Just one more try...

After a terribly hectic 2010, trying once more to learn to use my blog effectively, I'll try to pour here the experience I'm having in the two EVO courses I'm doing, Drama and Multiliteracies, what to say, what to tell?? I'm deeply enjoying them... I'm also doing the training in Neuropsychoeducation... It'll be juicy, this time I'll implement some kind of porject in some course, to put into practice the load of knowledge I'll acquire... wow!

What I liked most today? the commitment of EVO people, brilliant minds who give with no interest, no end... and the concept of MOOC.

we have to keep on opening our minds...

I came across this video in one of my fellow colleagues' wiki... I felt Ihad to share it too. As a secondary school teacher, I strongly feel we have to keep on trying to integrate technology in our classrooms. I know it may sound quite repetitive, but in my search for new alternatives, I have found many obstacles, which are not precisely my students or myself... I am not complaining, just realising that the path we are creating is not that easy, that technology is not that part of everyone's daily life, and that we have to keep on insisting sometimes :-) I hope you enjoy the video and reflect upon it!

Vygotsky, ZPD, And Blogging

Vygotsky's theory of learning and the concept of ZPD (Zone of Proximal Development) really impressed me when I came across it for the first time. From then on, I have always tried to have this incredible concept in mind together with student autonomy -one of my dreams, too :)
I do believe in cooperative learning, in the magic power of interaction and a teacher as just a mediator. I will take pains, then, to try to create this kind of enchanment in my student blog -which I'll start tomorrow- and see if I can make my dream come true.
This is a great opportunity to have another look at Vygotsky's work, now with another perspective, and find out more about e-learning pedagogy.

5 Reasons Why EFL Blogging Is A Good Idea

• I think that EFL blogs can enhance a group's feeling of belonging to the same class, something that can make them connect outside the classroom;
• Blogs provide opportunities for unpredictable language use, hence, meaningful;
• They might lower the affective filter, especially in shy students, who may find it easier to express themselves without too much exposition. This may result in an improvement of communication skills and in a better face-to-face interaction among peers in the long run;
• EFL Blogs may increase motivation, since their format is thoroughly familiar to our digital-native students who can take a look at them quickly while doing something else, leave some contribution and learn without being much aware of it;
• Finally, I believe that blogs open up possiblilities for learning by discovery, as while doing tasks in the target languge, students may learn or reinforce previous knowledge by coming across some content explained in a different way, and, what's more, in the L2.