This document discusses incorporating information and communication technologies (ICT) into lessons. It provides 5 reasons to do so, including that digital learning objects facilitate mental representation and allow for collaborative learning. It then discusses the experience of The Mackay School in transitioning to using blogs and websites like Wordpress for classes. Teachers are able to show creativity and participate in personal learning networks (PLNs) to share resources and experiences. The objectives of the workshop are to understand how to use blogs and websites as teaching tools and to learn how to set up and post content to a Wordpress site.

1. Why ICT in our Lessons?
Carla Chávez Saavedra, The Mackay School

2. ● 5 reasons to incorporate ICT.
● The experience at The Mackay
School.
● Why a PLN? What is it?
● Workshop objectives.

3. 5 reasons...
1. Digital learning objects facilitate mental representation (abstraction,
integration of new knowledge).
2. Connectivistic objects allow the creation of multiple learning
experiences.
3. ›All users can take the role of coauthors and co-designers, reaching
shared knowledge constructions and a collaborative learning
process.
4. Teachers can show their creativity and participate in Personal
Learning Networks (PLNs).
5. Parents and other members of the community can become familiar
and/or participate in the learning experiences.

4. Connectivism (the upgrade of constructivism)

5. What do you think about the following statements?
Online learning delivers an impersonal learning experience.
They're texting each other, Googling, and Lord knows what else. It's impossible to
learn in that environment.
My course is unique. I create a special environment and could not possibly do online
what I do in a real classroom.
Blogs are for gazing and gossip; they are not credible learning tools
Online group projects are impossible because the "group" is scattered across the
Internet and questionable because one or two students can carry the group
Technological problems will interfere with my teaching and undermine the student
learning experience

6. The English Department Experience (TMS)
Three stages
2010-2011: mackayzine
2012: Googlesites
2013: Wordpress

7. The Wordpress Experience
● Sites are easy to set up.
● Each class has its own site. Some of them have one teacher in
charge and others 3 teachers (depending on the class or
programme).
● Basic procedure:
Set up the site
Assign categories
Organize the menu
Enable comments and some widgets
Share the link with the students and parents
Organize the work among the involved teachers to post the lesson

8. What can I do with a post? Some Examples
● Present a listening comprehension task:
Provide the instructions
Embed a youtube video
Upload a worksheet
Add a related picture to activate previous knowledge

9. What can I do with a post? Some Examples
Present a new topic and encourage interaction with the students:

10. What can I do with a post? Some Examples
Present a writing task

11. Why talking about PLNs?
A Personal Learning Network (PLN) is a way to be connected with other
educators around the world in order to share professional experiences and
digital tools.

12. Why talking about PLNs?
If you set your wordpress site today and you also have some of the
following...
● gmail
● youtube account
● twitter
● googledrive (google docs)
● edmodo
● prezi
● slideshare
● skype
It may be a good time to organize your presence on the web (Your
wordpress site, in fact, may be a PLN if you want to)
Some examples:
Melissa’s PLN
Carla’s PLN
Karla’s PLN

13. Workshop Objectives
General Objective
Understand the use of blogs and sites as powerful teaching and learning
tool.
Specific Objectives
● Create a Wordpress account
● Set up a site
● Create and Organize categories
● Set up a menu
● Learn to post contest
● Create a Flickr account
● Integrate a Flickr account on wordpress