Dear friends,
For ten weeks, we have been sharing a lot of ideas about teaching, we have been learning a lot mostly about using technology in our English teaching classes. Last week, I took the time to cite most of the good things we learned about. Perhaps I might have forgotten some. Perhaps those that seemed more difficult for me : Webquest, powerpoint presentations, loading files to the wiki, creation of web sites. But I did understand them and I realize that I should know them all, but only practice will help me master them. I have to. Remember I often say that I shouldn't leave anything proposed and discussed through this course behind. I must manage them all in my luggage, whatever small it might be. I have already agreed with the computer lab manager in Notre Dame of Haiti that he will help me with my weaknesses in computer operation while I will share my theoretical knowledge of English teaching through the web with him.
While packing, I cannot forget to say my gratitude to all of you, tutors, moderators, coursemates for all the insights you brought to my learning. We shared frustrations, hard work, joy to propose and find solutions. We are parting from the course but technology can keep us all together ready to exchange our worries and our hopes, mostly our good will to have things better in a loving world.
Is this my last blog ? No. We will get in touch. I must not forget to say that our frustrations were part of our learning. And even this morning, I got one that was a big blow to me . I woke up early to go to Nicenet. But usually I go there passing by http://umbc.uoregon.edu/eteacher/webskills. I don't know. It seems that it was removed from the web. Fortunately patience and thought overcome our difficulties. It is rewarding for me to find out my blogging space to write this into my blog to meet you all dear friends and to let you know that the course is stopping, but we are not parting. Frustration and rewards get along.Hope often joins them
A big hug to you all. Before I go, I would like to visit you all.
Roland
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Week 9
Dear friends,
Are we still packing ? Yes and no. We are living everyday this experience: the blending of oppsites. Life and death. Life rises from death. Recollection and oblivion. Interactivity and autonomy. Autonomy rises from interactivity and in such a point you cannot have one without at least thinking of the other. Our readings these last weeks insist on autonomy as the final goal of our teaching. Yes, it is. Autonomy, though it means a certain self-reliability, is a way to deal with others, using what they have already done. Autonomy is a mastering of the reality in order to pass our comprehension to others and getting ready to improve what we have received for more betterment. Great job as ours. We are always trying to make ourselves independent to make our students independent and trying to build in our independency a better interactive world . Contrasts! but it is life.
We haven't finished . We still have things not to forget. We must bring them home:tools for teachers, games, crosswords, test templates, lots of exercises to use in class eithr for relaxation, or for learning. Again work and relaxation blend. So our students can learn while playing and sometimes they like playing while studying, and in their playing they fix the lesson.
The great experience of week 8 and week 9 is the partners meeting while drafting our projects. My partner was excellent. She gave me a lot of advice to improve my draft. Marcia is wonderful. Now I am working on my final report, realizing it is not only time for packing, it is also time for accountability. Let's do it. We all know what we receive from the course. But what are we going to do with those filled-up baggage? Work interactively to make our students more autonomous for a better interactive world.
Roland
Are we still packing ? Yes and no. We are living everyday this experience: the blending of oppsites. Life and death. Life rises from death. Recollection and oblivion. Interactivity and autonomy. Autonomy rises from interactivity and in such a point you cannot have one without at least thinking of the other. Our readings these last weeks insist on autonomy as the final goal of our teaching. Yes, it is. Autonomy, though it means a certain self-reliability, is a way to deal with others, using what they have already done. Autonomy is a mastering of the reality in order to pass our comprehension to others and getting ready to improve what we have received for more betterment. Great job as ours. We are always trying to make ourselves independent to make our students independent and trying to build in our independency a better interactive world . Contrasts! but it is life.
We haven't finished . We still have things not to forget. We must bring them home:tools for teachers, games, crosswords, test templates, lots of exercises to use in class eithr for relaxation, or for learning. Again work and relaxation blend. So our students can learn while playing and sometimes they like playing while studying, and in their playing they fix the lesson.
The great experience of week 8 and week 9 is the partners meeting while drafting our projects. My partner was excellent. She gave me a lot of advice to improve my draft. Marcia is wonderful. Now I am working on my final report, realizing it is not only time for packing, it is also time for accountability. Let's do it. We all know what we receive from the course. But what are we going to do with those filled-up baggage? Work interactively to make our students more autonomous for a better interactive world.
Roland
Week 9, part 2
Dear friends,
Packing while accounting. This what I feel doing by the end of the one before the last week of the course. Should I list all the sites I went through and all the lessons I got from each one?
The first thing I would start my list with is a better knowledge of the computer. I usually used my computer to write texts, letter on Word, to search the news, to write my friends, and I also employed Excel to make my computing. I didn't know that it was such a big tool bag for teachers. It caused me lot of troubles when I didn't know how to use the tools it provides My instructors showed me how to handle them. Google knocked my head on the wall very often. Very often it refused my pass word. Fotunately it never took off my e-mail address. So far I did all my assignemnts and I always tried to have my works the shortest and the simplest posible fearing their loss through a wrong maneuver. By the end, I realized that more practice will give me the knowledge of the computer necessary to build the teaching skills through the Interactive Web.
What did I get from the bag? Many sites. They described what learning is, what learners are, what teachers should be and should do, and where the latter should go with or should take the former with the help of technology. All these instruments will help me think about my teaching in my search to meet my students' needs.
The last thing , but not the least is the companionship of the different characters on this stage.I cannot help thanking Deborah, Sandra, and the visitor intructors for their patience and their availabity. The dicussions on Nicenet, the comments on the blogs reinforced the ideas learned through the sites. Besides all of these, we really buid up a community of friendly English teachers, trying to build a real interactive world.
I am packing everything. Everything will be useful. I am ready to share everything with colleagues and with my students.
Packing while accounting. This what I feel doing by the end of the one before the last week of the course. Should I list all the sites I went through and all the lessons I got from each one?
The first thing I would start my list with is a better knowledge of the computer. I usually used my computer to write texts, letter on Word, to search the news, to write my friends, and I also employed Excel to make my computing. I didn't know that it was such a big tool bag for teachers. It caused me lot of troubles when I didn't know how to use the tools it provides My instructors showed me how to handle them. Google knocked my head on the wall very often. Very often it refused my pass word. Fotunately it never took off my e-mail address. So far I did all my assignemnts and I always tried to have my works the shortest and the simplest posible fearing their loss through a wrong maneuver. By the end, I realized that more practice will give me the knowledge of the computer necessary to build the teaching skills through the Interactive Web.
What did I get from the bag? Many sites. They described what learning is, what learners are, what teachers should be and should do, and where the latter should go with or should take the former with the help of technology. All these instruments will help me think about my teaching in my search to meet my students' needs.
The last thing , but not the least is the companionship of the different characters on this stage.I cannot help thanking Deborah, Sandra, and the visitor intructors for their patience and their availabity. The dicussions on Nicenet, the comments on the blogs reinforced the ideas learned through the sites. Besides all of these, we really buid up a community of friendly English teachers, trying to build a real interactive world.
I am packing everything. Everything will be useful. I am ready to share everything with colleagues and with my students.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Week 8
Dear friends,
The countdown has begun! Am I happy to finish with this course ? Yes and no ? Two words that do not go together, but sometimes they get together to reveal a reality. As far as I am concerned, I feel like quitting this place where there are a lot of demanding works, a lot of worries, and sometimes a lot of anxieties wondering where we're going. But while contemplating the knowledge I acquire from each difficult and absorbing task, the joy provided by the result coming out from the solutions even when they are not perfect, the warm and comforting companionship of my coursemates and monitors, I don't want to go. I still need this constant search of self awareness and understanding of my physical and human environment to help more people discover themselves and the world about them. This is why we are among our students, trying to find out the best ways to help them learn.
This week, we learned or we are learning how to accompany a large number of people at the same time. Technology comes to help and even takes account of schools where money is rare. Friendly transmission of skills is worth more than money. Good will,brought forth by the contacts and the knowledge we acquire through our constant education and especially in this program, creates situations where people feel good together and really want to live and share. This is our goal to have people live out of our services, our pains, our dificulties and our joy. That is the texture of our profession.
This week, I also went through the draft of the final project. Am I going to call it a report? It has been for me a project, a plan for the future. I have not taught all this term. I hope I will be teaching soon. I will use then the many technics and values you all friends imparted to me.
The countdown has begun, but we are not parting. We're still together. We have two more weeks to go. Let's enjoy them
Roland
The countdown has begun! Am I happy to finish with this course ? Yes and no ? Two words that do not go together, but sometimes they get together to reveal a reality. As far as I am concerned, I feel like quitting this place where there are a lot of demanding works, a lot of worries, and sometimes a lot of anxieties wondering where we're going. But while contemplating the knowledge I acquire from each difficult and absorbing task, the joy provided by the result coming out from the solutions even when they are not perfect, the warm and comforting companionship of my coursemates and monitors, I don't want to go. I still need this constant search of self awareness and understanding of my physical and human environment to help more people discover themselves and the world about them. This is why we are among our students, trying to find out the best ways to help them learn.
This week, we learned or we are learning how to accompany a large number of people at the same time. Technology comes to help and even takes account of schools where money is rare. Friendly transmission of skills is worth more than money. Good will,brought forth by the contacts and the knowledge we acquire through our constant education and especially in this program, creates situations where people feel good together and really want to live and share. This is our goal to have people live out of our services, our pains, our dificulties and our joy. That is the texture of our profession.
This week, I also went through the draft of the final project. Am I going to call it a report? It has been for me a project, a plan for the future. I have not taught all this term. I hope I will be teaching soon. I will use then the many technics and values you all friends imparted to me.
The countdown has begun, but we are not parting. We're still together. We have two more weeks to go. Let's enjoy them
Roland
Monday, March 1, 2010
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