Tuesday, February 16, 2010
My Carnival Resolution...
Post here on a regular basis... I love reading blogs, so why can't I keep mine??? Gonna write it down in my organizer, post a reminder on Outlook, tie a red string around one of my fingers, so that I don't abandon this blog again!!!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
The Interactive White Board...
The Interactive White Board is getting more and more popular in Brazil. The Culturas Inglesas, for example, have been using them in their ads in huge billboards around the country (except for São Paulo, due to "Cidade Limpa").
I confess that I have never had the opportunity to use it in a real teaching situation, but have used them in two workshops I held in Brasília and Campo Grande. The feeling in both occasions was the same: I was really intimidated by this technology and afraid that pressing the wrong key would ruin my presentations (well, and I must admit that if I hadn't had minders to help me, this would have happened, hehehe...)
I don't have a formed opinion on that, and the debate around it is pretty interesting. So, I've decided to post two texts with different points of view on the use of the IWBs in the ELT classroom.
Below you can see some extracts of a text written by Graham Stanley and posted on http://blog-efl.blogspot.com/
The Interactive Whiteboard - white elephant or teacher's pet?
The Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) is a technology that promises to truly transform the classroom and yet is seen as a threat or a waste of money by many teachers. Their views range from luddite, regarding the introduction of any teaching technology as unnecessarily contaminating the classroom to the (more reasonable) preoccupation that this tool will lead to a overly teacher-focused environment and a group of learners passively sitting dazzled by the bells and whistles used by the sage on the stage.It doesn't have to be that way though. In this post, I will reflect upon the recent discussion on the Dogme (teaching unplugged) list about the pros and cons of IWBs, and put forward the view that the key to a successful IWB implementation is in the training, something which seems to be missing when many organisations unpack and install these shiny new toys.
A good workman never blames his tools
Before I continue, let's stop and take a look at the tool itself. There are many different types of IWBs, but features are similar (consult the Wikipedia entry on Interactive Whiteboards for further details).The market leaders at the moment are Promethean, Smart and Mimio. These manufacturers make IWBs which have similar features (but with some important distinctions) but it is important to note that the software used by each company is not compatible.
(...)
Interactive White Elephant
The discussion on the Dogme (teaching unplugged) list began when Scott Thornbury appealed to its members for "ammunition" after calling the IWB an 'interactive white elephant' during a conference in Brazil.It wasn't the first time that the subject of IWBs had appeared in the Dogme list. Previously, in April 2007, Alan Pulverness had mentioned that there was a tendency for "the technology to produce a more frontal style of teaching, and consequently fewer opportunities for genuine interaction."I think this is true if teachers are let loose without any training on how to use the IWB effectively. One of the ironic things about the IWB is that although it resembles a tool that is familiar to all teachers, it requires a sea change in methodology if it is to be used optimally in the classroom. Of course, you can use it in the same way as any other (black or white) board (i.e. by walking into class and writing on it without any prior preparation), but this is akin to using a truck to drive to the corner shop for groceries and coming back home with a bottle of milk and a tin of baked beans. Strangely enough, writing on an IWB during class time takes longer than on a regular whiteboard, and you'll probably not be able to fit as much on the board. And as for those teachers who are used to sectioning a board with part for class agenda and space for vocabulary? This is a waste of space and time on the IWB, especially as you have unlimited number of pages to flip back and forth through whenever you want. And there's no need to make students wait while you write something from a coursebook on the board - you should have done that before the students even entered the room. Breaking old teacher habits that have no place and make no sense when using this tool is as important as experimenting with new ways of using it.It should come as no surprise that training and practice are the keys to using the IWB effectively. The interactive whiteboard is not cheap technology, but this is one of the hidden costs. Another is a need for increased technical support in situ, but as far as learner impact is concerned, the sure way to drive a stake through the heart of an IWB project is to try to cut costs in training. But, because it looks like a reglular board, there is a temptation for organisations to hand teachers a pen and let them get on with it. This results in the learners losing out. Back to the Dogme discussion . Browsing the other posts written by members of the Dogme list about IWBs, it becomes clear that some of these teachers have had as much experience of and interest in using an interactive whiteboard as Paolo Freire had of playing with a Nintendo Gameboy. Then there are others that have formed opinions based on observing sales reps. giving ten minute demonstrations of the technology at conferences.
(...)
Conclusions
So, what was the result of all this debate? I'm pleased to say that some of the Dogme die-hards have been prompted to take another look at the technology. And if we can persuade organisations to invest more in training teachers how to use the interactive whiteboard well, then this will do a great favour to teachers and learners who find themselves having to use it. Will all teachers have to use one in the future? Who knows? I have started to see "experience in using an IWB" appearing in some of the job advertisements for teachers, and I think we will see more of this in the future. So long as the potential of this fabulous tool is not wasted by misuse and methodological abuse.
I confess that I have never had the opportunity to use it in a real teaching situation, but have used them in two workshops I held in Brasília and Campo Grande. The feeling in both occasions was the same: I was really intimidated by this technology and afraid that pressing the wrong key would ruin my presentations (well, and I must admit that if I hadn't had minders to help me, this would have happened, hehehe...)
I don't have a formed opinion on that, and the debate around it is pretty interesting. So, I've decided to post two texts with different points of view on the use of the IWBs in the ELT classroom.
Below you can see some extracts of a text written by Graham Stanley and posted on http://blog-efl.blogspot.com/
The Interactive Whiteboard - white elephant or teacher's pet?
The Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) is a technology that promises to truly transform the classroom and yet is seen as a threat or a waste of money by many teachers. Their views range from luddite, regarding the introduction of any teaching technology as unnecessarily contaminating the classroom to the (more reasonable) preoccupation that this tool will lead to a overly teacher-focused environment and a group of learners passively sitting dazzled by the bells and whistles used by the sage on the stage.It doesn't have to be that way though. In this post, I will reflect upon the recent discussion on the Dogme (teaching unplugged) list about the pros and cons of IWBs, and put forward the view that the key to a successful IWB implementation is in the training, something which seems to be missing when many organisations unpack and install these shiny new toys.
A good workman never blames his tools
Before I continue, let's stop and take a look at the tool itself. There are many different types of IWBs, but features are similar (consult the Wikipedia entry on Interactive Whiteboards for further details).The market leaders at the moment are Promethean, Smart and Mimio. These manufacturers make IWBs which have similar features (but with some important distinctions) but it is important to note that the software used by each company is not compatible.
(...)
Interactive White Elephant
The discussion on the Dogme (teaching unplugged) list began when Scott Thornbury appealed to its members for "ammunition" after calling the IWB an 'interactive white elephant' during a conference in Brazil.It wasn't the first time that the subject of IWBs had appeared in the Dogme list. Previously, in April 2007, Alan Pulverness had mentioned that there was a tendency for "the technology to produce a more frontal style of teaching, and consequently fewer opportunities for genuine interaction."I think this is true if teachers are let loose without any training on how to use the IWB effectively. One of the ironic things about the IWB is that although it resembles a tool that is familiar to all teachers, it requires a sea change in methodology if it is to be used optimally in the classroom. Of course, you can use it in the same way as any other (black or white) board (i.e. by walking into class and writing on it without any prior preparation), but this is akin to using a truck to drive to the corner shop for groceries and coming back home with a bottle of milk and a tin of baked beans. Strangely enough, writing on an IWB during class time takes longer than on a regular whiteboard, and you'll probably not be able to fit as much on the board. And as for those teachers who are used to sectioning a board with part for class agenda and space for vocabulary? This is a waste of space and time on the IWB, especially as you have unlimited number of pages to flip back and forth through whenever you want. And there's no need to make students wait while you write something from a coursebook on the board - you should have done that before the students even entered the room. Breaking old teacher habits that have no place and make no sense when using this tool is as important as experimenting with new ways of using it.It should come as no surprise that training and practice are the keys to using the IWB effectively. The interactive whiteboard is not cheap technology, but this is one of the hidden costs. Another is a need for increased technical support in situ, but as far as learner impact is concerned, the sure way to drive a stake through the heart of an IWB project is to try to cut costs in training. But, because it looks like a reglular board, there is a temptation for organisations to hand teachers a pen and let them get on with it. This results in the learners losing out. Back to the Dogme discussion . Browsing the other posts written by members of the Dogme list about IWBs, it becomes clear that some of these teachers have had as much experience of and interest in using an interactive whiteboard as Paolo Freire had of playing with a Nintendo Gameboy. Then there are others that have formed opinions based on observing sales reps. giving ten minute demonstrations of the technology at conferences.
(...)
Conclusions
So, what was the result of all this debate? I'm pleased to say that some of the Dogme die-hards have been prompted to take another look at the technology. And if we can persuade organisations to invest more in training teachers how to use the interactive whiteboard well, then this will do a great favour to teachers and learners who find themselves having to use it. Will all teachers have to use one in the future? Who knows? I have started to see "experience in using an IWB" appearing in some of the job advertisements for teachers, and I think we will see more of this in the future. So long as the potential of this fabulous tool is not wasted by misuse and methodological abuse.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Interesting Websites
Here's the list of websites from the workshop Using the Internet to Boost your Classes. I've added some other interesting things as well...
Dave’s ESL Café - www.eslcafe.com
Teaching English - www.teachingenglish.org.uk
Teacher’s TV - www.teachers.tv
English Made in Brazil - www.sk.com.br
The Distance DELTA - www.thedistancedelta.com
ABC Teach – www.abcteach.com
ESL Lounge - www.esl-lounge.com
Lanternfish - bogglesworldesl.com
Magazines Plus! – maryglasgowmagazines.com/teachers
VOA News Special English - www.voanews.com/specialenglish
Teacher’s Pet – www.teachers-pet.org
Wikispaces - www.wikispaces.com
Our Wiki – http://vikirme.wikispaces.com/
Blogger - https://www.blogger.com/start
Maristella’s Blog - http://aboutusall.blogspot.com
An ELT Notebook - http://eltnotebook.blogspot.com/
Karin's ESL Partyland - http://www.eslpartyland.com/
Humanizing Language Teaching - http://www.hltmag.co.uk/
The Seven Types of Intelligence - http://professorlamp.com/ed/TAG/7_Intelligences.html
Breaking News English - http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/
United Nations Cyber Schoolbus - http://www.cyberschoolbus.un.org/index.shtml
Dave’s ESL Café - www.eslcafe.com
Teaching English - www.teachingenglish.org.uk
Teacher’s TV - www.teachers.tv
English Made in Brazil - www.sk.com.br
The Distance DELTA - www.thedistancedelta.com
ABC Teach – www.abcteach.com
ESL Lounge - www.esl-lounge.com
Lanternfish - bogglesworldesl.com
Magazines Plus! – maryglasgowmagazines.com/teachers
VOA News Special English - www.voanews.com/specialenglish
Teacher’s Pet – www.teachers-pet.org
Wikispaces - www.wikispaces.com
Our Wiki – http://vikirme.wikispaces.com/
Blogger - https://www.blogger.com/start
Maristella’s Blog - http://aboutusall.blogspot.com
An ELT Notebook - http://eltnotebook.blogspot.com/
Karin's ESL Partyland - http://www.eslpartyland.com/
Humanizing Language Teaching - http://www.hltmag.co.uk/
The Seven Types of Intelligence - http://professorlamp.com/ed/TAG/7_Intelligences.html
Breaking News English - http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/
United Nations Cyber Schoolbus - http://www.cyberschoolbus.un.org/index.shtml
Monday, August 18, 2008
Two months later
Well, first of all, I'd like to apologize to those who have been waiting for this post for so long. I definitely should have posted before, but things have been hectic!
Without further ado, the suggestions teachers made at the workshop held in Brasília on May 30th.
BTW, teachers came up with these ideas at the workshop Quick Activities for Busy Teachers
Activity 1 - "Find your Partner"
Debbie and Laura suggested teachers could use 
this activity as a matching exercise, using pictures and captions,
jokes and punchlines...
Raquel suggested teachers could use occupations and their descriptions in this activity. One group of students have an occupation (e.g.: dentist) and the others have to ask "Do you...?" questions to guess the occupation.
Otavio: "Stick names on students' backs so they have to find out who they are". Very interesting idea!
Lilian also suggested teachers could use professions in this matching game, but she added that nationalities and families (using possessives) could be used as well.
Magda came up with a very nice idea: she has actually used food combinations in this type of activity: bread and butter, Coke and fries... isn't it a great warm-up activity when teaching food and drinks?
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
After a long, long winter... some jokes about teachers!
I'm back! I don't know if anyone will keep reading this blog, but I'm back anyway, hehehe...
I feel like writing again, and I even received an ad proposal (!!!) for this blog, which I refused... it didn't make much sense!
I miss having contact with other teachers... I've abandoned several teaching communities on Orkut for several reasons I'd rather not discuss here, but I miss talking about teaching with other teachers.
But let's laugh a little bit:
Joke #1:
(My comment: that's my favorite joke... sorry if I have published that somewhere else!)
A mom and dad were worried about their son not wanting to learn math at the school he was in, so they decided to send him to a Catholic school. After the first day of school, their son comes racing into the house, goes straight into his room and slams the door shut.
Mom and dad are a little worried about this and go to his room to see if he is okay. They find him sitting at his desk doing his homework. The boy keeps doing that for the rest of the year. At the end of the year the son brings home his report card and gives it to his mom and dad. Looking at it they see under math an A+.
Mom and dad are very happy and ask the son, 'What changed your mind about learning math?'
The son looked at mom and dad and said, 'Well, on the first day when I walked into the classroom, I saw a guy nailed to the plus sign at the back of the room behind the teacher's desk and I knew they meant business."
Joke #2:
The child comes home from his first day at school. Mother asks, "What did you learn today?"
The kid replies, "Not enough. I have to go back tomorrow."
Joke #3:
Teacher: Tim, you missed school yesterday, didn't you?
Tim: Not a bit!
(My comment: Huahuahuahuahuahua)
More jokes about teachers? http://www.workjoke.com/projoke80.htm
Friday, December 28, 2007
A poem
I've always loved the poem below, and it's very appropriate for this moment in my life.
The Road Not Taken
Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference...
I'm back with a confession
Hi!
Please don't think I've abandoned the blog... I have been thinking about it since its last post. The thing is, so much has changed in my life that I simply didn't have neither the time or the energy to post.
Most people know I've changed jobs. Yeah, I've quit teaching at the big school... though I still love teaching. I must confess I was really, really sick and tired of students and of the place itself! The bitter irony is that I started to enjoy teaching back in 1994 because I realized how much I liked being with people, learning from them and sharing knowledge and experiences with them. But I was so upset that when I was offered a new job, it took me 15' to take it, hehehehe...
The new job is very nice... the salary is quite decent, but the greatest motivation comes from the job itself. Professionally, I always need to face challanges, and a position with a publisher has provided loads of learning opportunities. I had never had a 9 to 5 job. I had never had a desk. I had never had a name tag and procedures to follow. OK, all these things sound stupid, but I'm having to get adapted to these everyday things that are quite normal for people who have regular jobs. It was quite tiring at first, because I'm so defensive --- that's something I haven't been able to change in my behavior --- and in the first month I felt I had someone watching my every movement over my shoulders, although I know that these watchful eyes actually came from inside.
Well, I'm loving it and having a great time there. I'm on vacation now and will be back to work on Jan2nd. I'll keep posting here, maybe not only about teaching and/vs. technology, but also about a lot of other things.
Please don't think I've abandoned the blog... I have been thinking about it since its last post. The thing is, so much has changed in my life that I simply didn't have neither the time or the energy to post.
Most people know I've changed jobs. Yeah, I've quit teaching at the big school... though I still love teaching. I must confess I was really, really sick and tired of students and of the place itself! The bitter irony is that I started to enjoy teaching back in 1994 because I realized how much I liked being with people, learning from them and sharing knowledge and experiences with them. But I was so upset that when I was offered a new job, it took me 15' to take it, hehehehe...
The new job is very nice... the salary is quite decent, but the greatest motivation comes from the job itself. Professionally, I always need to face challanges, and a position with a publisher has provided loads of learning opportunities. I had never had a 9 to 5 job. I had never had a desk. I had never had a name tag and procedures to follow. OK, all these things sound stupid, but I'm having to get adapted to these everyday things that are quite normal for people who have regular jobs. It was quite tiring at first, because I'm so defensive --- that's something I haven't been able to change in my behavior --- and in the first month I felt I had someone watching my every movement over my shoulders, although I know that these watchful eyes actually came from inside.
Well, I'm loving it and having a great time there. I'm on vacation now and will be back to work on Jan2nd. I'll keep posting here, maybe not only about teaching and/vs. technology, but also about a lot of other things.
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