WEEK 9

My Final Project Plan is in! I turned it in this Friday at 11:57 am., Oregon time. I wish I had had time to go over it at least one more time.  However, that's the way the cookie crumbles. I know first hand that late submissions are heavily penalized.  In the fall semester, I will carry out my plan to have my students create their own blogs and interact with eachother throughout my Advanced 1 English course.  The objective is to foster learner autonomy and to improve reading and writing skills through free and creative writing. I will continue to learn about technology by making periodic searches in the Internet and by having idea share workshops with the teachers in my language department.

This week we read about implementing technology taking into consideration Multiple Intelligences and Learning Styles. In Education as in Health, it is wholesome that we, as teachers, procure a balanced diet for our students. In the New York Times article: Forget What You Know About Good Study Habits by Benedict Carey, the author states that when the outside context is varied, the information is enriched. Varying the type of material seems to leave a deeper impression on the brain, forcing it to make multiple associations. The suggestion is that variety is what counts and this is where technology comes to the aid by opening for us a vast range of both context and materials.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/07/health/views/07mind.html?_r=3&ref=benedict_carey

PBL (Project Based Learning) is perhaps the best way to achieve variety. PBL can be designed for individualized or collaborative learning. Auditory and visual elements are easily integrated, as well as metacognitive tasks. Organizing the project, looking for information, sharing it with team members are all actions well suited for the Kinesthetic learner. The websites and technological tools that we have learned about in this course can all be used in PBL.

Next week is the last of our Building Teaching Skills Through the Interactive Web course. "Time flies when you're having fun!"







Central Building Universidad Panamericana,
campus Guadalajara

                                                                                                      The Kiosk