Week Ten - Time to Say Goodbye

So finally it’s time to say goodbye, to all my fellow voyagers on this eventful journey. As I bid adieu to my friends and Captain Courtney, my heart is filled with mixed feelings. I am happy at my new found treasure of knowledge and wisdom, but at the same time I am feeling sad to think that the course is going to end. But, as they say, all good things must come to an end.

I wonder if this is an end or a new beginning. Perhaps both. The course is ending, but the challenging task to implement the technology change successfully and effectively into my teaching is just beginning. I’m sure that I will be able to achieve that pretty soon.

Even before the course ends, I have got a good opportunity to share my new found knowledge of web tools with my fellow English teachers working in the Department of Education in my state. I’ve been invited by the State Institute of Education, Jammu to deliver some lectures in a training program for Master Trainers in English, under the aegis of National Secondary Education Campaign, Govt. of India. I am hopeful of having a good and fruitful discussion with the participants.

In this amazing course, there was so much to learn during the past ten weeks. It would be wrong to call it a course only in web skills. It was a complete teacher development course in itself - big learning in a small package, or what we call ‘Gagar mein sagar’ in Hindi, which literally means ‘Ocean in a jug’. I have done many teacher development courses before, but none was as transforming as this one. I feel so fortunate to be able to attend this course. I also feel grateful to the developers and instructors of this course as also to University of Oregon, American English Institute and Regional English Language Office (RELO), US Embassy, New Delhi India.

I have had many sleepless nights during this course notwithstanding the fact that I am not accustomed to doing this. But what I gained by sacrificing my sleep was really worth it. Now, since the course is going to end, and ‘the essence of winter sleep is on the night’, am I thinking about a long-night sleeps from tomorrow? I would answer and end this last official blog post with my all-time favorite lines of Frost:

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

Goodbye!

Reflections Week Nine - The Last but One

Week nine is ending, and ‘the last week’ is about to begin in a few hours. Final project reports have been submitted. Our adventurous and rewarding journey is in the final phase; the shores are approaching nearer.

Week nine was full of valuable information and profound insights on Learning Styles and Multiple Intelligences. Like always, there was a nice discussion on Nicenet, regarding learner styles and use of technology. Discussion is a good way of learning, but let’s not forget that not all students would be comfortable with this tool. I enjoy discussions, anyway.

A teacher ought to be conscious of the learning approach of his learners without which learning cannot happen. I was very impressed by Howard Gardener who suggests educators to individualize and pluralize their teaching. He explains that instead of “one size fits all,” they should learn as much as they can about each student, and teach each person in ways that they find comfortable and learn effectively. Important materials should be taught in several ways, to suit the learning style of each student. Also if we teach only in one way, our own understanding is likely to be thin.

Submission of final project report in time was a big relief. I am so satisfied with my project and the implementation of technology in my classroom. So it wasn't like you learn it first and then experiment it in your class later with your students. The simultaneous implementation of technology in the classroom with the help of this project was a wonderful idea. This meant that much before the end of this course, we had started experimenting with technology in the classroom, with our instructor and guide Courtney by our sides to help and guide us through any difficulties.

The project benefited me in more than one ways. In addition to bringing about the technology change in my classroom, it helped me in finding about the learning styles of my students. In order to implement the technology effectively in the classroom, one ought to know about the learning styles of their learners and then decide about the tool(s) to be used. This is not going to make things easier for teachers, but it’s definitely going to make them better.

Thanks Week Nine! Come Week Ten!

Darshan

Week Eight Reflections

Another week, another Learning Enrichment! How very right - We live, We learn!

This week we got an excellent opportunity to interact with Jeff Magoto - the director of the Language Center at the University of Oregon. There was a lot to learn from his experience and vision. His innovative ideas and the different ways in which teachers of English can use a wonderful technology tool ANVILL, were simply great. A valuable addition to my long list of amazing tools!

The most important part of this whole course has been the ‘Project’ and the technology change that I have implemented in my ESL classroom. Though I faced more problems in making the technology work than I had expected, the results have been nothing less than encouraging. Those of my students who were not able to access VOCAROO on their cellphones for different reasons were upset at not being able to use the new tool. Some of them are even demanding new computers and fast internet access from their parents. The enthusiasm of the modern day youth about technology is unmistakable. Now it’s our (the teachers’) duty to maintain that enthusiasm and not let the students get entangled in this complex world of WEBsites.

I’m waiting for the peer review of my draft project report and then I will give it a finishing touch before the final submission next week.

One thing that has impressed me a lot in this course is the amount of energy and activity shown by all the Webskills participants in the discussions threads. Some of them are extraordinarily active and always have a lot to say. My participation in the discussions has been more as a listener than an enthusiastic speaker, but at the same time, their views have really added a lot to my knowledge about the ways and manners of teachers from different parts of the globe.

Creating a site class site on Nicenet was another enriching experience. There were so many readings on different ways of using online resources, like creating class sites, class wikis, class blogs and class surveys etc. The discovery of new exercise generators and other web based activity generators was also wonderful. There is so much to choose from; absolutely no dearth of anything. And above all, most of it FREE! WOW!

Looking forward to Week Nine,

Darshan.