Webskills Online Course – Week 5

The passing Week 5 was very challenging for me. There were more readings to be read and a number of Websites to be surfed.

“Live and learn during your whole lifetime”,  this really refers to me. After having read the articles about rubrics, project-based learning (PBL) and WebQuests I am now facing with the dilemma – What have I been doing without all these learning opportunities for my 35 years-long teaching experience?

Of course, I am sure all these new kinds of learning opportunities offered by the Internet and it`s technologies encourage the Ss to become more autonomous language learners.

I have known a lot about the PBL, before I used to think that it is a busywork only. But it turns out to be a real-life meaningful process with elaborate sets of tasks and where the benefits of project work are maximized because students are actively engaged in information gathering, processing and reporting, and as a result, students experience increased motivation, autonomy, engagement, and a more positive attitude towards English.

As far as the word “rubric” is concerned, there is another translation in my Russian-English dictionary and it means ”heading, title, designation, category” or moreover “red” and there is a sentence “a rubric nose”. But then, after having tried the “RubiStar” http://rubistar.4teachers.org/ with a “step by step” assistance of Donna`s RubiStar Instructions, I have come to the conclusion that “Rubrics” means “Criterion of Estimation” into my Russian interpretation.

I have been trying many times to make my first Webquest. I liked Zunal.com and first of all I wanted to make my quest in Zunal, but after first trial it didn`t work for me. So, I had to make the quest here in Questgarden. I have “stolen” some parts of my quest from several other Webquests but it worth it because it is too complicated to make any Webquest throug my slow, insecure and interrupted Internet connection. The main thing is I caught the idea and this long process of amking the Webquest is really eye-opening for me!

Thanks a lot Donna and my peer course-participants for your support and for your so brilliantly made Webquests !!! I have gained much in Webquesting!

Webskills Online Course – Week 4

The readings of the Week 4 were very interesting and they gave me much to comprehend the idea of the teaching the language skills through Internet resourses. As far as the Process Writing is concerned, , Isabela Villas Boas, asserts that the Internet can be used in a variety of ways to support process writing as students develop their writing skills in various genres. Although the Internet is a naturally motivating tool and many young learners are familiar with using information technology, it is important for teachers to be active facilitators when the Internet is used for language learning.

Another author, Larry J. Mikulecky, asserts that the main point of using the Web sites` resources to increase student practice time with English outside the classroom. He is right saying that If the only time one uses English is during  English class, it is very difficult to secure the practice time and develop the vocabulary needed for rapid growth in English proficiency.

I have visited various sites, have tried several  searching and technological tools and have found out that there is plenty of helpful devices that make the teacher`s work easier and the Student`s life brighter.

The most difficult task for me was  to write the Lesson Plan with Technology. But looking through and comparing  the other participants` and the sample plans I think I did this hard work finally. What is it like, I`ll know soon because Donna and others will check it, for sure.

Webskills Online Course – Week 3

Last week 3  I have been trying to download the site called “Del.icio.us” that serves as a bookmarking tool. I have been trying to get iinto the Delicious several years ago but I couldn`t and this time I have failed to get into the site. Donna, our course-instructor,  is right for sure saying that it is because of my slow Internet.  She was so kind to let me skip trying the site more. I had another great bookmarking account in Diigo.com but I am a big stupid headed old man to forget all my data !

For the discussion “Aural/Oral Skill Building” I have surfed the websites that are great and uberhelpful for both the teachers and students. I have been using the resourses that the site Onestopenglish http://www.onestopenglish.com/skills/speaking/teaching-ideas/ suggests for a some time but some years ago. I have to refresh all my supplies that I got from there and try again. Of course, the ESL Galaxy http://www.esl-galaxy.com/speaking.html seems to be better with all it`s downloadables and printables, it is the most important for me with my slow Internet. I like the http://esl.about.com/od/conversationlessonplans/ as well because it has the most comprehensible lesson plans with various activities included in them.

I think all the three websites are super useful for the ESL teachers because they all have the adaptable and printable worksheets.

In my future class project I`ll use some of the resourses from these three websites, the focus will be done on the aural/oral skills and Grammar/Vocabulary, for sure. Fortunately, our Mother tongue has all the sounds, consonants with vowels and unlike the South-Asian peoples my students can utter all the English sounds more or less well. The most weakest point is Reading and Grammar for my local students.

For the discussion “Project Task #2 – Read a Sample Project Report” I have chosen only three sample projects to look at and to study them more in detail. I think I will read the rest when I have a free time left later.

I am amazed by the samples a lot, I think I will never write such wonderful, highly- educational and academically-professional projects/plans!

Webskills Online Course – Week 2

I think now I can post my reflections onto my old Blog, not on the new one. I can do nothing, it is not my fault, it depends on the either a browser or a server.

Last week  2  we have been trying the several Web search tools and found out the number of wonderfuln sites for our work. Then, we learned how to create the ABCD learning objectives and here it is: “After having looked at the pictures and describing what they saw (C) and making the sentences to decide what has happened in each case (C), the students (A) will write their sentences down (B) with a passing score of at least 95% according to the annotated bibliography rubric/scoring guide (D).

Finally, we have described our class “The class I am going to choose for my Final project will be the 9-th grade and there are 10 students in my group. The classes are divided into the groups in English language and so if there are 20 of the kids in the class, the 10 of them are mine. Moreover, at the moment I don`t know how many of them will choose the English because is it elective, I am sure 6 will choose it without doubt.

So, let`s consider that there are 10 students in the class, aged of 13-14, of Low-Intermediate level, they can do listenings both on the tape-recorders and computers, they can do writing on the computer as well. Mostly, we work with the textbooks only. The huge problem is we live in the non-English environment with bad Internet connection.

With the help of this course I`d like to find out the possible technology solutions to use them in my “sluggish Internet area” class hopefully.

Webskills Online Course - Welcome to the Course!!

Conferencing Topic: Week 1 - Discussion #3 – Blogs/Journals

Hello, 

I am sorry, the matter is that my school`s computer`s browzer seems can`t activate the Blogger.com at all. After two days trials it keeps showing this sign "

Whoops, that`s an error! (bX-o9kw12)." 

Nevertheless, I have made the blog called  "Victor`s Webskills` Blog" http://victorwebskills.blogspot.com/

You can easily see it but there is no use trying to design it, send posts or to do other things, it is dead.

I have been participating the course called "Webheads" in 2011 I made the blog "Let`s have a trip to the Webland", you can see it but I can`t activate it on this computer either. 

I had hard time trying to get into the Google itself first because I forgot the password, I made several trials to change it and finally the Google became crazy at all. So, when I have eventually changed my password, the Blogger sends me the sign " Whoops, that`s an error! (bX-o9kw12)."

Of course, I`d like to continue to stay learning in the course, but I can do nothing with this computer because I am not the computer-nerd, because of the sluggish Internet I have always given up on the Internet-using in the class and so, my previous Blog wasn`t been managed long ago.

It is summer and our computer-teacher is on vacation, he will be able to fix my browzer to work on the Blogger.com so I need more time to fix my Blog.

But, Donna, you can go to my Blogs and see them and be sure I could do something that looks like a Blog.

Here are their URLs http://victorwebskills.blogspot.com/ and my first one`s is http://webheadsinyakutia.blogspot.com/

All the best,

Victor

Russia

“Building Teaching Skills Through the Interactive Web (Web Skills)” course

May, 7, 2015

Dear Victor Kirillin,

Greetings from Oregon and welcome once again to the online “Building

Teaching Skills Through the Interactive Web (Web Skills)” course with

the American English Institute in the College of Arts and Sciences at

the University of Oregon (UO AEI). The course is 10 weeks long, June 22

– August 28, 2015. The scholarships for this course, provided by the

U.S. Department of State (DOS), are competitive and very much in demand.

We congratulate you on your acceptance and look forward to working with

you!

Very best of luck in your studies,

Mrs. Brandy J. Collier

eLearning Assistant (M-F 8AM-5PM)

University of Oregon's American English Institute,

unit of the College of Arts and Sciences

http://aei.uoregon.edu/teachers/elearning

elearn@uoregon.edu

Tel: +1-541-346-3720, Skype: uo.aeide

https://accounts.google.com/NewAccount

www.blogger.com

Summer 2015 ‘Building Teaching Skills through the Interactive Web (Web Skills)’ Course, U.S. Department of State as part of the E-Teacher Scholarship Program.

Dear Victor Kirillin,

 Greetings from University of Oregon,

 Congratulations! You are currently a nominee for the Summer 2015 'Building Teaching Skills through the Interactive Web (Web Skills)’ course, made possible by a tuition scholarship from the U.S. Department of State as part of the E-Teacher Scholarship Program.

The course will take place Summer Term 2015 (June 22nd-August 28th, 2015). This 10-week online course is offered through the University of Oregon's, American English Institute (UO AEI), a unit of the College of Arts and Sciences:

http://exchanges.state.gov/non-us/program/e-teacher-scholarship-program