23rd April 2016
The world is celebrating William Shakespeare. On most social networks and online we have plenty of links.
Tweet riguardo #shakespearesbirthday
Here is my collection of web links and interesting materials I have found which I can use for learning and teaching William Shakespeare. Thanks to the internet the world is not only connected but we are also sharing materials.
FROM THE NEWS TODAY ....................
sabato 23 aprile 2016
venerdì 22 aprile 2016
Teaching the 4 C's and Education in the XXI century
Education in the XXI CENTURY
The 4 Cs for Education : Communication, Collaboration, Creativity and Critical Thinking.
I learnt about 21st Century Skills when I did one of my first MOOCs and then I took it a second time in 2015 - just check what I wrote about them in my website about this experience online which was really challenging https://sites.google.com/site/thenewworldoflearning/home/presentation/moocs-and-on-line-learning-1
It was then that I became aware of the new skills which we need to develop.
Here is a video which can summarize what we mean when we talk about education and the 4 C's:
I did the Mooc about COACHING DIGITAL LEARNING some months ago and I am pleased to write about what we learnt and shared with other teachers about the importance of the 4 Cs:
the MOOC-ed course was run by Friday Institue- an important American Institution that provides MOOCs for educators and which I have appreciated - more information can be found on line:
https://place.fi.ncsu.edu/
Details about the course are online :
https://place.fi.ncsu.edu/local/catalog/course.php?id=5&ref=1
COURSE CONTENT ( 6 units)
The ideas expressed by the experts make me think that we do need to work on the skills students will need in a new " world and reality "- which is being reshaped and asking us to work, live and study in a " digitalized", " connected" and web-based society.
I am not a coach but my interests in IT and Web 2.0 tools have led me into the world of technology and how new tools can really support our teaching and help our students.
What I liked in the MOOC were the ideas shared and the approach to coaching and teaching new skills.
This is my first video created with PowToon imaging myself as a coach who needs to work with the teachers in the school and support them and their work and wants to promote the 4 Cs.
The tutors provided us with a list of websites and articles online dealing with the issue of technology and teaching and the way coaches can work in a school.
Personally I wish I could become a coach but I need more training. In the school where I am working now we do not have technology so I am learning and I hope that in the next years I will be able to share my ideas about a new way of working where more students and teachers are engaged and maybe we have more successful students. I am starting now to learn and I will work on my skills as an educator who loves working and wants to develop as a keen learner .
The four Cs are high objectives in terms of performance but if we can work step by step we can enhance our way of working in class and outside class and help our students to develop new skills.
I liked the article suggested online dealing with the idea of working with adults and professional development:
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/10-tips-delivering-awesome-professional-development-elena-aguilar
High quality professional development ( PD) can be successful if we plan and create carefully, facilitate learning, build on existing expertise, ask for feedback and celebrate. A coach needs to establish goals and good relationships with the teachers who are often afraid of modern technology.
Tweet riguardo
#cdl_mooced
Resources
http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/A-Guide-to-Four-Cs.pdf ( the document can be downloaded)
The 4 Cs for Education : Communication, Collaboration, Creativity and Critical Thinking.
I learnt about 21st Century Skills when I did one of my first MOOCs and then I took it a second time in 2015 - just check what I wrote about them in my website about this experience online which was really challenging https://sites.google.com/site/thenewworldoflearning/home/presentation/moocs-and-on-line-learning-1
It was then that I became aware of the new skills which we need to develop.
Here is a video which can summarize what we mean when we talk about education and the 4 C's:
I did the Mooc about COACHING DIGITAL LEARNING some months ago and I am pleased to write about what we learnt and shared with other teachers about the importance of the 4 Cs:
the MOOC-ed course was run by Friday Institue- an important American Institution that provides MOOCs for educators and which I have appreciated - more information can be found on line:
https://place.fi.ncsu.edu/
Details about the course are online :
https://place.fi.ncsu.edu/local/catalog/course.php?id=5&ref=1
COURSE CONTENT ( 6 units)
Unit 1: Instructional Technology Coaching | Stewarding the Future of Digital Learning and Teaching
The essential questions for this unit are:- What is your vision for instructional technology coaching?
- How will you guide educators toward building a digital learning culture in your school, district, or state?
- What essential dispositions and skills are necessary to be a instructional technology coach?
Unit 2: A 4Cs Perspective on Personal Learning Networks
The essential questions for this unit are:- What are the digital age skills and how do they enhance digital learning and teaching.
- What does your current personal learning network look like and how can you expand it?
- How do you, as an instructional technology coach facilitate continued learning for those you support?
Unit 3: Exploring Frameworks: Guiding Educators to Enhance and Transform Digital Learning and Teaching
The essential questions for this unit are:- How can TPACK and SAMR guide educators to the best intersection of curricular standards, sound pedagogy choices, and digital tool selections to directly enhance and support student learning?
- What should you look for when planning or observing technology-infused learning activities?
Unit 4: Coaching Digital Learning Assessments
The essential questions for this unit are:- How do you know the teachers you support understand how to design and support technology-rich learning environments?
- What digital assessment tools and data do you use/ are you considering using to inform your practice and why?
- What strategies, frameworks, or rubrics will you use as guidance in selecting digital tools/resources to use in your work?
- What insights have you gained upon completing the Transformational Coaching Rubric?
Unit 5: Digital Citizenship | Cultivating a Safe and Responsible Digital Culture
The essential questions for this unit are:- In your role of supporting and guiding educators, how do you share lessons, develop strategies, and more importantly, model best practices to create responsible and skilled digital citizens?
- How can you create a safe and responsible digital culture in your school, district or state?
Unit 6: Accelerating Innovation Studio
This unit presents you with a high-impact opportunity to develop your course of action developed out of the previous units. Participants will construct a manifesto comprising of their:- Mission as an instructional coach
- Vision for digital learning and teaching
- Goal for their instruction and practice
- Plan to share learning with others
The ideas expressed by the experts make me think that we do need to work on the skills students will need in a new " world and reality "- which is being reshaped and asking us to work, live and study in a " digitalized", " connected" and web-based society.
I am not a coach but my interests in IT and Web 2.0 tools have led me into the world of technology and how new tools can really support our teaching and help our students.
What I liked in the MOOC were the ideas shared and the approach to coaching and teaching new skills.
This is my first video created with PowToon imaging myself as a coach who needs to work with the teachers in the school and support them and their work and wants to promote the 4 Cs.
The tutors provided us with a list of websites and articles online dealing with the issue of technology and teaching and the way coaches can work in a school.
Personally I wish I could become a coach but I need more training. In the school where I am working now we do not have technology so I am learning and I hope that in the next years I will be able to share my ideas about a new way of working where more students and teachers are engaged and maybe we have more successful students. I am starting now to learn and I will work on my skills as an educator who loves working and wants to develop as a keen learner .
The four Cs are high objectives in terms of performance but if we can work step by step we can enhance our way of working in class and outside class and help our students to develop new skills.
I liked the article suggested online dealing with the idea of working with adults and professional development:
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/10-tips-delivering-awesome-professional-development-elena-aguilar
High quality professional development ( PD) can be successful if we plan and create carefully, facilitate learning, build on existing expertise, ask for feedback and celebrate. A coach needs to establish goals and good relationships with the teachers who are often afraid of modern technology.
Tweet riguardo
#cdl_mooced
Resources
http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/A-Guide-to-Four-Cs.pdf ( the document can be downloaded)
martedì 19 aprile 2016
IATEFL BIRMINGHAM 2016
ALAN MALEY " Ten great educators and their legacy"
Day 2- 14th April 2016
Children come first for great educators........
Reflecting on the ideas we can share with educators from the past.
I was favourably impressed by the great presentation by Alan Maley. It is a must " read and see" for every educator as the focus of his presentation was on the many voices of educators who have changed education. We have had " mothers and fathers " who shaped new ways into teaching and learning and just from the names he has mentioned we have the best of the thinkers who have tried to change the old school systems that have roots in the XIX century.
As I am Italian I liked the way Maley remembered the great ideas by Maria Montessori , but also the man John Dewey who criticized the way schools taught children in the past.
Today we have Ken Robinson who has talked about new ideas about teaching :" Education should foster curiosity through creative teaching". I am always interested in learning about new ways of teaching and learning so I can understand why these ideas are still " part" of any innovator in education.
There should be a shift from the teacher to the world of the child and the learner and creativity should not be killed.
I feel that the great videos Maley has suggested watching should be shared here : sometimes I feel that I need to find new ideas in the world of the innovators of today's changing school system, but we owe much to the past and the ideas which were developed by people who are inspiring us.
Children come first for great educators........
Reflecting on the ideas we can share with educators from the past.
I was favourably impressed by the great presentation by Alan Maley. It is a must " read and see" for every educator as the focus of his presentation was on the many voices of educators who have changed education. We have had " mothers and fathers " who shaped new ways into teaching and learning and just from the names he has mentioned we have the best of the thinkers who have tried to change the old school systems that have roots in the XIX century.
As I am Italian I liked the way Maley remembered the great ideas by Maria Montessori , but also the man John Dewey who criticized the way schools taught children in the past.
Today we have Ken Robinson who has talked about new ideas about teaching :" Education should foster curiosity through creative teaching". I am always interested in learning about new ways of teaching and learning so I can understand why these ideas are still " part" of any innovator in education.
There should be a shift from the teacher to the world of the child and the learner and creativity should not be killed.
I feel that the great videos Maley has suggested watching should be shared here : sometimes I feel that I need to find new ideas in the world of the innovators of today's changing school system, but we owe much to the past and the ideas which were developed by people who are inspiring us.
A great lesson comes from the XX century and the many educators who tried to meet the children's and students' needs.
Thanks for reminding us that we are not alone in this mission of educating more people and need to " support" everybody and help them develop their " best" qualities.
sabato 16 aprile 2016
IATEFL BIRMINGHAM INTERVIEW WITH ALAN MALAY
INTERVIEW WITH ALAN MALAY
I came across the C Group last year and the issue of creativiy has always fascinated me. In the short interview which Malay gave at IATEFL he underlined the importance of sharing ideas and how teachers should be more connected. The group is also on TWITTER and teachers can learn about the interesting activities which are promoted. As a teacher of English I am particularly interested in Creativity as learning and using English in creative texts can be one of the greatest experiences we can have.
More ideas can be found in the book which can be downloadedf from the website by the British Council :
http://englishagenda.britishcouncil.org/books-resource-packs/creativity-english-language-classroom
Tweet di @TheC_Group
IATEFL BIRMINGHAM - DAY 2
DAY 2- 14th April 2016
FORUM ON MOOCS
The main focus was on the following topics:
- Building the massive online community
- Peer assessment as reflective learning in language MOOCs
- Why MOOC? Teacher development through global social interaction
An interesting session took place on the second day. It was about MOOCs.
Presenters Claire Ross and Chris Cavey discussed the main ideas about the courses run by British Council on the platform Futurelearn. It is an experience which I have become familiar with as I am a fan of MOOCs. I must confess that I did most of them as I wanted to check the quality of the MOOCS which were organized by the British Council. My choice was also based on the idea that something which is free might not be good quality. But I realized that British Council was using the platform to promote and support learners and teachers of English by providing links, interesting activities and videos.
Courses are for learners of English and also for teachers who want to work on their self-development. My CPD online was a great MOOC and I liked to work online as I could discuss and learn about better teaching practices. Some Moocs can help us and provide good learning opportunities.
The focus by the speakers was on the ideas of interaction which can be improved while working online and sharing ideas in a MOOC. As learners need to improve their language skills the Moocs can really help them and their language improvement. They used modern tools and social media too.
Peer interaction is also important as many activities are based on peers' evaluations . In the Moocs described teachers used tools like Padlet , they also used FACEBOOK and TWITTER for sharing ideas and made the activities online available to different learners who could work from home and check the ideas online so later. This is probably the reason why people love Moocs. You can work seven days a week but you choose when you want to work.
An interesting experience online was with BLAB - https://blab.im/. A lot of activities were guided and required interactions. In particular the sessions for teachers were considered to be an online experience where people shared pictures, they provided feedback and links to materials where they could learn from the others.
I could not but agree with what the presenters said about these courses: I continue checking some sources online and they have helped me a lot.
Reflecting on Peer's Assessment - the views by Sha Luo (Shenzhen University, China)
This session was focussed on the ideas of reflecting and sharing learning. An interesting point but also a point some learners might not agree on as learners belong to different cultures and have different language backgrounds. But we have learnt a lot as learning can happen in different ways and with Moocs we are still learning. Peers are now part of the group of evaluators.My first Mooc was a great surprise as I was used to teachers who had to provide feedback. Some ideas to follow also in our daily practice. No everybody will agree with me. But we are changing our way of working.
mercoledì 13 aprile 2016
IATEFL BIRMIGHAM 2016 REFLECTING ONLINE
DAY 1- 13th April
I am a virtual learner and I could follow some sessions of the fabulous " Birmingham Online IATEFL 2016" only late this week.
But I wanted to see what was going on as " English language teaching " is undergoing great changes and our way of working
is still relying on the teachers' efforts and the use of new technologies.
On the first day I chose to check " SHAKESPEARE LIVES" which is an international event that is followed by tutors, educators and also students.
British Council Signature Event - Shakespeare lives: love, hate, death and desire in English language classrooms -
See more at: https://iatefl.britishcouncil.org/2016/session/british-council-signature-event-shakespeare-lives-love-hate-death-and-desire-english#sthash.M2gXlENF.dpuf
This year marks an important anniversary for everybody who loves Shakespeare:
Enhancing speaking and writing outcomes using Google Apps -
Speaker : John Dale
This is a session every teacher should watch: thanks to Google apps we can work online and share materials.
The presenter made a practical presentation where he shared some ideas and interesting points about the use of technology in education and in ELT.
Some tools which can help us work in class or while working online:
http://talkandcomment.com/ An interesting app for giving audio feedback:you just need to have chrome installed.
An extension splitting the window in two parts ( Tab scissors)
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/tab-scissors/cdochbecpfdpjobpgnacnbepkgcfhoek
An extension which glues Windows together:
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/tab-glue/mfedioikeigljhjfpghdejnogniddhna
Padlet
This tool can be used to create an audio bank of listening comprehensions .
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1RNY3tDZTjOmNMCJfyVeNZ6OKnGQPQwMrQV4mFHPwQpY/edit?usp=sharing
******************************************************************************
Link to the presentation about CPD and quality in ELT
https://docs.google.com/viewerng/viewer?url=https://iatefl.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/Addressing_quality_assurance_and_professional_development_for_online_teachers-Kirsteen_Donaghy.pptx
I am a virtual learner and I could follow some sessions of the fabulous " Birmingham Online IATEFL 2016" only late this week.
But I wanted to see what was going on as " English language teaching " is undergoing great changes and our way of working
is still relying on the teachers' efforts and the use of new technologies.
On the first day I chose to check " SHAKESPEARE LIVES" which is an international event that is followed by tutors, educators and also students.
British Council Signature Event - Shakespeare lives: love, hate, death and desire in English language classrooms -
See more at: https://iatefl.britishcouncil.org/2016/session/british-council-signature-event-shakespeare-lives-love-hate-death-and-desire-english#sthash.M2gXlENF.dpuf
This year marks an important anniversary for everybody who loves Shakespeare:
Enhancing speaking and writing outcomes using Google Apps -
Speaker : John Dale
This is a session every teacher should watch: thanks to Google apps we can work online and share materials.
The presenter made a practical presentation where he shared some ideas and interesting points about the use of technology in education and in ELT.
Some tools which can help us work in class or while working online:
http://talkandcomment.com/ An interesting app for giving audio feedback:you just need to have chrome installed.
An extension splitting the window in two parts ( Tab scissors)
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/tab-scissors/cdochbecpfdpjobpgnacnbepkgcfhoek
An extension which glues Windows together:
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/tab-glue/mfedioikeigljhjfpghdejnogniddhna
Padlet
This tool can be used to create an audio bank of listening comprehensions .
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1RNY3tDZTjOmNMCJfyVeNZ6OKnGQPQwMrQV4mFHPwQpY/edit?usp=sharing
******************************************************************************
Link to the presentation about CPD and quality in ELT
https://docs.google.com/viewerng/viewer?url=https://iatefl.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/Addressing_quality_assurance_and_professional_development_for_online_teachers-Kirsteen_Donaghy.pptx
domenica 3 aprile 2016
Think Aloud and Reading
An Italian MOOC
"Stop and think. Modeling the process of Online Reading Comprehension Using Think Aloud "
The course which I attended online was run by the University of Florence ( ITALY) THINK ALOUD I DO PRESENTATIONSUPPMOODLE.MED -http://suppmoodle.med.unifi.it/login/index.php- under the tutorship of STEFANIA CARIOLI https://unifi.academia.edu/stefaniacarioli https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefania-carioli-985b4349 who is working at the Department "DIPARTIMENTO DI SCIENZE DELL’EDUCAZIONE E DEI PROCESSI CULTURALI E FORMATIVI" there.
I was given the link to the MOOC by chance as the school where I am currently teaching sent me an email about this course. I had not heard much about THINK ALOUD so I found that it might be interesting for me to learn more about it as the topic of the course was Online Reading Comprehension.
More and more technology is changing our way of working and learning and I thought that I should widen my horizon and get to know more about the methodologies can help our learners to cope with reading difficulties. Reading goes beyond silent reading: reading aloud, thinking aloud and asking questions are now great strategies to understand a text while reading. This is particularly true when we read online and study and search online.
As a teacher of English and German I am always struggling when I need to teach the reading skills in the foreign languages I teach: poor literacy skills and the lack of interest in what we are doing can have a negative impact on our learners, especially when you work in difficult and marginalized areas in your town or city. Reading skills require special techniques and THINK ALOUD is a great approach as our learners become involved in the process of reading and which is based on different levels of reading . The role of the teacher is vital as teachers provide help and support .
The model we were provided and which we learnt about was based on these principles:
Modeling
Guided Practice
Reflecting
Reading will be focussed on the structure of the text ( a poem, an article or an extract taken from a novel, an article on the internet after you have googled the topic you are interested in), the vocabulary and the writer's attitude in the text. What kind of text is it?
The role of the teacher is crucial as he/she will present the main approach to reading and how to grasp the techniques in reading a text or comparing texts. These techniques are required in the process of reading online texts and in selecting texts from the internet for studying .
I was guided in learning about HOW TO WORK with THINK ALOUD but I also searched online and discovered that teachers have been sharing a lot of experiences dealing with reading and reading strategies.
MODELING WAYS - THINK ALOUD ( Video from Youtube)
Resources online and interesting videos for educators
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/evaluating-quality-of-online-info-julie-coiro
http://www.digitalpromise.org/page/-/dpdocuments/microcredentials/mc_evaluatingonlineinfo.pdf?nocdn=1 ( Evaluating online information)
http://www.readwritethink.org/professional-development/strategy-guides/teacher-read-aloud-that-
30799.html
https://www.teachervision.com/read-aloud/video/74734.html
THINK ALOUD ONLINE ( video on the Youtube)
INTERACTIVE READ ALOUD ( Video on the Youtube)
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/theories-of-character
Bringing Close Reading and Text-Based Questions into an Interactive Read Aloud of Bugs! Bugs! Bugs! (K-2) from TC Reading and Writing Project on Vimeo.
THINK ALOUD COMPREHENSION STRATEGY
THINK ALOUD - I DO DEMONSTRATE
VISUALIZE A TEXT WHILE READING
My ideas about reading and thinking aloud
I was asked to develop an activity where students would have to use THINK ALOUD strategies. I had to develop this activity in the fourth week of the course and my idea was to focus on the theme of war by using some texts online : a poem by Ruper Brooke and poem by Vera Brittain and an extract from her autobiography.
I decided to create an online presentation which I am sharing with you.
My approach was based on a close reading of the texts in English by guiding the students about how to work online and also by using
an online tool www.lingro.com for checking meanings and words online while reading.
LINGRO USED IN LANGUAGE LEARNING ( video from youtube)
After reading the texts I would have the students write about what they have learnt and ,in particular, they should compare the two different attitudes towards war. While Rupert Brooke thought that he should be a soldier and also die for his country, the woman's attitude is different as she has seen most of her beloved have died.
This is the text by R.Brooke: I have also used the video with the reading aloud of an English actress as reading aloud means listening to words and trying to understand and guessing.
Here is my presentation used by using GOOGLE SLIDES for the activity in unit 4 of the MOOC:
Here is my video presentation for week4:
venerdì 1 aprile 2016
IATEFL BIRMINGHAM 2016
http://iatefl.britishcouncil.org/2016
I am pleased to be part of the Birmingham Online IATEFL 2016 also this year. I have just been registered as a Blogger and I will try to follow some sessions. I will be a virtual learner and I hope I will be engaged in the many activities that will be presented.
40 conference sessions and great speakers are sharing their ideas about English learning and will provide us with tips, suggesting new approaches or reflecting with us.
I will write about some events and what teachers need to know about English. On 13th April we will have the great speaker of the Conference David Crystal and then we will have other speakers and teachers who will inform us and make us reflect on the great world of English.
Looking forward to the Opening Cerimony and the events online!
PROGRAMME
Tweet riguardo #iatefl
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