Week#10 Game Continues!

This course has been an eye opener on a very important topic.  It offers a unique opportunity to stay abreast of world class education.  I started with very little knowledge about the topic and ended up feeling like an expert in the field.  At the beginning, ten weeks seemed too long to commit myself to a course, but I cannot believe it is over. I have gained tremendous knowledge and hands-on experience and a worldwide network of contacts.  I am so lucky to be part of this course and to get to know and work with everyone.  

I have enjoyed every single aspect of the course, the readings, class discussions, blogging, trying out new ideas and tech tools, doing mini projects every now and then, and creating an online class as a final project.  I, especially liked that the course itself and all assignments were student-centered and they fostered learner autonomy and project based learning.  Everything was very well organized and goal oriented.  I am amazed at the knowledge and experience I have gained and wish there were a sequel to this course.

Integrating technology into classroom teaching offers endless possibilities and is guaranteed to bring out positive and radical changes to any schooling system.  I will share the knowledge and experience I have gained in this course with other educators believing that this is the age of technology and we cannot continue to approach the 21^st century generation using the 19^th century tools.   

As much as I am happy that this course has finally come to a close, I will miss everyone, but the only consolation is that we will stay in touch and continue to share ideas and learn from each other's experiences in pursuit of professional development.

Let's stay in touch and wish you all the best!

Week#9 Learning Styles: Technology Connections

Hello everyone,

There is nothing better than the sense of fulfillment and achievement. This week was really the busiest. I was behind schedule with my final project plan and creating the technology tools and setting them up with materials for students to use. At some point, I felt working on this project seemed an endless task. Things took longer than expected and I doubted that I would finish it on time and was about to ask for an extension. However, I had to plan things out and stay focused to get the whole thing done on time. I am aware that it is still a tentative plan and ideas will be refined to suit students real needs during project implementation, but I have selected materials carefully to address the learning problems the project is meant to solve which took quite a while. I had a eureka moment when I put the final touches to the class blog and the Padlet page making sure everything was ready for students to use.  

Discovering a person's learning style and personal intelligence can help this person understand him or herself better and select the right materials to learn and reach their full potential. I am not good at following instructions whether verbal or written, but I comprehend something better when I get to see how it is done in front of my eyes and this makes me more of a visual learner. It is crucial for a teacher to be able to identify his or her learners' learning styles and to diversify their materials and techniques to cater for the learners' diverse needs, and intelligences.  

This class was a significant milestone in my professional development.  I am pretty certain it will turn my career around and open doors for me. I have given it my all and I am sure my hard work will pay off someday. Seeing pictures of school children using laptops and tablets in class has always intrigued me and made me wonder how technology is incorporated into classroom teaching and this course has provided many answers. I am planning to start my own school but was looking for a unique concept and technology was the missing ingredient.  

I do not like farewell moments as I am not good at handling them. The course not only introduced great ideas, but also wonderful professionals.   We have worked together for the past nine weeks and shared knowledge and learned from each other's unique experiences.  I have learned a lot and was inspired by everyone. I wish we could stay in touch with each other as professionals and continue to further develop ourselves and learn from each other how to incorporate technology into classroom teaching.   

Last but not least, our lovely instructor, Dr. Donna Shaw, takes the credit for making this course a unique experience for everyone; she has added the human touch to a virtual class and brought life to it inspiring and motivating everyone with her dedication, friendliness and professionalism. I have never had a better instructor and this class proved to be second to none.

Have a great time!

Week# 8 Teacher Resources Online

When it rains, it pours!  When I thought this class was almost over and there was nothing more to do or learn, we were introduced to so many new and indispensable tech tools for educators.  I was amazed by large number and felt this course will never cease to surprise us.   I realized I have a lot to read and learn and a lot of tech tools to check out and try, so I have to keep my sleeves rolled up for a long time.   

I have created an online discussion class on Nicenet which surprisingly was not as difficult as I expected.  I have tried to use Blackboard and almost created a class but I felt the tool is too sophisticated for my needs at this point and I have to spend more time familiarizing myself with its features and menus.  I have created a class blog and a Padlet page and explored different tools in Hot Potatoes. 

Furthermore, I worked painstakingly on my final project plan and I am almost done with it except for a few loose ends that need to be tied up. I still have to work on choosing content for my class blog and the Padlet page before setting them up for students to use.  I will make sure everything is ready by Friday to meet the deadline.

It was a very good experience to work with a partner and to check each other's work and provide feedback. Nigora was an excellent partner for this project and I love working with her.  Her enthusiasm and productivity are unmatched.  This experience helped me reflect on my plan and set realistic goals for my students to help them enjoy using technology.

This is all for now and look forward to another productive week.

Week#7 Learner Autonomy, the One-Computer Classroom & Mobile Devices

Hello every one,

"Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime"  (author unknown).  This proverb might simply illustrate what learner autonomy  is.  I believe that helping students learn how to learn and to become self-reliant, self-directed and self-motivated  should be the goal of any successful educational program. 

 A lot can be done with just one computer in the classroom which can even be the teacher's laptop but unfortunately sometimes this high tech tool might not be fully utilized due to lack of awareness or creativity in the part of the instructor.  The readings provided a lot of practical ideas on how to maximize students' learning through student centered activities that foster collaborative learning and promote learners' autonomy taking advantage of the one computer in the classroom. 

Although cell phone use is banned in may schools as they are viewed as distractors from learning, they can be used creatively to enhance learning and promote learners' autonomy.  The readings and the discussion on Nicenet provided many useful ideas and practical activities on how to use  phones in and beyond the classroom to create many learning opportunities.

I am almost half way with my final project plan. I have written a lot this week and moved a long quite well.  There were a lot distractors that hindered my progress and held me back from finishing it, though.  Hopefully, I will finish the rough draft to share my partner this coming week.  I could not resist the temptation of  adding Padlet to use with the class blog that I have decided to create to help my students overcome the problems they face with writing. 

This is all for now; I will take a short break then resume working on my final project plan.  Talk to you next week!  Have a productive week!  

Yours,

Ahmed

Week#6 Student-centered large classes and interactive PowerPoint

Hello every,

Sometimes I have the writer's block and spend days on one assignment until, out of frustration, I almost decide to give it up before I manage to write something. Then eventually things work out so well that I get to do the other assignments smoothly in a shorter time.  I am sure you have experienced something similar. It is always hard to get started with something, but once you begin, ideas start flowing, and you eventually end up with something most people admire.   

I have used PowerPoint a couple of times but never have I heard about creating interactive presentations that organize content around central ideas using hyperlinks and buttons which help audience see how ideas are correlated with each other and help navigate through different aspects of the topic allowing better interaction with the audience and responding to their questions and providing them immediate feedback.   Being a visual learner, I tried to see some interactive samples and managed to find two and decided to explore this topic further on YouTube.

I read extensively this week and was hoping to cover even the optional reading materials but I could not, so I saved them to read later.   The readings provided very good insights and techniques on how to teach very large classes interactively instead of totally relying on the lecturing style which mistakenly assumes that people learn just by telling them information.   If teaching is telling, then this would have made it the easiest profession.   Learning does not take place if students are not actively engaged in the lesson.   We learned very good techniques, such as think-pair-share, think-pair-square, one minute write, concept check, role play and simulation, to engage students in large classes and allow them to share ideas and ask for clarifications and get more involved in the lesson. 

I have started working on my final project plan and managed to write something realizing that there is no better temptation to finish something than getting started with it.   I have decided to give it at least an hour a day to finish it on time.  

This is all for now and look forward to another exciting week.

Warmest regards

Ahmed