Week 9 - Cooling Down

Time goes so fast, our web skills course will remain within only a week ahead. This week is different from the previous ones. I could say that this week is a “cooling down” phase after working hard reviewing articles, commenting on it in Nicenet class, creating or modifying some wonderful tools, and finishing a final project. So far, I have learned many exciting things through this course as well as found helpful instructor and friends from at least four continents in this globe.

This week, Robert only considers two things in our class, discussion on Nicenet and finalizing our final project. His consideration makes me happy as it enables me to provide more time in order to manage my final project.  In terms of discussion topic this week, it is a good chance for me to revise and extend my knowledge related to learning styles and multiple intelligence. 

I could suit my way of teaching in a class based on students learning style. For example, if most of my students are verbal or linguistics intelligence in my Listening Comprehension class then my decision is that I could incorporate my class with technology by utilizing Voicethread as Roza Ibrahim did in her class. This tool will enable me to make voice annotation and recording my instruction which include authentic listening materials. I am sure my students will be more motivated and eager to learn English. 

However, one thing that called my attention is what happens if my class has many different intelligence students? Should I use one certain learning style or use all sort of learning style?

Week 8 - Reflection

This is also another striving week since I have to focus my energy and time on task and draft of final project. However, this week we are lucky as our guest Jeff Magoto shares his idea regarding wonderful tool ANVILL in our Nicenet class. 

To begin with, my weekly task is creating online course site or exercise. Frankly I say that I would prefer say ‘modify’ rather than ‘create’ tool for online course. My consideration is that the tools are available on the web and I just want to modify a little bit in order to produce other variation of product. For example, I apply Quiz Builder tool to produce a video quiz that enable my students practice their listening skills interactively. The students play and listen to video while answering each question by clicking one correct answer of three options. A Quiz Builder tool is available in the internet as well as video file.

My partner for peer reading is Masafumi Kosaka from Japan. His project interest is to familiarize his cerebral-palsied student with technology-based learning. While my interest is the use of podcast in order to enhance student motivation to increase their listening skills as well as writing skills. I have to do the first draft report to my partner and should be ready due to November 16. Coincidently, at the same time is my birthday as well. I am happy even thought I should work hard within this week. 

Another important issue is the developer of ANVILL software, Jeff, presents enlightenment regarding this tool.  ANVILL stands for A National Virtual Language Lab. It is a speech-based toolbox for language teacher. It is a research project of the Yamada Language Center at the University of Oregon. After taking a quick look at Jeff explanation, I could say that ANVILL has quite similar with Nicenet in terms of getting involve learners to have on-line discussion. However, ANVILL seems to be more complete as its equipped sophisticated tools that enable users to interchange message through text, voice, and video.  

In conclusion, it is worth a try the exciting tools into our class such as a video quiz and ANVILL.  

An interactive song/a video quiz link: http://www.eslvideo.com/esl_video_quiz_low_intermediate.php?id=9572

Week 7 - Learner Autonomy

By making the high quality of our discussion on Nicenet in this week, we have Courtney Cunningham acted as our guest moderator leads our discussion on Learner Autonomy. She is from American English Institute at the University of Oregon. It is a little helps for me her useful suggestion on my posting issue which is to promote learner autonomy based on her own experience by means of music a lot with her students. The helpful steps as follows:

1. Find a song related to weekly topic as well as listen to it in class.
2. Provide a handout of lyric.
3. Post in a discussion forum.
4. Provide a web link of the song.

One of the related article is Bird-in-the-hand or Bird-in-the-bush? by Samuel Sheu.  He  helped his students to develop their autonomy through a number of ways: 

1. Made their own vocabulary cards or diaries.
2. Worked in pairs and group for jigsaw.
3. Llistening to English program on TV or radio.
4. Conducted group sharing.

He managed to encourage his students who were less motivated to learn by choosing and doing what they wanted and liked, and sharing with their friends. The way to promote greater autonomy in students of Sheu case is interesting and it is worth a try. In addition, all comments from Robert, Courtney, Vinicius, Masa, and Roza Ibrahim in Nicenet discussion are really to widen my insight in terms of learner autonomy.  

Week 6 - Start off and Presentation Tool

I’ve created Nicenet class page and let learners comment on what they had experienced with podcast. They had to visit my suggested link in  ESL Podcast Blog and answer the provided questions in Nicenet Conferencing which I focused on their first impression learning English by means of podcast web. The following task for learners is they have to write their complete report in a class blog that I created fortnight ago. However, one thing that called my attention is how to participate learners in solely one blog since many blogs could pay more considerations.  I finally found the idea to log in a class blog which  is by using a single class password. I made other Google email account for learners besides my own one so that students are able to upload their task in Blogspot with a single student password.

My other activities within this week are reading article regarding to PowerPoint presentation and creating interactive PowerPoint. In Rick Finnan and Donna Shaw article, I found clear steps regarding ideas to improve the student learning in large lecture classes. The way is to break down into small group activities which include Think-Pair-Share, Concept Test,Quick-Thinks, Minute Paper, Scripted Cooperative Learning, and Concept Maps. In all, I could conclude that the most sound of these techniques is doing collaboration in a large class.  In addition, I managed to create a simple and interactive Jeopardy English Grammar Game. As a matter of fact, I have never made interactive PowerPoint before.

That is a wonderful presentation skill that I have learned this week. I would like to say thank you Robert for your guiding and my ‘classmate’ for you sharing in Nicenet. I plan to use this interactive presentation to my students as a warmer or filler. Of course, I have to modify it in order to follow allocated short time, for example 3 minutes activity for warmer. Another idea is that this could be also used as a race game for two or three groups.

You can download Jeopardy English Grammar Game here.