Powered By Blogger

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

https://ostankowicz.wordpress.com/2015/11/10/teacher-training-a-waste-of-time/


I have been teaching for over 40 years.
In my view, teacher training courses are crucial for improving my teaching. I have been participating in many of them. As a lifelong learner, I feel I need to make a statement that it has always been a challenge, pleasure and a great fulfillment.
I have learnt a lot.
Nowadays I am doing some online courses for Teachers.

Friday, November 6, 2015

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

HALINA'S LEARNING, TEACHING AND MUCH MORE....: About WizIQ: The technology is growing wide, and I feel overwhelmed. Perhaps not as amazed as some people because my job gives me the opportunit...

About WizIQ

The technology is growing wide, and I feel overwhelmed.
Perhaps not as amazed as some people because my job gives me the opportunity to be a life-long learner and technology is a huge part of my present teaching.  Now we are told to “just look it up on the web”, “go online”  or “google it”.
Well, online takes more time and effort than talking to a friend, listening to the radio, or watching the television.  Connected means I have to use my computer or my smartphone or another electronic device Moreover, it seems that every electronic device is different and every three months a new model comes out that requires another learning twist. How will I ever keep up? That learning challenge is becoming superior and harder to manage. This is why I highly recommend WizIQ.
WizIQ’s Virtual Classroom lets you collaborate in real time during online delivery of classes and training sessions. With our powerful platform’s features and range of useful tools, you can:
Increase student engagement with real-time audio-video communication, text chats, and advanced interactive whiteboards.
Integrate smoothly with your existing website or LMS (e.g., Moodle, Blackboard, Sakai) using our APIs & plugins.
Deliver live classes on-the-go from any mobile device using WizIQ Android and iOS apps.
Manage your classes and students easily with handy features like Attendance Reporting, Recording, and Notifications.
Reuse lectures recorded by using WizIQ’s recording and secure content facility.
Access WizIQ from any internet browser, without downloading any software.
WizIQ’s Virtual Classroom lets you collaborate in real time during online delivery of classes and training sessions. With our powerful platform’s features and range of useful tools, you can:
Increase student engagement with real-time audio-video communication, text chats, and advanced interactive whiteboards.
Integrate smoothly with your existing website or LMS (e.g., Moodle, Blackboard, Sakai) using our APIs & plugins.
Deliver live classes on-the-go from any mobile device using WizIQ Android and iOS apps.
Manage your classes and students easily with handy features like Attendance Reporting, Recording, and Notifications.
Reuse lectures recorded by using WizIQ’s recording and secure content facility.
Access WizIQ from any internet browser, without downloading any software.
https://youtu.be/QGIyxX5xw_c?list=PL2JR-WMV8l6cMK37z5_gJuR_4jevfj1uk
 
 
ZOOM
The biggest advantage of using Zoom is that it provides excellent connection, which is especially advantageous if you have low bandwidth. Additionally, the use of the annotations when sharing a screen (to be used as a whiteboard) can make the lesson much more interactive. One cool feature is that you can record your lessons, which are saved on your hard drive. You can schedule recurring lessons, add events to your calendar, use chat and have it sent to you, and there are many other features too.

The dashboard for Zoom is simple and easy to use. Here is what you can do:
– Start a lesson with or without your video (you can turn your video on and off during the lesson/meeting) – Schedule a meeting – Join a meeting
When youschedule a meeting, you can choose to make it recurring. This is a great option to have for learners who take lessons at a set time each week.
You will receive a meeting ID and a link when you schedule a lesson, and this can be shared with your student(s). Additionally, you can automatically add it your online calendar.
Your learner will need to download Zoom to be able to connect with you.
Settings
There are many settings inside Zoom; the vast majority are similar to other video conferencing software (like audio, video,etc.).
The recording feature is something I highlighted in the video. Youcan record your lessons automatically to a specified folder.
The Class Experience
Here is what you can do during your lesson with Zoom:
– Chat – Use video – Share your screen – Use annotations while your’re sharing your screen (like a whiteboard) – Share your computer audio; this is a great feature when playing a video
Zoom is free to use for most uses. The only reason to upgrade is if you are taking group lessons that last over 40 minutes and/or you want to use it for a webinar.
Reasons to Use Zoom
There are many advantages to using Zoom:
– The quality of the call is very good
– The annotations for screen sharing is very useful – It is lightweight with no real problems/bugs – You can create recurring meetings and use the same link for your learners
The one drawback is that it is not well known. This means that you will have to educate your learners on how to use it, and they will have to download the application first.
However, this can be easily done through a one page PDF or quick video that you can give your learners with instructions on what to do.

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

HALINA'S LEARNING, TEACHING AND MUCH MORE....: Challenges involved in learning online?

HALINA'S LEARNING, TEACHING AND MUCH MORE....: Challenges involved in learning online?:   Perhaps one of the greatest challenges for teachers is to deliver a consistent experience to a large and varied general ...

Challenges involved in learning online?



 



Perhaps one of the greatest challenges for teachers is to deliver a consistent experience to a large and varied general populations.
Teachers and students should not carry through device management. Their priorities should be placed on learning.
Technology is not the creator. Substantial belief in innovation is less important than the requirements of students and teachers.
Teachers have a well-defined responsibility with implementing, and identifying, the best combination of digital learning tools for each student.
Different approaches to learning, such as project-based learning,  effective education, game-based learning, and more, is a part of personalized blended learning models. Consequently, such innovations will call for demonstration how their package improves learning outcomes.
Most challenges have to do with the procedures, but they have nothing to do with the teaching itself. To make it simple, if you know how to teach, all you need to do is learn about the elementary online tools available for online teaching, and begin using them.
As mentioned earlier, teaching an online class can be time-consuming. Also, developing an online class can be overwhelming. Learning and becoming proficient using an LMS takes time, and uploading materials to the online environment is also demanding and takes much time. Once you learn how to use the LMS, you need to get to teach students through it.
The time required to generate a new class can be a problem with developing online classes.
The instructor should be able to take care of the subject matter rather than spend
countless time is managing difficulties connected with the technology.
One of the most recommended ways to cope with the additional time required for teaching online classes is to decrease the class size.
Students also regularly run into technological problems and they need support with technology issues.
Navigating the Unique Challenges of Online Teaching. (n.d.). Retrieved from