and our students (taking on a more active role in their education).
 I, also, enjoyed reading the ideas provided by my colleagues for a one-computer classroom. Since funds are really low in Greece nowadays, I believe I can still work miracles! I, also, "remembered" the idea of "learning stations" (I got familiar with it in another course with UMBC) and I find it a great tool to promote learner autonomy. My only wish: my OWN classroom where I would have my computer, my projector and my learning station...
 Next week will be really difficult as I have to a lot of work with my draft... Let's hope for the best.
I would like to finish my post with a great video about "learning stations" ("literacy centers" here). Feel free to get and implement some of its great suggestions!

Week 7- Autonomy:a student's/teacher's need

This week has been really difficult for me (for personal reasons) that's why I am late in posting my first comment. Anyway! Here I am now, ready to "think" of what I have done so far!

 Week 7 has proved really fruitful in terms of reading, discussions and "homework" (athough mine is not completed yet!). Today I would like to comment on Sheu's article (http://coyote.miyazaki-mu.ac.jp/learnerdev/LLE/8.1/sheuE.html). To begin with, learning autonomy of learner or teacher depends more on the teaching system as a whole rather than on an individual teaching situation in terms of readiness and practicability. I couldn't find better words to describe the existing situation in Greece. The Greek Ministry of Education has provided us teachers of English with coursebooks which have to be finished (at least 80% of them) by the end of the school year, leaving us no "room" to move freely. Sheu, also, refers to the compulsive situation with examinations in order to get a certificate of English which has made every learner of English gasp for breath. Learners see English as something coercive, as a means to an end: a certificate. Teachers, on the other hand, are pressed for good results as this will give them and the institution they work at extra "respect" and prestige, and more and more "clients" will keep coming. This ends in a vicious circle: Nobody sees the "magic" of learning a foreign language, which implies learning a new civilization, listening to a foreign accent etc. Both students and teachers work towards this end... That's why autonomy is desirable and necessary. Learners need to be taught how to work alone, how to do research. They need to be aware of their leaning styles and weaknesses, so as to improve them and learn faster and more efficiently.  However, teachers (including myself) do not fear: "...learner autonomy does not mean that the teacher becomes redundant, abdicating his/her control over what is transpiring in the language learning process" (Thanasoulas, http://iteslj.org/Articles/Thanasoulas-Autonomy.html).  The teacher's role gains even more importance, as it is s/he who will lead the learner towards autonomy. It is the teacher first who must become autonomous in order to facilitate his/her learners "autonomization". 

 Autonomy is an ongoing process. We are not born with it but rather learn how to achieve it. Teachers have to abdicate the role of the simple instructor and adopt that of the facilitator. This does not mean in any way that they become redundant. On the contrary, their role becomes more important in the learning process. Times change. Why should we stay still??    

Week 6- Time to...breathe!!

I must admit that this week has been really stressful for me in terms of reading (there were so many different websites and each one of them had different "branches" that I was lost on the way!!) and in therms of "homework" as I had never created an interactive PPT before. However, after watching the tutorial video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgPO-agnnMk) and did some reading I managed to create something which I really enjoyed and I guess my students would feel the same!
 As for the dicussion on Nicenet, I couldn't but feel amazed at how often my e-classmates use the PPT to either instruct, or revise or interact with their students. I guess I must start using my knowledge on technological tools a bit more often. My only obstacle: not all schools and classrooms are equipped with even the necessary: a projector and a computer. So, it all boils down to where I will be teaching next year to see what I will be able to use!! I will just go on grabbing any opportunity I have in order to learn, to advance professionally and to improve my teaching!

Week 6- OMG!!!

I still can't fully realize the amount and the wealth of information which exists in this week. I must "delicious" so many interesting and helpful websites... So, Interactive PPTs for this week... Another way to keep your students' eyes and ears on you and your topic. As I've already said in one of my comments to a blog, I don't know whether a class with 25 students (the maximum) can be considered as "large". "Large classes" brings to my mind University lectures... Still, I enjoyed and found particularly useful the Additional resources on teaching large classes, namely the summary of 36 formats (http://www.thiagi.com/interactive-lectures.html) and how to give interactive lectures (http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/interactive/howto.html). Great tips... The second website offers a very good definition of the term "interactive lecture" as well: "Interactive lectures are classes in which the instructor incorporates engagement triggers and breaks the lecture at least once per class to have students participate in an activity that lets them work directly with the material. The engagement triggers capture and maintain student attention and the interactive lecture techniques allow students to apply what they have learned or give them a context for upcoming lecture material". 

Now comes the challenge for me... I've NEVER created an interactive PPT... And that's why I am late in uploading it... I am reading how to do it step by step and I hope I will have mede it by tomorrow... Until then... well, good luck!!!

Week 5- To conclude...

Here's the end of week 5... For me, it was quite stressful as new tools have appeared and explained to us. Creating a rubric was easy after all, but at the beginning I couldn't NOT panic as it was my first one and I didn't really know what to assess.
 As for the Webquest, I must admit that I haven't been a good student as I haven't created one, yet... You see, I want to think of an interesting and motivating topic for my students and since I am on maternity leaveI cannot just got to school and ask them!! Anyway! I am sure I will come up with something really interesting!
I must admit that no matter how "terrified" I am for the coming weeks, I can't wait to see what's next for us!!
  To conclude this weeks' posts, I would like to wish to all mothers of this course....
                 HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!
This video is dedicated to us... It's a funny song, but summarizes a mum's life!! (By the way, I am a proud mother of 3 lovely kids!!!)   Enjoy!!!

Week 5 - It's getting better....

When I first saw what we had to read about and work on in Week 5, I felt like screaming....I thought it was too much to understand and too little time. However, after having done most of my reading, I already started feeling a bit "wiser", a step ahead of the other colleagues of mine who are not doing this course. Soon, I started feeling much better and much more optimistic about the work I had to do...
I must admit I've never used rubrics so far... I've come to realize now, though, their importance as to the students' understanding of what they have to do in order to get the highest mark possible, and to my assessing them in a clearer, more objective way. So, it goes without saying that I consider Rubistar a great helper!! I can't wait to create my first rubric... Very helpful information can be found at: http://health.usf.edu/publichealth/eta/Rubric_Tutorial/default.htm. It may take me some time but I will, eventually, make it!
   Alternative assessment: I have definitely understood the way the alternative assessment works... I must admit that I like it a lot! Still...I am not sure if I am trained and experienced enough to use it properly... To what extent should I use it and starting from which grade at school? Portfolios are a good way to prove to students themselves, to their parents and to us, teachers, that we have managed to help them acquire a piece of knowledge... But how much training do our students need (and we, as well) in order to start and efficiently use the alternative ways of assessment?
   PBL/ WebQuests: I LOVED the original WebQuest page (http://www.webquest.org/index.php) as it contains valuable information for WebQuest beginners! Simple questions such as: "What is a WebQuest"? "How do I create one"? etc. are answered in a straightforward and clear way! I may be feeling a bit stressed, though, as to what kind of a WebQuest I will create but...only time will tell! I, also, had a look at Vicky's WebQuest made on http://www.zunal.com/ and I realised that it is a great tool which allows you to create neat and tidy WebQuests! Needless to say the importance and the benefits of project-based learning (part of which is a WebQuest). In Greece, interest towards projects started 3-4 years ago and a lot of events and online seminars have been organized with the view to training more and more teachers.
   Our work is getting harder and more demanding week after week... But, at the same time, it's becoming more challenging and interesting!!
       "It's darkest before dawn"!!! Heads up, faces lit up by a smile!!

                                             
                                                          

Week 4- Let me introduce you the...

This is,officially, the end of Week 4, which was quite hard for me ( I guess there are more "harsdhips" to come) and, also, fruitful in terms of work, discussions and websites. Just a note: the link which I loved as soons as I read about (www.marlo.com/card.htm) seems to be "out of order". I guess I will have to look for a similar website myself.
 And to finish this week's posts, and since we discussed reading and writing, let me introduce you...the book!!
    Enjoy!!

Week 4- Worries...

A few minutes ago I managed to upload my technology-based lesson plan... I am wondering how I did... Wanting to do something different in my class, I believe that sometimes I go too far and I can't see the actual goal of doing the particular lesson, or that I, at least, have a vague idea... The ABCD objectives is still a hard tool for me to implement... You have to be precise, and to the point. And, at the same time, I can't help feeling jealousy and admiration for my classmates for their exceptional and well-integrated lesson plans..
 Tomorrow, I will have to put in Delicious stacks all my favourite and newly-learnt websites. Well, no matter how hard I work, I firmly believe that this course is worth the effort. 

Week 4- Help them read and write...

Week 4 has started for me with some enlightening articles concerning reading and writing in the FL classroom, skills which I consider hard to make your students like.
Dill's "How to write an Integrated Lesson" was really a good basis in order to start using technology in  my classes. She made it clear that defining the objectives of your lesson each time is extremely important in order to have a clearer picture as to what technological "tools" you will use towards this end. Also, we should bear in mind that teaching the desired language chunk and the the technology objective must be at the same time so as students see how these two are interrelated. I, also, enjoyed reading Constantinescu's aricle on the benefits of online readers compared to conventional books. Being "supplied" with multimedia glosses, the first help students to learn and retain in their memory more words and love reading more than the latter. Constantinescu,also, re-stresses and reminds the importance of teachers' knowledge of the existing of technological tools, as well, as the meed to keep themselves updated with anything new that comes up in education.
However, what was really something different for me, and really useful, was Krajka's article concerning writing teaching tips. The author has suggested a very interesting book for off-line teaching of the writing genres and, also, 2 really handy (for me) sites, www.marlo.com/card.htm (which my students will love because they will find reason to send postcards to each other) and www.eun.org (where I can find key pals -this term I had never heard of before!- transforming in this way the need for writing a student's need indeed, since s/he will want to communicate with his/her new friend!
"Recency" and "immediacy" were 2 terms stressed by all writers as  key elements for students actually wanting to read about something which has happened in the times they live and not in the past. And, again, there are sooooo many interesting sites to choose from in order to help your students read and write more.... There's more to come in my next post....

Week 3- the end!

I would like to finish my Week 3 posts by uploading a video I had seen in another learning event! It is hilarious and, at the same time, it makes me wonder whether with so much technology around we will still remember the simple things... Enjoy!!!

Week 3- some thoughts

Week 3 is coming towards its end... A lot of reading was involved (and this means not only article reading but also Nicenet posts reading-which were loads!!).
 I managed to create my Delicious account but I still have a long way to go since I need to organize my links into neat stacks so that my "place" isn't so messy.
 I found some time to read all 3 articles on speaking/listening teaching. I was amazed/confused by Busa' article! No, it was not her fault that I was confused. It is the technology which went so far into analyzing someone's speech, comparing it and finding its weaknesses that confused me and "shocked" me. So much research has been done which proves the necessity for teaching pronunciation and intonation as well... Nowadays, learners have so many tools at their disposal in order to learn that they are "unforgiven" if they don't succeed in doing so.   But, no matter what a learner does, a teacher must always keep in mind this learner's L1, as this affects his pronunciation of the L2... And, at the same time, no matter what s/he does, a learner should  always keep in mind to LISTEN to as much as possible to L2 and to SPEAK as much as possible in L2. After all, "practice makes perfect", doesn't it?  

Week 3- To teach an old dog....

Here we are! In the middle of Week 3 already! So far, I have created my Delicious account (http://www.delicious.com/georgia_maneta) and did my reading...
"Delicious" seems a great tool! It's like a portable cupboard where you can store your favourite "tickets" for your favourite destinations. No "favorites" in the Explorer, no small notebooks where you write your links. Just an account and that's all. However, I can't help feeling like an old dog (I am not that young anymore) which they are trying to teach new tricks to! All these links and things, generally sound and seem really great, but will I be able to manage to acquire the skills needed to handle them? On the other hand, times are changing and we, as teachers, have to keep up with them or else we will not be able to teach our little digital natives successfully. Keeping them interested is the key... And keeping ourselves updated with the newest educational and technological trends is the second key!
 Can I hold both keys???? I still wonder....

Week 2- A glimpse of the future

As a final word for the week to go, I would like to comment on the article I read about the future of search... In a way, it was terrifying, in the sense that it described that I had never thought of... (10 years ago, I didn't even know of the existing possibilities of a Web search!). What struck me was the "personalized information"... I mean, can you imagine looking for a certain Mr. Smith and because the search engine knows that you, in the past, were involved with a certain Mr. Smith, gets rid of all the unecessary information and gives you only the one needed for the person being looked for? How far-fetched is that? And, at the same time, how much time and effort will this type of search engine will save you form? What else will we ask from technology after all?
 As a conclusion, I am uploading a video I had seen in a previous seminar which is about life in future.. is that kind of life so near nowadays? And is it more preferable to the one that we are experiencing now? Enjoy...

Week 2- Towards its end...

After many efforts and lots of help (so that I could paraphrase it) from Jodi, I managed to find my ABCD objective: "Being divided into teams and being given a project where they must present 4-5 English speaking countries (depending on the number of teams formed) (condition), the students (audience) will be able to talk about the country of their choice (up to 80%) by using specific pre-taught relevant vocabulary (borders, rivers, culture etc.) and learn a few things about the countries presented by the other teams (65-70%)(Behavior, Degree). Assessment on what they have learnt can be done through an online quiz I will make with multiple choice questions.." I must say once more that defining an ABCD objective clearly is not easy at all... This week has, also, made me think to what extent we, teachers, define our objectives since we are provided (at least in Greece) with books which contain everything: What grammar to be taught, what vocabulary etc. Of course, anyone will say that a textbook is just a tool and not the basis for our classes but what I worry about is that all kids in Greece must be taught the same things in order to get the education decided for them by the Ministry of Education. So, to what extent, are teachers free to use other materials and different structure from the one shown in the textbooks?
  going back to Noodletools now, and after reading my classmates' comments that Google suits them since it provides them with more links, I must say that I do agree with them but (there's always a "but") Noodletools offers you anything you might need in front of you... Do you need Grammar, Geography, Languages, Maths? You just press the correct link and everything is there... So, Google is indeed easy (and well-learned since we have used it for so long) but it won't take us too long to get used to Noodletools and its "philosophy".
  A last, but not least, comment about my classmates: I can't but say once more how much I admire them... They know so many things, so many web addresses and they are really willing to help you with any question you might ask.. Sometimes I feel so "little"... But, I guess it's this feeling which makes me want to go further and push myself more..... 

Week 2 - In the middle

I just LOVED the www.noodletools.com! A really, really helpful site for teachers who know exactly what they are looking for and do not have time to waste. I only had the chance to do some "research" in the CIA site especially made for countries (facts, history, photos etc) and the INFOMINE which provides you with specific information on anyhing. It didn't come as a surprise after all, the announcement that Encyclopedia Brittanica will never be published again... No one will ever need paper encyclopedias anymore, since the Web is the soul provider of anything. That's why today's kids are called "digital natives". That's, also, why more and more people opt for online learning: it's more easily accessible from the comfort of their home, and they can find information on anything they may think of or need for their assignments. It makes me wonder, though... Wil we ever feel the nostalgia of the old times when we had to go to the library to get the badly needed book or when we could not afford to buy a new dictionary? It's all (or most of it) for free now. And, the most important, you don't have to go anywhere!
As far as my reading is concerned, I have finished most of it (the parts which I considered more important for my posts on Nicenet). At first, I found the ABCD method really easy to understand and implement in my lessons, but now I realize that this is not the case... You have to be specific in what you expect your students to be able to do (and to what degree) after the class, and this is not easy at all. I am about to post my plan in the Nicenet thread and I hope I will get some feedback from Jodi in order to see whether I have made it so far or not.
This course is a real challenge for me.... It contains both unfamiliar things to me (keeping a blog, do "serious" and specific Web search) and,also, a lot of motivated and well-informed classmates whom I have to keep up with.....

Week 2- The beginning

It's Monday midnight here in Greece and so quiet in the house... As I am getting ready to start my weekly readings and prepare myself for the first step of the project, I need to express my anxiety and the small amount of stress I am feeling... It is really exciting that I have to read (and remember,also!) about all this interesting stuff... Yet, as I am a person of a more theoretical background, I can't help feeling overwhelmed by the amount of information you can find on the internet about so many different things. I DO hope I will not mess it up. However, I,also, DO hope that I will start acquiring the webskills which will help me feel much more confident when planning my teaching and a bit more "technologically" advanced!

Week 1

After MANY efforts to design and redesign my blog...well this is it! This is the blog where I will record my thoughts for 10 weeks... I must admit that although I have known for a long time the necessity and the use of blogs, I've never "seriously" kept one.

Now, it is the best opportunity for me to become an ardent blogger.

Jodi and Celeste, you are my new best friends now! Can't wait to meet you all!!