Teaching with Technology

http://www.wiziq.com/teachblog/whats-ahead-2015/

 

 

Teachers will Learn to Blend and Flip your Classes with Technology. The course is available from January 5 – December 4, 2015.

The course offers new, veteran, and future teachers theoretical and practical knowledge on how to teach and learn using technology. The topics of the course will focus on applying the science of learning, ways to transform teachers, promote a learning partnership with students, will how to set up team and motivate students to become lifelong learners, and finally to teach small chunks in a live online class or micro teaching in pairs. Teachers will develop a philosophy of education statement and learn how to share it with the world.

Link to enrol: https://www.wiziq.com/course/92339-teaching-with-technology

 

By Dr. Nellie Deutsch

Teaching to Learners of all Styles - Official WizIQ Teach Blog

Teaching to Learners of all Styles - Official WizIQ Teach Blog

 

http://www.wiziq.com/teachblog/learning-styles-all-learners/

 

 

Teaching to Learners of all Styles at Traditional Schools

When I think of learning, I do not think of school. I think of reading a book in a library, listening to audible (recordings of books) in the car, or sitting in the garden with a book or an iPad. I do not think of school. My learning styles involve out of the classroom experiences.

School Curriculum and Learning

Schools are complex organizations with a top-down management system that aims to promote learning. Every school has a written curriculum that binds all the stakeholders of the school. However, a school curriculum may have more in it than meets the eye.

Information for ALL

Society is continually changing as a result of the fast moving pace of technology. The Internet is now a major provider of information. Information is now available at the click of a finger. Teachers are no longer the sole providers of knowledge and  information. Learning is no longer limited to space or time. Learning can take place online at any time or from any location. Schools may lose their place unless they advance with the times. They do not need to mirror an outdated social structure. They can now integrate technology and open their doors to new and more challenging curriculums.

School Curriculum

A school curriculum is an organized framework that guides teachers and students in the required learning. It is similar to a contract between society, the state and educational professionals with regard to the educational experiences that learners should undergo during a certain phase of their lives. Both the school and the community have a say in the development of the written and unwritten or hidden school curriculum.

Hidden Curriculum

There are differences between written and hidden curriculums. Teachers teach and students learn implicit concepts and patterns. Some of these are written in the curriculum while others are not. Teachers may not be as aware as their students that they are transmitting unwritten or hidden curriculum ideas. Students may sense it much faster because some of these ideas force the students to behave in ways they do not always like. Students learn quickly that they have to conform to the rules of the school if they want approval.

Hidden Curricula serve a purpose:

• Indoctrination to maintain social status
• Set the stage for formal education
• Rules to complete formal education

Students acquire these and other hidden ideas while attending school. Many schools promote social norms and values that such as being punctual, competitive, waiting one’s turn, learning to accept hierarchy of authority, patience and other goals and functions of  society.

School promoted socializing codes of behavior may adversely affect students. Teachers convey many messages to learners from the outset of school. Some kindergarten teachers go as far as to control the children’s behavior and perception of the world in negative and often inappropriate ways. Apparently, youngsters adjust their emotional responses to conform to those considered appropriate by the teacher and school . Youngsters do not always feel at ease with being quiet and not being able to express their feelings. The hidden curriculum sometimes determines limitations to student behaviour in the classroom that may hinder learning.

On the one hand, the hidden curriculum may limit teachers’ instruction because it forces them to teach students how to behave in ways that may not enhance learning instead of devoting time to content and other skills that could facilitate life long learning. This takes time away from the written curriculum’s plan for learning. In addition, teachers do not always feel comfortable instructing students on socialization. They feel that these are things parents should be doing at home.

http://www.wiziq.com/teachblog/learning-styles-all-learners/

http://slidespeech.com/s/endxRSDben/

Better version, I hope.

SlideSpeech: New Year Celebrations in Poland_B

SlideSpeech: New Year Celebrations in Poland_B

I am so proud of this.

New Year's Day and New Year’s Eve, known in Poland as Sylwester (St Silvester's Day), marks the start of the carnival period, which features celebratory events like balls and parties. A fun tradition that has been popular for centuries is the kulig (sleigh rides). Many people in Poland celebrate New Year’s Day with dances, concerts, and meals featuring traditional Polish dishes including bigos (hunter’s stew).

Christmas in Poland 2014

For Poles, Christmas Eve is a night of magic when animals are said to talk and people have the power to predict the future. It’s a time for families to gather and reconcile any differences, and to remember loved ones who have gone before them.

Wigilia (vee-GEEL-yah), which literally means "vigil," or waiting for the birth of Baby Jesus, is considered more important than Christmas Day itself.

Elvis Presley, Martina McBride - Blue Christmas

 

I'll have a Blue Christmas without you
I'll be so blue thinking about you
Decorations of red on a green Christmas tree
Won't be the same dear, if you're not here with me

And when those blue snowflakes start falling
That's when those blue memories start calling
Youll be doin all right, with your christmas of white
But I'll have a blue, blue blue blue christmas
You'll be doin' all right, with your Christmas of white,
But I'll have a blue, blue Christmas  

 

From " The Travelling Teachers: A Christmas Carol: a flipped lesson."

The Travelling Teachers: A Christmas Carol: a flipped lesson.: Every year at Christmas time I talk about A Christmas Carol in my classes for many different reasons. It is a wonderful Christmas t

Michael Bublé | White Christmas

What are you dreaming of?

I'm dreaming of a White Christmas

Just like the ones I used to know

Where the treetops glisten

And children listen

To hear sleigh bells in the snow

I'm dreaming of a White Christmas

With every Christmas card I write

"May your days be merry and bright

And may all your Christmases be white"

(I'm dreaming of a White Christmas

Just like the ones I used to know

Where the treetops glisten

And children listen

To hear sleigh bells in the snow)

(I'm dreaming of a White Christmas

With every Christmas card I write

"May your days be merry and bright")

"And may all your Christmases be white"

"Weird" Al Yankovic - Amish Paradise

 

 

 

What is – "Paradise" –

What is –  "Paradise" –

Who live there –

Are they "Farmers" –

Do they "hoe" –

Do they know that this is "Amherst" –

And that I –  am coming –  too –

Do they wear "new shoes" –  in "Eden" –

Is it always pleasant –  there –

Won't they scold us –  when we're hungry –

Or tell God –  how cross we are –

You are sure there's such a person

As "a Father" –  in the sky –

So if I get lost –  there –  ever –

Or do what the Nurse calls "die" –

I shan't walk the "Jasper" –  barefoot –

Ransomed folks –  won't laugh at me –

Maybe –  "Eden" a'n't so lonesome

As New England used to be!

                                                            F241 (1861)  215

We learn here that Dickinson found New England “lonesome.”

 

Coolio Feat L.V. & Stevie Wonder - Gangstas Paradise (Live @ 1995 Billbo...

Cabaret - Teaching English with Songs from the Movies

Micro Teaching on Songs with Halina and Brian

HALINA'S LEARNING, TEACHING AND MUCH MORE....: Songs toTeach English and More

HALINA'S LEARNING, TEACHING AND MUCH MORE....:

 Songs to Teach English and More:  Don McLean - Vincent ( Starry, Starry Night) With Lyrics Don McLean's Vincent (Starry,Starry Night) Almost all images created by...

Songs toTeach English and More

 Don McLean - Vincent ( Starry, Starry Night) With Lyrics

Don McLean's Vincent (Starry,Starry Night) Almost all images created by Vincent Van- Gogh. Song by Don McLean I in no way assume any credit for song or images.

• Music "Vincent" by Don McLean 

• Artist Don McLean

• Category Music

• License Standard You Tube License

What is important in Education?

I am going to talk about active teaching.

For me - teaching online is using technology in the classroom; as an additional method of traditional teaching.

I am for blended learning which means - taking advantage of both, traditional f2f techniques and possibilities given by new technologies.

Some say that: participants in online classes seemed to be more involved and engaged in lesson activities than students in traditional classes.

In my view, we can activate our learners, in the same way, in both situations.

Getting decent communication in different educational settings requires altered teaching approaches.

This way we can change them from passive learners to active students.

But how to help them learn actively and meaningfully, it is a separate issue.

Active learning includes providing chances for students to discuss and listen meaningfully, write, read, and reflect on the content, ideas, issues, and concerns of an academic subject.

(Meyers & Jones, 1993, p. 6)

Confucius’s aphorism:

I hear, and I forget. I see, and I remember. I do, and I understand.

(Page 75 Instruction at FSU Handbook 2011)

Should not be forgotten.

By doing and practicing, we build our long-term memory library.

Short term recollection is formed mostly by memorizing, which is, unfortunately, assessed in the majority of schools.

My experience tells that I ought to practice active learning principles to progress activities for my students that best mirror my particular communication style. What is more, I choose the subjects, forms of thinking, and strategies to solve the problems that should be understood and relate to the topics.

This method will help me to create “active learners”.

Looking for answers to the most common questions: what, when, where, who, why, why don't, how, etc. is always the starting point.

As a result of our discussion - we can put together part of incompetent content knowledgeable student with fully involved learner and self-motivated thinker.

Traditional education focuses on teaching, not learning. In most schools, memorization is mistaken for learning. Taking part in free study lessons and online Speaking Groups, will help a lot. This would also increase our confidence in speaking, as well as improve vocabulary and pronunciation. Additional excellent setting to practice is   Virtual Classroom such as WizIQ, where teachers would encourage us to work on all language skills.

Standards for Foreign Language Learning

Communication

Communicate in Languages Other Than English

Standard 1.1: Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information,

express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions.

Standard 1.2: Students understand and interpret written and spoken language on a

variety of topics.

Standard 1.3: Students present information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of

listeners or readers on a variety of topics.

In my view, the most important skill to master is speaking the language. Communication is a difficult assignment especially if you don’t live or work in a native speaking count. We can look for reliable supports to talk to via Skype. It is essential to find someone whom we’re comfortable talking to. The process of natural assimilation, involving intuition and subconscious learning. It is the product of real interactions between people in environments of the target language and culture, where the learner is an active player. It is similar to the way children learn their native tongue, a process that produces functional skill in the spoken language without theoretical knowledge. It develops familiarity with the phonetic characteristics of the language as well as its structure and vocabulary, and is responsible for oral understanding, the capability for creative communication and the identification of cultural values.

A classic example of second language acquisition is the adolescents and young adults that live abroad for a year in an exchange program, often attaining near native fluency, while knowing little about the language. They have a good pronunciation without a notion of phonology, don't know what the perfect tense is, modal or phrasal verbs are, but they intuitively recognize and know how to use all the structures.

The traditional approach to the study of languages and today is still practiced in high schools worldwide. Attention is focused on the language in its written form, and the objective is for the student to understand the structure and rules of the language, whose parts are dissected and analyzed. The task requires intellectual effort and deductive reasoning. The body is of greater importance than communication. Teaching and learning are technical and based on the syllabus. One studies the theory in the absence of the practice. One values the correct and represses the incorrect. Error correction is constant leaving little room for spontaneity. The teacher is an authority figure, and the participation of the student is predominantly passive. Schools will teach how to form interrogative and negative sentences, force to memorize irregular verbs, study modal verbs, etc., Therefore, students hardly ever masters the use of these structures in conversation.

The efficient teaching of languages isn't that tied to a packaged course of structured lessons based on grammatical sequencing, translation or oral drilling, nor is the one that relies on technological resources. Well-organized teaching is personalized, takes place in a bicultural environment and is based on the personal skills of the facilitator in building relationships and creating situations of real communication with comprehensible input focusing on the learner's interests.

Krashen, Stephen D.  Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition.  Prentice-Hall International, 1987.

Krashen, Stephen D.  Second Language Acquisition and Second Language Learning.  Prentice-Hall International, 1988.

Web source:
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