Sunday, June 7, 2015

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!


3 comments:

  1. Hello dear Ahmed,
    You know, it has become like a traditiion to read and comment in your blog. :)
    I was again happy to read this week's experiences and reflections of what you did and how you felt.
    I have not read your final project plan yet but I will definitely do!
    You are right about the professionalism of dearest Donna! She is an excellent instructor... I loved her a lot and all the friends with whom I worked in this course.
    Hey, do not stop writing! You are a great blogger )))
    All the best!
    Best regards,
    Nigora

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  2. Dear Nigora,
    Thank you very much for your continuous support and motivation. You are always a source on inspiration in this course. It's an honor that you follow my posts. I am glad that you are done with your project in spite of busy schedule. Keep up the good work and we will continue to stay in touch. All the best!

    Warmest regards,
    Ahmed

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  3. I have marveled at the way you dealt with this week’s blog post, Ahmed. You’ve done a praiseworthy effort again. Your words have set me thinking about the excellent professional benefits of all us having been on the same boat for the last 10 weeks: there’s no doubt this course has helped us a lot in upgrading our teaching approach by constantly encouraging us to employ a variety of ICT tools. As for the deadlines, I am beginning to think that we sometimes thrive on working under pressure.

    All my best,
    Rolanda
    Romania

    ReplyDelete