CLASS 1: Internet Resources, Mind Maps & Digital Competence- January 12, 2016

                  

Today we had the first class about new technologies and I've already learned so much! We met our teacher Camino, who arrived explaining that we needed to get started right away because she had so much to teach us in such a short time. And classes are 4 hours! I can tell that this is going to be a very intense and useful subject that will give me a lot of tools that I can use as a teacher. I'm very excited!

We started off covering some basics about using DropBox, Google Drive and saving documents to "the cloud." I must admit that although I knew about these resources, I haven't personally used them, and so the work we did in class has been a very useful orientation for me. Storing documents in an online platform where you can always find them makes so much sense, not only because you avoid losing important work in case your computer crashes, but also because it is an easy way to keep everything organized and in one place. Very handy for busy teachers! The only drawback I can see is that if you are counting on accessing materials from DropBox or another online storage platform you may have a problem if you can't get the internet up in the classroom- as I've seen so many times in real-life situations. Better to always bring what you need for classroom presentation backed up on a pin-drive, so that if you can't get online in class you've got your materials at hand. As for Google Drive, I especially like that you can create shared documents and work collaboratively with others, making changes and seeing the changes others have made in real time, as well as having a record of various drafts. This is such a practical feature- especially for us graduate students who are creating presentations in pairs or groups. It's often not possible to meet in person to work, so this is something incredibly useful!

In the second part of class we read about digital competence and ICT competences, both for teachers and regular users. We then worked in small groups to create a mind map that explained different dimensions of digital competence, and how they are similar or different for teachers than for the general public. The different topics covered were:

Information, Communication, Content Creation, Safety, and Problem Solving.

I worked with Patri and Alba to make a mindmap using Lucid Chart about the topic of SAFETY, relating to digital competences. We included an analysis of the Lucid Chart tool and then each group presented their mind map and critique of the tool they'd used (Coggle, Mindomo, mindmup, lucidchart, mindmeister.)

My favorite part of the class was seeing the presentations of each group and learning about the advantages and disadvantages of different mind map tools. The mind maps were really impressive! Each tool seemed really distinct, and while I might not often use a tool like coggle, which makes a mind map that looks like a subway map, or tree-type diagram, for particular presentations it could be very appropriate.

Here is what my group created:

                                             Mind Map using LUCID CHART

Lucid chart advantages and disadvantages

From our point of view we consider this mindmap tool a very useful one due to the following reasons:

On the bright side this program presents different templates that people can use as a starting point of their own work; this templates are divided into different categories, which make the search of the ideal template much easier.

Moreover, Lucidchart is a cooperative program perfect for working in groups. People can work from their own computers at the same time, on the same piece of work, and you can see the changes that your mates are doing. It also provides a chat where people can talk at the same time they are working; which makes the work faster, in case any doubts occur.

However, it also has some disadvantages due to the fact that the space is limited, you just have one “page format” and in a way it marks out the area. Sometimes the tool is slow to react or awkward, making it slightly frustrating to work with.

Class 6: Symbaloo, Edmodo, Portfolio, Hurray!- February 9, 2016

Well, the last class has finally arrived and we will be on our way to becoming working teachers soon! 

Today we learned about a tool that I think is one of the most useful ones for teachers- Symbaloo- an individualized digital platform for saving and organizing bookmarked links. It sound simple, and it really is, but I feel so happy to know that I can organize all of my bookmarks and links in one easy-to-access place! I really enjoyed setting up my Symbaloo account, and I already feel like my life has changed for the better. Yayyyy Symbaloo!

Camino also showed us some things about Edmodo that will be useful. We learned how to set the language and how to set up groups or classes so that we could communicate and give assignments via the platform. I really like that there are digital learning environments like Edmodo that are password protected spaces so that you can present materials without worrying about violating students' privacy.

We also looked at and worked with webnode, a platform for creating web pages that seems quite handy  and easy to use.

Finally, Camino explained the portfolio that we have to turn in at the beginning of April. So this isn't exactly the end after all!

Final Reflection

Teaching is an art that is changing quickly, demanding that those who enter the profession are prepared to relate to a new generation of learners whose learning styles are evolving with the times. As English teachers, not only must we be experts in the language, we also need to be savvy at finding the best ways to motivate, inspire and engage our students. This means that, in addition to teaching sentence structure and the greatest points of English grammar, we know how to help students learn by using the best tools that new technologies have to offer.

When I look back at all of the things that I've learned in this course and what I've been able to accomplish in such a short amount of time, I'm honestly quite blown away! As I've already mentioned, I sometimes feel like a fish out of water when I encounter a new technology that I've never used before. I know that my learning curve is greater than someone's who has been born into the digital age and grown up using technology as part of their day to day life. It simply takes me more time to get the hang of new tools and use them with proficiency.

Before taking this course I had a working knowledge of Word, PowerPoint, blogging, podcasting, and photo and video editing. I hadn't used whiteboards, digital learning platforms, correction tools in Word, mind map tools, digital surveys or quiz creating sites like hot potatoes, quizlet, and kahoot. And I was, quite frankly, anti-Excel! Needless to say, this course has really opened my eyes to the possibilities that digital teaching tools have to help and enhance the teaching/learning experience. Many of my fears about new technologies have softened or dissolved, and I know that when I start my teaching career I will be well prepared to meet the demands of the modern EFL classroom.