Week 8

10/8 Week and counting

I love social networks, even when most of the information you gather in them  is published according to the user point of view, there are some institutions and companies that had understood that social networks is the fastest ways to connect directly with people. I follow USA Embassy in Panama on Twitter. On Friday, July 19, 2013 they posted about E Teachers On Line program scholarship offer.

Eight weeks ago I wasn't sure about being able to pass this course, as I read the content, the activities and all the assignments seemed to me that time I had to study wasn't enough to do everything. It had been  stressing to cope with work and  study, but I don't regret any minute I had been siting in front of  my computer reading and learning how technology can work to my students and teachers side.

My  tutor had been leading us to be teachers and professor with so may sources to be outstanding guides to our students. In my case, as a team leader I feel able to be a multiplier agent so my institution is also blessed with this course.  

Week 8 is about to end and I still have to make myself through many activities I haven't finished yet, time is not on my side and so many events had collide in the same point and place and I had been  positioned to have no choice than giving work all my time. It makes me feel ashamed because I would like to finish my course in the honor roll; so I wish I would be an octopus to put four arms to work for my institution and the rest to work in my course. To this point, I feel sad, stressed and tired. I had been to other classmate blogs and looks like they drop the course out in previous weeks. They may had had bigger problems than mine; that took me back to my first week quote: crying for having no shoes and there are people who have no feet.

So here I am, trying to unthread the check list and push myself up to catch up. We still have two weeks to come. This may be a learner autonomy momentous, then it is my choice to plan my goal, concentrate, focus and learn.

This is the moment to put on a paper how would I, as a teacher, help my students to overcome a problem using technology; my first draft was about lack of motivation. Now I think that many of our students may have felt in the same position I feel now, so I am trying to find a technology related solution to this case so I can apply it to my class.

 

A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success.

Elbert Hubbard

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/persistence.html#okAUxfb1doxIPfc0.99

A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success.

Elbert Hubbard

 

 

A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success.

Elbert Hubbard

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/persistence.html#okAUxfb1doxIPfc0.99

A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success.

Elbert Hubbard

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/persistence.html#okAUxfb1doxIPfc0.99

 

WEEK 7 

This week trending is Learner Autonomy and One computer classroom.   Discussions split and I choose to read about Learner autonomy.

Learner autonomy has become the word in EFL. Claiming and promoting some kind of learner independence; some editorials have positioned their textbooks in a high rank.
There is a lot that a teachers have to do even though the term; as learner autonomy doesn't mean that that the pupil wont need responsible teaching.

The term was coined in 1981 by Henry Holec, considered the "father" of learner autonomy. Many writers have given different definitions according to the context of the discussion. One of the spots I focused in Holec definition is if autonym is a  personal human trait or not.

The methodology developed with learner autonomy is based on the initiative of the subject who is formed, so that it can achieve the objectives of the program following the instructions of the given material. The facilitator acts as guardian and must be present but not as an information source, but as a counselor. The training materials developed by the tutor must be shared and the pupil has to be self-sufficient. The individual who makes self-training has differential personal characteristics on multiple variables: attitudes, knowledge, interests, socio-familiar, learning habits, which require a flexible, adaptable approach to such diversity. Learner autonomy provides precisely the possibility of individual adjustment, not being subjected to spatiotemporal parameters unique for everyone.






 

Week 6

 

 

 

Week 6 was very challenging, I was assigned to go to the country side to organize and coordinate the opening of a new branch: Inadeh Soná, at Veraguas province.

 

None of the things I planned came to reality, On Monday night, the power company informed us that they could not connect the electricity, so we had to buy an emergency electric plant. No electricity, no internet connection. Four days to the opening and the president of Panama was the main guest.

 

I won't talk about the stress, the fatigue, the heat, the mosquitos... I am now very proud of my co workers; we worked very hard to organize everything and fortunately we welcomed the President in a brand new facility ready to welcome the students and start courses.

 

Now, back to the city, I have a lot to do to keep up with: desk work, my course and my family. nevertheless there is no place like home.

 

WEEK 5

 I would have been asked out I would have literally to answer: I am "in the middle of something". This is the middle of the course, I am still in the middle of the readings and in the middle of some insecurities. In the first week, when I went over the material, I felt like running for my life. I had the feeling that the job I do is wide different from the environment the course is based on; yet I felt challenged to go through and gain knowledge even if I couldn't use it in my current job.

I have learned a lot reading my classmate experiences, every post tells a story about different places in different parts of the globe but they all collide in the same point: they all share the same interest which is to master the techniques to teach. Technology is on our side so we are all thirsty of knowledge on how to out to work in our benefit even when in some places, many of us have little resources.

Rubrics! It is our topic this week. Rubrics are like a contract between teacher and students that set up: what the teacher expects what and how the student has to do. "Heidi Andrade’s commonly accepted definition is a document that articulates the expectations for an assignment by listing the criteria, or what counts, and describing levels of quality from excellent to poor."
(http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php?screen=WhatIs)
 

I checked on my grades and I was surprised because I am missing a grade.   I felt confused and somehow disappointed. My first reaction was to send Sean, my tutor, an email asking why I was missing 5 points. I recalled that I was late to my middle of third week post. My mistake, so I just accepted not getting points for not completing my task on time. This week, while stating what is rubric, I went back to my grades and to this course rubrics; to find out what happened. I have clear now, how is the blog task evaluated but still confused about how many posts we should have. The point is that  Rubrics guide the students on how to perform assignments and even if they get lost in the activity, Rubrics is always a reference to find hints.
 

PBL (Project Based Learning) is currently discussed in my office and in the class, each place has two opposite extremes; on one side Projects are to be removed of our assesment list and on the other side we are learning how to put it to work on student side to gain knowledge. Confusing? 

"Teachers who love teaching, teach students to love learning."