yuliya e-teacher blog

I would like to reflect on the course and its impact on me in terms of what it has given me and how I will use this knowledge to further promote the ideas:

Never before have I

-   written so much in English

-  communicated with so many people from different parts of our “small but big” planet

-  discussed professional topics so much

- worked on project and project report

-  designed so many technology-related products

-  looked at my teaching so deeply

-  got so much praise in terms of grades

-  got so much satisfaction from my teaching

-  organized my time in such a way  as to manage everything

 I will

-   complete the work on my personal site

-  communicate with my students on our Nicenet class (31)

-  work on  at least 2 projects this semester (for 3-d year students)

-  create at least 2 webquests

-  create interactive power point and prezi activities for 3-dand 2-d year students

- work out a workshop for my colleagues and local school teachers (my sister’s school has already made an appointment)

-  take into consideration different learning styles when planning lessons

-  work on developing learner autonomy

- always apply ABCD objective to my teaching

- use rubrics for assessing students’ work

I want to THANK all students in  classs Winter 2012. You are great teachers and your ideas helped me greatly. Though I had no opportunity to read most of your blogs but I always felt your presence in my blog. My special “thank you” is to Luisa, who has been so kind to me and sent her posts every week giving me the opportunity to link to the “big” world. I was in some way blind with my blog because I had no idea how it should work for the course. I just did everything my own way.  

I also would like to give my words of gratitude to Ricard who patiently accepted my comments on his blog weekly.

I cannot but mention my partners for project reading – Vita and Sinikka- who were great! 

And Robert – our wise and considerate instructor who was always here to support, to advice, to show the right way and to praise. THANK YOU VERY MUCH (SPASIBO (Russian), RAKHMET (Kazakh)

I do not say “good bye”!

See you!

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 The name of our course is Building teaching skills through the interactive web and here I would like to put much emphasis on the word Building. We really were involved into building, building our own tower of knowledge and skills. We have spent 10 weeks putting the bricks one on another and formed a very firm and strong ground to save our tower from leaning (though the Leaning Tower of Pisa has been there for centuries) or destruction. Every brick in our tower matters (be it discussion, a task to create on-line tools, posts on the blog, our final project or just messages we exchanged).
Our towers are of different shapes, and different height but they all look beautiful, and are likely to withstand an earthquake or any other natural disaster.

Robert was our foreman and made it sure we follow all the rules of building, if something went wrong we had to redo and perfect our work.

We all contributed to the building of each other’s towers. Thank you, my dear friends!
Our task now is to furnish and decorate the rooms, maintain the building and make it grow to the sky!

 This is the tower I have built in the course! Every detail is thoroughly designed and all the material is tested. It is sure to be a good home for my ideas and projects.

It is high and strives to the sky and  also resembles a space rocket. I have a dream to explore other planets on it.

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(this is how I look in terms of learning style!)

Learning styles

 It is scientific fact – there are no people in the world with the same DNA code  . We are all unique (except twins, of course) in the genetic sense. Then why should we be treated in the same way in the classroom? The lucky ones who happen to have several styles developed know exactly how to cope, what shall we do with those who are at a loss and have no idea which path is good for them?

It is spring now, time for beautiful flowers. This gave me the idea that one cannot water tulips and daisies in the same way. It either lacks water or there is too much of it that the flower is likely to die. We, of course, want to preserve that beauty and every flower is important in this garden! The same way do I see with students. They are all unique and the approaches we choose for them should be different. How is it possible to achieve? I suppose the opportunities technology gives us are limitless in this sense. It has been pointed out in our Nicenet discussions that blogging and wiki, PBL and computer games can have their role in this issue. I myself is not an expert in computer games. Rarely do I play any. As for PBL, Prezi and blogging I will definitely say YES! The introduction of video into the classroom was a great step forward too. Activities based on video are various and they do satisfy the needs of different learners.

Some days ago when reflecting on the topic I came up with the idea that it would be interesting and useful for my students to work on recording the audio text for a video piece. I gave it as a home assignment, as usual alternative was suggested (either to work in pairs or invidually and the video piece depended on the number of people involved) I considered that this way all learning styles were addressed. The exercise turned out to be great practice. Absorbing experience! We have done something similarbefore but it wasn’t with the help of any software, the students looked at the screen and pronounced the text they thought was appropriate. This time it was thorough and we have the files which can be watched several times, analyzed and commented. This is technology and it helps keep the record of what has been done and gives a prompt of how it can be improved.

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24 hours without working on the project but it is still in mind. It is never easy to quit something you have been actively involved into for a long time. Having worked on the project for 8 weeks (am I right? We started with describing the learners and the setting week 2)  I am ready to implement one more  into my teaching context.  I feel much more confident now than I felt the first days of the course. I know why my first project doesn’t let me go  – I am preparing for the next try and it is great! With all the experience we have gone through it is not scary any more. The second “space ship” is undergoing a preparation stage and is due to be launched in a few weeks.

My Nicenet class 31

Three students have already registered and two have posted their reflection on their teaching practice. I know that it is not enough but I hope the others will join soon. On Monday I am planning to introduce Sinikka, who was very kind to agree to participate, to my students and I am sure this will bring some diversity and become an exceptional experience for all of us.  It is so nice that we have made friends on this course and can rely on each other.

Coincidence

I happened to find (or rather she happened to contact me) another Yuliya, who is on the same course but in another group and who comes from Kazakhstan as well! What a coincidence! A truly uniting course! We have communicated via e-mail and there is a good chance some collaborative work will follow.

Google site

I am still under the impression of Ky’s site. Magnificent, extraordinary and well done. Currently I am working on the site of my own. I have been experimenting with the templates, setting, etc. and it seems to me I overdid it. So it is not yet time to present the site to everybody  but I do not give up. One day it will undoubtedly start working!

The end of the course

I am not looking forward to the end of the course; I want time to slow down and give us all the opportunity to learn more.  I do not mind sleeping little, devoting free time to studying not going skating or skiing; the course has become my work and my hobby and it is hard to realize that in 6 days it will be over. 

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0  today is 
Final Projects Due

I have been looking at the countdown since the start of the course and at first had no clear idea what it would be like. When it showed “7 days before the final projects due” panic seized me entirely. What shall I do? How? Conclusion? What conclusion? Will I be able to complete that task??????? Questions, questions…………. No answers, at first!  Then………I wonder where inspiration comes from? Where does it come from the very last minute when it seems there is no light in the end of the  tunnel? Where do we get power to complete the tasks which we measured at first as something unachievable?

I am grateful to the course I am currently attending. It encourages me to think hard and reveal those skills I could hardly suspect I possess. It also introduced me to  interesting, smart and talented people who make their contribution to what I do. I am so thankful to my partners – Vita and Sinikka, it is their help and support that made my work on the final project easier and the path to the result smooth and straight. The best partners in the world they are! 

The project has been published on the wiki Yuliya’s project_report. Mixed feelings – relief, frustration, worry!

What is next? Where will my ship head for? What route is it destined to choose? Questions, questions…………. No answers, at first! Then……………….

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Week 8 is almost over and that means that we are gradually moving to the end of the course. It is a little bit sad as we are already used to tight deadlines, loads of work and communication. Now every minute is precious and I am willing to “grab” as much as possible.

Creating interactive exercises

Creating interactive exercises is time-consuming a process. However, the result they can bring  sometimes exceeds any expectations.

This week I have tried several tools. At first it was difficult to get a good picture of how to work with some of them everything looked complicated in the beginning but the devil is not as black as he is painted. Now I am quite contented with the products I have managed to produce.

1)      Survey for my project (Google.docs)

2)      A class on the Nicenet(for my third year students). It is due to start working next week.

3)      Certificates for the project

4)      Hot potatoes exercises

I also wanted to play a bit with Web Poster Wizard but could not come up with any ideas on what to fill it with. Anyway, I will keep all the tools I have not tried yet in mind.

Having acquired decent skills of working with Hot potatoes, which I knew as a tool in the form of already created products (most of on-line quizzes are done with it), I produced 3 interactive exercises for my 4^th year students. It took some time to think of the appropriate “filling” and the form (either a Jcloze, Jmix, Jcross, Jmix or Jquizz). Finally, the idea for the part of the lesson with technology was born and, since that time, everything worked just fine. The disappointing thing for me was that I failed to use Masher to combine all parts in one. Jmatch did not appear to be included. I certainly need to work further on the skills of using Hot potatoes! Live and learn

One tool I find extremely useful is Find it! quiz. I think it would be a great tool for correcting student’s work. Unfortunately, I did not manage to download the program from the site.

I am extremely happy to have learnt to use Google docs for creating surveys. It is enormously useful for teachers. The problem of analyzing the data and keeping it is solved. I have already planned several surveys for the students to find out their opinion on the courses I teach.

Nicenet has proved to be of great help for our course and besides we are already used to it so why not borrow the idea and adapt it to our teaching context? That is what I did. Now I have a class of my own their and can involve the students into active work and communication on different topics, the first one being their teaching practice.

Project draft

Our group’s work appeared to be fruitful. We have gone through many discussions and this helped to put everything in order and understand what our drafts lack. I do hope our communication will not be limited to that task only. I like that we are three and can consult our colleagues when in doubt. Even the fact that Sinikka is far away and has no access to the internet is not an obstacle.

Two heads are better than but three heads make it perfect!

My both partners are REALLY TALENTED and SMART. Reading their drafts was not just routine duty but it was pleasure. The ideas they proposed are original and inspirational!  

 Webinar and ANVILL

Exceptional experience was a webinar! I am more or less familiar with the process of how webinars work but this one was unique. I like the opportunity to interact, to speak and see your course mates and people from other groups. I did not ask any questions but I listened carefully to what Jeff was saying because I had no chance to get acquainted with the system during the week. I was literally speechless, so strong an impact the presentation had on me! The possibilities are boundless. If we still have access to the tool when we complete the course I would like to work with ANVILL’s Practice Recorder, Voiceboard, Forum, and TCast.

As for the webinar form of communication, I think it should be a part of course and probably even be one of the forms further students of Building Teacher Skills Through the Interactive Web course will learn to use for their teaching.

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Spring has come and no more snow on my blog! Spring is a time for new life, new ideas, projects, time for inspiration!

Today is a happy day for me as the project I and my students have been conducting for two weeks was a success with my colleagues. It is really something new, something nobody has ever tried in my university. I feel proud for my students who did well. As one of them joked “we were guinea pigs and we managed to survive!” All the teachers were impressed as they are used to looking at these students  as reluctant and unenthusiastic people. Today they appeared to be mature, responsible and confident. The project helped all of us to reveal something new.

Spring has come………………………………………..

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 One computer classroom!

Many of my colleagues express concern about lack of technological tools. I share their worries but I know for sure that one computer in the classroom empowers a teacher to do great things.   

It was interesting to read about one computer classroom activities. They are so various, so different from each other and this shows great determination of teachers around the world to change things.

I particularly like the idea of making information available for some of the students and then presenting it to the others.

The activity I have developed (one computer classroom activity on “politics”, one student looks at the screen and explains what he/she sees to the others) worked fine with my students. They enjoyed it greatly but admitted that it is so difficult to find necessary words to explain the notion on the screen to make it clear and understandable for others.

Next time I use the activity with the students some changes will be introduced:

e/g

•   The students will see a word, a picture, a video, etc. and 3 words which they are not allowed to use in their explanation

e.g. British constitution

the words the students are not allowed to use are: – unwritten, document, UK

• The word is typed backward

•  Half of the picture or word is shown

I have already decide to start a competition on “the best image of everyday objects in the university”. The students will make pictures with the help of their cell phones and transfer them on our class computer (as Robert recommended the photos will be saved in files under the name of the student and the date). The students will have to describe the object in Word doc. under the same name as the photo. I am not sure about voting yet but I will figure it out.

Learner autonomy

I have come to realize that I need to do much to develop students’ independent learning. Learner autonomy starts with a teacher and should be thoroughly planned and gradually developed. It probably should start in primary school. However, what if students aged 17-18 come to your class and have no idea how to develop responsibility for self-study? Everything will start in classroom. Is giving students alternatives on how to do the task a step to autonomy? The more freedom we give our students in their own choices the quicker they become mature – the same principle as in real life. If a mother bird brings food to her chicks, will they soon leave the nest and learn to find it?

Reflecting on learner autonomy, I realized that probably what I am doing within my final project for this course is in some way a step to more independent approach to studying. Or is it?

One thing I am sure about is it is vital to achieve autonomy in learning but not autonomy from learning.

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