WEEK 10: Time to Say Goodbye

After 18 years spent teaching, I became a student again for 10 weeks. These weeks were hectic, so very demanding but imagine the feeling of satisfaction that one feels after completing a laborious task. I feel it. I feel that the course has helped me in my professional development not only as a simple teacher but as a teacher of the 21st century.                      

Yes, I  really can redefine my teaching methods, shift gradually from the traditional method of teaching to  more learner centered one. Together with my fellow online learners, we have discovered an unimaginable world of possibilities; a new world that promotes learner autonomy, that eases the teacher's life and that encourages the learner to develop an interest in language learning.

Far too many people relegate language learning and teaching to the second position. What's the use? There are more important subjects to learn: the Sciences, Maths and many others. This same line of thought is passed on to the learners. Consequently, as language teachers, we have to finally do our best to keep our class 'alive', fight boredom, passivity, dropouts and many other problems associated with language classes. An unresponsive class has an effect on the teacher too. What now with Web Quests, PPTs, online exercises, blogs, padlets, online forums? We have many tools at our disposal to revolutionize language teaching. And what would be the use of all these if we do not know our learners? Getting to work on a plan to know what type of learners we have, finding the appropriate tools to work with in class is a good start I think. When we are making use of the different tools available, we are bringing ourselves down to the world of our learners. If we remain high up on the ladder due to the position that we occupy in class, it will be very difficult to reach our learners and finally, teaching will not serve its purpose at all. 

I believe in my students. I believe that I can reach them through technology- they are all so very comfortable with all the devices. If I try to pull them up to my level, I will not achieve anything- no learning will finally take place at the end of the day. They will probably end up attending the class just because they are forced to do it, be passive in class and will  certainly develop a strong dislike for the subject. Up to me now to bring the change, get the support of my willing colleagues...

Of course it is now time to say good bye to all of you my online friends. We have been in the same boat for 10 fruitful weeks. We are all so very far away, yet we share the same interests, the same concerns for our learners. I wish all of you best of luck in your teaching career and thank you for all your enlightened thoughts on the forum. Thank you Courtney. I did it with your help, your positive advice (which reminds me that I must always praise my learners- they will be more productive). 

I hope I am not being too stereotyped here but I also wish to thank my colleagues from the English Department who have always inquired about my progress during the course. A 10-week course for some but an achievement for me. As Seneca says: "Life is a play: it's not the length, but the excellence of the acting that matters." The acting is also made possible by those who work backstage. My backstage favorite: my sweet family. Your collaboration while I was working on the task made it all possible: omnipresent mum and dad to relieve me of some tasks. My three children who manipulate the computer like all kids of the 21st century: daughter Neha , my 13-year old source of inspiration, Keshav my 10 year old son, my strength at all times and my little cutie pie, soon to be 4 years old son, Aarav, who always wanted to have a look when I was completing the tasks. And I did not forget you dear husband... my support. You have a very busy time table, yet you are always here for me.You are the first language teacher whom I am going to share my new skills with... 

And Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to all of you!     

WEEK 9:Learning Styles and Technology

When I reflect on my teaching methods, I wonder whether I have given much importance to the learning styles of my learners. Or have I all along taught them according to my own style or rather according to what would ease my life in class? Teaching is not an easy task. But if I plan my work correctly according to the type of learners I have in class, if I get the expected response from the learners, how rewarding it will be!    

A line from the poem, " My Heart Leaps up when I Behold' by William Wordsworth comes to my mind here: 'The Child is the father of the Man'. We are teaching what will be the future generations, the future leaders of tomorrow, the citizens of the world. A great responsibility indeed! So let's do it correctly. Let shape individuals who will live up to the expectations of the 21st century, individuals who can take part in decision-making processes, who can be active members in society...And it all starts in class. The learning styles of the learner is important. Technology is available to ease our life so that we can conduct classes that take into account the styles of our learners. It would have been difficult in the past; would have been tiring to cater for the needs of one and all. The solution today lies a 'mouse-click' away. Let us revolutionize teaching !

We encounter and we will encounter all types of learners: those who talk a lot and those who don't, those who share ideas and those who prefer more personal work, those learn by doing first and those who learn after reading it first. The class is like a market place where you are going to find fruits and vegetables of all kinds, of different colors and taste. Technology is fortunately at our disposal to bring all of these together and cater to the needs of everyone in class. We can make use of online forums for discussions, emails, printouts, flashcards, online exercises blogs and so many more. The possibilities are numerous.

As mentioned in the different readings for the week, many among us have carried on with the class taking into account our own learning style. Drop outs, poor attendance, students not responding to the class are the immediate results of this. We take the learners for granted too often. Technology provides us with the means to change and the right time to change is NOW!

WEEK 8

When I read the posts of my online fellow learners, I realize that all of  you have gone through a very busy Week 8. I am no exception to the rule. Between the first draft of the final project to write, the discussion and the other tasks awaiting us, I felt that it had been a very fruitful and instructive week.

We had to deal with Online Tools to Enhance Learning. After the different readings and checking the sites which provide tools to help the educators and the learners, I can say that I was really kind of lagging behind when it came to integrating technology in my classes. With such a multitude of tools available, one can completely change one's way of teaching- for the very best. We have the means to reach the learners, provide them with tools so that in the end, they like what they are doing.

I was particularly impressed by these two sites:

•  http://www.toolsforeducators.com/ and                                      

•    Hot Potatoes-http://hotpot.uvic.ca/  

These offer much in terms of online and offline exercises.Hot Potatoes is simple and fun to use and will certainly please my learners. We can use this tool to prepare online 'gap fill exercises' , quizzes, matching exercises and many more. The answers are generated automatically and the learner will not have to wait to know about his score.

Of course, I need to speak about the first draft of my final project. It was a very challenging task but in the end, I could make it. I will try to integrate technology in my classes next year and implement the project. My only wish is that it works and let's hope that my students develop an interest for literature. With the support of the administration and my colleagues, I am sure that things will work out fine and we can work towards integrating technology in our classes.