Integrating the Web

Integrating the web is something new I've learnt. By doing this effectively, we can make our lessons appealing and meaningful for our learners. Appealing in the sense that they will be studying a topic using technology, which has become part of their every day lives; meaningful as they will have access to "live" information. 

We simply need to revisit the syllabus and decide, based on our students' needs, which websites can help meet our objectives.

Integrating the web to our lessons is crucial if we want our 21st century language learners to be motivated as they learn, and to become part of their learning processs.

Learning by sharing makes all the difference!

Websites

Eavluating and Selecting Websites

     I have just begun this unit in my course, and I'm finding it quite interesting since I was forced to pay attention to things I had never looked at, whether a site belongs to a company or organization, whether the material is copyright or not. There's so much out there we don't know.

     I would never have explored sites in such detail to choose the best one to meet my objectives. From now on, I'll try to do so as I can see there are many aspects that should not be neglected.

Reflections Units 1-2

• Why should I be using technology in the first place?
• What can I do in my own teaching situation?
• What do my students already use technology for?
• How can I meet my students' needs?

 Interesting questions to answer, indeed!

     Luckily, I've already started using Learning Technologies, and let me tell you it makes a huge difference as students' motivation levels are high, and learning becomes alive thus making it more meaningful to them.

     My kids use technology mainly to have fun, surf the net, social networks, etc. I must find the way to encourage them to use technology for academic purposes as well, and not so much for entertainment. With some of them, I'm succeeding, with some others, I have work to do.

     No doubts my students need input to come in several ways, learning has to become alive and be meaningful, and once they are given the right tools, they become active participants of their learning process and this is the way in which they learn best. Not just being passive recipients of knwoledge, but being fully involved.

Learning Technologies

I started a blended course on Integrating Learning Technologies launched by the British Council.
To start with, I learnt that we should call Learning Technologies rather than ICT to refer to those technologies that can be used in the classroom.
I must admit that I'm really lucky to be working at a school that has a wide variety of learning technologies and offers the training we need to use them in a wise way. However, in most school, implementing learning technologies is a huge challenge that we all face. What with teachers' reluctance to change, what with the acceptance of today's reality, a change of paradigm in education.
My first reflections begin with my awareness of the reality I live, being an active participant of this radical change in education, 
re thinking it. 
Let's go for it!