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