The Flipped Classroom - Would it work in Brazil?

In my previous post, I talked about a concept which I first heard about in Khan's lecture at TED "flipping the classroom". The idea of recording videos of lectures and devoting classroom time for practice activities seems to be VERY INTERESTING.


Created by Knewton and Column Five Media

Then, I thought, how could we flip our English classes? In my context, in language institutes, we normally start our classes presenting a new topic (vocabulary or grammar) and then move on to exercises (written and oral) to help students consolidate knowlegde by using it.

I guess a way of flipping our classrooms would be to record mini lessons presenting the topic beforehand and then practice, practice, practice in class.

My question is: would students watch the video at home?

I've just talked to 3 Brazilian teenagers at home (my son and 2 cousins) and I made them the same question:


If you had to watch a video for homework, would you watch it?
Boys- Maybe not.


But if your teacher told you to watch a video in order to be able to do some exercises the following class, would you watch the video?
Boys - We would, we would be afraid of not being able to do the exercises the following class but many of our classmates wouldn't. They would ask the teacher to explain again.

And if you had access to lots of video lectures before tests, do you think it would help you study?
Boys- Sure, if we had problems we would be able to watch the video lecture again and again.

Well, I think the idea is fantastic, however, I don't know how well Brazilian learners would adapt to it. The problem is that our students have been accustomed to the traditional format for too long and end up having a passive attitude to learning.

Is it worth a try? I truly think so. If I'm brave enough, maybe next semester, I'll post about a flipped experience in an English Class.


This is a video from Students who have tried the Flipped Classroom

GRAMMAR VIDEO LESSONS

Inspired by Salman Khan's presentation at TED, I thought of how to help my students get ready for their final English tests and I humbly created some GRAMMAR VIDEO LESSONS.

Salman Khan: Let's use video to reinvent education | Video on TED.com via kwout

Although our main focus is not grammar, something my EFL students  always complain about is UNDERSTANDING how to use grammar. Many of them only have a chance to listen to an explanation once in class and others who have missed that specific class feel totally lost. This is the reason behind these videos. I tried to make the explanations simple / short and give them examples.

PASSIVE VOICE


REPORTED SPEECH


RELATIVE CLAUSES


The idea Khan presented of maybe flipping the things around in the classroom made me think.
What if we offered grammar explanations via video and used the time in class to learn how to use it in practice? Well, let's see if they find it helpful.

Oh, to create the slides, two programs were used: Powerpoint or ActivInspire. Then, I used http://screencast-o-matic.com/ to record my voice while explaining the topic.

TUBEIT - developing a discussion with Teachers

I've posted about TOKBOX many times before, and it used to be my favourite site for video messaging. However, with the changes that happened to the site and their choice to focus on the chat feature, I ended up giving it up, at least for teaching purposes.

This afternoon, I invited some teachers from CULTURA EDTECH (online course I facilitate) and a couple of friends from facebook to join me in a new trial.

The site we tried was TUBEIT . It allows you to create an instant chat room where participants have access to their webcam and microphones and also watch a selected YOUTUBE video chosen by the person who sets up the room.

Today, I chose a video interview with Marc Prensky, where he discusses about the ROLE OF TEACHERS TODAY.


I guess there's a limit of participants for the session (I"m not sure) as I could see the possibility of 7 webcams in the room. It's extremely easy to use. You just go to http://tubeit.opentok.com/ write your name, paste the video URL (from Youtube), grab the link to the room in TUBEIT, share with invitees via twitter, facebook or e-mail and start your discussion.

This is how I planned it:
1. I greeted participants.
2. Participants had the chance to introduce themselves (webcam)
3. Pre-question to start the discussion. ("What's the role of teachers?")
4. Participants gave their opinion.
5. We watched the video interview.
6. Used quotes from the interview to promote discussion.

Problems: well, the sound wasn't 100% (some speech breakdowns) but we managed to develop a discussion.

These are the screenshots I took of the session with Roberta Righetto (Mato Grosso), Gildeta (Campinas), Ana Lucas (Uberlandia), Nina (Ukraine),  Angeles Berman (Mexico?).

A New Journey starting

I've started an M. A. in Applied Linguistics this year and have been struggling to reemerge among all these books and articles I have to read. This is the reason for the few posts in 2011. :)

For my future theses, I've been trying to figure out how technology has influenced my life as a teacher.

• What movements has it brought about? 
• And the concept of presence, how do I make myself present digitally and how does the digital presence or "lack of physical presence" of others influence my learning path? 
• As to teacher resistance to technology, how have my own resistance barriers been broken and beliefs transformed?

As suggested by my tutor Dilma Mello,

I've started reading about the concept of Presence
http://distanciaproximidade.wikispaces.com/home
http://www.360doc.com/content/07/0525/12/18017_519886.shtml
http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol3/issue2/lombard.html

Teacher Resistance
http://eprints.usq.edu.au/2101/1/Albion_Ertmer.pdf

New Literacies (Diana Brydon)
http://dianabrydon.wordpress.com/2011/05/12/teacher-education-in-the-theories-of-new-literacies-and-multiliteracies/

I'll be investigating my own path as a teacher and teacher educator using Narrative Inquiry which will allow me to relive my experience and this way build new meanings as I retell and listen to my lived stories.

Narrative Inquiry
http://www.jstor.org/pss/1176100

Create cool posters and flyers with SMORE

Although the site is still in its beta version and an invite is needed to join it, we can already imagine its potential in education. The site allows you to create online flyers and posters by adding text, images, videos, gallery of photos, map, testimonials, events and so on.
http://www.smorepages.com/


A Cupcake Story from Smore on Vimeo.

How can we  use it with students?

• create online flyers for school events. Or even better, ask students to create different flyers for the same school event.
• students can create posters about topics they are researching about.
• students can create posters about different celebrations throughout the school year.

Via Free Technology for Teachers.

Flying in my Dreams

I've always dreamed of watching a performance of Cirque du Soleil. What I like about it? I love the way they have turned the circus into a stage of pure ART, full of enchantment, wonderful music and jaw-dropping performances.

Next week, it is my birthday and last week I got the BEST PRESENT EVER. Guess what?
Yes, a ticket to see the show Varekai from Cirque du Soleil in São Paulo. Although, I could not take pictures during the show (it's forbidden), let me share a bit of one of the most poetic moments.



THANK YOU, MOM!

SpeakerDeck - turn PDF into a slideshow

I've just discovered via @dkapuler a post from the fantastic blog Free Technology for Teachers a site which allows you to transform a pdf file into a slideshow which can be embedded online.

SPEAKERDECK - http://speakerdeck.com




We use the Promethean E-board at the school where I teach and a way to share the files we use during our lessons would be to export it as a pdf. The possibility to turn it into a slideshow is more visually appealing, I guess.

* I still haven't found a way to diminish the size of the player.

WEBINAR recording (teachers in Chicago)

These are the recordings of the Webinar I presented to teachers in Chicago. I used screencast-o-matic to split the recording into 3 parts.

PART 1 - Developing the 4 Skills 



PART 2 - The 10 Tasks Challenge




To see the examples I mentioned throghout the talk, click on the LIVEBINDER below:
http://livebinders.com/play/play/181930

This is "The 10 tasks Challenge" WIKI where you can find explanations, examples, links and tutorials.

What involves organizing a WEBINAR?

I always face everything in life as a learning experience. I've just finished a webinar hosted by Camila Sousa with some teachers from Chicago and loved the chance to put together many different ideas we 've had .

Camila Sousa , who is responsible for helping teachers  (Lincoln School in Chicago) integrate technology to their classes, invited me to present a webinar about webtools and the projects I've been developing.

Teachers had to enroll for the session online at their school site and then were hosted by Camila Sousa in a certain classroom at the school in the U.S. First, we thought of presenting using skype and sharing the presentation file, but then we ended up choosing WIZIQ instead. Using wiziq, the presentation would be recorded automatically and other teachers from the online course I facilitate would have the chance to attend as well.

Organizing a webinar is not an easy task, specially because you're dealing with technology. You have to foresee several technical problems that can happen. We tested our equipment (microphone, webcam, internet connection), a few days before the presentation and little by little we came up with solutions for the little problems we imagined. First, we tested different microphones, which one was clearer? Then, as I intended participants to see and hear examples of the project I was talking about, instead of screensharing which sometimes produces lots of delays and bad images, I created a LIVEBINDER which would be used to show the examples using THEIR computer.

This would be the scenario: we would meet in skype a few minutes before the session, test our webcams and microphones one more time and I would set up a classroom at wiziq. Then, I would send the link to Camila Sousa to join the classroom. We would have two kinds of participants: some teachers in one specific classroom in Chicago, watching the presentation on a big screen and participating with a microphone attached to Camila's laptop and teachers from different parts of Brazil participating online via the chat in the wiziq classroom. Participants would be invited to contribute with ideas at different moments. Camila would mediate the participation in Chicago and I would mediate the discussion with participants online.

AND HOW DID IT GO?
Well, everything went just fine.

• The equipments ran smoothly.
• The platform worked beautifully. I only ended up forgetting to pause the recording while we were organizing the room (first 7 mins).
• People participated giving suggestions.
• The livebinder idea proved to be a very good one as they could hear the recorded examples perfectly.

Although I was a bit tense with the whole thing and worried about observing what was going on, checking the chat area , my slides and my presentation, it was ok.

Presenting online, has its advantages, you present from your own space (your bedroom, your office), you don't have to face a huge crowd even if you have 300 people participating from different places, and can always rely on your notes. A big disadvantage I still find is missing the reaction of the audience. You can't make eye contact with anyone and have to rely on the webcam to get a hint of what's going on at "the other end of the line".

 I'd like to thank my dear friend, Camila Sousa, for the invitation and the opportunity to learn a bit more about presenting online.

 I'll be sharing the recording of the presentation as soon as it becomes available.

A collection of TOOLS for EFL teachers (Part 2)

For this post, I'll be sharing sites with which you can create podcasts and different wordclouds.
It's always nice to know different alternatives for a tool you use a lot. Say, the tool you're planning to use is not working properly on the day you need it. Then it's time to look for similar tools.

 PODCASTING                

WORDCLOUDS  

                     

A collection of TOOLS for EFL teachers (Part 1)

There are several tools available for the same purpose, however, each of them offer different features that can meet your specific needs at different moments. The ideal thing is to ask yourself what you would like the tool to do for you and then see which one meets your need.

For the next posts, I'll be arranging different tools according to categories: such as: interactive boards, poster, wordcloud, podcast, image editing, video editing, slideshow,  presentation, screencast and  taking screenshots.

NOTICEBOARDS

VIRTUAL POSTERS

Using EDMODO with Students: 20 IDEAS

I've been using EDMODO for some years now and every year I discover different things you can develop with students using the platform. I work at Cultura Inglesa Uberlândia and the coordination team has managed to involve the whole staff in using EDMODO as our virtual staff room, a space where we share material we've prepared, ask each other questions, help each other and so on. It's become a bank of resources to the whole school.

Last week, at our TDC (Teacher Development Course) I decided to talk about other interesting ways to use Edmodo with students. Now that most teachers are fairly familiar with the platform, it is a logical step to take advantage of all of its potential for language learning.

This is the presentation I shared with the teachers:

Webheads meet in Buenos Aires

Some weeks ago, I was in Buenos Aires for a conference when I had the incredible pleasure to meet some Argentine Webheads who are very dear to me. Before the trip, we arranged to have dinner together and meet f2f for the first time.


We decided to meet at the hotel where I was staying in the center of city. First, came Vicky Saumell, all smiles, and full of stories to tell. I was anxious to talk to her about how she started using PBL with technology at a school in B.A. Then, Andressa and her husband arrived. A few minutes later, Jennifer Verschoor came into the lobby saying Claudia Ceraso was on her way and  would meet us at the restaurant. We chose a restaurant nearby to enjoy some time together. Andressa and I shared a delicious bottle of red wine and we all had a great time. Once again, I was SO HAPPY to meet these teachers with whom I have so much in common but still had lots to learn about. I learned that Vicky has been teaching online for a University in Colombia . Jennifer is very busy with her M.A. in Technology and we both talked about our dream to attend the M. A. offered by Warwick University with Russell Stannard. Claudia told us she loves dancing tango. Girls, thank you so much for taking the time to come and meet us.

Their Twitter Accounts:

Vicky Saumell (vickysaumell) no Twitter via kwout

Jennifer Verschoor (jenverschoor) no Twitter via kwout

Claudia Ceraso (fceblog) no Twitter via kwout

KNOVIO tutorial - add video + voice to your ppt presentation

Some weeks ago, I posted about KNOVIO, a tool which allows you to add a video narration to your ppt presentation. It's the simplest tool I've tried to make a slidecast. All you have to do is upload your ppt and start recording your video/narration.

It's a fantastic way to practice for presentations to come.
You can record yourself presenting and then watch it so that you can improve it.

It's also a great tool to record grammar and vocabulary explanations to students.
Another idea is to use the site for storytelling purposes. Students can narrate their stories.

This is how it looks:

This is how you can make your own:


The only thing missing is an embeddable player. (NOT ANYMORE, they provide an embed code)
However, I've been told they're working on one which will be launched  soon.
Anxious to use it more often. FANTASTIC TOOL.

CULTURA EDTECH - new group starts in September

Dear Life Feast readers,

In 2009, as some colleagues of mine were asking me to share what I'd been learning online with them, I also noticed separate workshops would not be enough to help non-techy teachers get acquainted with webtools and their potential in education.
For this reason, I created CULTURA EDTECH, an online course which has already helped the development of more than 60 teachers, not only from Brazil, but from the USA, France and Spain.



I have the pleasure to announce the start of GROUP #8 which will be taking the course from September to November. During these three months, teachers will have the chance to experience learning using internet tools, be contact with other EDtech members, participate in virtual classes, take part in discussions, read interesting articles, learn about interesting webtools and reflect about the integration of technology and education.

How is CULTURA EDTECH different from other online courses?

• The pace of activities is gentle enough to meet the needs of busy teachers 
• There are several tutorials giving step-by-step instructions. 
• The facilitator (me, Ana Maria Menezes) gives full support to participants via skype and screencasts if needed.
• Participants become a member of a community of teachers which constantly share ideas.
• Participants will have the chance to try out webtools with all the guidance needed.

Listen to what some of the CULTURA EDTECH members have to say:
 Check out their COURSE PORTFOLIOS
 More information about the course, can be found at ABOUT THE COURSE page.

Presentation in Buenos Aires

This is my second time in Buenos Aires and the more I discover about the city, the more I like it.

I´ve come to Argentina accepting Andressa Cardoso´s invitation for a joint presentation at ABS International Conference. Andressa lives in Goiânia, in the state of Goiás, I, on the other hand, live in Uberlândia, about 350 kms from where she lives.

Then, ¨How did you two prepare your presentation?¨ Cláudio Azevedo asked. ¨With Technology, my friend.¨ For the last 3 months, Andressa and I have been having frequent meetings in skype deciding what to present and sharing what each of us had prepared so far. We also built a wiki as support material to offer to attendees. We only met face to face, a few hours before our jont presentation in Buenos Aires.

Our chosen topic was ¨Homework assignments using Web 2.0¨. Andressa started the presentation talking about some theoretical background related to homework assignment and then I presented ¨The 10 Tasks Challenge¨, a project developed with my students last semester.

Homework Assignments Using Web 2

View more presentations or Upload your own.

Presentation in La Plata - Argentina

I´ve been in Argentina since the 24th August and have been enjoying myself so much I had no time to blog about it. On 25th, I took a bus close to the obelisk and traveled to La Plata to meet dear friend Nelba.

I´ve known Nelba Quintana since 2006 through the internet but had never had the chance to meet her f2f. Her invitation to present at the Language Institute of the University of La Plata came as a GREAT surprise. I was welcomed with beautiful flowers, warm smiles and friendly hugs. So glad, Argentinians like hugging like Brazilians do. Susana Canelo, another webhead, traveled quite a long distance to meet us there as well.

The three of us, Nelba, Susana and I  were thrilled. La Plata is a beautiful city about 60 kms from Buenos Aires. Loved the many wonderful buildings they have, all in an European style. As soon as I took out my camera to take shots of first buildings we visited, I discovered I had forgotten to charge my camera battery, can you believe that? Well, dear Susana, became the official photographer.

After a very pleasant lunch, we arrived at ESCUELA DE LINGUAS and I  got ready for my presentation ¨Developing the 4 Skills with Webtools¨.

The presentation, based on my second book , is about different webtools teachers can use to develop the 4 skills in language learning: reading, writing, listening and speaking.

This is the powerpoint material I promised to share.

Using webtools to develop the 4 skills

View more presentations or Upload your own.

Nelba and Susana, thank you so much for the great time in La Plata.