This is the website that I made for my class.
Here is the link to my website.
11/8/13
Video Lesson
Here is my video lesson material.
I chose to do a lesson on choosing a topic, taking a for or against position, and then making a video that supports their position.
The lesson material
The video rubric
The sample video
I chose to do a lesson on choosing a topic, taking a for or against position, and then making a video that supports their position.
The lesson material
The video rubric
The sample video
Post 8 - Have I learned anything from this class?
I can honestly say that I learned so many useful things in this class that it is a real challenge to pin point just one thing in particular. From rubric templates to audio and video programs and websites, it's a bit of a blur. However, I will be using this class and the things that I have learned as a benchmark in the near future for things that I do in the classroom.
The screencasts will be making a regular appearance on my class websites or blogs, since I haven't decided yet which one I will be using next semester. One of the things that I will start using a lot more when I plan my classes and assignments is the rubric creator. I found that it really helps provide me with an objective view of how the student would interpret the assignment.
Another really helpful part of this class was the introduction to creative commons and copyright infringement. This issue in particular is something that I will take much more seriously and look forward to passing on this knowledge to my students. When I mentioned it in class last week many of my students were both surpsrised and embarrassed about their lack of knowledge in the area of copyrights.
Overall, this has been a great class and it's unfortunate that it has to end so quickly. I have learned a lot and look forward to making use of the things I have learned in the next semester and beyond.
The screencasts will be making a regular appearance on my class websites or blogs, since I haven't decided yet which one I will be using next semester. One of the things that I will start using a lot more when I plan my classes and assignments is the rubric creator. I found that it really helps provide me with an objective view of how the student would interpret the assignment.
Another really helpful part of this class was the introduction to creative commons and copyright infringement. This issue in particular is something that I will take much more seriously and look forward to passing on this knowledge to my students. When I mentioned it in class last week many of my students were both surpsrised and embarrassed about their lack of knowledge in the area of copyrights.
Overall, this has been a great class and it's unfortunate that it has to end so quickly. I have learned a lot and look forward to making use of the things I have learned in the next semester and beyond.
11/3/13
Audio Lesson - Let's make an audio commercial!
It's been a while since I have used Audacity software, but it eventually came back to me. I was trying to think of something to do for the audio lesson assignment and I was drawing a blank. On my drive home after class, with the music cranked and stuck in bumper to bumper traffic it suddenly came to me. A commercial for a fictional product!
This is what I came up with:
Lesson material:
Audio Rubric:
Sample commercial:
Enjoy and feel free to add your thoughts in the comment section.
This is what I came up with:
Lesson material:
Audio Rubric:
Sample commercial:
11/1/13
Post 7 - Screencast-O-Matic!
The most useful tool that I have learned about in this class is Screencast-O-Matic. I like it because it is easy to use and it will be great for teaching my students how to complete assignments and make use the material that I have provided for them.
Every semester, students flood my email inbox with "How do I do this..." questions, usually because they weren't paying attention in class or they were absent. So, I will provide some screencast videos to explain how to do things on my class blog.
I am also considering adding a screencast element to one of my classes, so that the students can make their own videos of how to do something. Screencasting is something that my students could benefit from by learning the skills necessary to show others how to complete a task.
This type of skill could be advantageous when searching for a job, since it could be used to help coworkers or customers. Employers are always on the lookout for potential employees with a wide variety of skills to help promote the company and connect with their customers and this would certainly qualify.
Every semester, students flood my email inbox with "How do I do this..." questions, usually because they weren't paying attention in class or they were absent. So, I will provide some screencast videos to explain how to do things on my class blog.
I am also considering adding a screencast element to one of my classes, so that the students can make their own videos of how to do something. Screencasting is something that my students could benefit from by learning the skills necessary to show others how to complete a task.
This type of skill could be advantageous when searching for a job, since it could be used to help coworkers or customers. Employers are always on the lookout for potential employees with a wide variety of skills to help promote the company and connect with their customers and this would certainly qualify.
Curricular Presentation
If you are interested in using my material, click on the following links below:
Worksheet
Rubric
Lesson Instructions
Enjoy! If you have any questions feel free to contact me or add a comment.
Worksheet
Rubric
Lesson Instructions
Enjoy! If you have any questions feel free to contact me or add a comment.
Post 6 - The Classroom is Obsolete!
The article that I chose was about the classroom being an out of date model that should be abolished and so on. By all means, read it and form your own opinion, but I completely disagree with the writer. I agree that given the technology available to us in this day and age that we could easily remove the brick and mortor school settings that we have become so accustomed to.
A friend of mine was going through a difficult time with his daughter, regarding attendance and general interest in learning. She just didn't want to go to school and felt that it was a waste of time. This went on for more than a year and she continued to fall behind in her classes and he(the father) kept getting called into the school to deal with her various behavior issues. In the end, after a lengthy amount of research, he found an alternative school that treats students like adults and gives them a lot of flexibilty with class selection and time constraints for assignment completions. The students can speed up or slow down their class schedule as they see fit, but they do have to physically go to the school to study where they can interact with students and teachers. As a result, she did a complete 360 and became interested in learning again and is back on track with a high average and is comtemplating what to take as a major in university.
I realize it is only one example, but the point I am trying to make is that the location is not the problem. The real problem is the curriculum and pace of the classes that should be redesigned not the physical classroom. It's important to remember that not every family has enough money to buy their child a computer or can afford an internet connection, so we should take a look at revising the way we teach rather than where we teach.
A friend of mine was going through a difficult time with his daughter, regarding attendance and general interest in learning. She just didn't want to go to school and felt that it was a waste of time. This went on for more than a year and she continued to fall behind in her classes and he(the father) kept getting called into the school to deal with her various behavior issues. In the end, after a lengthy amount of research, he found an alternative school that treats students like adults and gives them a lot of flexibilty with class selection and time constraints for assignment completions. The students can speed up or slow down their class schedule as they see fit, but they do have to physically go to the school to study where they can interact with students and teachers. As a result, she did a complete 360 and became interested in learning again and is back on track with a high average and is comtemplating what to take as a major in university.
I realize it is only one example, but the point I am trying to make is that the location is not the problem. The real problem is the curriculum and pace of the classes that should be redesigned not the physical classroom. It's important to remember that not every family has enough money to buy their child a computer or can afford an internet connection, so we should take a look at revising the way we teach rather than where we teach.
10/29/13
Online homework instructions - screencast video
Here is my screencast video explaining how to complete the online homework assignments for my students. Enjoy!
10/28/13
Post 5 - Building Good Search Skills: What Students Need to Know
The article that I read was written by Tasha Bergson-Michelson and the title is listed in the post title above. She brings up some good points about how a lot of teachers assign projects for students and assume that the students are fully versed in proper search techniques. More often than not, students head to the tried and true online search engine of their choice and do one search, click on the first link that pops up and that becomes their point of reference for their research project. Some students may scroll down further or make another attempt at searching for more specific information, but few are capable of doing a more in depth analysis such as using advanced search options.
I would have to agree that this is certainly a real issue that is worthy of attention. After doing a quick search I discovered a helpful site called studyvibe which is a great source for how to use web 2.0 tools to conduct research online. This is something that I am going to start introducing to my students to help them with their research products in my class as well as their other classes. The best part about this site is that it also talks about copyright and creative commons which I can use to make students aware of how to make use of pictures legally when they make presentations.
By the way, if you're like me and could use a refresher course in searchonomics check out this link.
I would have to agree that this is certainly a real issue that is worthy of attention. After doing a quick search I discovered a helpful site called studyvibe which is a great source for how to use web 2.0 tools to conduct research online. This is something that I am going to start introducing to my students to help them with their research products in my class as well as their other classes. The best part about this site is that it also talks about copyright and creative commons which I can use to make students aware of how to make use of pictures legally when they make presentations.
By the way, if you're like me and could use a refresher course in searchonomics check out this link.
10/25/13
Week 2 - Post b - "My Favorite Lesson resource"
My favorite lesson resource for adult classes is Breaking News English. It is a great source of lessons with a wide variety of topics for conversation and discussion classes. The lessons are available in different levels from "0" the lowest level to "7" the highest level of English ability. I am going to go through a typical lesson that I would go through using the following topic. The first thing that you will notice is that it consists of 26 pages of material including the answer key.
Since most of my lessons vary in length from 60-90 minutes it would be too much material to cover, so I only use some of the material. The first part of my lesson starts with the warm up and for this lesson I would start with number 3, the chart, to get the class talking in pairs or as a class discussion. If I had a small class of six I would assign one topic to each student and have them talk about some of the health benefits for each of the topics.I would allow about 10 minutes for discussion on this section before moving on to the 'Article'.
The articles are relatively short so I usually instruct the students to work in pairs and read a paragraph each out loud to maximixe their speaking opportunity. This usually takes about 5 minutes and I monitor the groups and listen for any pronuciation errors that I will write on the board, so we can review as a class.
The next step is the 'Before Reading / Listening'' section, which I go through one part at a time. I give the students a minute or two to complete the task and then we correct as a class. Each student will take turns reading an answer for each part. This part usually takes about 10-15 minutes to finish.
The last step is the 'Discussion' section which includes 20 discussion questions. Depending on the class size and the level of the students, I either set up the discussion as a class or have them work in pairs. This part usually takes about 20-30 minutes, which brings me to the end of my example lesson.
Feel free to make suggestions or add your favorite resource links in the comments section.
Since most of my lessons vary in length from 60-90 minutes it would be too much material to cover, so I only use some of the material. The first part of my lesson starts with the warm up and for this lesson I would start with number 3, the chart, to get the class talking in pairs or as a class discussion. If I had a small class of six I would assign one topic to each student and have them talk about some of the health benefits for each of the topics.I would allow about 10 minutes for discussion on this section before moving on to the 'Article'.
The articles are relatively short so I usually instruct the students to work in pairs and read a paragraph each out loud to maximixe their speaking opportunity. This usually takes about 5 minutes and I monitor the groups and listen for any pronuciation errors that I will write on the board, so we can review as a class.
The next step is the 'Before Reading / Listening'' section, which I go through one part at a time. I give the students a minute or two to complete the task and then we correct as a class. Each student will take turns reading an answer for each part. This part usually takes about 10-15 minutes to finish.
The last step is the 'Discussion' section which includes 20 discussion questions. Depending on the class size and the level of the students, I either set up the discussion as a class or have them work in pairs. This part usually takes about 20-30 minutes, which brings me to the end of my example lesson.
Feel free to make suggestions or add your favorite resource links in the comments section.
Week 2 - Post a - What steps can you take to sculpt your digital reputation into one that is more of your liking?
I think some of the most common ways to develop a digital reputation are through the usual social media methods of Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. After looking more closely at my own digital footprint made me realize that I have my work cut out for myself. So, to start with I will work on creating a LinkedIn profile and developing professional relationships within the LinkedIn ecosystem. There has been so much hype about getting on Facebook and I will eventually get more involved in that, but for now I will focus on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn has a more professional appearance and is directly connected to employers and like minded jobseekers. By maintaining an updated resume and staying connected with professionals in the same field it can result in potential job leads. There is also the opportunity to share information about training and seminars in any and all fields of interest to learn new skills. If anyone has any suggestions about using LinkedIn or any groups to join feel free to pass along your knowledge in the comments section.
LinkedIn has a more professional appearance and is directly connected to employers and like minded jobseekers. By maintaining an updated resume and staying connected with professionals in the same field it can result in potential job leads. There is also the opportunity to share information about training and seminars in any and all fields of interest to learn new skills. If anyone has any suggestions about using LinkedIn or any groups to join feel free to pass along your knowledge in the comments section.
10/18/13
Week 1 - Post b - October 18 - How can you become a more effective presenter?
Two of the most important things about becoming a more effective presenter is being prepared and learning from great presenters. One of my classes includes a group presentation and an individual presentation, as a midterm and a final exam respectively. I provide my students with the necessary material and instruction on how to prepare a presentation, but most importantly I emphasize the importance of preparation and performance. Each semester, the group presentations are interesting to watch as it quickly becomes apparent which students have put in the time and effort and which have not. The students that have prepared often put on a great show and try to emulate a famous presenter, such as Steve Jobs, and use a lot of gestures, as well as stress and intonation in their speech. However, the class also benefits as they are able to recognize the best individual presenters and learn from them. So, when it comes to the final individual presentations all of the students are better prepared and more effective presentors.
10/4/13
Week 1 - Post a - October 5
One of the ways that I would like to improve as a teacher is that I would like use technology to encourage student discussions in English outside of the classroom. One of the things that I have noticed about most students is that while they are in class they will talk to each other in English, but once the class is over they immediately switch to Korean. What I would like to do is to post a topic and have students post responses to create a discussion that I could moderate and monitor. One of the software options I am considering is voicethread. The program allows users to create, comment on, and share group discussions, which is exactly what I am looking for.
4/20/13
Midterm Class Schedules
Hi Everyone!
The midterm class schedules have been uploaded.
Click on the link on the right under class info and find the file with your class number.
Look for your name and your scheduled time for your speaking exam.
Good luck!
The midterm class schedules have been uploaded.
Click on the link on the right under class info and find the file with your class number.
Look for your name and your scheduled time for your speaking exam.
Good luck!
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