1st International ELT Conference

        Hello everyone!

          Today is an important day for me as it's the first time that I've attended an ELT conference named ''Shifting Paradigms  and Minds: The Implications of Innovations in ELT.'' It was held in Yıldız Technical University. I was waiting  impatiently to attend the conference. I had a good time there. Now, I want to share my experiences with you.

          First, we listened to Adrian Underhill's speech which is named ''The Jazz of ELT.'' As we know that all teachers prepare lesson plan before coming to the class. And, they always stick to this plan. When unexpected things happen, they don't know what to do. And, depart from the plan. The same happens when jazz improvisers depart from the jazz music. In jazz, no one knows what's going to happecn next. In ELT, spontaneity is very important. Because, while a teacher is listening to his student, he should think of the answer at the same time. He describes listening as a queen of skills. He talked about John Fanselow's notion of ''Do the opposite.'' which means to break the rules so that a teacher can be alert in the class.
         I learned that  a teacher should reflect on himself and be open to innovations. Also, he should be prepared for unexpected situations in the class.
        At the end of his speech he sang a song which he named  ''Reflective Practice Blues'' with his guitar and I enjoyed it so much. I liked his speech. When I talked to him, he was so kind and asked me what I thought about his speech.
          Then, we listened to  Garry Motteram's speech on Innovations Learning Technologies for ELT. First of all, he talked about historical stages of technolgy up to now. His speech was familiar to me as we've already learned the technlogical tools that he talked about in our lessons  this term. He emphasized the role of technology in these days is undeniable and we should keep up with it.
         

     

   

Glogster

Hi everyone!

   This week we had an easy and enjoyable task Glogster. In this project we were supposed to work in pairs and I worked with Teodora in this project. We created an online poster and we showed what 21st century communication meant to us. We found sites which are related to our topic. Then, we put their logo and add web addresses of each logo.

   Actually, I liked Glogster, As it is so simple to use and very beneficial for EFL learners. I'll definitely use glogster with my students in the future. I may want them to create their online poster. For example, they can create a poster about their hometown by using pictures, or they can talk about their best friend. I can change the topics regarding their ages, their interests or their point of view. And, I am sure they'll love it.

   Thank you. I'll keep blogging.

Digital Storytelling

  Hi everyone!

  This week our project is to create a digital story. I must admit, it was the most difficult project that I have ever had so far. Luckily, I worked with my dear friend Teodora in this project.

   First of all, we wrote the script of the story. I think it was the hardest part. Because, we spent so much time on it. We had lots of different ideas for the story. But, we had to choose one of them and do our best.  As the story wouldn’t be so long, we kept it short as much as possible. We created our main characters, climax for the story.

   After writing the script, we had to find relevant photos for the story. As we both aren’t good at drawing, we photocopied lots of pictures from our colorful books. Then, we cut them and put our story.

   We used pipets to move our characters, but, unfortunately, whenever we opened video recorder and start to tell our story, the pictures fell down. We got annoyed a little bit. Because, it took our time. We glued the pictures on pipets again and again. But, they fell so many times. And, it was driving us crazy. Then, immediately we found a solution to this problem.

       Eight hours later, finally we finished the project and we were so tired because of doing the project without stopping a second. But, anyway, we were able to finish it. Yes, it was a long and tiring process. But, indeed we had so much fun, and enjoyed it. 

       I am aware that I talked too much. But,also I wan to share something with you. After finishing our project, Teodora and I wanted to take a video to explain the process, to remember it and smile it later. While we were recording ourselves, suddenly video recorder turned off and everything we recorded was deleted. We couldn’t find our videos. We got anxious, and thought we had to do it again. After a few phone calls J we opened and closed the recorder. And, when we opened it up again, we saw all our videos were in it. We were relieved and we sighed. Finally, this adventure was over.

    It was a long, tiring and hard project, but I enjoyed it. And, definitely I want to use it with my students in the future.
      Here is my video. I hope you like the story that we created. Take care!


Digital Storytelling Project: Henry The Brave from Theodora on Vimeo.

Let's Watch Ted Talks

 
  Hello everyone,

While I was looking for helpful videos on teaching, I found a video by Chris Emdin. He is a science advocate who uses hip-hop to make better teachers.
Chris Emdin believes traditional education theory is failing students. That's why he founded Science Genius B.A.T.T.L.E.S. (Bring Attention to Transforming Teaching, Learning and Engagement in Science), which takes the techniques for self-expression and engagement used in hip-hop into the classroom. At first, it seemed weird to me. Seeing that most of the rappers are self confident and they use their body language effectively to take audience's attention, it is not impossible. Yes, it looks a little bit strange, but I think it's worth to try.
  

My Comic Strip

Hello everyone! Here is my comic strip with one of my favourite cartoon character Garfield. I didn't  have any difficulties while I was doing it. Because, it was so simple to use and enjoyable. As you see I used an idiom in my comic strip. And, I think it is very helpful for EFL learners to learn English idioms in this way. They prepare such comic strips so that they can't forget these idioms, and keep them in their mind.
If you want to create your Garfield comic strip you can click here.

Kid President’s 20 Things We Should Say More Often

Here is my cute and clever Kid President, Robby Novak again. He is such a self-confident and lovely boy that I can't help myself admire him. I am sharing another video of him. Hope you like him too.

Kid President’s 20 Things We Should Say More Often - TeacherTube

My Kid President Candidate :)

Hi again!
    Here is my kid president.

    "Don't stop believing unless your dream is stupid. Then, you should get a better dream."
   

Using Websites in Education

Hi everyone!
      This week we are supposed to create a puzzle, a comic strip or a timeline for our project.  I chose Puzzle Maker  for this project. I haven't had any problems because the website is very simple and helpful. Teachers may want to use it because it is so simple and clear. And, also it doesn't take much time for them. They can use it with their students, for example introducing new vocabulary items or they can give assignments to their students. Students can also use it by themselves. And, I think they can have a good time accomplishing the task.
       I've tried the other choices and they are so simple to use.
Here is my puzzle.

Webquest Evaluation

Hello everyone!

      This week’s project is webquest evaluation. I chose a webquest from Zunal. I think it is very beneficial for not only students but also teachers.

      I chose the webquest which is named 1960s theme party. In the welcome page, the project is described briefly, explaining what students are supposed to do. Students are asked to prepare a food list, a song list, a guest list, suitable decoration that reminds 1960s, with a 200 dollars budget.

     In the introduction page, students are asked to get ready for the party. The introduction draws learners’ attention and interest describing the project clearly. A video is shared at the bottom of the page, which I've found pretty good, to show famous bands, singers, fancy stars in their most beloved movies, clothing, different hair styles on those days. Also, they are asked to have a look at their books to remember a few things related to the 1960s. A reference is made to build learner’s prior knowledge and prepare the learner for the next lesson.

     In the task page, students are wanted to work in pairs. Their duties are given, divided into four. Invitation designers, a master chief, a DJ, and decorators are needed for the party. Task is doable and engaging, and elicits thinking goes beyond rote comprehension.

     In the process page, an English- Greek online dictionary is recommended to the students to prevent waste of time. Then, detailed information about their duties is given step by step. Every step is clearly stated. Most students would know exactly where they are at each step of process and know what to do next.

     Firstly, invitation designers are supposed to find information about clothes, hair styles, and fashion of The Sixties. Then, they are supposed to use the Invitation Designer worksheet, and jot down their decisions about the number of guests, the time and the place of the party, and the clothes and hair style of their guests. Finally, they are supposed to visit Invitation Creator to prepare an invitation and write party details.

     Secondly, the Master Chef should choose a recipe from Recipes Site and create a list of food items, and write them on the Master Chef 1 worksheet. Then, the Master Chef should visit the Supermarket to buy food items with 100 dollars budget. And, the Master Chef should complete the table on the Master Chef 2 worksheet. 

     Thirdly, The DJ is supposed to read about Songs and Music from the 1960s. Then, he should try to find the most famous singers, bands, songs of the 1960s and keep notes on the DJ worksheet

     Finally, The Decorators should visit the Shop  and find items related to the party decoration and complete the shopping list on the worksheet Decor.

Activities are clearly related and designed to take the students from basic knowledge to higher level thinking. Different roles are assigned to help students understand different perspectives and share responsibility in accomplishing the task. 

     When it comes to the resources, there is a clear and meaningful connection between all the resources and the information needed for students to accomplish the task. 

Links make excellent use of the Web's timeliness and colorfulness. Varied resources provide enough meaningful information for students to think deeply.                    
                                                                                                          

     In the evaluation page, criteria for success are at least partially described. Students are asked to reflect on themselves.  

     At first, this project seemed a little bit boring to me. But, later I've found it is very enjoyable. I've learned 1960s’ music, fashion, hair style, etc. thanks to this project. I think I will use webquest with my dear students in the future. It enables them to think critically and broads their horizon.

                                                                                                      

                                                                                                                            Thank you!

Wiki Project: My Favourite Book

This week we are supposed to create a wiki page about our favourite book. I've really enjoyed with this project. I nearly haven't had any difficulties in writing. I've seen my other friends book reviews on the right column of the page. So, I've had some notions about lots of books from different genres. 

It is an undeniable truth that technology runs our lives in many aspects. So, we should get the most out of it. 

I will definitely use this project with my students when I become a teacher. I think it will broad their horizon. It helps them to gain reading habit. They will be open to new ideas. They share their experiences with their  friends so that they all can be familiar with different types of books.

I think this project helps EFL learners not only to share their own ideas but also get new information related to their field.

You can reach my wiki by clicking here

Podcast Project: The Flying Cake

I worked with my dear friend Teodora in this project. Actually hearing my own voice looked weird to me, but later I found out that it is beneficial for me to see how I pronounce the words.
At first, we couldn't decide on a specific topic for the story. But, after finding the topic it became easy to go on it. When we finished the story, we started to record it. And, we had so much fun. We recorded our voices several times to get the best record. I think podcasting helps EFL learners to be acquainted with different sounds. They record and listen their voices so that they can pronounce better for the next time. I will use podcasting with my students when I become a teacher.
Hope you like our podcast.
    

Hi everyone! Welcome to my brand new blog. I hope you will enjoy it!