No more a belieber but a flipper!

       Last week, I was enthusiastic about Schoology.  Starting this week, I will strive to be a flipper.  I think these are some of the criteria for a flipper

  1. Be thoughtful about how you use it (http://www.connectedprincipals.com/archives/3367)

It is said in the website above that flipped classroom is not the only approach to the teaching and learning process.  Thus, put aside some time to ponder on how to use this approach to the maximum, the suitable resources needed by both the learners and yourself and of course, the learning outcomes.  At the moment, I feel that this approach is very suitable for the teaching of English Literature Component where summary of the poem/short story/chapters from novel are uploaded in Schoology platform.  Then, prescribe 1-2 questions that go along with the uploaded materials.  I just need to find out how to upload materials like text and visuals to Schoology

2. Turn your classroom into a language laboratory

I feel that flipped classroom enables the process of using the language among students come alive.  Teachers are actually using the language as they interact with students in completing their task – individual or group tasks.  From experience, every time I set up a language task for a class, I wish I have lots of time to sit with each group or student and listen to them explaining and I would love to provoke them with questions that will make them think and talk.  But, usually time is spent more on the process and procedure of doing the task so it ends up as teacher talk not students’ talk.  Flipped classroom allows students’ talk to be the core of the lesson.

3. Learn the technology

  One must be ready to learn the technology skills involved in preparing materials for one’s flipped classroom.  Movie Maker is one tool to be learned and it takes practice and patience to get the video ready.  This is the perfect place to practice one’s Movie Maker skill.  For some, uploading is a scary process but just upload!  I guess as we grow older, trying out something new is a skill that we need upgrade.  Basic technological stuff like Power Point and Word is a good start, right?

A Very Late Entry On Teaching and Learning With Internet: Pedagogical Strategies, Activities and Web Resources 2.0

 

    My apology for the very late entry.  I was in school for few days to settle English Department matters so I kept postponing the blog entry.

     My favourite item from that 19 November presentation is Schoology.  According to Wikipedia, it is a “social networking service and virtual learning environment” for both school and higher education institutions.  Schoology “allows users to create, manage and share academic content.  Unlike Facebook whose keyword is social, schoology’s keyword is academic content.  Thus, there is minimal distraction in Schoology.  Schoology is also known as “ a learning management system (LMS) or course management (CMS).  It is also described as a cloud-based platform that “provides tools needed to manage an online classroom.'”

    Honesty, I’m looking forward to use this Schoology with my Form 5 classes next year and also a part of my research paper.  But, after a recent conversation with a friend about using such tool, there is this issue of some stakeholders (parents, school administrator and teachers themselves) who are still skeptical with the use of such tool as a teaching tool.  It is deemed distracting and has the ability to influence students with negative elements.

http://coe.winthrop.edu/jonesmg/LTI/2010Fwhitepapers/Nicole_Gaillard.pdf

explains that Schoology helps to “extend the students’ learning beyond the classroom" so that students are constantly learning during and after school.  Of course it promotes independent learning in a controlled and technological means.  I find that Schoology ‘speaks the language of students’ as it practises the same principle of Facebook. 

Other than that, Schoology helps “to foster the acquisition of skills essential to being successful in the 21st century such as communication, collaboration, online safety, and technological skills (Deubel, 2009). Social learning connects what students are doing in their home lives and what they are doing in school to make their education more meaningful and purposeful to them.”  For me, constructivism comes alive here in Schoology.

    I wish those skeptical parties will want to open their eyes to the unlimited benefits of this tool but parents simply cannot let their children run wild free in the technological world; run together with them.  Just like the horses.

designing a web-based learning?

   Designing a web-based learning is a challenge that any teacher must face if he is a dynamic teacher.  Being dynamic here means he embraces the changes that strikes the education world and web-based learning is one of the changes.

   The reading of the articles have opened my eyes to the principles involved in designing any we-based learning platform.  Usually it is easier to design according to one’s whim and fancy but the fear of whether it works or not will remain when one displays it to the learners.

Thus, conquer the fear by studying the principles of designing a web-based learning and surely, the fear whether it works or not will be minimised.  I admit that the principles are a lot to digest but with practice, the principles will be part of the click of the mouse….I hope and pray.

My question?  Time factor…working together with others or a solo mission…the maintenance aspect…these three factors can affect one’s attempt to be a dynamic teacher in his teaching journey.  As we discussed on these issues that day, there was no answers to the issues.  I conclude that it is something an educator has to go through…sink or swim….

From the heart…

 

     Most of us teachers teach from the heart.  I know I do.  I look at them and I analyze them to figure out what works, what does not work.  It’s all about instinct, experience, gut feeling and of course, asking the kids what do they want in their teaching and learning process.

    Thus, it was rather baffling to answer the question whether I have implemented PLE in my class.  Only after I heard the others’ examples then I realized that ‘Hey, I do implement PLE in class!’  It was not technologically-based but by giving the kids the freedom to act out any interesting scene in the assigned chapter from the novel Step By Wicked Step, I have empowered them to actively engage in the learning of the novel.  The learning environment for this activity is owned by both the kids and I.  I as the facilitator and the kids ask questions in regards of their acting scene to assist their understanding.

After reading Dorenda’s conclusion, ‘it is the learner’s autonomy to create his/her own learning ground’, there are few things for me to ponder on.  First, I have to read PLE again.  Secondly, I’m thinking about the use of blog by the kids for journal writing.  Thirdly, PLE produces independent learners with various skills like self-directed learning and problem-solving skills.  But, is PLE a common concept in Malaysian education?    

 

Corgito ergo sum…

 

    For this session on I learn, I question, the remark above comes to mind.  It means ‘I think therefore I am.  Why this remark?  In relation with tpack, we, the educators must constantly think and ponder of this concept as we plan our teaching and learning process.  It is inevitable, tpack and teaching-learning process…ebony and ivory..peas in the pod.  A simple writing lesson can have an integration of technology whereby Word is used by the teacher to demonstrate the development of a paragraph with students typing away, editing, undo, do, cut and paste the paragraph until the desired paragraph is achieved.  The writing process is smoother as students are more focused on developing a paragraph …rather than cancelling with correction fluid or tape at all time.  What about students listening to an mp3- text through the speaker and notebook of the teacher while filling in blanks in their task….the activities infused with technology are endless so knowing tpack is not just vital but it is a cardinal sin not to think about tpack…

    But as I look at the articles on tpack, I wonder…do I do tpack in class actually?  Do I really understand the concept and its application in the teaching and learning process?  I understand and accept the fusion among technology, pedagogy and content knowledge but, there are some uncertainties in me when discussing the concept of tpack.

Today I learn…Today I Question…

     On Saturday, it was a fun session sharing each other’s insights on the use of Internet tools – wikispace , google docs, FB were on top of our chatting list.  I am looking forward to see Sailor and Yee Hui’s talk on the experience using webnode and wikispace.  From their experience I learn that these tools are relevant to the present teaching and learning process using Internet.

       The next lesson I learn was history lesson presented in an attractive visual presentation.  If World and Malaysian history can be taught and presented in such manner, kids will not complain about History being dull.  It’s interesting to see the evolution of information technology that moves swiftly..too fast for some of us including me,  I am barely getting to know Web 2.0 and suddenly the younger sibling of Web 3.0 is ready to make her entrance.

    A couple of questions here.  Is one considered backdated if he still holds on to the technology of Web 1.0 and takes his own time to embrace Web 2.0? 

     In terms of teaching and learning process, does the teacher have the time to figure what works and what does not work when it comes to the use of technology?  It is as if time and technology are arch enemies!

 

Part 4 – In regards to technology, be comfortable failing in front of your students

 

 

   Failure is a learning process and in order to learn, look forward to the future and never turn back.  This is a quotation that is written on the diary that I used when I was 12 years old.  It is my mantra as I go through life.

       You had planned a wonderful lesson package where it involved showing a certain Youtube video to the kids.  Lugging the monster-weight LCD was a breeze, setting the tangling wires was a ‘kacang putih’ effort but…the visual was too dark for the students to see.  Scratching the head, looking and thinking, times moved on and the noise grew.  ‘Can anybody figure out what’s going on with this dark visual?’ I asked.  Within mlliseconds, my young Padawanians jumped to action and  press the buttons on the keyboard…..I was saved by my students.  The moral of the story is be comfortable to seek help from these kids as they will love to help you.  You are not a failure to them but a learner in the process.  Just like the kids….