The Most Coveted Gem

Hello Donna and Classmates

This week brought the things I had been waiting for. Before I came to know that I had been admitted to this course, I had written to AIE DE UO to seek their help for my thesis. Friends, I am working on the use of webtools to enhance the sociolinguistic competence of U.G. and P.G. students. Dr Dilip Barad encouraged me to deal with the topic; and he has always been there to help me. But you know one can not make others do what they can do themselves. However rich your language is, you cannot convey some innermost ideas which can only be explained through actions. I was dying to be a proud user of the webtools with which I could bring about the desired changes in my learners' linguistic proficiency. Since my focus is on appropriacy of language, I was looking for the sites where I could find authentic language and various expressions used in everyday conversations. The two articles which I read at the beginning of the week broadened my horizon to a great extent. And the sites? The sites I visited will prove to be a good source for preparing materials for the try-out. I also had a good discussion with Alicja. I think it is one of the most interesting discussions I have had till now in this course. Alicja, thanks for your question. It gave me a chance to share the idea which I had dropped when I was writing my post.

I had never imagined in my dreams that I would learn how to create a Delicious page. Let me admit very frankly that I didn't know that there was a site called Delicious.com where I could save and share the links to my most coveted treasure caves. The toughest task was to read a project report prepared by an ex-course participant and prepare a post on it. The reason for selecting this project report by Joanna Zubel was the researcher's ability to deal with the problem/situation with the few sources available. Moreover reviewing of the project familiarized me with the structure and sequence of the points to be presented in a report which I'll be submitting at the end of the course. 

Friends, I have two questions this time. Every week when I look at the tasks to be done, I feel that blogging is the easiest. But when I start writing my post, I fail to cohere my ideas well. What's the reason? Do you face the same problem? Whatever be the reason, it can't stop me. The sure way to good blogging is blogging.

Now I'll leave you  with a video on CLT. It'll help you understand what Communicative Language Teaching is all about and how to design such lesson plans as can prompt students to use the target language in different contexts and enable them to use it in real life situations.

Dev

Lost in the Jungle (Week 2)

Dear Donna and Classmates

Here I go again with a new melody. This week has been tougher than the previous one. That's what has made it more exciting and enjoyable. The title of the post may sound like a chapter in a novel. But the novels which begin with the protagonist being lost in the jungle and end with him or her finding the way out are always interesting. I am sure this course is going to be more exciting than those novels. How wonderful it is to share your ideas with your classmates and receive their constructive feedback! Last week I was  an inexperienced blogger. A week has transformed me into an experienced blogger. And the course will turn us into successful bloggers. I could never imagine that blogging could be incorporated in traditional teaching, and now I see that it's a place where I can invite my friends and colleagues to share their views with me.

Week 2 was full of surprise packages. It started with being introduced to different search engines. To be honest, I never knew there are so many search engines which can help me locate the topic I'm looking for. 

I can't measure the pleasure I have in the treasure at leisure!

Sorry! I couldn't think of any other expression to best express my feeling after this treasure hunt. Reading the classmates' posts was good, because it made me think over my comments and decisions. I also logged on to the search engines they had recommended. After reading Livia's reply to my comment, I realized that I had misinterpreted her views. It was so nice of her to rephrase her words to make me understand her point. I think this is the best place to thank her for her care and share. Getting to know these search engines was like learning where to look for what. You can save time and get authentic materials for your purpose. Then we learned how to write the learning objectives clearly. The reading material was explanatory, and there was no confusion. I could easily and unhesitatingly write my objective clearly. Donna commented that some of the text was redundant. I thought it's not quantity, but quality that matters. Websearching, posting your comment on it, replying to one of the classmates' comments, writing the learning objectives clearly and now it was describing the students and setting (Project - Task 1). Thank God! I first read Donna's post. I described the population and setting in my words. I had thought of using jargon, but dropped the idea. After all I was writing to be understood.

After successfully describing the population and setting, I am blogging. Writing my reflections on Week 2. Week 1 turned us into creators. We created our blogs. Week 2 turned us into analysts. We analyzed the population and setting. Websearching also developed our analytical skill. 

First it was creation. Then it was analysis. Next??? 

Dev

Week 1 in Webskills

Dear Classmates,

I am Dev. It's been nice being with you on Nicenet. Here I would like to share my reflections about this week and what I have done. 

It took me a day or two to believe that I had been admitted to this course. I had always been technophobic. What this course did was providing confidence to use technology. The reason why I was technophobic was the conference I attended 2 years ago in Vidyanagar. I attended some sessions of the conference and concluded that using technology was not my cup of tea. I thought that there was no chance now. The world was quite ahead of me, and I belonged nowhere. 

Well, you may think that the beginning is very dramatic. Yes, it is. And the change that came after the commencement of this course, too. Let me begin from the beginning. 

I received Donna's email telling me what I was supposed to do during the first week of this course. I was bubbling with joy and enthusiasm. At the same time I was nervous too. Question after question cropped up in my mind. Poor me!  The questions were:

• Would I able to understand the instructions?

• What would my classmates think of me if I failed to complete the tasks?

• Would Donna be supportive?

• Would our cross-cultural differences create misunderstandings?

• Would the course be addressing only the issues related to use of technology in teaching?

I think some of you may have had the same questions. And I know you too have found answers to our questions. 

The first week of the course has been very exciting. It started with introductions. I met my classmates on Nicenet. After reading their posts, I thought that I had been unnecessarily informal in my post. But then I felt that my introduction was different.  Unique. It was as it should have been. Commenting on my classmates' posts was interesting. I learned that this platform could be used for meaningful discussions. Moreover, Donna's comments were a constant source of motivation. What else did I need? I jumped into the water, and to my surprise I could swim. Needless to say that Donna was there with a life-ring. After completing the first task (Week 1: Topic 1 - Introductions), I moved on to the second task (Week 1: Topic 2 - Ground Rules for Discussions). Writing on Ground Rules and Rubric was not a child's play. The reason is that it's always easy to comment or criticize as laymen do. But when it comes to explaining the idea in detail or stating a specific reason behind what you believe, you find it hard to verbalize your thoughts. That's what happened to me. My fingers froze. The mouth went dry. Can you believe I read Donna's message five times? This is where I found my answer.

"What do you think of the Ground Rules?"

This question caught my attention. We were free to share our ideas. What really made me participate enthusiastically in this discussion was the word 'you' in the question. My typing knew no hesitation. So comfortably could I share my thoughts with you all. Moreover I was propelled by Sonia's comment - "Dev's thought is also enlightening." I also came across Sitaram's comment - "It lures the participants for good grades and makes the participants marks oriented. Furthermore,It might raise the question,are we posting messages for good grades?" Here was a comment that was different. A comment that made me think. To be honest, I did not know if I agreed with him. If I did not, what reason did I have to differ? I could have googled out the solution. But then it would not have been my solution. After these initial hiccups, I set myself drafting a reply to his post. After 15 years of writing tailor-made answers, I found the task difficult, but not impossible. To put my feeling figuratively, I must say that my creativity flowered. Vinay wrote in his post,

"...we are not only going to share our knowledge but also our culture, beliefs, values and religion..."

This comment is a gem. A seed that grew into my thought tree. An idea flashed in my mind. I learned that I could use this platform to design tasks for my learners to enhance their inter-cultural competence. 

As soon as I was done with the second task, a more interesting task was awaiting me. Blogging. I am sure I am going to enjoy blogging. The instruction reads - Write a first blog post—your reflections about this week and what you’ve done... Every mail comes with a surprise. 

This course has rekindled my curiosity. The first week has provided me with an opportunity to mix with my classmates and know their ideas. I really feel happy when people quote my ideas. It's so nice to form a community and learn by doing things and helping each other. In a wink of an eye, technology turned into teach + nology.

Thanks for reading my blog. Happy learning.