Week 7

Hello dear Cyber friends on the other side of the screen!

Another great week at Building Teaching Skills through the Interactive Web with the University of Oregon filled with learning and cooperative work with my mates at the course, here next read in the detail what I am talking about!

Learner Autonomy

We started our week by reading articles on Learner Autonomy, which came TRULY handy for my own research paper at Uni. I am a supporter of autonomy and always try to implement in my classes strategies oriented to the achievment of it. Two of the articles I enjoyed the most were Dimitrios Thanasoulas What is Learner Autonomy and How can it be Fostered? (link: http://iteslj.org/Articles/Thanasoulas-Autonomy.html) READ IT! It is so enlightening! Another of the authors suggested for this week readings was David Little (link: http://archive.ecml.at/mtp2/Elp_tt/Results/DM_layout/00_10/06/06%20Supplementary%20text.pdf) who presents an article on learner autonomy in which he combines the importance of this approach to the Common European Framework of Reference for Language and the European Language Portfolio and how the ELP supports “institutionally” the development of reflective learning skills.

The One Computer Classroom

On this matter, well, I have nothing much to say but, keep on dreaming, since We do not have computers in our classrooms at EIM, so, I had to create a hypothetical situation to implement an activity using a tool called Padlet (read below) in a One Computer class. What would I do? This is not the right question! The question would be “What wouldn’t I do!” but, ok, I discussed on the completion of an exercise in which students working in groups would present two solid arguments for one of my Terrorism topics (Oklahoma Bombing)

Class PadletAnd talking about tools and Padlet… well, people, this is great! This tool resembles a notice board accessible to all users in which you come and share your document, link, anything. It is so cool that I just have to suggest you visit the website. http://padlet.com/

I had some troubling adding my contribution to the Padlet, (!) and decided to publish an article related to discovering what type of learners we have in our rooms. I also added a video!

Our padlet looks like this: http://padlet.com/wall/l6unvzmlet

In search of a partner!

We are on the count down to the submission of our final project (in fact, as today we have 11 days left) by Wednesday I have to be sending to my partner the draft of my paper. Yes, people, I have a partner! It’s Valeria Evdash, from Tyumen State University in Siberia. (visit her blog at http://valeriaevdash.blogspot.ru/ and learn about her!) I asked her to be my partner and she kindly agreed. Week 8 it looks as a busy week, for a change! 

Looking forward reading your comments!