Friday, 1 February 2008

REFLECTION ON OUR GROUP’S PRESENTATION

REFLECTION ON OUR GROUP’S PRESENTATION
Our group have just finished our presentation. Though there will be many things to do with the projects, anyway it’s done.

The group's turn was to present in the afternoon, so our classmates should have tired because they experieced a long time for sitting and listening, and so did not have many question for us except two from Ms. Tien and Mr. Thuan. Maybe, it was unlucky for us ^_^

Nevertheless, there was one thing we didn’t satisfy with our presentation today. We intended to give an intersting presentation to our class with many links to websites to prove for our activities but unluckily the internet dropped. Therefore, we felt we could not deliver all things we want especially things that we had to take much time to prepare. God did not bless us properly. But we soon get bounce again to continue with things in front and importantly Marta – our beloved teacher remarked that we all have done a good job except some things which had to be changed a little to make the lesson more reasonable.

We all promise to try hard to make a good project.

Thursday, 31 January 2008

Sites for pedagogical purposes

2 websites good for teacher's development:

Global English http://www.global-english.com/ This website is good for teacher, giving tips for teaching English at different levels with technology aids such as video and podcast resources.

English-to-go http://english-to-go.com/ There are assistance for teacher in planning the lessons, designing tasks, resources, and forums for discussing and sharing experience in teaching. For students, the web help them to have more pratice in EAP.


2. websites good for teaching and learning language:

Puzzlesmaker www.puzzlesmaker.com This site is very good for making exercises such as crosswords, puzzles, word search games in a very short time, save the time a lot.

NCELTR ESL site http://www.nceltr.mq.edu.au/eslsites.html This site provides a wide variety of exercises for students to practice.

Wednesday, 30 January 2008

It was a hard day!!!

It was a hard day yesterday. I tried to pay much attention to the teacher’s instructions, but eve thing seemed impossible. Oh my God! How could I deal with this monster (Audio). My eyes, my mind were dull. I couldn’t see things clearly. Fortunately, I am luckily learning in a friendly environment. Thanks to the enthusiastic help of my beloved friends, I little by little come back to the present; I am getting slow steps of progression. In spite of my incompletion of computer, my mind is changing. I see this field play a very essential part in my coming teaching. It can help me save a large sum of time compared with the traditional listening teaching; classroom will be more interesting, motivating, and cooperative. Students as well as teacher are really relaxed. Besides, it also creates a competitive learning environment among students. I am trying to keep pace with my teacher- friends. Do you think I can overcome this “hard” course?
Nguyen Cao Thang

Some lines about teaching.

How many births have been celebrated and deaths have mourned through the centuries according to the natural evolution of life and time, but the roles and duties of a teacher is very important as well as respectable. After our deaths, this spirit will abide in those who follow us, share our recollections that have been transcended from many conscientious teachers. This mental treasure increases year after year, and cements slowly but solidly this eternal attachment between us and our followers and this precious career.
Quang Nhat

Why "Spring in Vietnam"?

It is out of the question that no other seasons in a year are as charming as the spring. Who is more beautiful than the lady that comes from the East, thinly clothed in a light scented transparent garment, making the nature awaken from the long winter sleep? She holds a bundle of rose marries, bright with yellow apricot blossoms. We would rather lie under the cooling breeze of wind, with her in the garden and the trees are rustling their leaves, when the dew is still upon the verdure; wander with her in the soft twilight to hear the laughter rampant. We want to spend sweet hours, listening to the melodious songs of sparrows, when the fragrance of every flower and plant perfume the air, when nothing can disturb the cheerful and excited atmosphere!!!
They are the reasons that strongly convinced us to choose this name – an elegant, youthful, and promising name for a group that has experienced some ups and downs before getting together.
Quang Nhat

OPTION3: ESL WEBSITE EXPLORATION

http://pw.vsb.bc.ca/library/eslexp.html#process

Final evaluation


WEBQUEST AND PEDAGOGY

Question 1: What is WebQuest?

WebQuest is "an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the internet, optionally supplemented with videoconferencing" (Dodge, 1995a; Dodge, 1995b).

Question 2: What are the essential components of a WebQuest?

Introduction
Task
Process
Evaluation
Resources


Question 3: What do short-term and long-term WebQuest focus?

The instructional goal of a short term WebQuest is knowledge acquisition and integration
Longer Term WebQuest: extending and refining knowledge



Question 4: What are the benefits of the Webquest?


WebQuests will motivate our students with:

  • Complex and controversial real-world issues
  • Real world, up-to-date resources on the Web (from experts, current reporting, and/or fringe groups)
  • Results of student work can be posted or sent to real people for feedback and evaluation.
  • Students work in cooperative learning groups which mirror real-life situations.
  • Active learning, critical thinking, and problem solving
  • Navigation. It provides a goal and focus for student energies and it makes concrete the curricular intentions of the designer. They will need to commit themselves to a lifelong process of learning, honoring multiple perspectives and evaluating information before acting on it.
  • Innovative way to integrate World Wide Web with tangible and hi-tech task.
WebQuests are rooted in learning theory and teaching practice
  • Concrete instructional objectives and tasks.
  • Saves teachers time and effort.
  • Allows teachers to see at a glance the quality of the webquest through the rating system
  • Allows teachers to see at a glance the content of the webquest through the Educational description of the tasks and the Year/Grade suitability.
  • Gives teachers new resources each week via email. These resources include 10 Educational sites listing lesson plans, ideas and other resources as well as the 10 best WebQuests reviewed that week
Adopted http://www.webquestdirect.com.au/whysubscribebenefits.asp

Question 5: How to create WebQuest?
  1. Login to your account and go to your admin panel
  2. Click on the main 'Manage Posts' tab. Below that tab you will see a sub tab called 'Categories'. Click on the 'Categories' tab.
  3. Scroll down the page until you see the 'Add New Category' heading.
  4. Click into the Name field and add "1. Introduction". NB - Please ensure you include the figure 1. as this ensures the categories are ordered correctly'
  5. Underneath that field you will see the 'Category Parent' dropdown box. Click on the dropdown box and select the 'None' option.
  6. In the bottom right hand corner, click on the 'Add Category' box.
  7. Your new category has now been added.
  8. Repeat steps 4 and add:
    2. Task
    3. Process
    4. Resources
    5. Evaluation
    6. Conclusion
    Please not that until you actually put a post into those categories they will NOT display on your website.

Compiles from
http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/webquests/index.html
http://webquest.sdsu.edu/about_webquests.html

10 criteria for a good pedagogical website

10 criteria for a good pedagogical website

1. Language-learning potential
2. Learner fit
3. Positive impact
4. Authenticity
5. Practicality
6. Meaningful and contextualized presentation
7. The vocabulary and subject matter are appropriate for the target audience
8. Items are written well and free of typographical and other errors
9. How well the site design facilitates student learning
10. Support for human-human and computer-human interactivity

And here is the website that is interesting and useful in both learning and teaching English

BREAKING THE ICE!!!

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Ladies and Gentlemen, the resplendent road beckons! On behalf of the most diligent and prestigious teachers, we are grateful to present here all of our optimum and ideas in language teaching and learning process. You have never in your imagination ridden beside elegant and noble ideas as such be demonstrated below to come to your own senses. We gaze at the simple teaching theories and techniques and see the secret perfect holiness of teaching career. We believe that we can lay down the melancholy burden of sanity and sally forth into the world of teaching with curiosity to right all wrongs. We have elevated all men in their self-learning and acquisiton process. Hence, we are no longer plain teachers but the dauntless volunteers with outstanding breakthrough. We are humbled of being given the privilege of such opulent place!!! Please find hereby enclosed the contact details of our nobled members if you by any chance favor any ideas acquainted:
Nguyễn Quang Nhật– 3023636

Phạm Thị Thùy Lan – 3016053

Nguyễn Thị Xuân Mai – 3023631

Nguyễn Cao Thắng - 3010561

Thank you for giving our ideas a serious consideration and it takes us a pleasure to share with thou all valuable experience on this ongoing profession
.