Module 5 Activity 2 - Experiencing Educational Software

The various sites my colleagues posted were very informative.  There are a few of the sites I know but there a few I have never seen nor encountered before.  Those that I viewed were very informative and educational and would be very useful and helpful to  me.  I especially loved the sites with the games as my students would be very happy with these sites - they enjoy playing games.  While they are 'having fun' they would be learning at the same time.

Module 5 Activity 1 - Reflection on the value of Social Bookmarking

OK module 5 has started and I have no idea if I have bookmarked or added the sites correctly to the diigo page.  I am just winging it for now.  I have bookmarked pages (crochet patterns and other educational sites) on my computer before  never had I had them on a 'site'.  I am hoping I did the correct thing and when I get the hang of this I will be bookmarking everything and categorizing them.  It amazes me that everytime I think I have made a headway in using technology something comes along and stumps me out.  Anyway this is a learning process and I am glad I have this opportunity to learn.    

There are lots of advantages to be derived from bookmarking sites.  As teachers we can visit each other's sites to use them as teaching tools.  It would also be very handy to have and store these sites to come back to them when we need them.  The links can be placed into lists and this makes for easy retrieval at anytime. I am looking forward to the other activities!

Assignment 3

This assignment had me thinking for days how to approach section D and E.  Finally it dawned on me – I hope!  It was hard for me because at the same time I was busy with end of term activities – preparing CPEA report cards (sent from the Ministry) along with the school’s report books.  This took a lot from me.  I am still not finished with the module though I am yet to complete two activities and complete my blog.

While there was a lot of reading in this module that sometimes seem would never end (and most times I had to read the same thing more than once) the information was very useful.  I found dome new activities that my students enjoyed such as comparing and contrasting and the class discussion with the speaker holding the flashlight.  I would be incorporating them in my teaching more often.  There were also some suggestions on our group page that would be put into practice daily such as praising positive behaviours, conditioning negative behaviours and building students self esteem.  I would also try to show more interest in their personal lives.

Module 1 Activity 12 – Problem Solving Skills

Students should not be taken for granted when it comes to solving problems.  They become very stimulated and involved in the lesson and were very confident with their answers.  They felt good when they shared.  They added to each other’s ideas and it was an opportunity for me to see their thought patterns.  The final product of their work was very well done.  The posters, rhymes and jingles presented showed time, effort and careful thinking went into each group’s work.  These posters, jingles and rhymes can be proudly used by any marine conservation organization.

Module 1 Activity 11 - Encouraging Learners to ask Questions

This is the most enjoyable activity I have done for this module so far.  It was shocking to see the students' responses.  This lesson evoked a lot of feelings within the students.  They could not believe that our capital once looked like it did in picture A.  This prompted them to ask questions and participate actively in the lesson.  It was really a lesson where students showed enthusiasm and eagerness to participate.

This was the best lesson for the week so far and I could go as far as to say for the term.  I would be comparing and contrasting as long the the topic lends itself to it.  I want to see this kind of reaction  and the level of discussion from my students again. It was refreshing!

Module 1  Activity 10 - Promoting Discussion

For this activity I did a class discussion.   We discussed the Jackal and the Camel.  The story was an enjoyable one but more-so was the discussion.  The students said the jackal should not have howled after he finished eating but the camel was even more despicable because he should have left him on the island and maybe the villagers would have killed him.  To treat him that way was low-down and dirty.  The students developed respect for each others ideas and their listening skills were being developed as they listened to each other. They  also became problem solvers.    

Module 1 Activity 9 - What Questions do I ask and Why

When asking questions in our classes we should always be prepared to ask all different types of questions to stimulate the children, to test their memory, to test their understanding, to encourage them to share their feelings and ideas or to encourage them to think.  As a teacher we should always be prepare to rephrase the questions to allow students to answer.  We might not always get the answer we are looking for so the onus is on us to phrase our questions in such a way  to encourage whole class participation as some students do shy away from answering questions.  We must not only ask closed questions but we should also ask open ended questions and be wary not to criticize students' responses.