Week 7 reflection

Hello everyone,

Discussion: Learner Autonomy, the One-computer Classroom, and Mobile Devices

I chose to read articles about the one-computer classroom and mobile devices because it relates to my project task which I am going to use websites as technology tool to improve my students listening skill. I have learned more about using computer in many useful ways such as  a teacher tool, multi-media chalk board or flip chart, learning center or station, cooperative learning tool and so on.
Emerging technologies going to the MALL: Mobile Assisted Language Learning article by George M.Chinnery  has confirmed me that enhancing technologies to lesson plans can engage  students more in learning.

                                                         One-computer Classroom

Task: Padlet
 
I visited http://padlet.com and saw the greeting statement “welcome to the easiest way to create and collaborate in the world. You'll feel like a superhero in no time”. I then found it is exactly true. I think we can use Padlet variously, we can see everyone's activity on the wall instantly and keep our wall private between friends. We can also make a public wall for the whole world to see.

Project Task 6: Suggest a partner for a  peer review
I love this idea so much, peer evaluation can help me to feel more confident about project task. Thank you Yi ling from Taiwan for being my partner. I am very happy to work with her  and hope that we will have great time together.
I have started using Breakingnewsenglish.com to improve listening skill  of my Grade 7 students , different level from what I first mentioned in Week  2. I have changed from Grade 12  to be Grade 7 because this semester I have been assigned to teach Grade 7, not Grade 12 anymore.

                 







My Grade 7 Class  






I am excited but a bit worried at the same time about writing my project report. I will  try  my  best  to
do  it.

All  the  best,
Jirawan  Thani
Thailand

Dear everyone,

Here's my reflection of Week 6;

Creating Student-centered Classes and Interactive Power Point

"Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Involve me and I understand". I really like this Chinese proverb frome our Week 6  homepage. I strongly agree with it and will always think about it as a redar of my teaching. This week learning provides me many practical ideas to enhance  in my lesson plans as large class is my teaching context. Most of the classes in my school have students about 50-60 students and it's really hard to control and engage them. Thank you Donna and Rick Finnan for very good article, "Enhancing Learning by Engaging Students" which suits my teaching context indeed. I can use many activities in my classes.  I also read the rest readings which impress me  with its useful suggestions and knowledge.

- Interactive Power Point

Previously, when I needed to use PowerPoint, I just coppied the tamplate from someone and changed only the words, but not for this assignment.

At first, I didn't know how to create interactive PowerPoint, spending long time to study from readings resources in our homepage and surfing internet, watching some video from Youtube enabled me to make my very first  DIY Interactive  PowerPont. I'm happy to see my PPT on our Wiki even if it's not very good. I wish I could make it more interactive with motive animations with all assigned elements, but as a new creater, I had to decide that just finished it.

- Project Task 5: I have students to teach and the school just opened last  week, I'm going to implement my technology in my class this week and will keep a log of what I did for sure.

This is one of challengeing  weeks.

Best wishes,
Jirawan  Thani
Thailand

Dear Donna, Kelly and all my colleagues,

This week is the hardest time for me as I had to get behind in my assignments after being absent one week to Greece for a seminar. I am sorry to bother Donna to check my assignments afterwards.

Rubric and alternative assessment

Alternative assessment suits the new approach of teaching English with communicative approach as the traditional pencil-paper tests cannot be used properly anymore. The suggested articles can give many ideas about enhancing alternative assessment in my lesson plans. Rubric is very important for this kind of assessment and RubiStar is a special tool to  make appropriate rubrics, I am glad that this course let me know many good tools for improving my teaching.

Project-based Learning

My school has just started a new academic year last week and I have been assigned to teach Independent Study Course, it is delighted to have the chance to learn more about project-based learning and I will be able to use it in this course. I think project-based learning and independent study have similar process.

Create a Rubric

I had fun with making a rubric from RubiStar and I will make more for my assessment in the future. This  time I have made a rubric about oral presentation of tourist attractions in Thailand.

WebQuest

I tried to make my WebQuest, but I am still not satisfied with it, I then paused it for a while as the limit of the time. I hope that I can get back to improve it and be able to show you all the link later, hopefully I can get some extra points from it, Donna, please forgive me for being late.

I read my colleagues' blogs with impressive, you all are wonderful to make such great jobs.

Best wishes,
Jirawan
Thailand