Reflection: SEVEN Week

Its beautiful morning out here; sweet melody of chirping birds and beautiful blameless blue sky are enough to create a proper mood to look back seventh week. Through out this week a single term “AUTONOMY” has been striking my mind. Though the concept and objective of learner’s autonomy is really good, in a way we have been on this academic forum to find multiple ways of strengthening learner’s autonomy, I feel and find a lot of problems to propagate this concept to our academia.  

This week most of the students in my class have created their own blog; in this first phase they are just sharing their unforgettable incident of life. They are also supposed to comment on other’s post. I am quite excited that they are really expressive. Just yesterday one of  the students shared his problem with me that her parents wouldn’t allow her to use internet in her home; it is because they think internet, still to be particular Facebook simply the waste of time and has no importance at all. She has requested me to talk to her father and convince about the positive side of internet. I am wondering how I talk to him. Nonetheless, I had talked to my college coordinator and suggested her to use college’s internet lab as far as possible, What’s more some of the students complained that they couldn’t do it due to 12 hours power cut off everyday. In spite of these complications, students seem encouraged to reflect their ideas through blog.

More than anything else I enjoyed Wallwisher this week. It can be highly useful in our field especially to encourage the students to share their views, comment on the others and collect writing strategies from others. Its so fascinating that, I am fully assured, students can’t stop posting their ideas on it. This week we are also supposed to suggest partner for peer review. I am so happy that Sitaram and I will be assisting each other through peer review. Once again it has been really busy week as I am more concerned on the preparation of  the project plan.  

Reflection on Six Week

Reflection on Six Week

The journey seems exciting and adventurous. I have been staggering on. By the end of this week, I have realized that it becomes very difficult for us to carry on the tasks when we miss one somewhere in between the week. I have undergone this experience as I had missed some tasks before due to health-related problem of my sister. This week we started reading Using Technology in Teaching Large Classes from the University of Oregon's Teaching Effectiveness Program, Teaching Large Classes and Enhancing Learning by Engaging Students, from Rick Finnan and Donna Shaw.  These articles basically deal about how to make an effective teaching in large classes and how do we use modern technology to make these classes more fruitful, engaging and participatory.

When we expect a teacher to be a real personality who exists in this world, he should be concerned on the teaching-learning process as mutual and collaborative forum. Application of student centered methodologies and incorporation of modern technology can be some of the most effective ways through which we can revive and reinstate students' enthusiasm and motivation and turn the classes into real and live classes. In this context, technology assisted teaching invites the students to have more discussion, reflect their ideas, be expressive and explore their creative and innovative ideas. If so it is equally feasible to large classes as well. For me afore-mentioned ideas in this paragraph are the essence of thes three articles assigned in reading section for this week.

I have no hesitation to admit that I had never thought about multiple purposes and uses of powerPoint. As a naïve user I thought it’s just a medium through which we can present our ideas in a very precise manner. Nonetheless, I am still struggling to make better slides in interactive powerpoint. I should say that still I do have some confusions regarding preparation of slides. But we can make a safe resolution that it is a noble possibility to be highly resourceful and useful in side our classes.

I feel significant to share with you guys that my project that I mentioned in week six has been started. Students have started reflecting their ideas through blog and there is discussion going on through it.  Now I am wondering how to incorporate the blogs of students in a teacher’s wiki. Hopefully I will be able to develop such ideas soon. Possibly, soon the students will be discussing through nicenet or blackboard. The days are swiftly going on, and I am pretty happy that I am carrying my tasks with new vigor and energy. Thanks to Donna and all my classmates. .  

Pretty Exciting

By the end of this week, I have seen lots of ongoing academic discussion and debate among my scholarly classmates, and they are really resourceful. I wish I could carry all the task and activities with the similar critical and creative acumen. Sonia, Pam, sitaram, J. Carlos are always good at their academic temperament; Vinay always excels technologically and what more everybody seems agile to answer every task on time. Reading task, project work, Blogs and preparations for my regular classes from various levels ; my sister before looking her medical prescription this week complained that I was going on a very hectic schedule, albeit my inner conscience says I am enjoying and learning many noble and innovative ideas whether it be new project or new technologies. 

This week has been really a fruitful one; the concept of Project based Learning (PBL), webquest and creating rubrics are feasible enough to apply in my classes. The concept of project based learning is a liberating one; on the one hand it seems to motivate students, on the other it will ignite the participatory skills of students. If carried well, students will develop the ideas on problem- solution skill, carry out group activities in an effective way and will be habitual to settle real- world problems. Similarly, WebQuest will assist to meet the objectives of PBL. It not only contains the resource and the task to be completed but also categorically mentions the assessment standard in terms of rubrics.

Project task, for me, has been an interesting question, in the sense, that we have already started some changes in our classes. I have already started giving assignments through email; and though it has some problems, it has been much effective. Next, this week I am planning about starting blogs. I had already discussed about the pros and cons of the blogs to the students. One potential problem all students shared and I too think it as a challenge is 12 hours power cut off in my country. Still, students had assured me that they will cooperate and try to carry on the task honestly. In next phase I will be sharing and encouraging students to commence a discussion board like nicenet or blackboard.  I guess, the classes will be pretty exciting and interesting in the days to come.

         IT's REALLY DELICIOUS
It has been really problematic to reciprocate myself with such sagacious commentary made by the classmates in every task of this week. No sooner I had started third week task I had to hospitalize my sister as she complained a severe headache. Such an unexpected incident further complicated the task to be carried on time, and my regular college classes and responsibilities were still there at forth. Gradual improvement in my sister's health further ameliorated me to concern on the task again, albeit I knew I was already late. I should admit that I was almost invaded by the feeling of inferiority, and then I got a very empowering mail by Donna allowing me to complete the remaining task and move further. I would love to extend my decent reverence to Donna and her affectionate concern.
The first task of this week contained three reading task and two other web-sites.    Lindsay Miller's essay Developing Listening Skills with Authentic Materials stresses the importance of authentic materials and methods to enhance our writing competency; which is customarily given less priority.  Next article we had entitled "New Perspectives in Teaching Pronunciation by Maria Grazia Busa deals about CAPT and CALL. When there are advanced technologies at your disposal, you cannot overlook their importance in classroom teaching and learning. It has become imperative for all of us to adopt the recent development in technologies to enhance our teaching and learning. Radio, TV and videos have been used to further the language teaching. Recently, Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) and internet based learning has got its impetus from the researchers across the globe. Since the few decades, experts have realized that computer or internet based learning can far better expose the learners to authentic materials. So articles seem worthy enough to foreground the importance of technology assisted learning in this global world.
Moreover Randel's Cyber Listening Lab is really awesome; it is particularly highly resourceful to those students and teachers who want to have serious discussion on enhancing listening skills. To make it direct, Cyber Listening Lab can be highly resourceful to those EFL students who are better in communicative language and familiar with certain listening skills, and still wants to improvise their skills yet further in advanced level. So I am wondering how I can use this Lab effectively to my students. One thing I should admit that I still feel some complications about the technology and the content of the course, but the learning and my friendly approach to technology has invaded my former zone of technology-learning hostility.
Similarly Delicious page is really delicious; finally I have a site where we can save and send the links of different useful webpage. I had encountered several such problems before when I couldn't save the link of resourceful sites.  Talking about the project report, I found all the reports equally useful; nonetheless there are some of the reports which need to be dealt properly.  To be specific , Runganayagie Nalini Reddy's report  on Building Teaching Skills Through tithe Interactive Web, University of Oregon fascinated me. It may be due to a complete different idea about the class structure, social reality  and other facilities. It is interesting in the sense that the writer deals about a complete different classes and the use of modern technology to assist it. Second I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the writer for sharing such such ideas. Still I am wondering how is it possible to supervise and guide those peace ambassador. Nonetheless Reddy's idea seems  so structured and well-planned and innovative.  Still I can't stop asking myself; will the project be  sustainable? After all, this week has been really really delicious.