Week 4

For a couple of days I have been going through the fourth week. It has been full of surprises. Technical notions I thought I mastered last week have gone off my mind. Fortunately the instructions of the facilitators and comments of my classmates I had printed and handwritten in my notebooks brought me back to the right track. This is not a plea against the web, but a recall that people don't learn overnight. Constant effort , determination, repetition, patience are keys to knowledge and success. This experience and the kindness of the group are things to remember and to pass on to our students.

In spite of the confusion on the computer, let's say, the lack of mastery of the computer, the instability of the electrical power and of the connections, I have learned a lot of things. Pedagogically, the ABCD paradigm and Bloom's taxonomy were reinforced in my mind. In addition to the pedagogical lessons and websites about listening ans speaking, I discovered a lot of websites about teaching and learning reading. They are saved in my Delicious, though sometimes, the latter doesn't accept my data, but I will go back to my delicious and with some pats on its back, it will keep the webs I think useful to teachers and to learners.

I also discovered the wealth of interactivity and exchanges. When my memory fails,it often does, the comments of my colleagues remind me of what I have forgotten. In my reflections, I cannot neglect the article of Jarek Krajka, "Using the Internet in ESL Writing Instruction". It is a gold mine. Besides, I will recall the lesson plan models. With some adaptations, most of them will fit my needs and consequently those of my students.

I know that I still have to work on my technological knowledge, but I still rely on my paper and handwriting while trying to be better on the Internet. The web is a must for teachers in the digital era.