Week 10: Final Refleciton!

Eventually…This is time to say good-bye. All the process I have underwent through this program is really awesome. New technologies like Webquest, Delicious, new search engines, Interactive PowerPoint show, Wallwisher and all not mentioned here are not easy to learn, but great enough to challenge myself.

I also appreciate all of my colleagues letting me participate on great discussions. I was surprised with your brilliant ideas and passions toward better teaching. In fact, participating on the discussions and performing on-line tasks were all new for me, and it took time for me to be familiar with new environment. I would not able to be used to the environment without Robert and great colleagues. This program is a wonderful stimulant for me to grow as a good teacher. Robert and all of you! Thank you again.  

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Sincerely,

Hyeyeon

Week 8: First Draft of Project Plan and Creating a Class Wiki space

  Finally, it is almost time to wrap up everything! To compose first draft of my project plan lets me consider various things we have learned. As I am not teaching any class now, to imagine and plan the project is not easy process, but it definitely helps me to be ready for future teaching on next semester. Also, as I am assigned to awesome group with Diana and Ildiko, I've received great comments of my plan.

  As part of my project plan, I am thinking of creating a class Wiki space. I tried composing thorough sites.google.com and realized it was not easy to make Wiki space. Whenever I visit Robert’s Wiki or others, I just use it without any difficulty; however, creating one is a different matter. It was useful experience to try!

Week 7: Learner Autonomy and One Computer-Based Class

  Although it is sad that I cannot access to great discussions at my class anymore, I’ve learned a lot from discussions about some issues—learner autonomy and one computer-based class—and about new technology.

  Learner autonomy is one of the crucial elements teachers need to hold through a whole class time; however, it is not easy to keep students learning voluntarily in a large class. In fact, I had several problems with controlling a large class before since 36 students with all different levels learned the same thing in the class. Therefore, students had less interest on a subject and seemed not to expect they could learn a lot through the class. With a computer in the class, I could help students to concentrate on the subject; however, I fail to make them autonomous. In that point, I am surprised how my colleagues at the discussion are utilizing various technology and skills with one computer or even nothing to engage students in the class. Thus, I believe I also can be an ‘autonomous’ teacher with various activities using an interactive PPT, WebQuest, PBL and online-assessment.

  Wallwisher, what a fancy technology! It is a little difficult to look through all information that people posted since it is not based on linear arrangement. Still I can see ideas are popping out over there. Also, I love it because I can easily post links and short descriptions at Wallwisher.

Week 6: Teaching Large Classes and Interactive PowerPoint

  Having large classes are basic educational structure of Korea. Even while a decreased birth-rate becomes a big issue and few children enter the school, the government has decided to reduce the number of classes instead of holding fewer students at one class. This could be efficient in terms of financial condition; however, it burdens teachers who try to engage students in the class. In the large class, it is difficult to motivate students, induce interaction and discussion from students, and give a feedback or assessment accordingly.

  To overcome these difficulties, the technology offers viable alternatives to engage students in the large class. On this week, I learned how to utilize the technology for efficiently managing the large class. There are tremendous ways, and the most notable things are online assessments and an interactive PowerPoint. Blackboard’s assessment provides two options, tests and surveys, and they are useful to give immediate feedback to learners. Since it is difficult to interact with students one by one in the large class, Blackboard will help with this problem as it shows how learners are doing in the class. As another way, the interactive PowerPoint is also practical to let students concentrate on the lesson. The hardest part of creating PowerPoint show is how to make it ‘interactive’ with several elements including a Concept test, Quick Write and links. In fact, if a teacher fails to make PowerPoint interactive, it would lead students to just watch what the teacher is doing in front of the class.  

Week 5: Assessment, Rubric, PBL and WebQuest

  It is an amazing week to find interesting discussion about assessment and rubrics. Assessment is always the biggest issue of the education in Korea. As the Suneung, the national exam for entering university, is on November 8th, senior high school students and their parents are in tension. Also, every Korean knows that the assessment system will be attacked again right after the Suneung. Likewise, as the number grade what students receive becomes to be the most important thing as an outcome of the learning, many parents and students often forget what and why they are learning. In that point, I believe a rubric is a great tool to remind students of their learning purpose.

  Instead of the number grade assessment, students are able to answer following questions through the rubric: What are they learning in the class? Why are they learning this subject? What are they expected to do in the class? and What are they able to do after the class? As the rubric helps students the learning purpose, they can evaluate themselves based on the rubric; and it leads students to be motivated and independent

  The rubrics utilized in many ways, but especially teachers can use them at Project Based Learning. As PBL requires coming up with collaborated outcome, it is hard to decide what number/letter grade is appropriate for the group project. Therefore the rubric or alternative assessment would help teachers with this problem. Also, teachers can follow a specific form of PBL through WebQuest. In WebQuest (http://www.zunal.com/), the teacher creates the task statement and designates the resources to let learners work in groups and have a product. After that, the teacher produces an evaluation in the form of a rubric for students to.

Week 4: Technology Enhanced Lesson

What technology is appropriate to the class?

How to apply the technology to the class?

While I was making the technology enhanced lesson plan, I kept asking the above questions to myself. There are tremendous of technology and information all over these days. However, it is hard to find materials for students according to: student’s level, class environment, and target skill or integrated skill that teacher wants to teach. Technology could be an answer to find the appropriate materials; in contrast, it could be another burden to the teacher. Therefore, the teacher should take a resposiblity to carefully select the technology and resources from the 'sea of information'

Breaking News English (http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/) will become breakthrough for students and teachers in learning reading. To know this website is the greatest present I had this week! The Breaking News English offers various reading materials according to student’s level, and provides a number of activities that teachers could apply on their class. I strongly recommend the website:)

Week 3: How to teach Aural/oral skills?

 On this week, I read one of the articles about CALL for listening skills, and take a quick look at some of the lesson plans. The article is about how to teach listening skills by utilizing various technologies. The notable point of the article is that the authenticity of materials is critical for teaching and learning language.

“Authenticity” It IS a beautiful word! However, I always have a question if all authentic materials are appropriate for classes. Thanks to Robert and colleagues who left comments to think, I have a chance to consider it more:

To expose students on authentic English is definitely important for students in all levels. On this process, I believe the teacher takes the role to choose or distinguish which authentic materials are proper for specific level of students; This is why we keep exploring a great deal of websites for us and students. Also, sometimes the teacher needs to refine the materials according to academic purposes for learning particular functions of discourse. “Authenticity” is important, but the teacher has to provide comprehensible input which challenges students a little beyond their existing proficiency.

More and More websites and technologies I’m learning these days! I am happy to know all of them, but try o remind myself of H.Douglas Brown saying: Use technology to support the pedagogical goals of the class and curriculum. That is, don’t design instruction to fit the technology…Technology is a tool and we must remember that CALL includes the word assisted, implying that technology is not the main event in a classroom.

Thanks,

Hyeyeon