A Moment of Great Exhilaration

I have almost touched the finishing point. What appeared to me as an endless quest finally comes to an exhilarating finish. The road was bumpy. But the driver, our E-teacher Elliot was resolute and confident. I was convinced that I will be able to complete the journey. Now I am a different human being and teacher. I have acquired a lot, in terms of knowledge, skills and attitude. I have learnt how to integrate technology for promoting better learning. I have also learnt that technology can make learners interactive and autonomous.  Technology can engage the students in meaningful learning.

In the first week of the programme I was confused. I even thought that I won’t complete the course. My condition became worse when my colleagues asked what I was always doing with my laptop. But I was determined. I thought they were a bit cynical. I told them about the E-Skills programme and the kind of work we have been doing. Then they really appreciated our work. 

I have followed all the directions properly. Whenever I had any problem I contacted my E-teacher Robert and he responded promptly. Some of my E-pals also gave me a lot of help. I always made it a point to read the articles in-depth and related those ideas to my classroom context. I tried to put some of these concepts/ideas/tools into practice in my class.  A few good things I would like to say about the E-skills course. One thing is one needn’t have to be a computer wizard to do the programme. If you have basic computer skills and ready to do dedicated work then I think you will be able to do the course. Secondly, Robert is a real inspiration, and he is a wonderful facilitator. Thirdly, I got lots of help and support from my E-pals. Some of them are very good academics. They have shown me the right direction. I congratulate RELO, the University of Oregon and the experts behind the programme for admitting a group of teachers across the world in this wonderful programme. 

I will not regret my hard work. Now I am a new ESL Teacher. I will be able teach well. I will be able show new directions to my trainee teachers. I will use technology for empowering the teachers and students. I will work for a brave new world in ESL. This course has given me a lot of knowledge, skills, attitude and motivation for realizing all these dreams. 

Thanks to Robert, RELO, New Delhi and Oregon university,

Thanks to all colleagues for being wonderful friends and motivators. 

P.K.Jayaraj

WEEK-9 Week of Styles

What a wonderful journey it is!

Week-9 is a relaxed one compared to week-8. Week-8 was really hectic.  After many hours of reading, writing and rewriting I completed my draft project. How will Robert give feedback to my first draft was the question that came to my mind. Online peer reading is a very innovative way of giving feedback without face to face dialoguing. Technology has made the world smaller. I, P.K.Jayaraj, sitting here at Bangalore in India and Javier Burgos from Ecuador reading and responding to each other’s work without face to face meeting is a wonderful idea.  Peer reading has created lot of sharing and collaboration.

I enjoyed reading the articles on multiple intelligences and learning styles.  Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple intelligence addresses differences of learners in terms of teaching and learning from different perspectives. One individual/student may differ from others with different skills. One student may show skills in language and acting, one may enjoy dealing with people and one other may be interested in playing in musical instruments. Gardner formulated a list of eight intelligences: Verbal-Linguistic (Word Smart); Logical-Mathematical (Number Smart), Visual-Spatial (Picture Smart), Bodily-Kinesthetic (Body Smart), Musical-Rhythmic (Music Smart), Interpersonal (People Smart), Intrapersonal (Myself Smart) and Naturalistic  (Nature Smart).

How can we use technology to address a range of learning styles and MI components in the classroom? My students are in-service teachers undergoing empowerment programme in language and teaching skills. For the first time we have introduced blogging for enhancing reflection and critical thinking of the trainee teachers. Technology-rich environments like blogs will certainly help teachers to respond to individual differences such as cognitive styles, learning styles and multiple intelligences.

After reading this week`s articles on Technology, MI and Learning styles I have created a table reflecting my idea about the technology tools. I will work with these tools with my trainee teachers. Here is my table. (https://sites.google.com/site/eslempowermentatriesi/home/activities)

The E-skills course is going to end next week. Sleepless nights and toiling with internet and websites are coming to an end. The greatest thing is that one need not be a technology expert to do the course. Robert and my E-pals all made it a collaborative venture. I will not regret my hard work and sleepless nights. I have learnt a lot. What a wonderful journey it is!

P.K.Jayaraj

Multiple Intelligences and Technology

After reading this week`s articles on Technology, MI and Learning styles I have created a table a table reflecting my idea about the technology tools. I will work with these tools with my trainee teachers. Here is my table.

Intelligence	Technology Activities
Linguistic	practicing language skills with interactive software or on Websites, using word processors, using spelling and grammar checkers, creating multimedia reports, writing and reading email, using the Web for research, ESL Games, listening etc. http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/rss.xml (for listening –podcasts)
Logical-Mathematical	Using software or Websites with brain teasers, puzzles, games of logic, etc. Brain teasers (http://www.braingle.com/brainteasers/index.php)
Spatial	playing card games, using graphics programs, learning with pictures on CD or DVD or with video clips on the Web, using presentation software, creating videos or digital storytelling products. For digital story telling http://maasd.edublogs.org/digital-storytelling/web-based-digital-storytelling-tools-online-interactives/
Bodily-Kinesthetic	playing computer games, using TPR-based instructional software, using simulation software or virtual reality environments on the Web Computer games (http://www.manythings.org/)
Musical	listening to and interacting with songs on software or on the Web, composing digital music live or on interactive Websites Songs- http://www.esl-galaxy.com/music.htm
Interpersonal	using email, text or voice chatting, using cell phones, engaging in computer-supported collaborative learning (e.g., e-pals or the GLOBE project) email and voice chatting- http://www.mylanguageexchange.com/penpals.asp
Intrapersonal	using intelligent tutoring systems, using speech recognition devices, using news groups, meta-cognitive journaling or blogging, using mind-mapping software or Websites, learning about computers using software or Websites News groups- http://www.linguistic-funland.com/mele.faq.html#newsgroups

Week-8: Wonders with ANVILL

Week-8

Wonders with ANVILL

This week I think is the most difficult one for me so far. The pressure was too much. Still I could complete the draft project in time. Finally I managed to send the draft projects to my peers for reading. I think I have done something really fruitful.

     I started doing the weekly tasks only during midweek. Thanks to Jeff our guest facilitator. Anvill is a great work for the cause of English language education. It took me a lot of time to understand the potentials of ANVILL. An online language lab, that too free and user friendly, it is really a great idea. The voiceboards and how it works is really interesting. This tool will help us a lot in teaching oral skills. It will be a blessing to second language learners of English. Teaching pronunciation is one of the hard spots in ESL. I think voiceboards can help us a lot.

This week I created a class survey for collecting feedback from my teacher trainees. The URL of my

Teacher Development Program Evaluation survey form is https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFpLZTFncWs2NlpzSHJ1djJHNWx6OVE6MQ . I did it using Google doc.  Google doc is a wonderful tool for ESL teachers. Using this we can create all kinds of surveys and feedback forms.

On ANVILL, I created a course ‘E mail campaign among ESL Teachers’ (https://anvill.uoregon.edu/anvill2/node/24611). To see it, you may need to log in. The course I have created contains a quiz, a voiceboard and a lesson. If we make our students work with it I am sure that they will get a lot of opportunities for improving their English language communication skills.      Thirdly I have created a webpage namely “ESL Empowerment at RIESI” (https://sites.google.com/site/eslempowermentatriesi/home ) using Google sites. To visit this site please paste the URL on the address bar. It contains activities for improving accuracy of the teacher trainees.

    Now we are approaching the final phase of the E-skills course. The journey is finally coming to an end. The programme has made me skillful. I have read the draft projects of Javier and Santiago. I’ll do it today. Another week for the final project. Heartfelt thanks to Robert and my E-pals.

P.K.Jayaraj

Week 7 - One-computer -a dynamic learning tool

Week 7

One-computer -a dynamic learning tool

There are schools in south India that do not have computers. In the places where there are computers teachers don’t use it. In most of the schools at least there is one computer.  Even with only one computer in the classroom, there are many ways to use technology effectively to improve student learning. Teachers can use the computer as a tool in their own work. We can use word processor to prepare tests, a spreadsheet to keep grades and the Internet to find lesson plans and resources for teaching.

     I usually use my computer (laptop) as a presentation tool. I use it along with LCD projector to present audio/visual content to my class. It is also a wonderful tool for the generation, production and display of students’ work. It is a good cooperative learning tool.

Thanks to Robert and the articles I read during this week. The idea of learning station is wonderful. Learning station in one computer classroom!

We can use a computer as a Learning Station for:

 ·         To create work products

       ·         Drafting, revising and editing

       ·         Publishing

       ·         Doing projects

       ·         Searching resources

       ·         Storyboard planning

       ·         Peer reviewing and feedback

My trainee teachers also use computer to support their presentations. In one computer classroom students can undertake group project work. But time factor is a big problem. Most of the students have to wait for their turn to work with the computer. Class is often noisy. In spite of all these one computer can be used as a dynamic and creative tool to promote cooperative learning.

 Our guest moderator Racquel is a linguist. I am delighted to know that she has done a lot of work in revitalizing endangered indigenous languages. Racquel facilitated wonderful interaction this week. The discussion on the topic learner autonomy was very useful. How to make our students autonomous learners? The articles I read during this week, gave me a lot of practical and pedagogically sound tips for promoting learner autonomy in the classroom.

Finally the ‘One computer lesson’. I wrote the lesson plan based on my teaching learning experience with my trainee teachers. The experience and insights from the course is getting more productive and deeper.  Many thanks to Robert. He is in fact inviting guest teachers to promote more interaction. Great work. Thanks to Racqel and my E-pals.

 P.K

: Week 6 project task: Begin the change

Empowering the disempowered

My institute, Regional Institute of English, South India, has been working for the cause of English language Education in South India since 1963. We provide short term and fairly long term training to teachers. Our mission is to empower teachers teaching English at primary (classes 1 to 5) and secondary level (classes 6 to 10) in the five Southern states of India. Hence my project is about empowering 40 teacher trainees deputed to my institute.

       

      These teacher trainees have intermediate to Upper intermediate level of English language competency. Most of them consider English language text book as the most important tool for teaching English. Their classes are basically teacher centered. Our training programme in the institute basically gives them training in enhancing their language profiency and teaching skills.

But curriculum demands them to be activity based, learner centered and interactive. Some of them have basic computer skills. Some of them have started using ICT for providing meaningful input and for enhancing the language profiency and skills of the learners.

   

   As part of my project I have set up a blog (http://eltatriesi.blogspot.com/) for my teacher trainees. I’m also thinking about setting up an E-file storage system. I have gone through the project template.

1)describe your class/group/context
2) define a problem or challenge
3) find a technological solution to that challenge
4) test that solution out
5) evaluate how effective it was
6) make changes and try it out again (if possible) or describe changes you need to make

     My teacher trainees need encouragement, resources and empowerment. In our Institute blog I have posted a few articles. My teacher trainees have started reading and responding to these articles. They have started writing reflective blogs.  Out of 45 teacher trainees, 40 have created their own blog and started writing reflective blogs. I think they need training in areas like pronunciation, grammar, listening and speaking, addressing learners' errors, alternative assessment etc.

  

         My main goal is to make them use reflective learning tools. If they post more reflective blog posts they get the points. Secondly I would like my teacher trainees share resources through an online storage web site. I'll use this website for storing and sharing text, audio, video, photo, and other files.  I have to set up a rubric for assessing their reflective blog posts. Another option is to enable them to assess each others, or do self assessment of their own blogs. As Robert commented in his feedback ‘getting my evaluation system set up is an important addition my project’. 

     Towards the end of the sixth week I am getting clearer ideas about my project. I think it is a small step. Though a small step, it has deeper and far reaching implications. My project is a small step for empowering the disempowered.

P.K.Jayaraj

My Reflections-6

Rise Brothers Rise

Sixth week of the E-Skills scholarship programme. Many thanks to Robert for giving the charge of the class to Jesse, our guest moderator. The topic for this week is very appropriate in Indian context. Large class is a reality and it is not likely to disappear in the near future. Even in my institute sometimes I have teach a batch of eighty teachers. How can we teach large class without lecturing? I think teachers can break the monotony of lecture classes by adding variety and making students do cooperative tasks. “To teach is to engage students in learning; thus teaching consists of getting students involved in the active construction of knowledge”. Teacher can also divide the large group into smaller groups and make them do a few tasks. Using technology is the best way to engage students and promote learning in a large class. Power point is the simplest tool to use in a large class. Teachers have to include a lot of visuals and audio inputs in the power point to make it interesting to the students.

    This week we had a wonderful discussion on teaching writing and assessing in large class. While teaching writing in large class ‘the entire class may not be’ in the process. What is the solution? As our moderator Jessie said, ‘Small groups’ is the only answer.  Techniques like Think-Pair-Share, Think-Pair-Square, Concepttest, Quick-thinks, and Concept Maps are really wonderful. All these techniques will promote cooperation and collaboration.

     I've created the first interative PowerPoint presentation in my life. I've already used PowerPoint presentations in my class but they've never had interactive tools.  It is for my trainee teachers. I would like to introduce them to blogging. After creating a blog they will be able to write about what they have done and what they learned in the teacher training programme. Creating a PowerPoint with interactive tools is tough work. But I like it.  I included hyperlinks and video files into my presentation. You can see it on our Wiki page.

  It is a great week. Only 20 days to complete the final project. Hard work and thinking ahead. I remember the lines of Sarojini Naidu, one of best Indian poets; “Rise brothers rise, the wakening skies pray to the morning light…”

P.K