Week 10- My Reflections on My Broadened Horizons

Dear Friends from Team Janine,

A Hearty Good Morning to you all!

I am still not able to believe that even Week 10 is coming to a close. This is unbelievable. As it is said, good time passes quickly, so has happened with us.

From April 09 to today, June 15, we all travelled wonderfully on an academic journey.

During this journey, my biggest gain was to have for ever a teacher like Janine and friends like you from the different parts of the world.

When I joined this course, I had very little idea about the huge store of material and tools available for teachers and students. But during these ten weeks and in your esteemed company, I tried to learn many things.

For me, the revisit to all the four skills and a deep delving into it was the first major gain. It is because this is the very foundation of our profession.

Secondly, as far as the most successful areas are concerned, I feel that the understanding and the use of PBL, WebQuest and Rubric; Finding and using the different Search Engines, the drafting of Technology-Enhanced Lessons and knowing about the Management of Large Classrooms were the real learning gains.

I realized that rubistar and zunal for creation of rubrics, PBL and WebQuest were the most significant links. Moreover use of ANVILL,, creation of Interactive PPTs, creation of personal and class blog, sharing of links through Delicious Page, technological tools as per the Learning Styles of the Students and creation of games and tests through test-maker or crossword-puzzles were the tools that a teacher like me can never forget in this life and would love to use it wherever and whenever it will be possible to do so.

The course was so meticulously planned that I don’t think there was anything irrelevant.

Moreover, for me, it is not the end of the course. Rather, it is the end of just a pre-course training and the real course will start when my term will start in July.

So eager to try everything out,

With all the best wishes and warm regards to Janine, Team Oregon and my dear fellow friends and special thanks to Janine for guiding me during the course,

All cheers and Keep in touch…….

Shirish More

Week-09- Knowing about MI/LS and the Final Project

Dear Friends,

A warm Good Morning to all!

While reflecting on the gains of this week, I must state that it was again an enriching week.

In the first half of the Week, I was busy in giving final shape to my Final Project Plan Report. I must thank Mohini and Aida for being generous enough to accept me as their team member. Then my special thanks are due to Aida for being critical enough while assessing and reviewing my Draft Report and for giving invaluable suggestions. Thank you Aida!

While finalizing the Report, I was always thinking about its actual implementation. I felt a bit envious for all those Fellow teachers who got the chance of trying everything out and sharing the finding with others. I will have to wait a little longer and more painfully the Course will be over by that time.

Then I began my journey in the World of MI and LS.

As I shared with you all in my first blog that knowing about the Nine Intelligences and Different Learning Styles was kind of a discovery for me. It reminded me of my severe dearth of knowledge.

Entering into the MI/LS Zone of the Students can really be an eye-opener. Till date, I never thought of it. But now on, with the help of technology generated tools like quizzes, inventories or questionnaire, I may be able to find out the differences in the Learning Styles of my students. This will really help  me in planning and designing my Teaching Plan in a better way.

Moreover the awareness about the different MIs will be helpful in selecting and implementing some purposeful activities.

So let me try something new for me and my students……………….

Cheers

Shirish More

Technology and Learning Style-My Views

Dear Friends,

Good Morning!

This first half of Week 09 has come as a real eye-opener for me. After going through many scholarly and academically rich articles from Gardener, Felder and O’Connor, I felt that I know nothing about my students and have been teaching them as if they are statues of clay.

The concept of NINE INTELLIGENCES and its compulsory presence in every person with individual variations and combinations was an absolute discovery for me. With this, I also realized that it is not my students who are lagging behind the world. But it is there teacher, I, who should get his knowledge updated very quickly.

Then I read more about different learning styles and tried to understand the Felder-Silverman model of distinguishing the Learners.

The varied activities suggested for all types of students with the predominant intelligence among the Nine Intelligences are quite useful and suggestive enough to plan more like that.

I feel that the more I will read about it, the more it will be helpful to me in planning my Classroom strategies and designing activities for 130 students with varied intelligences.

Ever-eager to learn more…….

Cheers to all

Shirish More

Week 08- My Enriching Experiences

Dear Fellow Teachers,

A Warm Good Morning to you all!

Today, as I am writing this blog, I am again reminded of the fact that Good Time always passes quickly. Look, how quickly these 08 weeks have gone by. We were engrossed in enjoying this period of academic enrichment and the Time was sliding softly.  How can we ever forget this period.

Personally Week 08 was once again an enriching experience for me. In the first half of this week I was busy in finalizing the Draft Report of the Project Plan to be implemented in my Class.

Then I had a wonderful experience of going through ANVILL and having some discussion with Sir Jeff Magoto. Even his Article was enough to guide me through the process of handling ANVILL.

Then I had some fruitful discussion on the topic of using Online Tools in Classroom. For example, ANVILL’s different platforms like Voiceboard, Livechat, Forums, Quiz Tools, Surveys and Lesson Planning Templates all can be put to wonderful use in different stages in the Classroom. Along with my students, I wish to make the most out of it.

Then I went through some other Tools like Test-Maker, Crossword Puzzles and Tools for Educators and enjoyed trying them out briefly.

As far as my students (A) are concerned Technology is a rarity for them. In such a case whenever they always enjoy such lively things in their regular class (C), and welcome it with both hands. I hope that they would make use of different platforms and will be more motivated towards learning (B) and it will definitely result in their overall performance (D).

So overall it has been a great time this week knowing and learning about the resources which can supplement the traditional text-book.

Hoping to learn many more new things……..

Cheers for all!

Shirish More