Teachers resources on line

One of the most used strategies for teachers are the games or something fun in class, after checking all the tools we have , I have realized that we do not put in practice this with our grown up students, and I think they could enjoy activities like wordsearch (  I did it) crossword puzzles, etc, we think they are not children, but it is not necessary to be a child to enjoy things like the ones I tell you...... Just remember, when I buy the newspaper I go straight to the section in which I found the cross word puzzle, and i really enjoy it, so, why not doing fun activities in class?.

Every resource we use in class is valid if the students enjoy and learn from it, I think we all should begin the class with  fun activities to catch the attention of the students and make the atmosphere nicer and friendlier.

Sometimes we think that the only tools we have are the cd player and the tv, we have to look beyond this to help our students in the target of learning a new language.

Week 7. Learning to learn

Education is changing, and society is also changing very quickly, we could not imagine the tremendous impact that technology is having today, let's just talk about a few years ago, when there were not such technological devices we know now, of course, our students and even our children cannot believe we could live without Internet , mobile phones, plasma t.v’s , etc. A world without technology would be like a book without words, empty. Communication is not only human as we know, but the humans are the ones that need communication more than any other creature on earth.

We live now in a world full of knowledge, but how  we are applying that knowledge is the fact that really matters, there is a teaching in almost every activity we do, so, there is much sense when we say that the students need autonomy to learn, because they are the ones that have to know how to process that information, I think that we cannot give them tools for overcoming difficulties in this issue, we must be advisors and our mission is to let them work and learn by themselves , even they have to learn what tools to create and how to use them.

I am learning to learn by myself, it is not an easy topic to handle but I am trying to be better every day, I know my limitations but I am sure I am going to succeed in the end…

Marcos Morales

WEEK 6 INTERACTIVE POWER POINT

This was really a great experience, learning about how to make interactive power points, I have to admit but it was very difficult at the beginning, I read a lot about it and then I watched the videos and something was wrong because i repeated many times following the same procedure but ....nothing!!!! I almost got crazy since this issue is completely new for me, but I really enjoyed doing that assignment, then I learned that it is a funny way to motivate our students.. of course it is time demanding at the beginning but later on you can take advantage preparing some wonderful ppp for your students, for sure they will enjoy discovering that learning English is always nice and fun.

I can also say that I have watched some of my classmates presentations and they are really nice, it seem they had more experience like myself doing these kinds of things.. .....

Anyway, what I have learned is really valuable and I feel happy to learn new things!!!

Week 5.- Rubrics and Assessment

Assessment is a complex issue that we must handle as English teachers, this is a complete culture that in some countries is new, and we have not had the chance to apply.

During this week we have learned that Rubrics is a central element is any process, we must be sure about what to measure and how to measure, and the students must know we are going to assess them.

It is well known that teachers keep our assessing style as a secret, nobody knows how teachers get the grades of the students, of course the teacher is the chief and nobody has to question his authority, but now, we know that nothing must be hidden, everything has to be clear so secrets are out of the daily lives in  the educational system. 

Rubrics are here to stay, and the students know how and why of their grades, besides they have the chance to improve their skills and performance since the knowledge is not quiet, in my country the culture of rubrics is completely new our traditional grading system was or is the famous tests and the lesson but without a value scale, o the students are good or bad and they do not have the chance to improve in the issues they have failed.

We have to understand that learning is a holistic process in which there must be a compromise of teachers authorities, students, and parents, it is easy when students and teachers are the only ones involved in this process because not many parents want to have part in their children's education, that view has to change because the reality is that human beings need the protection and guidance moreover our children and adolescences.