Thanks seems to be the easiest word :)

The music of our great Moldovan composer Eugen Doga will speak louder than my humble words.

That's it?

So here we are at the end of our course. A mixture of antagonistic feelings are storming in my brain. On the one hand I feel a soothing relief because it is over, on the other I'm full of sorrow because it is over. I've remembered a small poem about the duality of the human nature:

Man is a fool.

When it is hot, he wants it cool.

When it is cool, he wants it hot.

He always wants what he has not.

This course has been very useful for me. I've learned many interesting things I will most definitely use in my classes. Beginning with Week 2 when we tried to formulate a clear ABCD objective and ending with the issue of learning styles, I was in a constant process of autonomous study.  I cannot tell that I would use only one particular tool. I think the best result is in their harmonious combination. At one lesson, one tool might be used, at the next - another, etc. It depends on the ABCD objective set before every lesson.

I know for sure that I would do a lot of blogging in the next academic year. I will also work with a wiki together with my class. It will be similar in some ways with what we had here. I will go one using my blog for my educational goals. 

There were no irrelevant tools in this course, in my opinion. Even if some of the things were not completely new to me, I had the chance to look at them from another perspective. So I discovered other ways of using that tool. However, what I'm dreaming of is how to organize online conferences. I would suggest thinking of organizing some webinars.

I am happy for Sandra that she had the opportunity to meet FACE-TO-FACE the team in Oregon. You see people still long for this physical contact, if you understand what I mean. That is why my belief stays unchanged: technology is only A tool to improve teaching, to make it more interesting and diversified.  It is A tool every teacher should use nowadays to get to their students, to motivate them. I hope that one day we'd have the chance to meet. Meanwhile I'll follow Poncho's advice in one of his posts: "Dream on".
As I have got into the musical style lately I would like to end with:

The end is near.........

The title of my post sounds a bit creepy but this is the truth: "our course is slowly coming to an end, but only to mark a new beginning in our teaching process. As far as you can see I have already got into the melancholy of the farewell mood :)

Meanwhile this week has been as full as the previous weeks. As a matter fo fact we started slow and now we are letting it flow :) 

What I  have got is that a person is a bundle of multiple intelligences he/she makes use of in the process of learning. Definitely, one may prevail over the others, but does not exclude them. I found the variety of offered web tools for every intelligence apart very useful. You can notice that some of them are repeated, eg. blogging is good for intrapersonal and interpersonal inteligences, whwereas, Powerpoint, I would say, is an "omnipresent" tool. So we have the possibility to choose what best suits our educational goals.

I have also rediscovered the benifits of the butterflies-in-my-stomach feeling caused by tests and learned a new maxim "Forgetting is a friend of learning". Above all I have finally submitted my project plan. I hope it is not bad as I worked hard on it just like all of you did, I'm pretty sure.

Now what I want to do is... (this addresses musical/rhythmic intelligences :)

Why not live in ANVILL?

This week has been the toughest! And it is not only me who thinks like this. This is the feeling I get after reading your blog posts or nicenet discussion threads. But the process of overcoming all the difficulties gets us closer to the stars, or at least to another improvement in our teaching career. In our case, we become more digitally literate, and thus, closer to our technologically friendly students. So we should change our place of residence and choose ANVILL, or Google sites, or Blogger, or Nicenet. Definitely I am joking, we should not go to extremes. Just we should take advantage of every technological tool that would bring diversity to the process of teaching and enhance the process of learning.

The other issue that caused so much panic was the creation of our first draft. But let's look at the positive side, we once again had the possibility of getting the thrill of the student life. I think it is good to be reminded of it from time to time, as it will make us think twice before assigning a certain task to our students.

As I am not teaching this semester, my project is prospective rather than retrospective. I truly hope to impliment the changes I have planned, but above all I am more than positive that the students will enjoy them.

One more thing, I love the idea of organizing webinars. I attended a couple in the past. I hoped that this one will be just as great as the others. Unfortunately I had some tech problems and I couldn't hear most of the webinar. Maybe you should organize more webinars? I think it's a wonderful opportunity of interacting online.

Vicky

A restrictedly autonomous teacher's weekly reflection

I don't know where to start from. Probably from the very beginning.

I have thought that the more we are getting closer to the grand finale the easier it will be. I was mistaken. I think the esiest task this week was to find a partner. I would like to thank Poncho for expressing his desire to be my partner for our next week's peer reading of our project drafts. 

When it comes to one-computer classroom, it was not difficult as well, just a bit time-consuming. What I want to say is, I thought at first that some random thoughts would do, but then I realized I had to make a more specific lesson plan. But this why we are here: to realize things and ideas, "Reflections into Actions" as Victoria entitled her blog. We do not only learn but actually DO things (I'm too much into Pragmatics, aren't I?).

I would also like to add that we use very often a computer in the classroom. We use it for listening activities, or for watching something, or for making public a presentation. I liked the activities from:

• http://www.susangaer.com/sgaer/onecomputer/wordprocessing.html
• http://www.susangaer.com/sgaer/onecomputer/internet.html
• http://www.lburkhart.com/elem/strat.htm 
• http://www.seirtec.org/present/onecomptr.html

Some of them were new to me, others were not.

The reading for this week mostly dealt with learner autonomy, something that should be ecouraged, cultivated, in our students. I have already shared the existing problems here in Moldova, i.e. the student are too much teacher-dependent. If there is nobody to watch-dog them, they won't do anything. This is a problem we are fighting and trying hard to solve. I think that our schools have to adopt not only verbally but also in practice student-centered teaching and the problem will gradually disappear.

Another issue is the teacher autonomy. I think the teacher should be autonomous within the curriculum he/she has to follow and according to the students' needs.

So these are my reflections for this week

Cheers

Vicky

Partner wanted!

An invitation for collaboration :)

Connected

This week has been very adventurous for me I would say. Yet, what is this life, but an ongoing adventure, where one should take some risks and seize new opportunities. I think this is what we are actually doing here. We discuss, share and discover different views and experiences connected with modern technological ways of TEACHING and seize the opportunity of LEARNING new things.

At the same time, this very week has been very productive as well. I have previously worked with PPT but once again I have discovered many new interactive ways of making a great presentation. Esecially I liked the various activities one could use in a PPT. I have made a PPT in grammar and I avoided using images, as I thought it is more appropriate. In my opinion, a grammar lesson focuses above all on accuracy. I tried to use my PPT as an electronic blackboard where I would explain the theoretical material by involving the students in the process.

Another importand thing is that a teacher should know the students, their personalities, in order to get to them. Very often I make examples using the names of my studetns. In this way they manage to get a better understanding of the studied material.

When it comes to large classes, I work with them only when I have theoretical courses. I am lucky to have 12 students for my practical classes. I would like to share the link of the book I found on the internet:
http://www.cambridge.org/other_files/downloads/esl/booklets/Jones-Student-Centered.pdf
The author explains everything in plain language and it is accessable for everybody.

I also liked the way other techers work with large classes. It is always interesting to discover new things and revise your own methods of teaching.

Connection Problems

I just want to signal out that this week I'm having serious internet problems. I hope I'll manage to do everything on time, At least I'll do my best.

On Assessment

David Norton, our English Fellow in 2010 - 2011, organized at the end of his stay a conference for the regional teachers from the Northern Part of Moldova. I was invited to contribute with a presentation to the conference, which I gladly did. As we are talking about assessment this week, I decided to post my presentation, maybe you'll find some interesting things in it.

Creative assessment

 

View more PowerPoint from Viorica Condrat

Black History Month Project

This is the project I spoke in my article, it was a Black History Month Project, which was meant to challenge the students to get to the core of this delicate issue.  We agreed that the theme of the project should deal with the cultural and historical significance of this month. At first, students brainstormed issues that might figure in their project. Through discussion and negotiation, they decided to dwell upon the controversy of the month, historical background and three most significant representatives in Black History.

We viewed the final outcome in the form of a poster where the most significant search results should be exhibited. The project was thought in black and white which was supposed to represent the present-day harmonious coexistence of the Black and White races.

While structuring the project it was decided what kind of information was needed and where to find it. Then the students devised the tasks among them.

As February was chosen to honor Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln I assigned another task for them which would involve both creativity and concrete historic data. Thus, the students were asked to take an imaginary interview from Abraham Lincoln. They should think of two questions they would like to ask the 16th president of the USA. The third question took into consideration the modern context and said: “Mr. Lincoln, what do you think of the 2008 presidential elections and of the 44th president of the USA?” Then the students were supposed to think of possible answers. In this way several important events were mentioned, i.e. The Gettysburg Address, The Emancipation Proclamation as well as some information concerning the president’s political career and personal life. This was a proof that the students had done some research before answering the questions.

After the information was gathered, it was thoroughly analyzed. The students decided upon what to preserve in group. After a fruitful discussion we agreed that we should place in the center of the poster Langston Hugh’s poem Dreams. Students made a parallel between the poem and Martin Luther King Jr’s famous speech I Have A Dream. Thus, we came to the conclusion that Black History is a history paved with dreams. We decided that if the Cherokee had a “Trail of Tears” then the Black people in the USA followed the Trail of Dreams.

At the end, the students were asked to “have their say” and express their opinion whether there is still the need to have such a month. Afterwards I asked them to evaluate themselves.

I enjoyed working on this project together with my students as it enabled me to see how they perceive the Black History Month. Besides, it appears to be the best way of combining creativity with specific information in the acquisition of English as a second language.

The project work described in this article was well-received by the students who thought it engaging and meaningful. They found the process rewarding, intrinsically motivating, and educationally useful.

P.S. In case you would like to see the project we worked on this year (It took a while till we finalized it) go to: https://vickycondrat.wordpress.com/2012/04/12/sweet-november-this-is-the-book-of-youth/

The Quest for a New Tool :)

So I have created an account on WebQuest and I like it. At first, I did not quite understand what I can use it for. I was puzzled a bit. Even the samples were not of a great help. As I am the adept of "involve-me-and-I'll-understan" issue I started to realize its benifits.

Firt of all it can be used as a guideline for the assignments the students should do. It can show from the very beginning what the teacher expects them to achieve during this course, lesson, etc. Secondly it stores all the links and files the students might need for the course. This is extremely good as their search will get a more organized character. Then there is the possibility of creating rubrics there as well. Once again the students will know exactly how they will be appriciated for their work. And all this can be found in one place.

I'm working on a WebQuest I intend my students to use when we are going to cover the module: "A Friend in Need" from our curriculum. I hope they'll be as thrilled as I am.

To write or not to write!

This the question that has been haunting me for a while. It is a frustrating question I would say. You have so many things to say, but somehow become numb if front of the blank sheet of paper. Probably this is exactly how the students feel when they have to write. I think it is high time we had to rethink our attitude towards writing: it should change from a must inot a pleasurable activity. But how?

Technology might help. Keeping blogs and expressing thoughts and ideas is a good way to enhance writing. I'm thinking to introduce blog writing next year in my class. So far, I've been asking the students to post comments on the main blog, but why not make them write their own? I think we will create a class web-site at this course that will meet our educational goals. I had one but it was not successful, I think now I'll do it otherwise so that I get what I need. 

I'm not sure though that education should be done exclusively on-line. I understand its benifits, but I still think that the physical presence of the teacher and peers is still important for a better assimilation of the material. In my opinion, it should be an addition to the process of teaching. This is how I feel about it. Maybe I am wrong. That is why I have been more hesitant this week in writing.

The importance of being read!

It is commonly acknowledged that people write things to be read. Definately, this is not the case of a diary a person keeps to record one's ideas and feelings. However, even in this case, the person would come back and read his / her experiences. So it is easy to understand why reading and writing always come together.

I've read some of the posts on the nicenet and I noticed that writing and reading are an issue in some classes. At least, they are in mine. I liked the links you shared, especially, Marija's http://www.superlame.com/. I think it is really great, and I have already thought of making comics. I think it should motivate the students, and it will also boost creativity.

I've already tried it and I liked it. This is the result!

a CALL for assistance in language learning

Computer - Assisted Language Learning is a good method of helping our students to succeed in learning a foreign language. It is well-known that "computers play a crutial role" in people's life. Nowadays, people can hardly imagine how life would be without computers. The learners of the new generation are born in this high tech environment and are, as Georgia calls them, "digital natives". Although, far from being a digital native myself, I have to keep pace with my students so that I don't lose them in the endless labyrinth of links, and, instead, guide their search.

I liked what CALL softwares can offer now to improve namely oral skills. I think that the fact that they can be used at home, thus, making the student feel comfortable and at ease. He / She doesn't have to hurry and can practice as long as they please. I also liked the fact that the computer with such a program can give feedback, moreover, it can simulate a dialogue.

However, I would say that it is better for the mechanical aspect rather than meaningful aspect of spoken language competence. And even in the first case, "there is still some inaccuracy in speech recognition" [Gong 2002: 4]. Concerning this tiny drawback, I have come across a video on youtube. Probably you have seen it as well. Definitely things are exaggerated here, but overstatement is a strategy creating humor :)

I hope nobody will get offended. It is just for laugh.

It's sooooooo delicious to have a delicious!!!

I just want to share my excitement over having a delicious storage of useful links. This is absolutly fantastic. http://www.delicious.com/vicky_c

As a matter of fact, I was thinking of using netvibes, but when I accessed netvibes I realized that it did not save links, you can only place there the widgets. Thus, I saw that I couldn't store the links I wanted as there were no widgets for them. If you are interested in it you could go to http://www.netvibes.com/en and compare it with delicious. Once again, it is different. In my opinion delicious is better. But netvides has its advantages as well.

S.O.S.

I know that SOS is just a way of signaling when somebody is in danger and needs help. I also know that the letters themsleves do not stand for anything, they just conventionally render the Morse code distress signal.

Nowadays, while searching the internet one might get distressed, too. Apart from useful inofrmation, the internet unfortunately contains a lot of garbage as well. That is why the specific search engines that are bound to redirect you to the links you might need are great time savers.

I would say that in my case, S.O.S. is actually an acronym of Specific Online Search.First of all, I would like to tell that google.com is the best search engine in my opinion. Whenever I google something I usually like what I get as a result. Besides, google has great Specialized Search, my favorite is google scholar.

Yet, it is good to be even more presice in your search. For this you need to know:

1. what you are looking for;
2. where exactly you can find this information;
3. which is the best search engine that will help you.

I have given the list from noodles to my students and they really liked it and found it very useful. http://www.noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/information/5locate/adviceengine.html

What I am happy about is the fact that they will not go only to wikipedia now. I don't say that it is a bad site, just all the class, as a rule, comes with some information taken from that site. Now, there'll be more diversity. I hope.

Writing Objectives

I have always thought that writing objectives is not that difficult. These are statements that would signal out the main purposes of the lesson. It is what the teacher plans his / her students to be able to do by the end of the lesson. The teacher predicts in a way what skills his / her students will aquire (or reinforce) after a particular subject have been dwelt upon. I have to admit that I was a bit wrong.

The first thing I did was to look up the definition for "objective" in the Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics (3rd edition, 2002). I discovered that what I was actually doing was writing general objectives, i.e. I was describing aims "in very general terms". This works for objectives written in a much boarder sense when one is not specific. Whereas, there should be other objectives, "specific objectives" which are "more detailed descriptions of exactly what a learner is expected to be able to do at the end of a period of instruction" [Richards and Schmidt, 2002: 370]. In my opinion, the first corresponds to the term "goal", while the second to "learning objective".

Afterwards, I examined the various ways of writing a good learning objective. As the objective stands for the teacher's instructional intention, it should be stated clearly, just like in any other type of communication. As a matter of fact, I liked Dr. Bob Kizlik's idea: "The purpose of a learning objective is to communicate" [www.adprima.com/objectives.htm]. Thus, the learning objective is the means by which the teacher communicates his / her intentions to all the people who are interested in it.

The teaching process, as part of the communicative network involves several constituents. There's a sender [Teacher], receiver(s) [Student(s)], a specific context [Classroom] and an intention that governs this interaction [the learning objective].

Dr. Bob Kizlik speaks of three parts that make a good learning objective: 

1. the conditions (a statement thet describes the conditions under which the behavior is to be performed);
2. behavioral verb (an action word that connotes an observable student behavior);
3. criteria (a statement that specifies how well the student must perform the behavior).

[www.adprima.com/objectives.htm]

This model resembles the ABCD model, there's only A missing from the above pattern. I think that the ABCD model is better, because it is very easy to remeber (this was done on purpose, as a rule the condition precedes the audience). This model should become the ABC of writing a clear objective.

A - audience - Who?

B - behavior - What?

C - condition - How?

D - degree - How well?

[http://ets.tlt.psu.edu/learningdesign/objectives/writingobjectives/]

I also liked the Revised Bloom's Taxonomy, which I think is extremely useful. I knew about it, but I mostly used it when I was telling my students what to do in exercises, test-papers, or other assignments.

The information I found is very useful. It is good that we were given examples of how to write good learning objectives. I liked the Examples of Activities: English Language Arts [www.adprima.com/examples.htm]

Hello everybody!

I would like my first post to contain Emily Dickinson's poem:

This is my letter to the world,
That never wrote to me,--
The simple news that Nature told,
With tender majesty.
Her message is committed
To hands I cannot see;
For love of her, sweet countrymen,
Judge tenderly of me! 

If I am allowed I will paraphrase the great American poet and say that this is my first post to the e-world that hasn't answered to me yet. I have patience enough to wait for their answers full of constructive criticism, just, for love of English, sweet Webskills e-Teacher Participants, judge tenderly of me.

I can't wait to share and be part of this e-sharing community. So far I have received enormous pleasure in accomplishing the tasks for Week 1. 

I am extremely happy to have the possibility to 'meet' people from around the globe and get to know their opinions on teaching.