Constructing knowledge with blogs GetxoLinguae 2009

“ It’s better to know some of the questions that all of the answers” James Thurber

Our priorities in education YouTube - 3 Steps for 21st Century Learning What should our priorities be for education in the XXIst century? What are we expected to teach our students in their English class? What might be the role of ICT? How can blogs be of any help?

My priorities 1.First teach them English, and this means, reflecting on the language and developing their language skills, things which they can further practice on the blog and on other sites. Why using so much paper? ( Explanantions, Activities and links to exercises on ESL Sites )

1.First teach them English, and this means, reflecting on the language and developing their language skills, things which they can further practice on the blog and on other sites.

Why using so much paper?

( Explanantions, Activities and links to exercises on ESL Sites )

Internet: A window to a world in English 2.Open for them a window to the world and let them be in contact with the language, informing them about nice and interesting places where they can read in and listen to English ( Links to interesting content )

2.Open for them a window to the world and let them be in contact with the language, informing them about nice and interesting places where they can read in and listen to English

( Links to interesting content )

Essential competences: How to read critically and develop students’ higher thinking skills 3. Help them to become critical thinkers and show them how to access and process information, evaluate it and create their own product Avoid the read and regurgitate syndrome Follow taxonomies to design activities which imply reading, processing and creating Links to literacy and creative thinking sites Treasure hunts, webquests, webtaskonomies, … ( Bloom’s Taxonomy, Bloom’s revised, The three-storey intellect)

3. Help them to become critical thinkers and show them how to access and process information, evaluate it and create their own product

Avoid the read and regurgitate syndrome

Follow taxonomies to design activities which imply reading, processing and creating

Links to literacy and creative thinking sites

Treasure hunts, webquests, webtaskonomies, …

( Bloom’s Taxonomy, Bloom’s revised, The three-storey intellect)

We can’t let our students simply collect and copy data

There are complex cognitive process students need to follow to process the information and a good variety of things they can produce as a result

ICT allow students to follow these cognitive process and create a good variety of interesting productions

A life-long lasting task:Learners’ autonomy and self-assessment 4.Teach them how to learn, specially a language, and encourage them to become independent students Learning to learn section: MI questionaire Portfolio for self-assessment and giving them advice on how to develop their skills and how to make the most out of resouces

4.Teach them how to learn, specially a language, and encourage them to become independent students

Learning to learn section:

MI questionaire

Portfolio for self-assessment and giving them advice on how to develop their skills and how to make the most out of resouces

Knowing the world 5.Open their minds, let them know about other cultures and people with different cultural activities, specially in English speaking countries. Improve their factual knowledge of the world Change their attitudes

5.Open their minds, let them know about other cultures and people with different cultural activities, specially in English speaking countries.

Improve their factual knowledge of the world

Change their attitudes

Having fun 6.Make them forget old prejudices and make them aware that you really can have fun learning a language 7.Make them love what they do (They have videos, songs, games, …)

6.Make them forget old prejudices and make them aware that you really can have fun learning a language

7.Make them love what they do

(They have videos, songs, games, …)

Things I want to bear in mind Students are different, have different tastes and preferences, and what is more important, they learn in a different way (remember the tale about the animals who tried to learn how to swim) Remember the famous proverb: “Tell me and I will forget, , show me and I may not remember, involve me and I will understand”. Make my activities meaningful and significative and involve them with their participation. There’s an excess of information and we have to guide them in their learning and teach them how to access it, no need to learn by heart

Students are different, have different tastes and preferences, and what is more important, they learn in a different way (remember the tale about the animals who tried to learn how to swim)

Remember the famous proverb: “Tell me and I will forget, , show me and I may not remember, involve me and I will understand”. Make my activities meaningful and significative and involve them with their participation.

There’s an excess of information and we have to guide them in their learning and teach them how to access it, no need to learn by heart

More things to bear in mind That we can create a country of followers, we have to teach them to be critic and think by themselves That we have to help them express creatively and avoid so many instructions (remember the Little Boy) And, however bad we are at technics, we can allow our students to remain illiterate. These are the tools they are going to need and we have to teach them how, and I don’t mean technically. Never think that you are not prepared to use computer and that your students know more than you.

That we can create a country of followers, we have to teach them to be critic and think by themselves

That we have to help them express creatively and avoid so many instructions (remember the Little Boy)

And, however bad we are at technics, we can allow our students to remain illiterate. These are the tools they are going to need and we have to teach them how, and I don’t mean technically.

Never think that you are not prepared to use computer and that your students know more than you.

Why a blog then? It allows me to organize the information for my students I can design activities for them to develop their skills using different kinds of media It meets my needs and helps me achieve my goals It allows different kinds of interaction, from individu I think it is easier to use and looks attractive for students It’s enviromentally friendly, I think I think it’s a big step for future education

It allows me to organize the information for my students

I can design activities for them to develop their skills using different kinds of media

It meets my needs and helps me achieve my goals

It allows different kinds of interaction, from individu

I think it is easier to use and looks attractive for students

It’s enviromentally friendly, I think

I think it’s a big step for future education

Things I have done Selected links for language practice and development of skills Selected links with interesting content Prepared explanations on grammar Created first blog: CyberEnglish Started Learning guides Done some research on ICT and MI and to get ideas to design activities for my students and encourage my students design their own Read on ICT and collaborative and see how I can organize project and critical thinking activities Tried to get things in order, so I can help other teachers on how to get startedin this new world

Selected links for language practice and development of skills

Selected links with interesting content

Prepared explanations on grammar

Created first blog: CyberEnglish

Started Learning guides

Done some research on ICT and MI and to get ideas to design activities for my students and encourage my students design their own

Read on ICT and collaborative and see how I can organize project and critical thinking activities

Tried to get things in order, so I can help other teachers on how to get startedin this new world

Kinds of blogs Kinds of blogs (see Fernando Zayas mind-map) My different blogs: Ana’s Corner, a place for teachers Anuskis-Cyberenglish, a site for Intermediate students of English Anuskis’ How to blog My students blog: Cyberstudents Intermediate

Kinds of blogs (see Fernando Zayas mind-map)

My different blogs:

Ana’s Corner, a place for teachers

Anuskis-Cyberenglish, a site for Intermediate students of English

Anuskis’ How to blog

My students blog: Cyberstudents Intermediate

A blog for teachers Ana’s Corner: My reflections on education and language learning and teaching http :// www.anuskis.blogspot.com /

Ana’s Corner: My reflections on education and language learning and teaching

http :// www.anuskis.blogspot.com /

A blog for students Cyberenglish: A guide for my Intermediate students http // www.anuskis - cyberenglish.blogspot.com Links: Sidebar and files Folders: Language practice: explanations and exercises Skills Topics Learning guides Learning to learn Having fun Tasks, instructions and link to students’ blog

Cyberenglish: A guide for my Intermediate students

http // www.anuskis - cyberenglish.blogspot.com

Links: Sidebar and files

Folders:

Language practice: explanations and exercises

Skills

Topics

Learning guides

Learning to learn

Having fun

Tasks, instructions and link to students’ blog

My students’ blog Cyberstudents Intermediate http .// www.cyberstudentsintermediate.blogspot.com A blog for my students to publish their own work: Instructions List of activities to choose from Sending invitations and registering administrators Sessions at the multimedia room

Cyberstudents Intermediate

http .// www.cyberstudentsintermediate.blogspot.com

A blog for my students to publish their own work:

Instructions

List of activities to choose from

Sending invitations and registering administrators

Sessions at the multimedia room

A new creation: a tutorial blog Anuskis’ How to blog http://www.anuskishowtoblog.blogspot.com Step-by-step tutorial on how to : set up a blog write a post host and embed a file create links and insert images … Links to hosting sites

Anuskis’ How to blog

http://www.anuskishowtoblog.blogspot.com

Step-by-step tutorial on how to :

set up a blog

write a post

host and embed a file

create links and insert images

…

Links to hosting sites

Some examples of things we can do on the blog Let’s go to Cyberenglish and see some examples! What’s on my blog? Tools and activities My students’ task http :// www.anuskis .- blogspot.com

Let’s go to Cyberenglish and see some examples!

What’s on my blog?

Tools and activities

My students’ task

http :// www.anuskis .- blogspot.com

My plans for the future Finish my learning guides Finish my Portfolio for Intermediate students Create different blogs for the different sections Create more tasks to help students develop their reading and critical thinks See different possibilities to set up collaborative different tasks and projects, and teach them how to communicate with different tools See how I can make students forget about paper and getting them closer to the scree, which is a much enviromentally friendly resource

Finish my learning guides

Finish my Portfolio for Intermediate students

Create different blogs for the different sections

Create more tasks to help students develop their reading and critical thinks

See different possibilities to set up collaborative different tasks and projects, and teach them how to communicate with different tools

See how I can make students forget about paper and getting them closer to the scree, which is a much enviromentally friendly resource

Other Teachers’ blogs The best way to get started: Following somebody’s steps Teaching Cyberteachers: our workshops Surfing for blogs: Educastur, … Tutorials online, ….

The best way to get started: Following somebody’s steps

Teaching Cyberteachers: our workshops

Surfing for blogs: Educastur, …

Tutorials online, ….

For more information visit my blogs ! You’ll find links to other blogs Ideas Tools … Ana Sancho May 2009

For more information visit my blogs !

You’ll find links to other blogs

Ideas

Tools

…

Ana Sancho May 2009