Week 7: Project Task Five: (Continued) Implementation of my Technology- Related Change: “DISCUSSION” and Reflection

Project Task 5: (carry on) Implementation of my Technology- Related Change: “DISCUSSION”         

Hi Dear Robert and all classmates!!!!

Discussions in the classroom can lead to greater student understanding-but this does not automatically happen. Discussions can be fruitful when the teacher is clear on the reasons for conducting discussions, adopts approaches for making the discussions productive, and is comfortable with the various roles the teacher must play in discussions. In discussion as the way of teaching, I can see some arguments regarding the ways that participating in discussions helps learning:

• It helps students explore a diversity of perspectives.
• It helps students recognize and investigate their assumptions.
• It encourages attentive, respectful listening.
• It develops new appreciation for continuing differences.
• It increases intellectual agility.
• It helps students become connected to a topic.
• It affirms students as co-creators of knowledge.
• It develops habits of collaborative learning.
• It develops the capacity for the clear communication of ideas and meaning.
• It helps students develop skills of synthesis and integration.

As far as I am concerned discussion should be conducted by the following approaches:

Ø  Establish clearly defined groups.

Ø  Make available a common base of information for class discussions.

Ø  Set a specific product for the group discussion.

Ø  Allow sufficient time for discussion and reflection.

Ø  Using questions that require clear thinking.

Ø  Rephrasing student comments.

Ø  Monitoring and responding.

Ø  Accepting the expression of feelings.

Ø  Modeling effective self-disclosure for the class.

I always have got an attempt to conduct discussions in my classroom because it plays key role in getting better English language. I love this style of learning very, very much.

Week 7 (Reflection) “Building Teaching Skills through the Interactive Web”

Introduction

Research has shown, time and again, that students learn best when they are engaged. Through the use of technology, students can become active participants as opposed to passive ones where they simply receive instructions or information. Trust is another factor that enhances the learning ability of students. With the help of technology, teachers can establish credibility in what they are teaching. Web based tools can be used for providing demonstrations and examples that can help students establish credence in what they are learning. In seventh week, we majored in assorted favorable subject matters; as, use of one computer in classroom, learner autonomy, wallwisher, and finding a partner for peer reading.

Use of One Computer in Classroom

Computers are now considered the most effective, accurate and comprehensive means of acquiring knowledge on any course or subject matter. We can make use of the computer to direct the class's attention to large group instruction that previews, motivates, provides context, provides information, illustrates concepts,  leads inquiry, demonstrates a concept, stimulates discussion (i.e., debate, role play), asks questions (i.e., problem solving, involves students (i.e., decision making), and reviews. Students can share their ideas through presentations (i.e., speeches, oral reports, review activities). One computer gets teachers able to fit into place students properly. In this week, I learnt immense and large scale ideas from my teacher as well as classmates.

Learner Autonomy   

The meaning of learner autonomy is one which views autonomy as a capacity, a construct of attitudes and abilities, which allows learners to take more responsibility for their own learning. Autonomous learners are those who openly accept responsibility for their own learning. The autonomous learners show initiative regarding learning, and share in monitoring progress and evaluating the level to which learning is achieved. Learner Autonomy is fully indispensable for students to get through in their learning.

Wallwisher

Wallwisher is an online collaboration tool to share ideas, resources, and thoughts on a particular topic. It plays very vital role in one computer classroom as well as in encouraging learner autonomy. Wallwisher can be utilized as icebreaker activity. We can produce one of our own, and give our schoolboys the opportunity to post their short profiles onto our “walls”. By doing so, we can help them feel comfortable with each other by learning a little bit about the their classmates, for example, their favorite school subjects, likes and dislikes, hobbies, weekend outing, and so on. Teacher can put activities, videos, quizzes, discussions, stories, and so on, regarding his/her subject for students onto “wall”. I love this tool very, very much.

Finding a Partner for Peer Reading         

In this week, we selected our partners for peer readings. It is actually a great style of learning any subject matter. Peer review refers to the many ways in which students can share their creative work with peers for constructive feedback and then use this feedback to revise and improve their work. Three steps to give peer feedback are compliments, suggestions, and corrections. We can get better our communication skills through this advantageous learning style.

Conclusion

Learning with technology enriches our teaching strategies as well as our students’ education. It became a momentous and crucial in every sector of education. We can create a sound technology learning atmosphere for students at our schools or colleges. It will allow supporting our students learning skills. This week was a great week. I went through many well-informed topics, and expect that I will put out of sight from my students. Finally, I am really grateful to my teacher who wants to let me learn more and more about how to use superior techniques in teaching according to the new era.

Thanking You!!!!

Warm regards,

Nazeer Ahmed

Week: 6 Project Task 5: Implementation of my Technology- Related Change: Blogging

Hi Dear Robert and the whole class mates!!!!

As the Internet becomes an increasingly pervasive and persistent influence in people's lives, the phenomenon of the blog stands out as a fine example of the way in which the Web enables individual participation in the marketplace of ideas. Teachers have picked up on the creative use of this Internet technology and put the blog to work in the classroom. The education blog can be a powerful and effective technology tool for students and teachers alike. Blogs work well for students because they can be worked on at virtually any time, in any place with an Internet-enabled computer.

As an educational tool, blogs may be integrated in a multi-faceted manner to accommodate all learners. Blogs can serve at least four basic functions; as, classroom management, collaboration, discussion, and students portfolios.

A class blog is recognized as gateway to foster a community of learners. As they are easy to create and update efficiently, they can be used to inform students of class requirements, post handouts, notices, and homework assignments, or act as a question and answer board. I found it very beneficial fir large classes; the idea is that students could utilize this class blog as online resource to practice any topic studied in class as independent work. Furthermore, student would be posting reflections on their own learning and progress in blogs.

Blogs provide a space where teachers and students can work to further develop writing or other skills with the advantage of an instant audience. For example, a class of older students can help a class of younger students develop more confidence in their writing skills. Students can also participate in cooperative learning activities that require them to relay research findings, ideas, or suggestions.

A class blog opens the opportunity for students to discuss topics outside of the classroom. With a blog, every person has an equal opportunity to share their thoughts and opinions. Students have time to be reactive to one another and reflective. Teachers can also bring together a group of knowledgeable individuals for a given unit of study for students to network and conference with on a blog.

Blogs present, organize, and protect student work as digital portfolios. As older entries are archived, developing skills and progress may be analyzed more conveniently. Additionally, as students realize their efforts will be published, they are typically more motivated to produce better writing. Teachers and peers may conference with a student individually on a developing work, and expert or peer mentoring advice can be easily kept for future reference.

Blogging is a fine technology that provides a sound learning atmosphere for students. This can be excellent opportunities for students to read and write.

Week 6 (Reflection) “Building Teaching Skills through the Interactive Web”

I am tremendously getting pleasure from Oregon’s course in these cold wintry days. Our course is fascinating and is a mine of information on the subject of building teaching skills through the interactive web. In sixth week, we majored in assorted favorable subject matters; as, technology tools for creating student-centered classes, creating an interactive PowerPoint document, and project task 5.

Technology Tools for Creating Student-Centered Classes, Including Large Classes

Technology tools play extremely vital role in large classes; it engages and motivates schoolchildren in their courses intelligently. In my personal opinion, Twitter and Blogging are the tools, which get large classes students engaged in their activities inside classes. It is an excellent place for students to connect, collaborate, share ideas, and struggles with educators around the world. Students tweet a summary of what they learned in class on a specific topic/concept. On other hand, Online Blog is also known as excellent opportunity for students to read and write, and it is effective forum for collaboration and discussion. It encourages students to learn and practice their prearranged activities efficiently. I like both Twitter and blogging very, very much.     

Creating an INTERACTIVE PowerPoint Document

Crating an interactive PowerPoint documents assist students to get know about their subject matters judiciously. PowerPoint is much more than a linear presentation tool; a PowerPoint show can include Web links, and a variety of files created in other programs. Databases, spreadsheets, and charts are a few examples. Now PowerPoint streamlines the process of designing for the Web, when presentations are saved as HTML files. In this week, I created an interactive PowerPoint quiz “Phrasal Verbs with Break” and “Causative Verbs” presentation, which actually made me follow this teaching approach. Crating an interactive PowerPoint documents are extremely straightforward, well-informed, motivating, and magnificent teaching methodology for small as well as for large classes.

Project Task 5: Blogging

Blogging is important for educators. It allows for reflection, stimulates opinion and provokes debate. One of the most significant concerns about using blogs in the classroom is that students often feel as if they are doing the same writing, just placing it on the web. I love blogging because it stimulates students to study more, and enjoy their writing. Finally, I am really grateful to my teacher who wants to let me learn more and more about how to use superior techniques in teaching according to the new era.

Thanking You!!!!

Warm regards,

Nazeer Ahmed

Week 5 “Building Teaching Skills through the Interactive Web”

Hi Dear Robert and all classmate!!!!

Introduction

It is fully provided evidence that technology-based learning plays a vital role in English teaching. It enriches students’ knowledge in every aspect of education, and gets them to build up their educational skill properly. In olden time, teachers used to teach merely from text books, and they were not able to communicate their students with globe. At the present moment our teachers are teaching their subjects through interactive web skills, which really brought a great change in our educational systems as well as teaching methodologies. In fifth week, we majored in assorted favorable subject matters; as, project-based learning and WebQuest, rubrics and alternative assessment, project task-4 solution issue or problem that started the project, and extra credit task - project-based learning and WebQuests.

Discussion - Project-Based Learning and WebQuests

In Project Based Learning (PBL), students go through an extended process of inquiry in response to a complex question, problem, or challenge. While allowing for some degree of student "voice and choice," rigorous projects are carefully planned, managed, and assessed to help students learn key academic content, practice 21st Century Skills (such as collaboration, communication & critical thinking), and create high-quality, authentic products & presentations. PBL is really momentous for learning a language properly. I love this kind of learning very, very much. This topic actually got me able to enhance my students’ knowledge by means of project-based learning and WebQuest, and got my benefit from them in every learning style.   

Task - Rubrics and Alternative Assessment

A rubric is an explicit set of criteria used for assessing a particular type of work or performance. A rubric usually also includes levels of potential achievement for each criterion, and sometimes also includes work or performance samples that typify each of those levels.  In this week, I learned about creating rubrics in RubiStar for my class to comprehend students the context. It was an attention-grabbing topic, and let me to get better my teaching techniques.

Project Task-4 Solution Issue or Problem that Started the Project

Project learning is the crucial part of education. It helps us to enhance and enrich our teaching skills smoothly. It has got an attempt to try a new technology tool or technique in our teaching, and brings victorious and successful changes in our schools and classes. Thereupon, it is known as the backbone of teaching and learning. In project at times various issues and problems occur such as, class sitting, biggish number of students, not enough technology tools, and so on. I have got two issues; lack motivation to English Grammar learning and practicing (students), Biggish number of students. In this week, I came down the favour of technology-related solution for the said issues. I thought to use merely one blog (with very simple and an easy to follow type layout) in order to have a better control of students’ responses and participation. The idea is that students could utilize this class blog as online resource to practice English Grammar topics and structures studied in class as independent work. Furthermore, student would be posting reflections on their own learning and progress in blogs. This initial solution could get my students to get better English Grammar adequately, and could bring an end the issue of biggish number of students in my class.

Extra Credit Task - Project-based learning and WebQuests

As we know that project-based learning is crucial for learning or teaching any subject because projects build vital workplace skills and lifelong habits of learning. Project-based learning can allow schoolboys to address community issues, explore careers, interact with adult mentors, use technology, and present their work to audiences beyond the classroom. Creating WebQuest is really interesting and educated, which made me capable of teaching well. In this week, I learned how to create WebQuests; I created WebQuests of “Writing five-paragraph essay” on Zunal.com with introduction, tasks, process, evaluation, conclusion, and teacher’s page successfully. I fully got pleasure from creating it.

Conclusion

We are very, very lucky to be the part of this course, which enhances our teaching methodologies by means of technological tools. I learned my things in this week, and fully enjoyed from the whole subject matters satisfactorily. I wholly hope that these subject matters will get better our teaching approaches, and bring an enormous change in our teaching methods. I am once again thankful to our instructor and classmates, who lend a hand me in every work or activity.

Warm regards,

Nazeer Ahmed