Week 9: Incorporate technology with various learning styles

     The difference that active learning makes it becomes easier to support finding ways to incorporate technology into education. People learn either visually (by seeing), auditory (by hearing), or kinetically (by doing). Allowing students with various learning styles alternate modes to interpret ideas and understand challenging concepts will enhance their success. This includes low performing students, average working students, and high achieving students. With the advancement of technological active learning techniques the teacher becomes more of a facilitator to help students engage themselves in the learning process. This creates the most interactive environment with peers helping one another. The pace, style, and depth of learning can be accommodated for by the student. As Confucius taught us, "I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand." The increase in active learning directly corresponds to an increase in engagement, retention and achievement.

    Visuals comprising much of today's technology help at least 30% of our students have a better understanding of all disciplines. At least one third of us are visual learners which means we can comprehend information more rapidly when it is presented to us through pictures, images, graphic organizers, mind-maps, concept maps, videos, etc.). Neuroscientists attribute one's visual/spatial abilities to the following facts: (1) the brain having an attentional bias for high contrast and novelty; (2) 90% of the brain's sensory output is from visual sources; and (3) the brain has an immediate and primitive response to symbols, icons and strong, simple images. Technology based art forms have a tremendous appeal to these students, encouraging artistic expression among our diverse student population. These tools provide an outlet, a form of artistic communication for those who have been constrained by the traditional modes of written and verbal communication. For the visual/spatial child, learning with technology increases their motivation and may foster their creative problem-solving skills as they evaluate the many possible ways of expressing ideas.

Week 8: "Sweet is the memory of distant friends!....."

 

 

By the end of this splendid online course, we must say, " Sweet is the memory of distant friends! Like the mellow rays of the departing sun, it falls tenderly, yet sadly, on the heart." - Washington Irving.

 

As mentioned before, I'm very optimistic about the benefits of blogging in the language classroom, but much depends on the teacher's efforts in establishing the basis for an active group of student-bloggers, which is certainly a challenge due to schedule constraints, overflow of information, resistance from students, and constraints on educators and their institutions. Nonetheless, when a community of bloggers is created, the learning outcomes can be far-reaching. Going beyond the classroom has never been so easy, literally just at the tip of the learners' fingers. The audience is there, content is produced, meaning is developed, reflection is encouraged, and the target language is the means to establish these elements of communication. Nothing could be more meaningful for a language learner. But language learning through blogging doesn't "simply happen"; it happens only if learners apply themselves to developing semantic webs taking all into another level of understanding of the language being studied and of the vast, fascinating world surrounding them.

"Farewell! God knows when we shall meet again.",

William Shakespeare

Week 7: Encouraging Selflearning

What we are doing now on our online course is mainly learning autonomy.

Learner autonomy is when students take control and responsibility for their own learning, both in terms of what they learn and how they learn it. It takes as its starting point the idea that students are capable of self-direction and are able to develop an independent, proactive approach to their studies.

The role of the teacher when developing learner autonomy:

-Focus on learning rather than teaching. Be a co-learner.
-Be a model: Speak the TL, respect the learners – and especially their time (authentic language use, activity types, etc.)
-Keep learners and parents fully informed as regards: What you do as a teacher, why you do it, and what you expect from learners as well as parents.
-Trust the learners: Take what the learners say at face value.
-See problems as challenges to be dealt with – together with the learners.

Yamaguchi (2005) recapitulates: "A computer is better than a mobile phone for handling various types of information such as visual, sound, and textual information, but mobile phone is superior to a computer in portability. And some students don't have their own computer" (p. 57).From my point of view, this is true. But they are both useful for learning languages.We should encourage students to engage in out-side-the classroom tasks so as to increase their autonomous behaviors. Since learner autonomy generally go hand in hand with out-side-the classroom learning, it would be best to assign some tasks that might appeal to their interests and needs so they can start developing autonomy skills very early.

Mobile phone is an instruction tool of great potential because of its high popularity among young adults and also fun.

Steps of teaching vocabulary by using M-learning:

-get students to use mobile dictionary to define key words.
-download flash cards and quizzes.
-send a mobile message everyday to explain a word.
- vocabulary games

Vocabulary drills on mobile devices:
1.matching synonyms.
2.matching opposites
3.label a picture.
4.complete the definitions.
5.define the given words.

M ABCD for using m-learning:
By using the mobile phone dictionary, third year secondary student will be able to define the given words:demand, purpose, evaporate and express with 90% correct.

 Padlet:
I have shared some resources on ( padlet ) page on our class wall on wiki and have created my own padlet titled - Ahmed hamzi's padlet- and this its address

http://padlet.com/wall/awfu1j8iae

I use padlet to give my students some reading comprehension, vocabulary and grammar activities and I have them create a 'virtual pinboard' on our padlet for their works at home and then we use one computer inside the classroom to check them.

Our final project peer review  group:  Ahmed-Bernadette-Sira

My Project plan:

Using Web 2 tools ( Blogs)  to increase Third Year Secondary students' scores on the English language achievement test for the following skills: reading comprehension, vocabulary and grammar'.



My resources:
 http://padlet.com/wall/awfu1j8iae
http://web20intheclassroom.blogspot.com/2008/10/ways-to-use-blogs-in-your-classroom-and.html

Week 6: Refining my Project Plans

 
     Fortunately, we do not have large classes anymore in Saudi Arabia and that was from the past. Today's students are more tech-savvy than ever before. It's almost like they are programed to learn  a different way than traditional past methods. I think that  active learning is the style of teaching that focuses on the engagement of students through valuable learning activities, collaboration, and students own thoughts. Educators know that engagement of students is critical to increasing student achievement. The desire to impart knowledge, to facilitate learning, and to make a difference in the lives of students is the goal of many teachers. As we see the difference that active learning makes it becomes easier to support finding ways to incorporate technology into education. People learn either visually (by seeing), auditory (by hearing), or kinetically (by doing). Allowing students with various learning styles alternate modes to interpret ideas and understand challenging concepts will enhance their success. This includes low performing students, average working students, and high achieving students. With the advancement of technological active learning techniques the teacher becomes more of a facilitator to help students engage themselves in the learning process. This creates the most interactive environment with peers helping one another. The pace, style, and depth of learning can be accommodated for by the student. As Confucius taught us, "I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand." The increase in active learning directly corresponds to an increase in engagement, retention and achievement. 

  If you want to create a PowerPoint Multiple Choice Quiz, do as follows:
-Start the PowerPoint Quiz
First, open PowerPoint. Create a new slide by clicking the 'New Slide' button at the top. Type in your question and answer choices into the first slide. You can move the text boxes wherever you want them.
-Create Slides for Each Quiz Answer
Next, create a slide if someone chooses an incorrect answer. Create another slide if someone chooses the correct answer.
-Make Slides for Each Quiz Question
Now, create a slide for the second question and its answer choices. Each question in your quiz must be followed by an incorrect answer slide, and then a correct answer slide. You must do it in this order so that when you choose a correct answer, you advance to the next question.
-Copy the incorrect answer slide and paste it after the second question in the 'Slides' tab on the left side. Now copy the correct answer slide and paste it after the incorrect answer slide.
-Link the Answer Slides to the Quiz Questions
To link the answer choices to the appropriate answer slides, go back to your first question. Go to 'Slideshow,' 'Action Buttons,' and choose 'Custom'. Click and drag a rectangle around your first answer choice. A window will appear.
-Check 'Hyperlink To', and under the drop down menu, I'll choose 'Next Slide.' Since this answer is incorrect and the incorrect answer slides always follow a question, going to the 'Next Slide' is the best way to link them. Click 'OK.'
-Make the Answer Links Transparent
Now to make the link transparent, right click it and choose 'Format Autoshape.' Change the color to 'No Fill' and click 'OK.'
-The next answer choice is correct so the link will be different. Go to 'Slideshow,' 'Action Buttons,' and choose 'Custom.' Click and drag a rectangle around the next answer choice. The same window will appear. Check 'Hyperlink To,' and under the drop down menu, choose 'Slide.' Another window will appear with the outline of your quiz.
-Choose the 'congratulations' slide that is after the question you want to link to. Click 'OK' twice. Don't forget to take away the fill color. Repeat these steps for all your answer choices. You might want to link your answers after you have finished all the slides in your quiz.
-Loop Incorrect Answers Back to Each Question
To link the 'sorry' slide back to your question, go to 'Slideshow,' 'Action Buttons,' and choose 'Custom.' Click and drag a rectangle over the entire slide. A window will appear, Check 'Hyperlink to,' and under the drop down menu, choose 'Previous Slide.' Click 'OK.' Repeat this for all of your incorrect answer slides.
-Choose a PowerPoint Quiz Background
Now to give your quiz a background, click the 'Design' button at the top. Backgrounds will appear on the right sidebar. Click one to apply it.

Project Task 5:

According to the United Kingdom Literacy Association, “blogs are now a well-established and widely recognised form of digital communication, and this alone

suggests that they should be taken seriously in educational settings.” (Davies &

Merchant 2009, p 91)    

According to Udell (2001), blogs are a “genuinely new literary/journalism form” (p. 2). In addition, blogs can make use of other Internet resources for learning. Users and teachers can create more learning resources by adding hyperlinks within the blogs (Godwin-Jones, 2003). Efimova and Fiedler (2003) explain that the use of hyperlinks makes it possible for new readers to learn the previous course of the discussion more easily and to make the blog more enjoyable with pictures or sounds. There are many ways in which users or teachers can create more learning resources by adding hyperlinks in their blogs. For example, teachers can have links to online testing sites to allow students more time to practise certain tests and exams.  So by creating a blog for my students would help them in many ways: they can  have some reading  resources, do grammar exercises, learn more vocabulary.

Week 5: Hard Work but Useful

My colleagues  and I have four assignments and extra credit task this week: a discussion, a task, Project Task 4, and  reflective post on our blog (plus a comment on someone else's blog).

Discussion : Project-Based Learning and WebQuests

A.Project-Based Learning: ( post 1)

It is a systematic teaching method that engages students in learning essential knowledge and life-enhancing skills through an extended, student-influenced inquiry process structured around complex, authentic questions and carefully designed products and tasks.

1.The Teacher's Role as follows:
- serve as facilitator
- model thinking and problem-solving strategies effectively
- structure meaningful tasks
- work with students to frame worthwhile questions
- manage the structure of multiple day-to-day activities to produce high quality outcomes
- teach students to set goals

2.The Student's Role as follows:
- set goals
- explore and ask questions
- work well with peers
- stay accountable to self, peers, and teacher for project outcomes

3.Research says that Project-Based Learning:
- increases student motivation and engagement in learning
- is more effective than traditional instruction in increasing academic achievement
- improves student retention of knowledge over time
- improves mastery of 21st century skills
- is especially effective with lower-achieving students

B.WebQuests ( post2 )                                                                                                                                       

A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that students interact with comes from resources on the Internet.
We use WebQuests to:
- infuse technology into the classroom and curriculum
- match our curriculum and our needs
- match our students and their needs
- safe surfing for students
- use strategies to increase student motivation
- ideal for cooperative learning
- develop thinking skills
- use many resources
- encourage students to explore new ideas, ways to present these ideas
 
Task: Create a Rubric

My rubric for Reading - Analyzing Information.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eMq_Lk57mdKuPcxUcLsBxqR6g6L5k8T6qoM689rT1sU/edit?usp=sharing

PROJECT STEP 4: Technology Related Change

The big issue for me and the other teachers in our region that students face difficulty when they take the official English language achievement test ( reading comprehension, grammar and vocabulary) and they usually get poor marks.
So while attending this course, I learned many new things related to teaching and new technology. One of the best things here was the blog I created. I liked it very much, and I thought that creating a blog for my students would help them in many ways: they can read, do grammar exercises, learn more vocabulary– and I considered that their initial problems (reading comprehension, grammar and vocabulary) would be solved by a blog. I consider that a blog can offer a large range of possibilities, addressing all the learning styles.

Extra credit task : I have created my webquest " Accidents in the Home".



 

Week 4: More Useful Readings

Skill-building Websites for Reading/Writing Skills and Technology-enhanced Lesson Plans

I have done my Week 4 assignments
Reading/Writing Skill-Building Websites. 
1. It is an amusing website for reading and writing skills to be looked at. The title of the page is "ReadWriteThink", its URLhttp://www.readwritethink.org/
It has classroom resources, professional development and parent & afterschool resources .It is suitable for all ages and levels. It has tools. "Story Map" is one of them. Story Map interactive includes a set of graphic organizers designed to assist teachers and students in prewriting and postreading activities. The organizers are intended to focus on the key elements of character, setting, conflict, and resolution development. It is useful for organizing & summarizing passages or stories. My ABCD objective for using Story Map:
By using Story Map, third secondary level student well be able to summarize the given passage in no more than ten sentences with zero mistakes.

2. "16 Websites to Teach and Learn Vocabulary" and URL "http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/02/16-websites-to-teach-and-learn.html"
It is useful because it has sixteen web tools that are really great in teaching vocabulary and that you can use with your students in the classroom.
1- Vocabulary.com:This is a website that will hep students master the vocabulary essential to their academic success
2- BBC Learning English
3- Confusing Words is a collection of 3210 words that are troublesome to readers and writers.
4- Just The Word is a cool website that helps students make informed decisions as to the right word selection to use in their writing
5-Lexipedia is an online visual semantic network with dictionary and thesaurus reference functionality.
6- Wordnik shows definitions from multiple sources, so you can see as many different takes on a word's meaning as possible.
7- Lingro provides an on-line environment that allows anyone learning a language to quickly look up and learn the vocabulary most important to them.
8- Vocab Grabber analyzes any text you're interested in, generating lists of the most useful vocabulary words and showing you how those words are used in context.
9- Snappy Words It's an online interactive English dictionary and thesaurus that helps you find the meanings of words and draw connections to associated words. You can easily see the meaning of each by simply placing the mouse cursor over it.
10- Wordia is a free games-based learning platform - built on the foundations of a dictionary - that blends word-based learning games with interactive video vocabulary.
11- Graphwords It's an free English online thesaurus that helps you find the meanings of words and show connections among associated words. You can easily see the meaning of each by simply placing the mouse cursor over it.
12- Word Spy explains new words and phrases with new entries added regularly, plus archives of previous entries.
13- VocabGeniiis a free online vocabulary building game. Each round is only 90 seconds, and you can play anytime, anywhere you have Internet access.
14- Wordhippo is a great vocabulary web tool that lets you easily provide antonyms and synonyms to your words.
15- Wordthink provides you with a daily reminder to use many of the words you already know, and add many new words to your vocabulary that you can actually use every day!
16- Vocabulary.co.li is an excellent vocabulary website that offers hundreds of amazing games and activities to teacher vocabulary.
My ABCD objective for using Wordhippo tool to teach synonyms:
By using Wordheppo tool, third level secondary student will be able to provide synonyms to the following words( fresh, remote, salty and dirty) with 80% accuracy.
 
Task: Create a technology-enhanced lesson plan
 My Sample Lesson Plan with Technology
Class: Third level secondary, Term 1
Duration: 45 minutes
Materials:  a  learning center equipped with  PC computers,  access to internet, Data show projector , Story Map tool, Wordheppo tool and ready-made work sheets.
Other material: students' book as PDF ( English for Saudi Arabia, Third Level Secondary Term 1)

Introduction:

Introduce the topic " The Importance of Water " by asking students  to check Google to answer the following question to warm them up:  How much of  the earth's surface is covered by water?
  a. one-quarter   b. three-quarters   c. a third   d. a half
Review of previous lesson:
Have different individuals answer the following question:
What is the most important reason of the extinction of animal and plant species?
Objectives of this lesson:
1. After discussing the given topic "The Importance of Water" orally, third level student will be able to mention at least 3 out of the 5 uses of water  correctly.
2. By using Wordheppo tool, third level secondary student will be able to provide synonyms to the following words( fresh, remote, salty and dirty) with 80% accuracy.    
3. By using Story Map tool , third level secondary student well be able to summarize the given passage" The Importance of Water " in no more than ten sentences with zero mistakes.
Procedure:
- Preview the reading by asking students general questions:
    1. What is the title of the passage?
    2. How many paragraphs are there?
    3. Can we drink sea water?
    4. What do we use fresh water for?
 - Students read silently for specific information.
Activities:
  - Ask students to use  "Wordheppo too " to provide synonyms to the following words:  fresh,  remote, salty, dirty and  write them down in their notebooks.
  - Ask students to use "Story Map tool"  to summarize the given passage in no more than ten sentences.
Learning styles addressed:
   visual and verbal learning
Technology alternative (in case things don't work as planned):
- students' books      - worksheets
Review before the end of the class session:
   - Ask students to give the synonyms to the given vocabulary.
   - Ask students to read aloud their summaries for given passage.
Homework:
 - Ask students  to practice using " Wordheppo" and " Story Map" tools at home.

Project Task 3: Describe some issues
 I have chosen a sample class from a public secondary school. It has around 30 Saudi male students. They study at the third level (grade 12). They have studied English as a foreign language for five years so far. Thier English level is average. Their ages are between 17 and 18 years. They study other subjects than English language. The classroom is a normal one with smart board. There is an equipped learning center in the school which they can use from time to time. The students have access to the internet through smart phones and other means of communication inside and outside the school.
The big issue for me and the other teachers in the region that students face difficulty when they take the official English language achievement test (comprehension reading, grammar and vocabulary) and they usually get poor marks. I would say that they are not motivated enough to do that.

 

 


 
 

Week 3: Richer Learning Experiences

Skill-building Websites for Oral/Aural skills and Saving Bookmarks with Delicious

 Discussion

I have done my readings for week3 and found them  very useful. The website's title which I have chosen is "The Best Sites To Practice Speaking English & Pronunciation" and its URL is: http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2008/03/17/the-best-sites-to-practice-speaking-english/ Then I go for the Voki Home - http://www.voki.com/ - for the following reasons: first of all, it is a free service. Secondly,it is suitable for all ages and levels.Thirdly, Voki speaking avatars are great tools for the classroom. Teachers and students alike can create avatars and use them in a number of ways to make learning fun and more accessible. Fourth, it provides students with the opportunity to practice their speaking (and pronunciation) skills. Fifth, foreign language students can use Voki to practice, record and listen to their speech. Sixth, its ability to share "voki-videos" with others (students, teachers, parents, other classes).Finally, it has lesson plan and activities database.

Delicious Page  

By following the instructions about using Delicious.com, I have created my own Delicious page  and saved 27 bookmarks so far. I shared links from Courtney's Delicious page. I put the URL of my page on our class wiki, under Delicious Pages. I think it is a piece of cake. It is really delicious .  Here is the URL of my Delicious page:                                             
                                         https://delicious.com/hamzi1965

 Project Task 2 : Reading sample project reports 

I have gone through all of sample project reports from past Webskills classes and I chose to comment on the following:
Course's name: Building Teaching Skills through the Interactive Web. Project Report. University of Oregon.
Author's name: Nicolici Nadina Carmen.
Country: Romania.
Project's aim is to use Web 2( blog & other tools) in teaching 9th grade at the Technical College " Lorin Salagean", Drobeta-Turnu-Severin, Romania.

This project is organized in the following way. First, it is started by giving ditaled description of the learners and their sitting and needs. Secondly, the project's problem is given. Third, initial solutions and expected responses  are detected. Fourth, Students' response and reflections are noticed. Fifth, students' changes are recorded. Sixth, resources are cited. Finally, conclusion is made.
From my point view, this project is well-organized one in spite of its too much repeated information. I think I will take an advantage of its organization to write my own project.