Hi everyone,
Week 4 is finishing and here we go with the reflection on it.
This time we had to read more articles on vocabulary, reading and writing and more sites to explore. One of the reading tasks was Jarek Krajka's article "Using the Internet in ESL Writing Instruction" (http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Krajka-WritingUsingNet.html), which seems to be interesting with curious ideas to think of and I am also planning to use his ideas for teaching writing genres with my students.
As for the sites, I would certainly use Breaking News English (http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/) as it fits very well with my teaching environment and the kind of students I can use it with. Besides, I also found Activities for Students (http://a4esl.org/) for grammar and vocabulary practice great. In fact, I have already given some tasks from it to my Pre-Intermediate students as they are getting ready to take a test in a week, and they seem to like it.
A new thing we did this week was creating a technology-enhanced lesson plan. A very good side of it was to have a template and a model when making it, which I found very helpful. It took me a bit time to think over it and fit into the scheme, and I hope I did it appropriately.
Project Task made me think over the group I described two weeks ago and what problems they (and me) encounter at the lesson and outside the classroom. I have thought about changes that would benefit both the students and me. It would be a nice idea to have access to technology in the classrooms to have things done faster and spend more time on learning more than on checking homework, for example.
I have used Delicious quite often this week and even shared the link with a few people who loved it!
Weekly checklist is of such great help. It clearly sets you the tasks for the week and you are sure you don't miss anything.
I am excited to know what Week 5 brings.
Hope you are all having great time!
Marina,
Moldova
Week 4 is finishing and here we go with the reflection on it.
This time we had to read more articles on vocabulary, reading and writing and more sites to explore. One of the reading tasks was Jarek Krajka's article "Using the Internet in ESL Writing Instruction" (http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Krajka-WritingUsingNet.html), which seems to be interesting with curious ideas to think of and I am also planning to use his ideas for teaching writing genres with my students.
As for the sites, I would certainly use Breaking News English (http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/) as it fits very well with my teaching environment and the kind of students I can use it with. Besides, I also found Activities for Students (http://a4esl.org/) for grammar and vocabulary practice great. In fact, I have already given some tasks from it to my Pre-Intermediate students as they are getting ready to take a test in a week, and they seem to like it.
A new thing we did this week was creating a technology-enhanced lesson plan. A very good side of it was to have a template and a model when making it, which I found very helpful. It took me a bit time to think over it and fit into the scheme, and I hope I did it appropriately.
Project Task made me think over the group I described two weeks ago and what problems they (and me) encounter at the lesson and outside the classroom. I have thought about changes that would benefit both the students and me. It would be a nice idea to have access to technology in the classrooms to have things done faster and spend more time on learning more than on checking homework, for example.
I have used Delicious quite often this week and even shared the link with a few people who loved it!
Weekly checklist is of such great help. It clearly sets you the tasks for the week and you are sure you don't miss anything.
I am excited to know what Week 5 brings.
Hope you are all having great time!
Marina,
Moldova
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHello Marina!
ReplyDeleteI also liked Karjka's article in particular. The writing ideas were very inspiring. I agree with you as regards the template, it really made planning so much more organized! Technology, as you say, helps you focus on learning / practising English rather than on correction, so the teaching pace is different. Planning lessons that are technology-enhanced needs careful thought and reflection: I also look forward to week 5 and see what it has in store for us!
María Cecilia
Argentina
Hi Maria,
DeleteThank you for your comment. It is nice to know that templates were useful for someone else as well. Teaching pace, as you mentioned, is different and we need to fit the needs and conditions of the learners. I come across students who never use any technology in their life and anyway they do things perfectly well. Anyway, technology makes our life easier unless it is overused.
Wish you a nice start of week 5!
Marina,
Moldova