Some Thoughts of Being a Novice Blogger

So far, blogging encourages me to exercise my autonomy when creating the blog entries. For example, entry design, topic of interests, embedded content and so forth. The rationale behind is fundamental to the principle of inquiry-based learning, meaning ‘the forms of learning [are] driven by a process of inquiry’, but not the expectations from others (Healey, 2005). Through trial and error, it is likely that I can produce more meaningful and critical texts. On the evidence of Lowther et al. (2003), they discover the ideas and content, organization and writing styles in students’ compositions have enhanced when working on individual blog every day. Although this course has ended in Term 2, I guess I will continue to use it again later (probably as a kind of reflection on my professionalism in English language teaching)!

So far, I am quite positive in using blog. However, the format or style has kept making me feel desperate or frustrated. For example, I chose the font as black in color and normal size for normal fonts. Unfortunately, it seems that the robotic system could not detect my options and posted very differently when I look back to the already published post.


Reference:
Healey, M. (2005). Linking research and teaching exploring disciplinary spaces and the role of inquiry-based learning. Reshaping the University: New Relationships between Research, scholarship and Teaching, Open University Press.

Lowther, D. L., Ross, S. M., & Morrison, G. M. (2003). When each one has a one: The influences on teaching strategies and student achievement of using laptops in the classroom. Educational Technology Research and Development, 51(3), 23-44.

Nearpod: Make English Learning Portal Everywhere!

🤔   Are you craving for authentic materials to help students learn English meaningfully?
🤔   Are you falling short of innovative and student-centred teaching methodologies?

(Source: Google Pic)

 
In Week 7, our ICT group had an amazing RUN-AWAY CLASSROOM experience with              💡 Nearpod💡. Honestly speaking, I have never thought PowerPoint did have a critical 'Point' to emPower us as students to learn AUTHENTICALLY with the school environment.

How does Nearpod work?

 

(Source: YouTube)
Friendly reminder: Press FULL SCREEN before watching the clip 😉

Interesting Pedagogical Facts / Positive Comments of Nearpod

Potentials of mobile learning


In the 21st century, the unprecedented growth of ICT creates new promising for education to meet diverse learning needs and pedagogical demands. Nearpod is one of the examples showing the trend or nature of ICT is gradually shifting from computer-assisted  to mobile-assisted language learning. 

Recalling from my Week 7 learning experience, I realize Nearpod has the potential to cater visuals, auditory and kinesthetic students at a very short period of time (i.e., 20-minute). The reason behind is the elements embedded in Nearpod. Accordingly, teachers can add both 'Web Content' and 'Add Activity' in the lesson. As shown in Figure 1 below, you can include a wide range of learning experience such as open-ended question, poll, quiz, draw it and collaborate to the PowerPoint content. 

Figure 1

Personally, I regard Nearpod as a medium for students to acquire English in a creative and authentic way. However, this medium will not come to effect if English teachers did not fully utilize the functions of Nearpod and believe learning is mediated and influenced by social interaction.

Limitations 

In terms of the given feature, it seems that there is no app can be downloaded to create the Nearpod PowerPoint offline. Also, teachers may not be able to save many PowerPoint as Nearpod only gives us 50MB of storage space. 

HEY! I hope YOU have gained some inspiration after BLOGGING my new post!

💭  What are your instant thoughts and feelings towards💡 Nearpod💡 ? 

Please feel free to 💬 / ✍  / 📧  below!

More updates will be available next week! Have an insightful Friday to all ELT teachers! 😄

Follow-up of the use of Triptico Plus

On March 2, I had a micro-teaching with my students. As I only had 20-minute teaching time, so I used the Task Timer to facilitate my teaching. So far, I think it was quite effective as my students were all aware of the time that they had in the task. When the two tasks finished, there was a 'hurray' sound effect celebrating the good work done by them! Everyone laughed coincidentally and this also generated a harmonious learning environment in the second half of the lesson!

One thing noted was that I needed to be very cautious about the task time while providing scaffolding to my students. It may not be that flexible if students need more time in completing the task.

Screencast-O-Matic: Saving teacher in an ESL classroom

💡 Screencast-O-Matic💡 gives students a blended language learning course. Meanwhile, Banados (2006:534) agrees it is a flexible learning approach which ‘can improve learning outcomes and/or save costs’.

How does Screencast-O-Matic work?

 

(Source: YouTube)

Friendly reminder: Press FULL SCREEN before watching the clip 😉

 

Interesting Pedagogical Facts / Comments on Screencast-O-Matic

Very often, many teachers are struggling for how to strike a balance between rushing the tight teaching schedule and students' all-round development. Personally, I think Screencast-O-Matic is a gift to every English teacher - in a sense that time-saving in providing scaffolding to students who were absent in class that day (e.g., giving homework guidance), reading storybooks to students and updating parents about the learning performance of their kids.

Limitations

 

1.  Each recording is within 15 minutes. If you are absence from teaching and want to give a follow-up lecture, you may need to upgrade from free to pay.

2. Fail to download to computer like me. 

Reference:

Banados, E. (2006). A blended-learning pedagogical model for teaching and learning EFL successfully through an online interactive multimedia environment. CALICO Journal 17(2): 269-306.

HEY! I hope YOU have gained some inspiration after BLOGGING my post!

💭  What are your instant thoughts and feelings towards 💡 Screencast-O-Matic💡 ? 

Please feel free to 💬 / ✍  / 📧  below!

More updates will be available next week! Have an insightful Friday to all ELT teachers! 😄

Quizlet: Multisensory experience in learning English vocabulary

T:     Class, open your textbook Page 23. Let’s read the vocabulary together. A slice of pizza

C:    A slice of pizza

T:     A box of chicken wings

C:    A box of chicken wings

T:     A packet of……

🤔  Is the above situation seemingly familiar?

🤔  Have you ever experienced reciting a list of vocabulary with your students?

🤔  Are you bored with the way of teaching vocabulary?

Here, 💡 Quizlet💡  is a FREE STUDY tool for educational practitioners and students at all age to use INSIDE and OUTSIDE school.

How does Quizlet work?

 

 (Source: YouTube )
Friendly reminder: Press FULL SCREEN before watching the clip 😉

Interesting Pedagogical Facts / Positive Comments of Quizlet

1.   Motivating way to study dictation: 

Quizlet provides you and your class a FUN, INTERACTIVE and  MULTISENSORY experience in learning vocabulary! You can find some game-like features such as Flashcards, Learn, Spell, Test, Match and gravity to help students learn vocabulary.

2.   Promotion of autonomous learning

While students are revising the dictation, they may find it hard to recite or pronounce the vocabulary, phrases and sentences individually. Yet, Quizlet is a useful tool, offering teachers a helping hand by allowing teachers to record the words in advance. Also, students can also play the aforementioned game-like tool at home. 

 

3.  Clear learning record

Quizlet will automatically keep a record whenever who use the app. Teachers can keep a closer track on each students' participant and comprehend their difficulties in a particular word.

 Limitations

1.     Pronunciation

Indeed, Quizlet can almost pronounce every word in this world. However, unless teachers have pre-set the word with a relevant picture at the beginning, or else it  cannot identify the part of speech itself. An example will be 'someone tears' and 'tear a paper'.

('Someone tears')

('Tear a paper')

       

 
2.   Technical issues


Most of the game-like tools require students to type the target words out. However, Quizlet may fail to illustrate students' real difficulties when (1) teachers suggested a long phrase for them to recite or (2) Key Stage 1 students (i.e.,  Primary 1-3) have not managed to type with keyboards.

HEY! I hope YOU have gained some inspiration after BLOGGING my new post!

💭  What are your instant thoughts and feelings towards💡 Quizlet💡 ? 

Please feel free to 💬 / ✍  / 📧  below!

More updates will be available next week! Have an insightful Friday to all ELT teachers! 😄