Friday, 30 May 2008
Thursday, 15 May 2008
My Global Neighbourhood
When I was a little girl, television sets were not a common thing. It was quite usual for the whole neighbourhood to gather in front of a single TV. We had a TV and we always had guests when there were important events - football games, figure skating, Saturday night comedy programs and music competitions. And when there was a good film on, the people gathered in front of the TV set would comment on the film.
On Saturday evening a couple of Webheads gathered in Tapped In and watched Pangea Day together. We commented on the films and the music. The emotions and images on the screen spoke a universal language of love, hatred, pain, friendship, fear and more love. Each film was a masterpiece. The music was lovely. The highlight of my evening was "the heartbeat of the world" - an amazing global drum circle. Imagine drummers from all over the world performing at the same time. That was the moment when I really felt the presence of all those people on the Internet who were watching the event at the same time.
Yes, images are a powerful weapon. Can they bring us closer? Can they help us to see the world through the eyes of the people living at the other side of the globe? Well, there is hope. I am old enough to remember Live Aid and, while it didn't solve the problem of famine overnight, it did help. The real problem is that those who need to learn from events like these never watch them. I am sure that everyone sitting in front of their computers that night already knew that "people are the same wherever you go", as the good old song says.
Still, if we keep telling each other stories, singing to each other, laughing and crying together, we might wake up one morning and find out that our world has changed overnight. Call me a dreamer, but keep those films coming.
Other posts about the Webheads:
Friday, 4 April 2008
Motivation
I need to prepare a short talk on motivation for my school, so, if you don't mind, I'll think aloud here.
Motivation is a difficult topic. On a good day, motivation should be seen, not heard. You are a really good teacher, right? Right. You always prepare your classes thoroughly, right? Right. So, your students are always motivated, all of them, right?
We all know this is not always the case. Teachers are often ashamed to talk about this problem, because, more often than not, they blame themselves.
How do you know your students are not motivated?
You walk into the classroom full of enthusiasm. You have been preparing your class the previous night and you have a killer activity that's going to fascinate them. Or it is an old activity, the one that's never failed you. Everything seems to be working fine on the surface, but by the end of the class, you, the teacher, are bored to death. In your own class. That's how you know. If this happens once, or even twice, you shouldn't worry much. Maybe they are tired or it is spring time and they are all in love. If it keeps happening, though, you probably have a class that has a problem with motivation.
There are different reasons for this, of course, and sometimes it is hard to find out what the problem is. I believe that, to motivate a particularly unmotivated class, you first have to find out why they are not motivated. A possible list of reasons:
1. Maybe they don't really want to be there at all. Maybe someone - their parents or their employers - want them to learn the language. Maybe all they want is a diploma.
2. They expect too much. They want to be fluent by the end of their elementary course, they want everything at once. And they thought it would be easy.
3. The course is too difficult for them. They refuse to go one course below the one they are attending (sometimes even two courses below), because they believe that, with hard work, they'll catch up.
4. The course is too easy for them, but again, they won't listen to you.
5. They want you to teach them. Whether they learn or not is your responsibility, not theirs.
6. The classmates don't like each other too much. I am fascinated by group dynamics and it is interesting to watch how everything in the class changes if there is a new student or if one or two students leave the class.
7. They don't come to their classes regularly. They usually have a good reason for this, but it is a big problem.
8. They don't have enough time to study at home.
The list goes on.
Now that we have defined our enemy, we should start working on the solution.
So, how do you motivate a particularly unmotivated class?
End of part one.
In the meantime, feel free to add your ideas and comments here.
You can see Part Two here.
Motivation is a difficult topic. On a good day, motivation should be seen, not heard. You are a really good teacher, right? Right. You always prepare your classes thoroughly, right? Right. So, your students are always motivated, all of them, right?
We all know this is not always the case. Teachers are often ashamed to talk about this problem, because, more often than not, they blame themselves.
How do you know your students are not motivated?
You walk into the classroom full of enthusiasm. You have been preparing your class the previous night and you have a killer activity that's going to fascinate them. Or it is an old activity, the one that's never failed you. Everything seems to be working fine on the surface, but by the end of the class, you, the teacher, are bored to death. In your own class. That's how you know. If this happens once, or even twice, you shouldn't worry much. Maybe they are tired or it is spring time and they are all in love. If it keeps happening, though, you probably have a class that has a problem with motivation.
There are different reasons for this, of course, and sometimes it is hard to find out what the problem is. I believe that, to motivate a particularly unmotivated class, you first have to find out why they are not motivated. A possible list of reasons:
1. Maybe they don't really want to be there at all. Maybe someone - their parents or their employers - want them to learn the language. Maybe all they want is a diploma.
2. They expect too much. They want to be fluent by the end of their elementary course, they want everything at once. And they thought it would be easy.
3. The course is too difficult for them. They refuse to go one course below the one they are attending (sometimes even two courses below), because they believe that, with hard work, they'll catch up.
4. The course is too easy for them, but again, they won't listen to you.
5. They want you to teach them. Whether they learn or not is your responsibility, not theirs.
6. The classmates don't like each other too much. I am fascinated by group dynamics and it is interesting to watch how everything in the class changes if there is a new student or if one or two students leave the class.
7. They don't come to their classes regularly. They usually have a good reason for this, but it is a big problem.
8. They don't have enough time to study at home.
The list goes on.
Now that we have defined our enemy, we should start working on the solution.
So, how do you motivate a particularly unmotivated class?
End of part one.
In the meantime, feel free to add your ideas and comments here.
You can see Part Two here.
You might also like:
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Technorati Tags: Blogging4Educators, Motivation
Monday, 17 March 2008
My First Voicethread Message
Hi. Long time, no blog. My mind went blank and I couldn't think of anything worthwhile to blog about. I was thinking of inflicting injuries on myself, so that I could get blogging ideas.
I did something very similar. I recorded my voice. I used Voicethread and the software part is all right, but...
I lived under the illusion that I had this very pleasant, melodious, deep voice. Only yesterday someone at the Zoo told me I sang beautifully (Yes, I am afraid I sang at the Zoo). So, after such a compliment, I decided I should finally tackle Week 4 assignment. I left a short listening comprehension exercise in my class blog (Coffee Time).
Somebody should have told me I had a lisp before. I would have refrained from speaking in public. I mean, of course I knew about the lisp. What I didn't know was that I actually sound like Daffy Duck.
Our time on Earth is short. The idea was that we should spend it listening to ourselves through that beautiful resonance box our body creates. So what business do we have recording ourselves?
Lucky I didn't try leaving a singing Voicethread message.
By the way, I didn't know how to post Voicethread as a regular message, so I added it to the footer of my page. There has to be a way, but I haven't worked it out.
I did something very similar. I recorded my voice. I used Voicethread and the software part is all right, but...
I lived under the illusion that I had this very pleasant, melodious, deep voice. Only yesterday someone at the Zoo told me I sang beautifully (Yes, I am afraid I sang at the Zoo). So, after such a compliment, I decided I should finally tackle Week 4 assignment. I left a short listening comprehension exercise in my class blog (Coffee Time).
Somebody should have told me I had a lisp before. I would have refrained from speaking in public. I mean, of course I knew about the lisp. What I didn't know was that I actually sound like Daffy Duck.
Our time on Earth is short. The idea was that we should spend it listening to ourselves through that beautiful resonance box our body creates. So what business do we have recording ourselves?
Lucky I didn't try leaving a singing Voicethread message.
By the way, I didn't know how to post Voicethread as a regular message, so I added it to the footer of my page. There has to be a way, but I haven't worked it out.
You might also like: My first Podomatic podcast
If you like this blog, you can subscribe to it via RSS or via email.
blogging4educators
If you like this blog, you can subscribe to it via RSS or via email.
blogging4educators
Friday, 29 February 2008
How to become a Webhead (for the first time)
As I announced rather loudly in my previous post, I have become a Webhead. I have attended two wonderful, but rather demanding six-week workshops - Becoming a Webhead (BaW) and Blogging4Educators. Since this was my first time and I was a total beginner, the mere fact that I got to the end makes me very proud of myself.
So, how did I do it? I developed a number of survival techniques that I would like to share with you.
Here is the tutorial:
How to become a Webhead
Difficulty: very difficult
What you'll need:
- a computer (make sure it's in working condition - it might not be by the end of the session)
- Internet (preferably a fast connection)
- lots of coffee
What else might help:
- insomnia (If you already suffer from it, cherish it. It is your best friend now.)
- flu (Getting ill is very useful, as it will keep you inside. You will get bored and do every weekly assignment in your wiki just to amuse yourself. Be careful not to get high fever, though, as that will keep you in bed. We don't want you in bed, we want you in front of your computer.)
Survival tip 1: Everything you need is in your wiki (thanks Carla Arena for this tip). Look at your weekly assignment. Concentrate on doing it. Forget everything else that's going on.
Survival tip 2: Don't read the daily digests. They will only confuse you. Check the messages directly from the forum - it is much easier to see what the message is about, and decide whether you are going to read it now or later. Also, saves you from scrolling down the daily digest and reading the same messages over and over again. Or you can wait for the week to be over and read the weekly threads. Just be careful not to miss a message addressed directly to you.
Survival tip 3: Don't just read about it, do it. Start a blog and write in it. Make a wiki. Do whatever is your official homework that week.
Survival tip 4: If you have missed something, leave it until after the end of the workshop. I was away during week 4 and when I got back I continued with week 5. I haven't touched week 4 yet, but hope I'll do it by next January.
Survival tip 5: Don't take it too seriously. Socialise. Make new friends. Enjoy it all.
So, how did I do it? I developed a number of survival techniques that I would like to share with you.
Here is the tutorial:
How to become a Webhead
Difficulty: very difficult
What you'll need:
- a computer (make sure it's in working condition - it might not be by the end of the session)
- Internet (preferably a fast connection)
- lots of coffee
What else might help:
- insomnia (If you already suffer from it, cherish it. It is your best friend now.)
- flu (Getting ill is very useful, as it will keep you inside. You will get bored and do every weekly assignment in your wiki just to amuse yourself. Be careful not to get high fever, though, as that will keep you in bed. We don't want you in bed, we want you in front of your computer.)
Survival tip 1: Everything you need is in your wiki (thanks Carla Arena for this tip). Look at your weekly assignment. Concentrate on doing it. Forget everything else that's going on.
Survival tip 2: Don't read the daily digests. They will only confuse you. Check the messages directly from the forum - it is much easier to see what the message is about, and decide whether you are going to read it now or later. Also, saves you from scrolling down the daily digest and reading the same messages over and over again. Or you can wait for the week to be over and read the weekly threads. Just be careful not to miss a message addressed directly to you.
Survival tip 3: Don't just read about it, do it. Start a blog and write in it. Make a wiki. Do whatever is your official homework that week.
Survival tip 4: If you have missed something, leave it until after the end of the workshop. I was away during week 4 and when I got back I continued with week 5. I haven't touched week 4 yet, but hope I'll do it by next January.
Survival tip 5: Don't take it too seriously. Socialise. Make new friends. Enjoy it all.
You might also like:
Monday, 25 February 2008
Sunday, 24 February 2008
Blogging with my students - a change of plan
I made a real mess with the last post. That's what happens when you write about something you haven't thought out carefully beforehand.
So here it is - there are not going to be hundreds of class blogs, there is going to be only one. I will start with my upper-intermediate class for two reasons:
1. their English is relatively good and
2. I taught them in the previous semester, which means that I know them.
Also, they are doing portfolio assessments, so I could merge these two things together (again, I haven't thought it out carefully).
I am not going to teach (grammar or vocabulary) in the blog.
I was thinking of starting it as a meme, something like our Week 4 challenge. What do you think?
Any ideas on how to merge blogging and portfolio assessment?
So here it is - there are not going to be hundreds of class blogs, there is going to be only one. I will start with my upper-intermediate class for two reasons:
1. their English is relatively good and
2. I taught them in the previous semester, which means that I know them.
Also, they are doing portfolio assessments, so I could merge these two things together (again, I haven't thought it out carefully).
I am not going to teach (grammar or vocabulary) in the blog.
I was thinking of starting it as a meme, something like our Week 4 challenge. What do you think?
Any ideas on how to merge blogging and portfolio assessment?
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