A training session and discussion
On teaching grammar
The English staff
http://busyteacher.org/2873-5-new-fun-ways-to-teach-grammar-to-esl-students.html
http://esl.about.com/cs/teachingtechnique/a/a_teachgrammar.htm
MY ARTIFACT REFLECTION ON COURSE 506
I made these videos using( go animate ) which Dr. Maha told us about in course 506 . I tried to present the most important things we have learned or used through the course .I also tried to include the things I liked most.
I just want to say thank you Dr. Maha for everything you have been very helpful ,supportive and you introduced us to new things .the thing I like most is -the learn through doing – experience which was hard but worthy.Besides feeling you are reachable through the whole thing made me feel safe .
Each video is less than 30 seconds.
VIDEO (1)
VIDEO (2)
VIDEO (3)
VIDEO (4)
VIDEO (5)
VIDEO (6)
Choosing a Site to Build My Website ! !
I have one course to go to finish my Educator’s Diploma in the AUC. I’m now doing a project with my colleagues which is a website for teachers. We were inspired to do it after reading about and navigating khan academy and Tahrir academy and how that a person or a few persons started them and how that people volunteer to help and share .
So we decided to make a website for teachers to share information and experience .
Our instructor Dr. Maha asked us to design a survey for teachers .then we discussed the results and what we wish to include in our website .
Then we were asked to try efferent sites to choose the one we prefer .
I tried those sites Wix, Google site ,Weebly and wordpress
They are all free, easy to start , and they all offer tutorial videos .
I started with Wix but it didn’t allow me to set an address without my email showing in it e.g. amani2022@yahoo.com.engedu.wix.com, besides I felt it’s a bit hard to change its appearance, may be due to my little experience
Any way I ought to use as much as I can before choosing one so I tried Google Sites which have many benefits such as being supported by Google seacrh engine ,apps,linked to Google drive and clouds .I came to realize these benefits not only through personal experience but I also Googled them.Using Google sites were easy in many things except changing the look e.g.I chose a template and I tried to change it but no way.
So I used Weebly which was nice and cheering after Google’s ,but I had to do everything myself ;I had to add a search box,a like box,a comment box………
but editing and adding pages were very easy also a contact us form was easy to add .
I finally decided to use WordPress It’s easy.it has a nice appearance easy to handle and it is the only one I was able to add my partners as admins
To evaluate this experience ,which was somewhat tiring
especially because I had an eye problem during it ,I felt that I’m learning through doing and sometimes I was really frustrated ,Starting all over again was not that easy for a digital immigrant!
I made an email to contact through it with our followers to be ,and also to over come the problem of its showing on the blog address if we chose weebly .It is four teachers@yahoo.com , which matches our website’s address .(the one we agreed on)
I also searched on Google/wiki for(how to do) everything and I found really useful articles with pictures and videos showing how to add a sub-page or how to edit your home page which really was difficult to do in WordPress .I even searched for why I should /shouldn’t use e.g. Google Sites.
The things that helped me were
the discussions we had with Dr. Maha our instructor and her instructions and continuous help and feedback on every step.
Valentina’s help rescuing us with prompt technological advice.
The discussions between my partners and I .checking their work reading their reflections .
Finally,Dr Maha’s insisting that we should try and search ourselves as a learning process ,though it is hard ,but it pays off .
I don’t want any one to get me wrong I’m not saying That we are having the perfect website Or that I’ve reached something unique .All I’m saying is I have had a real learning experience and that I appreciate it .
We still have a lot to do I only made a skeleton ,besides we have not touched the content yet ,But at least we all agreed on using WordPress .
These sites /articles/ppt. were really useful to me
Get a Homepage | Learn WordPress.com
WordPress › Support » How do I add multiple admins?
http://learn.wordpress.com/get-published/#lecustommenu
http://www.wikihow.com/Main-Page
http://www.wikihow.com/Add-a-Subpage-in-Wordpress
10 Reasons Why We Should Use Google Sites
Large Classes
Teaching large classes is a challenge,I face this challenge everyday as a teacher in a public secondary school.It’s hard for me to move around the class the way I wish .It’s hard to get my students to work in groups or switch places not to mention getting every student to share. Unfortunately, most courses and imported foreign educational strategies do not address this issue.Last year, I attended a very interesting workshop about this topic in the British council,I’ve learned some ideas ,but I still feel I need to learn more ,I ‘m inviting everybody to share their experience and ideas.
learning and flowers
last session was fun ,Dr Maha introduced us to Padlet with a comparison between education.and diet, then she gave us flowers and asked us to compare flowers to education.It was fun ,and we came with things we didn’t think of them before besides ,It was my first time to know Padlet .Maha I have something to add to that comparison I like flowers and who gives it to me as I like learning and the person who teachs me ,here it happens to be you in both situations .Thank you for making learning fun .
i’m trying to finish my version of the survey of our project to discuss it with my colleagues . I keep hoping that we can do something like Khan Academy in a smaller way .Wish us luck
Our Project; A website for English teachers !
I got really exited thinking about Khan Academy and Tahrir Academy ;how they started and how much they’ve accomplished ,and how amazing that a work started by one or two people asking for volunteers could grew to be so inspiring; that my colleagues in the diploma and I thought this should be our project; a web for English teachers that could grew to be like these two.
Encouraged and guided by our instructor Dr Maha ;We’re trying to compose a survey to analyse; who are our audience? they could be the English teachers in Egypt or anybody who may be concerned with teaching English as a second language. what do they expect?What might interest them?Would they like to share their experience?information?Challenges they’ve met/overcame?
I started by asking myself as an Egyptian English teacher dealing with public school students/curriculum, learning at the AUC and trying to cop with the rapidly changing digital world.What would interest me on a web.I think I need low cost simple,doable effective ideas/games, for my classroom .I wish to find tutorial videos for me and others to show my students, and useful links about relevant subjects methodology psychology….maybe a space to comment,
I wish to find something to help me with my professional development ,(events/scholarships/websites)
A way to share with other teachers …………….and I need all these stuff to be easy to reach .
these were my first thoughts I’m discussing it with my school colleagues and I need to know what do you think would interest you in such a website…………..?
Online learning
Reading both Dr. Maha’s articles About Coursera, I came to realize that teachers would benefit from coursera because
It’s a chance to observe other teachers which I believe to be an excellent way to learn .
Teachers get to see things from the learners point of view which is an educating experience .
Teachers get to learn about on line learning .
The discussion after the sessions between participants from all over the world is really inspiring .(Bali, 2013)
These courses reach you at your home and you can find the subject that interests you .
It’s free.
It conveys lectures from well known universities .
On the other hand they are in English so not everyone can benefit from them.(they are planing to use translation)
They are given snapshots ;so maybe if you expect something deeper,they won’t meet your expectations.
You will not be given a certificate of achievements if you’re expecting one .
Maybe studying on line is not something to depend on in our countries regarding the net and electricity problems.
Maybe introducing these universities is a kind of publicity more than anything else.(Bali,2013)
Still I think it is an enriching experience ;online learning is growing and we have to find our way to it .
Khan Academy is concerned with mathematics and science.it provides free online learning . It gives something like a placement test in the beginning and no one moves to the next level til he is perfect in the present one.The courses are personalized to suit every learners needs(longer,easier..)Isn’t it gorgeous that only one person started it.
Tahrir Academy also provides free online learning .Egyptian youth volunteer to produce it .It addresses learners till the age of 18.I like the idea very much I even think to participate in it .
I’ve already learned something one person can make a difference yet a group of enthusiastic people even better.
• Bali, M. (2013a, July 12). 5 reasons teachers should dip into MOOCs for
professional development. MOOC News and Reviews.
• Bali, M. (2013b, July 19). Will the latest generation of online courses help the Arab world? Al-Fanar.
Equal is not fair !
Equal doesn’t necessarily means fair;for there are many aspects to be considered ;such as multiple intelligence,social,cultural and financial elements .According to these elements the same message could be received differently.
Last session Dr. Maha presented this discussion through a game;in which each of us pretended to be another person,and answered questions about what s/he assumed that person’s life would be. I liked it ,Isn’t it amazing how much you could learn about the same thing seeing it from different perspectives.
Maha and Valantina introduced Twitter I didn’t have an account on it,well now I do ! Looking forward to to learning more about using it in education .
Starting my new course 506, I wish you a happy course . I ‘m happy to see Dr.Maha and my colleagues again .
Feeling that we’re approaching the end of our Diploma, I wish not only to come with creative ways to apply what we’ve learnt, but to start thinking about the next step .Maha asked us to think about our short and long term learning aims .I think I wish to learn more about technology and about applying it in our public schools and about HR .I wish to know more information sources to help me in teaching English .
As for long term goals ,I wish I can get a scholarship for a master degree in teaching English as a second language ,learn another language and have a degree in HR .
happy new course everybody
A Teacher's Journal 