Finally..........

 “There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don't care who gets the credit.”                                                                                                                        (Ronald Regan)

Therefore, first of all, I would like to special thanks to my instructor and dear colleagues for their encouragements and constant support to make me success in this web skills course of ten weeks and I can't forget my professor who encouraged me to send proposal for this course. Actually, he did lots of exercises; send mail, phone called, wrote text and even if he met me he would ask Sharmila, did you send proposal? If you want to make me happy, please send. It was a kind of persuasion from his side. That's why I did it. But know I have no regret. I thank him very much for his effort he made for me. If he wouldn't ask me to do may be I would not take participate. I can't deny the role of NELTA and US Embassy who recommended me as an eligible candidate as well as University of Oregon, AEI.

Before I was worried how can I complete ten weeks. I was feeling it is too long time. But now I'm feeling it is really short period of time. I have started enjoying the course but it is ending.  For me, this course was really fruitful. I benefitted in many ways. First thing, I learnt to integrate teaching with technology. Secondly, it adds something in my profile. Thirdly, I'm being more professional. Now, I have more experience and confident and one more thing, it will be really hot and effective if I make this a topic to share in my country as my country is slowly being attractive to the technological thing….:)

Before, I would use only Yahoo, Google, Bing, YouTube etc. but now I know many search engines after visiting noodle tools. I got great opportunities to visit websites to build listening, speaking, reading, writing, grammar, vocabularies and more than that I can design online project, I know easy way of making rubrics, I know how to design a platform for the discussion to my students through nicenet and through Google sites. Delicious.com made easy to store all the important sites which was one of the big problem for me. Use of blog encouraged me to be blogger in future too. I have promised myself to continue this spirit. ABCD model of preparing specific types of objectives was great achievement for me. RWG links, Wall-wisher, interactive power point was fabulous experience to use. Webinar and discussion with guest course moderator was different experience. Different kinds of learning materials provided by instructor open up my mind. I have made my project plan and eager to apply it as soon as I start working.  Discussion on learner autonomy, large classes, learning style/multiple intelligence integrating technology was imperative work.

To change your lifestyle and be successful always you need to keep your mind open, do trial and error, think critically, reflect yourself and understand about you. I think, this course has changed me. I understand myself and my potentiality, and I don't hesitate to try and do mistakes. This course was a back force of my life to boost up my professionalism. Now, I believe technology can change everything and it is essential in teaching students.

Someone said me never ever say "good bye". After saying "good bye" you have no chance of meeting again so dear friends I don't like to say you "good bye" because I'm sure I will meet you one day in this big and dynamic world. Just see you….. :( Nice to meet you all! I had a great time with you all. Cheers in the name of our bright future…..!

Sun setting leaving the hope of bright morning tomorrow. 

(Taken in Sauraha, Chitwan, Nepal)

Dear friends, I believe the same with us.

 

Technology can help cater to a range of learning styles in the classroom........

This is week nine in the journey of Web skills course; almost close to the end. Hopefully, I did justice to the course requirements. This week, we had very fruitful discussion on learning style/multiple intelligences and how these can be catered to through technology. For the purpose, we had to support or argue on technology can help cater to a range of learning styles in the classroom. We had very fruitful discussion over it. All the friends posted their view points. Mainly, I got chance to learn different kinds of learning style. I got to know there are many learning style but among them I found there are eight kinds of learning style. They are: Visual/Spatial, Verbal-Linguistic, Logical /Mathematical, Bodily/Kinesthetic, Musical/Rhythmic, Intrapersonal, Interpersonal and Naturalistic. It is unbelievable that I got more score on Naturalistic and intrapersonal learning style while checking about mine and in the same way; my friends have their own learning style. So, it proves that no individual are alike the same. They differ from each other. The best way for teacher is to be versatile. Try to address all kinds of students' learning style.

 

For me, I agree the point; technology can help cater to a range of learning styles in the classroom because it serves to enable through creation of learning objects and extend learning by providing "learning by doing" and "learning by seeing" environment. Now, it raises the question if every person has their own learning style obviously teachers do have their style. In this case, don't their learning style affects in teaching? I believe learning style consists of distinctive behaviors which serve as indicators of how person learn from the environments. It also gives signs as to how a person's mind operates. Of course, all the teachers have a personal learning style. If learning style operates person's mind, it is true which can limit their vision of other possibilities in the classroom and their understanding of different types of students and also can restrict their choice and interpretation of teaching techniques.

 

One of my friend said that she is has got lowest marks in visual/spatial style but she uses videos, maps, images in her classroom. She is true; we can see teachers are trying to address the needs of all types of students inside the classroom. I think, first of all teachers must learn to honor their individual learning styles and secondly, they must attempt to facilitate the true learning style of the learner. I'm sure, if my friend is addressing the needs of individual students, she is acting as an "instrument of thought", and she is facilitating them from her conscious part of mind. Actually, that is not what she wants and believes which she doesn't know either as it lies in her unconscious mind.

Winter 2013 Courtney's Webskills Friends

Respected Instructor

Courtney Cunningham

University of Oregon, AEI, eTeacher Scholarship Class "Webskills"

 

Without her cooperation our class would be impossible....Thanks to her.

 

Dear Friend

Krishna Parajuli

English Language Teacher

Gorkha, Nepal

 

 

Dear Friend

Matej Zilak

Teacher

Banska Bystrica, Slovakia

Dear Friend

Mukti Prakash Thapaliya

Gramin Adarsha Multiple Campus, Nepaltar, Balaju, Kathmandu, Nepal

 

 

Dear Friend

Jurgita

Vilnius, Lithuania

 

Dear Friend

Izela Habul-Šabanović

 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

 senior assistant at the Pedagogical Faculty in Sarajevo and

 teach English as a foreign language

 

Dear Friend

Jittranon Thongmee

Teacher at Dechapattanayanukul School

Pattani, Thailand.

 

 

Dear Friend,

Md Zulfeqar Haider

Associate Professor, English Coordinator @

 Foreign Language Training Center (FLTC)

Ministry of Education, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

 

Dear Friend

Nataliia Fominykh, PhD

Sevastopol, Ukraine

Associate Professor at Sevastopol Institute of Banking

 

Dear Friend

Hector Alvarado

Aserrí, San José, Costa Rica

Professor at the University of Costa Rica

 

 

No Pic

Dear Friend 

Awsan AL-Huribi

works at AMIDEAST

Yemen

 

 

Dear Friend

Alina Petcu

 

 

Dear Friend

Hulya

 ESL/EFL Instructor and Head of the Department

at the School of Foreign Languages,

Hacettepe University, Ankara (Turkey)

 

 

No Pic

Dear Friend

Saida Nuritdinova

 

 

Dear Friend

Kunjarmani Gautam

Gulmi Tamghas Nepal

 

 

Dear Friend

 Bobby Michael, Jakarta, Indonesia

 teaching at the English Department of Atma Jaya Catholic University

Jakarta Indonesia

 

 

Dear Friend

Bhuwan Raj Chataut

Mahendranagar ward no-7, kanchanpur

 

 

Dear Friend 

 Insa Camara

 

 

 

Dear Friend

Tahsina Yasmin

Stamford University, Bangladesh

 

 

 

Dear Friend

Martin Burgos

 

 

Dear Friend

Dirba

Ouagadougou,

BURKINA FASO

 

 

Dear Friend

Ali Jawad

 

MeH

Sharmila Sitaula

Kathmandu, Nepal

 

 

 

 

 

Learner Autonomy: Use of Technological Devices in Language Learning Classroom

For me, this week was pretty productive. Developing project plan is one of the prodigious works after applying it in my classroom it adds lots of things in my experience, in my cognition, in my professional development as well as in my CV…J. Learning about ANVILL is very useful, effective and fruitful for me to use in my classroom to provide my students lively classroom. It was interesting and proud to learn it as few people might know about it in my country. I can share them when time is suitable. I felt, peer review is the best way to assess students' work. At first, I'm planning to apply same strategy in my classroom. Then, I got chance to learn something from my friend's report. From the help of friends' we can get chance to improve yourselves in many ways. Likewise, Second half of the week's main work was to think and write about technological devices and its drawbacks and benefits in language learning classroom. From the task, I got chance to learn about its problems and the proposed solutions from my friend. Below is the same which I posted in the Nicenet:

It is obvious that when some people think of autonomous learning and learning with technology, the picture that comes in mind is that of students working in isolation. Then, when students work in isolation it directs to individual learning. Healey 2002 says that "Individualized Directed Learning" (IDL) is a way of encouraging learners to become more autonomous. The more learners are given free setting of language learning, I believe the pace of learning and success increases because the habit of "self-direction" and "independent learning" will developed. To promote self-direction and independent learning technology play a great role.

While going through some articles written in favor of learner autonomy what I found is technology's role in fostering autonomy has been praised over the years with a number of claims. They believe, use of technology or different technological devices supports different learning styles as learning styles is solely personal in individual. As some learners are audio learner, some are visual learners, some are kinesthetic, some are aural and some are verbal. Providing materials for all the five kinds of learners are the main motto of technology. For example, recently, we experience ANVILL which is useful for all types of learners which is authentic, literacy, interaction, vitality and empowerment to the English Language Classroom. Indeed, the dynamic nature of the Internet, together with the wide range of materials and resources it offers, makes it a valuable tool for language learning.

For me, though there are many benefits of technology I find very many difficulties to use these tools. Such As; while searching for just about a sensible topic you will be overwhelmed with thousands of topics, most of which are of low value. There is little guarantee that the most worthy results will appear close to the top of the list. Nowadays, Search engine placement becoming such big business that is more likely that the top ranked sites will be trying to sell you something rather than increasing your knowledge. The vast amount of ready-made learning content in the public domain has been a source of plagiarism to the students. I think, the course, we are taking now is distance education; it has risk that students may experience feelings of isolation and become demotivated. Therefore, to overcome from the problems support and communication facilities should be vital in maintaining learner connectedness. Teachers should be flexible and ready to communicate 24 hours if necessary with students as our Courtney does….:). Strictly refer authentic sites to overcome from affecting low values' materials and at last I suggest you all use it but don't overuse. It is the solution of all problems you get in using technology.

 

LEARNER AUTONOMY

For me, this week was very busy and exhausted although our topic of the discussion made me fresh and strong as I'm interested in the topic autonomy. I like the word 'autonomy' and its meaning. I believe in autonomy to keep my life ahead. It means self determination, federal, confederacy. I've always tried to keep my autonomy. This week I recognized many autonomous friends of mine, they are really great. I got to know many things from them about "Learner Autonomy" as well as One Computer Classroom. Some were focused on 'Learner autonomy' and some in 'One Computer Classroom'. My focus was on 'Learner Autonomy'. I read two articles given by my instructor which provided me lots of insight in learner autonomy. To learn more on it, different post in wall wisher helped me. In the same course, I browsed internet and watch some videos. Among them I liked the video on the topic In Pursuit of Autonomy and Learner Autonomy: A Theoretical Phantasm?.  It is an Educational video on autonomy and autonomous behavior and how ITDE managers can best facilitate an autonomous learning environment is its main focus.

In my view, autonomous learners have ability to take responsibility of one's own learning. They can manage their own learning and survive outside the sheltered environment of the classroom. To make students autonomous is one of the great challenges which foreign language teachers are facing. Students one's own understanding of needs, knowledge of individual learning styles, ability to set their goals, monitor and evaluation of their learning are all needed for autonomous learners. Likewise, motivated to learn, good guessers, choosing materials, methods and task, making and rejecting hypotheses etc. also comes under the characteristics of autonomous learners. Making students aware of these strategies, as well as incorporating their use in activities is the first step toward learner autonomy where teachers should be responsible.
The most important thing to make students autonomous is use of authentic materials inside the classroom and it cannot be denied that nowadays, internet is one of the reliable sources of providing authentic materials. As I already shared, an essential part of making students autonomous is to help them become aware of their needs, learning styles, strengths and weak points etc. but this can only be possible if the learners are willing to work. Interest and motivation are therefore, two important factors in learning and I think the internet offers a wide variety of different topics which suits the taste of individual learner's learning styles. There are many search engines. Students can use any of search engines to find topics which interest them.

In the same way, I'm working in my project plan. I've almost completed first half of the plan where I have focused on Lower Secondary students to be successful blogger. Let's see whether I will be success or not.

Rubrics: Project work

Truly, I'm somewhere lost in my project work. I'm not getting properly though Courtney is trying very hard to let me be clear. I'm clear the about the instruction what in the job teacher should do but as I'm not in the job teacher still confused what do I start. Even though I've started my project work and made rubrics for evaluation of checking effectiveness of my project in the class which are given below. I don't  know whether these criteria are ok or not please let me know.

 Rubrics of project work for technology enhanced classes

---

Teacher Name: Ms. Sitaula


Student Name:     ________________________________________

CATEGORY	4	3	2	1
Preparedness	Brings needed materials to class and is always ready to work.	Almost always brings needed materials to class and is ready to work.	Almost always brings needed materials but sometimes needs to settle down and get to work	Often forgets needed materials or is rarely ready to get to work.
Problem-solving	Actively looks for and suggests solutions to problems.	Refines solutions suggested by others.	Does not suggest or refine solutions, but is willing to try out solutions suggested by others.	Does not try to solve problems or help others solve problems. Lets others do the work.
Monitors Group Effectiveness	Routinely monitors the effectiveness of the group, and makes suggestions to make it more effective.	Routinely monitors the effectiveness of the group and works to make the group more effective.	Occasionally monitors the effectiveness of the group and works to make the group more effective.	Rarely monitors the effectiveness of the group and does not work to make it more effective.
Focus on the task	Consistently stays focused on the task and what needs to be done. Very self-directed.	Focuses on the task and what needs to be done most of the time. Other group members can count on this person.	Focuses on the task and what needs to be done some of the time. Other group members must sometimes nag, prod, and remind to keep this person on-task.	Rarely focuses on the task and what needs to be done. Lets others do the work.
Quality of Work	Provides work of the highest quality.	Provides high quality work.	Provides work that occasionally needs to be checked/redone by other group members to ensure quality.	Provides work that usually needs to be checked/redone by others to ensure quality.
Contributions	Routinely provides useful ideas when participating in the group and in classroom discussion. A definite leader who contributes a lot of effort.	Usually provides useful ideas when participating in the group and in classroom discussion. A strong group member who tries hard!	Sometimes provides useful ideas when participating in the group and in classroom discussion. A satisfactory group member who does what is required.	Rarely provides useful ideas when participating in the group and in classroom discussion. May refuse to participate.
Time-management	Routinely uses time well throughout the project to ensure things get done on time. Group does not have to adjust deadlines or work responsibilities because of this person\'s procrastination.	Usually uses time well throughout the project, but may have procrastinated on one thing. Group does not have to adjust deadlines or work responsibilities because of this person\'s procrastination.	Tends to procrastinate, but always gets things done by the deadlines. Group does not have to adjust deadlines or work responsibilities because of this person\'s procrastination.	Rarely gets things done by the deadlines and group has to adjust deadlines or work responsibilities because of this person\'s inadequate time management.
Attitude	Never is publicly critical of the project or the work of others. Always has a positive attitude about the task(s).	Rarely is publicly critical of the project or the work of others. Often has a positive attitude about the task(s).	Occasionally is publicly critical of the project or the work of other members of the group. Usually has a positive attitude about the task(s).	Often is publicly critical of the project or the work of other members of the group. Often has a negative attitude about the task(s).

Large Classes: Problems and Solutions

As my Nepali friends already shared, very busy schedule; attending the conference, presenting my paper, reporting the presentation of all presenter to the committee, doing volunteer job and many more. At the same time, I'm learning many things. This type of meeting is very productive; get to learn many things from other and share ours as well. I think this type of conference and seminars are great source of developing network with people of different parts of world. In ELT, developing network is one of the ways of professional development. I have my presentation on "Humanistic Education in EFL classroom". My main focus was on letting students self-realize, self-understand, discover themselves how they are which is one of the objective of Humanistic Education. It is the study of self- actualization, related with the feelings, experiences, memories, hopes, aspirations, beliefs, values, needs and fantasy of students. It believes that the feelings of the students influence the language learning. Based on this definition I introduced some humanistic games, talked about Johari window to make participants clear on what Humanistic education is.

About online course, this week we discussed on large classes and work on interactive power point. This week, it became a bit confused for me about interactive Power Point. To make me clear, Krishna helped me a lot. Thanks to him. Next, I got a lot of exposure on large classes; its challenges, problems, and solutions. It is true that large classes are challenge in itself. It is very difficult to mark homework, to build rapport among students and teachers, all the students can’t participate in the classroom because of time boundary, it is very difficult for the teachers to control or manage the class, difficult to address the need of mix-ability students, difficult to hear the response of students, and the most important thing is to remember the students name. These types of problem emerge other problems such as it demotivates the backward students as teachers can see the thing of active learner as s/he becomes active and be in touch with teachers. Though teachers want to be dynamic in the classes s/he can’t do.  S/he can’t use different kinds of classroom strategies. For instance: pair work, group work, project work etc. but in reverse of this, one of my friend said that large class is not problem in itself but the perception and attitude of teacher is problem. They see only the problems inside the classroom because of large class but they don’t try to find out the solution. I think her perception is somehow right in a sense; if teachers see only the problems who is there to search for its solution?

In my view, pair correction is one of the solutions for correcting homework in the large classes. Likewise, monitoring by active students can work somehow. To assess students, certain criteria can be set up like rubric where they can judge themselves and see for the next improvement. After all, students are very good to identify their own mistakes. Bringing authentic materials in front of the class can be one solution of the large class. It encourages students to be active and most prominent things are to share with colleagues and ask what they do. Try to apply the friends’ strategies in your classroom as well.

Thank you.