Week 10 : Seasons of my learning: Looking back

How time does fly! I am writing my last blog post for this Webskill Course 2014 though at the eleventh hour. My blog journey started with this course. I hope it would continue with manifold colours.

This week we are given prompts in Google site to look back to sum up what we have learned so far.

Prompt 1 Most successful topic: The discussion on learner autonomy and learning style I enjoy most. Fostering learner autonomy is a challenge I have taken to make the paradigm shift in my educational context from teacher centred to learner centred approach. The understanding of different learning styles makes teachers, I think, motivated to be creative.

Prompt 2 Tools I will use: I wish I could use all the tools. Instantly the tool that came to my mind is real Englsh Video. These are authentic resources and could be very effective for my learners. Noodletools have made me free from the confinement of Google. I have just metioned a couple.

Prompts3 Relevancy of tools introduced: I think more or less all tools are  relevant provided that they are used pedagogically. Technology should not be used for only technology's sake, rather it should be used for learning's sake.

Prompts 4 Other tools I would have liked to be covered in this course: I missed Skype here. It is becoming a very common tool for video chat and presentation. I missed live interaction among participants and teachers through it. Besides, I wish there could be a project based task involving participants from different regions. It could give us insights about prospects and problems of project based learning.

Overall, this experience I could not forget and definitely take me a long way ahead!

I strongly wish all the participants and teachers remain in touch to sustain and stregthen the multi-cultural teacher community we have built here.

Eftekhar

Week 9 Seasons of my learning

I can hardly believe that I am on the verge of completing the course. It seems yesterday we kicked off the course.

The project work is mentally absorbing. I could rarely sleep last couple of days. I lagged behind earlier so I had to struggle to catch up. Even I messed up with deadline. I though it was 12 pm, fortunately I noticed at the last hour that it was not. Rather it was 11.59 am to be precise.

The important lesson I have learnt that one should not think big. I tried to prepare a complete course. It turned out to be a mountainous task that seems not to finish. I could have opted for a simple technological change. Life could have been easier!


This week we also read about Multiple intelligence. The reading makes us more motivated to incorporate innovation in our teaching practice so that we can reach diverse learners.

I should make a folder for all the resources, tools, blogs we have been introduced and used here. I wonder whether time will allow me or not. I should ask Sean how long we can get access to the materials.


I wish all the tasks I completed go right!

Week 8 Seasons of my learning

This week we have revisited some tools we are using in this course such as Nicenet, Blogger, Google doc, Google site etc. The revisit has definitely made me thinking how to use them in my context. Hopefully I could use them in my context as effectively as the way we are actively engaged with these tools.

The focus of the discussion thread this week is to have a link between these tools and learner autonomy. The bottom line of this discussion for me is that these tools have affordances to foster autonomy provided that teachers use and design them judiciously.

The project gave me hard time. Time was limited but lots to finish. I was puzzled. I felt necessity of a companion to lean against while preparing the course. It makes me realise the importance of collaboration. The draft was half done but the important thing is I was able to submit it. The feedback I got from Foli helped me to regroup my thoughts.

I felt I should create lots of tasks with all the tools mentioned in the wiki. I couldn't. However, I explored SMILE. The variety of tools available here made me amazed. The audio dropbox, the video dropbox, Mashup etc. I would definitely love to use with my students.

Now I wish I would be able to finish the project work on time!

Week7 Seasons of my learning

If the last week is mentally upsetting for me, this week is no way better. I lost my father-in-law suddenly. I am shell shocked with his premature death. I am still trying regroup my focus to get back to the track.


The reading and discussion this week focuses on Learner Autonomy. Empowering learners in the process of learning is an effective means to get desired goal in education but it is difficult to implement. What I tried to ponder on in this week's discussion is contexual constraints against fostering autonomy in the form of syllabus and curriculum from the adminstrative authority. Still, I believe, the creativity of the teachers even within the limitations can liberate students from the hurdles that apparently make them passive rather than (pro-)active in learning.

Our guest teacher Rachel comes with a question that I don't know I can reply in nicenet as it  is going through some technical upgrades and I can' log in. The question is if I were a part of designing syllabus and curriculum what changes I would make.

The first thing that comes to my mind is changing the assessment policy. I am simply fed-up with it. The burden of exams is making both students and teachers mechanical in our context. Students only think of exams; what will come there, how to get good grades and what to memorise etc. Tecahers, on the the other hand, concentrate on those aspects that might feature in the coming exams. If a teacher happens or tries to be innovative or experimental in trying out new things, everybody, students, parents, authority, will start screaming 'why?why?why?'. So, I prefer less exams if 'no exam' policy is not viable. And instead of summative assessment I would introduce formative assessment policy.

For all the changes to be successful I believe the mindset of the teachers need to be tailored in line with the innovations proposed. No matter how learner centred the syllabus and curriculum is, teachers are expert enough to alter it and use it in their traditional teacher centerd way.  In our context, CLT has been introduced but in classrooms it has hardly been visible. New aproach but old teaching method is like old wine with new label. So, teacher training is a must on different approaches to teaching such as learner-centred approach, project based learning, task based learning etc. along with practical demonstration on how to implement them in classrooms. Afterwards, the follow-up activities should ensure teachers are transferring their knowledge from training to the classroom.

Regarding the syllabus and curriculm I feel teachers should at the very begining make a mind map of the students of what they they want to be, what skills they need to master for the goals they set. In other words, the syllabus should be need based rather than the one  that comes from the top and for everybody irrespective of leaners with diverse nature. After determining the needs, the materials for the syllabus should be different projects and/or tasks. Such innovations teacher can not design and implement unless he/she is unburdened from excessive number of exams.

Padlet task has helped refine my thoughts on my project,  Ealier I was thinking of blogs for my research students to have reflective diary. It would have been nice but students need to learn blogging as it is new for them. Since I am planning to use padlet in classroom for ensuring interaction, it would be easier for them to use it for other purpose. They could write their reflection in doc file and paste it to the wall prescribed. Even if they are not comfortable writing on the computer they can do it in a diary and later paste the scanned page of the diary to the wall.


The progress of project work is sloth due to unavoidable circumstances. Foli has kindly agreed to partner me in the project. I should not do anything to let him down.

Overall, it is a great week with personal calamities.


Eftekhar

Week 6 Seasons of my learning

My kids are sick, my wife is not feeling well, my house became a hospital. Moreover, the internet connection throughout the week is very slow and it keeps breaking down. Everything reminds me of a famous proverb' Misfortune never comes alone!' Difficulties made me almost break down. Even I thought of quitting. I felt I could not do any task this week. Thank God, I could finally finish the assigned tasks, though I have made a little progress in project work. Still I feel panicked whether I could make it or not.

The PowerPoint gave me hard time. I was so confident in preparing it at the very beginning as I successfully made some interactive presentations before teachers and students.But now  I could not manage enough time and the video I have incorporated in my presentation seems not working in all the laptops and why I still could not specify. It took from me long hours to get the solution on line. In the end, only time lost, no solution found.


In the project work I could not reach where I should be by now. The works so far done are as follows:

1) The complete outline of course materials I have already prepared to upload either in my blog or in my Schoology account. For this regard, I have scanned some materials, prepared some quizzes, listed linked I am goint to use, prepared rubrics, hand outs and organised them into 14 weeks( the duration of the course, Research Methodology, I am teaching and preparing materials for). Regarding the materials I already talked with my collegues to find out whether anything is missing or not. Upon their suggestions I made some changes also

2) I have prepared a plan with deadline to implement the change I am trying to make. My currrent students in research methodology course are half way through and already finished their midterm-exam. By the time we will finish this webskill course they will only resume their classes after midterm. So, they can't be active participants. Thats why I have decided to present a plan project. However, with some of the students and teachers I am planning to make a trial run  of the course I have designed to see how it goes  and what kind of hurdles and positives there are.

I have planned that the next two day I would finalise the complete organisation of course materials with necessary resources. And the next two days I have booked appointments with my teachers and students to implement the trial run with my course. So within these busy four days, if everything goes ok, I would get an impression on my course.

3) In order to understand plan project I have read the previous plan projects and printed out the templates to understand what to be done.

On the whole I must admit I unintentionally lagged behind this week and I don't know whether I can cover it up or not.

Eftekhar

Week 5 Seasons of my learning

I could not believe that we have finished the half way line of this course! Every week seems to be running a hundred meter's race. And I am always coming last. Unfortunate!

For last five weeks I have been thinking of making some additions to my blog. But thoughts remained thoughts only. Only thing I could add is a background music tool. Alas! it's not working and I could not find why.

The tasks for this week are intellectually enlightening. The reading gave us a comprehesive idea about Project based learning, Alternative assessment and Webquest.

Rubistar proved a real ruby for me. Earlier I was reluctant to create rubrics for my student. Now, I would not teach a lesson without rubric since I have Rubistar with me.

The project thoughts as usually seemed difficult for me. I had to come up with ideas to solve the issues I raised last week. I now wish I raised less issues to solve! It was not at all a happy problem solving for me. I was writing my thoughts directly to the nicenet message box for posting. Unfortunately, the connection was lost and my finished discussion disappeared. I didn't notice that there is no auto saving option in nicenet. So I had to rewrite and it was painful.

The webquest is fun. I browsed so many templates to prepare one and still browsing. I don't know whether I could finish it before the deadline. No matter what happens I am determined to create it.

In one of the week's posting I said I love challenges. And my love is approaching towards me so vigorously I feel panicked!

Week 4 Seasons of my learning

Another week went by!Phew! It was a stress. Last week I thought I settled down but this week I felt different!

The first mail from Sean this week was enough to unsettle me. The project outline given there made me thinking all the time. I am still in a puzzle how to frame the project, whether I could finish it or not. I know it will continue until I submit it.

Between my project thoughts and this week's reading I really struggled to make a link. The readings covered articles on reading, writing and grammar, but my project focus is developing research skill. The articles and the related websites are very interesting and the ideas such as extensive reading  with e-books and writing development through email, web pages and class blogs are fascinating and surely I would try them in my context.

The Nicenet discussion threads posed a problem for me. The initial post by Sean regarding the discussion on reading, writing and grammar didn't say anything about articles. It says to explore links of the tech-tools, websites given and comment on their suitability in my context and also to add an ABCD style objective for the link/website/ tool I feel appropriate for my learners. I was not sure whether the discussion  should include my comments on the articles I read or not. Eventually I decided to incorporate them.

The technology inspired lesson plan was time consuming and proved nerve breaking for me. Preparing assessment criterion,  organizing activities with allotment of time, mentioning expected outcomes,etc. all these in a single go was challenging. When it was finally finished, there were a sense of relief, a sense of achievement, and also a sense of satisfaction. It will definitely help me to step forward with my project.

The last task was on finding issues that I want to address in my project with technology.

So we are gradually preparing ourselves and heading towards our final project submission.

Overall, this week is exhausting for me!

Week 3 Seasons of my learning

This week I feel I have settled in. The reflection on time management last week did really pay off. I don't have to race against clock this week. It's a relief!

The first task this week is reading resources on building Oral/Aural skill. The articles opened a new horizon for me. Earlier I was only thinking of installing Learning Management System (LMS) (such as Moodle) in my context. But the administration here didn't come up with necessary assistance and I was becoming disappointed. Now, I realize after reading the articles only a computer lab with internet facility may prove sufficient for improving Oral/Aural skill of students in interactive ways.

The Prat Lab (the link mentioned in one of the articles) is wonderful. My students can record, save, analyze stress pattern, and rectify their intonation while sitting in a lab. I would definitely try it.

The second task is Delicious (pun intended). A nice tool for storing and categorizing links. Specially for me, it is a life saver. I habitually open lots of windows in my browser lest I should forget and miss links necessary for my on going work. As a result, most of the time my laptop ceases to function. A minute's work takes sometime an hour. I feel like throwing my laptop away. Now I don't have to do so, I believe. I can save them, subject wise categorize them, and get to them whenever I like without keeping them open for hours.

Installing Delicious was easy but some tools I could not manage to use till now, say for example 'Tag' tab I couldn't find in my browser though several videos I browsed are showing it. I understand, I need more time with Delicious.

Last task is Project Review. I admit it has made me tense. The amount of work to complete a project I need to carry out, I feel,  is huge. Apart from thinking about possible technological tool(s) for my context, I have to make plans for integrating the tool(s), carry out survey to understand students' needs, response and achievement. And also I need to prepare rubrics for assessment.

Overall, I understand mountainous obstacles are waiting ahead, but I love challenges. I am sure I will be able to overcome it.

Week 2 Seasons of my learning

If the week 1 is hard, definitely week 2 is harder. And it is not the tasks for the week that posed difficulty before me. Rather, my inability to handle and manage pressure is solely responsible. I am writing it ,the clocks are ticking and the deadline for the weekly tasks is terrifyingly approaching near. The whole thing taught me an important lesson. I should make a routine with a deadline  for each tasks and follow that strictly. I would do that as I don't want to undergo the same mental anxiety I am feeling now.

Even, my delayed involvement in nicenet discussion board cost me a lot. I failed to follow and respond to imprtant discussions there on time.

The tasks for this week is both challenging and enjoyable!

Websearching task opened for me a new horizon beyond Google and Yahoo. The NoodleTools is definitely recommendable. However, they are so many, sometimes I feel lost there and some suggested sites I could not use either. I feel I need some scaffolding from someone expert. Or may be the more I use them the more I will become comfortable.

The next task is writing an objective with ABCD style. A stands for audience, B for behaviour, C for condition, and D for degree. When I started browsing for appropiate samples of this style, I found plenty. Initially, the objectives starting with 'Given' looked to me clumsy. Gradually I felt that No, its Ok. I think writing such simple objectives with ABCD style could make teaching more effective. I feel it more as in our context we don't do that often.

The project task was initially puzzling for me. I didn't understand at the start what things I need to do during this step. Sean helped me in this regard and finally I understood. Even, I took a survey to know my students well. I think it will help me to take appropiate measures for technology inspired change I am planning to introduce in my context.

Overall this week is challenging but indeed fun!

Week 1: Seasons of my learning

Wow! Finally my words are on line. It is an amazingly mixed feeling. A sense of achievement, no doubt, makes my heart swell but at the same time I can’t but feel the cold shiver running through my vein as soon as I start thinking of critics- experts, novice, known and unknown- judging my write-ups here. The transformation, from being an assessor of students as a teacher to being assessed as a participant, is going to take some time to be acclimatised. 

 I am a near fresher in blogging, maybe that’s why I am feeling the tense more than usual. I opened a blog in 2010 with no posting and with a simple Voki video. I created it (Voki) but surprisingly within the span of more than 3 years I found that the Voki avatar has changed its gender. I can surely remember it was male but now it displays a female avatar. Funny! And the sound is not coming either. I tried but failed to fix it. Now, I have created another one for this blog and tried to place it in the sidebar but in vain. I am still working on it Hopefully soon I will be able to do it.

 The task of creating a blog seemed initially easier to me. But the moment I started working on it I realised how wrong I was. Believe me, I felt like I was climbing a mountain. 

As a start, I went through resources on how blogs are developed, what purpose they serve, how many types there are and also browsed different blogs to see how they look, how informations are organised etc. The resources never end! Since I am a novice, I read extensively. At certain point, quite naturally, I became tired. I felt I was becoming like that person who has a PhD in swimming but does not know how to swim. So I quit and decided to make my hand dirty in developing blogs and playing with it.

 What could be an apt title for my blog? I thought over and again. Out of so many alternatives, I went with 'Eftu's Reflective Blog'. Surprisingly so many blogs are there with similar titles. Perhaps great men think alike. Later, I decided not to be great and coined Schön’s (1983) terminology ‘reflection-in-action’ for my blog title.

Google is a saviour! Whenever I was stuck (and I was stuck more often than not) to upload an image, to change the font, to add a link, to change the background I simply googled and tried to follow the instructions found. Sometimes I succeeded and sometimes failed.

Overall, it was hard but fun!

Reference:
Schön, D. (1983). The Reflective Practitioner. San Francisco, CA., Jossey-Bass