Why do we like ELT Conferences?

Last weekend I attended International İstek ELT Conference in İstanbul and met a lot of friends there.

 

What we realized was that we were really happy to be there and to see each other. So the result is: We like ELT conferences a lot. But why? Here are some some reasons;

1. Meeting new people and do some networking: Coffee breaks are great moments to meet people around the world and these times help you do your networking
2. Being aware of new trends in ELT: While listening to the presenters in the sessions, one will easily follow the new trend in our subject area.
3. Sharing experiences: Again in those coffee breaks or during the sessions, sharing experiences is inevitable
4. Expanding PLN (Personal Learning Network): This is the power of social media. This weekend I attended İstek ELT and met a lot friends from Facebook, Twitter or blogesphere  

Are we all ready for “BLENDED LEARNING ? “

These days I’ve heard a lot of people talking about “blended learning”. So in this post ‘ll just give some brief information about  ”Blended Learning”

 

Wikipedia definition: “Blended learning is a form of education that combines face-to-face classroom methods with computer-mediated activities. According to its proponents, the strategy creates a more integrated approach for both instructors and students.”

In order to support this, we need to understand the blended learning programs fully and test some widely used applications to decide which can meet the needs of our students and which one to use in our institution.

As the technology is developing really fast, we need to follow the novelties in education.  Actually no one is a single method learner, people are all blended learners, so we can customize this blended learning according to the needs of our institution. 

“Why Blended Learning Is In Need? (1)

Each learner requires a scientific study of the instruction, to have a better operational ability. Thus, the good instructions provide individual with better learning experiences by using media, strategies and methods. These learning experiences are able to promote interactions that allow the learners to recall all the information that they have absorbed and combine it with other experiences, so that a new kind of knowledge base can be formed.”

The GOAL: (2)

“The goal of a blended approach is to join the best aspects of both face to face and online instruction. Classroom time can be used to engage students in advanced interactive experiences.  Meanwhile, the online portion of the course can provide students with multimedia-rich content at any time of day, anywhere the student has internet access.”

Models for Blended Learning:

1-The Supplemental Model

The supplemental model retains the basic structure of the traditional course and uses technology resources to supplement traditional lectures and textbooks.

The supplemental model for blended learning incorporates technology into the instructional approach of the course, but does not alter its basic structure. Students may be required to complete online readings or activities, or participate in lab sessions. However, there is no reduction in course meeting time under the supplemental model; a three-hour course would still meet in-class for three hours per week.

Example: UMass Amherst Introduction to Biology

This introductory biology course utilized online preparatory materials to alert students to learning objectives and key concepts in advance of their lecture meetings. In addition, the course offered online quizzes to allow students to monitor their own progress and mastery of the course content..

2-The Replacement Model

The replacement model reduces the number of in-class meetings, or classroom “seat-time,” and:

▪   replaces some in-class time with out-of-class, online, interactive learning activities

▪   makes significant changes in remaining in-class meetings.

Under a replacement model, there are fundamental changes to the course. Unlike the supplemental model, the online resources in a replacement model are fully integrated into the overall instructional effort. The online content acts as a replacement for time that would have been spent in a lecture hall. Consequently, the nature of the in-class activities is changed as well. Instead of traditional lectures, in-class time is freed for more interactive, collaborative learning experiences.

Example: BYU English Composition

In this course, in-class time was reduced from three hours to one. Lectures were replaced by a series of interactive multimedia lessons. The in-class time was altered to allow for students to meet with peers in small groups. These group meetings provided students the opportunity to review their team members’ works and offer feedback and suggest

3- The Emporium Model

The emporium model eliminates all class meetings and replaces them with a learning resource center. This resource center, typically a large computer lab, offers access to course online materials in addition to live assistance and guidance.

The emporium model is a radical reconceptualization of the traditional course. Though attendance at the learning center can be required, there are no longer lectures in a traditional sense. Course content is delivered via online materials, and in-person help is provided in the learning resource center.

Example: Virginia Tech Linear Algebra

Using a 500-seat computer lab and a combination of online resources (modular tutorials, streaming video, and quizzing), Virginia Tech replaced 30 traditional lecture-based course sections into one large course which served 1,500 students. The lab allowed access to students 24×7, and provided live support to students with roving instructors, teaching assistants, and peer tutors.

 

References:

(1) http://techyyouth.com/blended-learning-activity/ 

(2) http://weblearning.psu.edu/blended-learning-initiative/what_is_blended_learning

Meetings: Torture or opportunity for CPD*?

*CPD: Continous Professional Development

I’ve been thinking about this issue for a long time.  Our unit meetings should be uplifting and effective but sometimes we have that bad feeling of boredom.

According to M. E Whitaker (1997) “In more effective schools, teachers look forward to value faculty meetings. The converse is true in the less effective schools.”  So the question is how we can make our meetings more productive and effective that our teachers look forward to and value.

 

The following ideas will move your meetings from average to perfect ones

1. Never underestimate the value of building an agenda:  The best way to this is to gather input from your group members. Also do not forget to response the ideas of the teachers in the meeting. If there are time limitations because of which you can’t address these ideas, please make sure your teachers that you will address these ideas at another meeting.
2. Stick to the time line: Because time is really precious for all of us, we don’t have the privilege to steal people’s time for no reason.  Our meeting should be to the point without unnecessary details.
3. Take written minutes: These are the concrete evidences of what you talked about or discussed.  For future reference you may need these minutes.
4. Supply food and drink: I can hear you saying: “This is not a big deal”, but believe me it IS always appreciated. by doing so you are saying that :”I value your time and effort”
5. Have different teachers facilitate and present at the meetings: A great way to allow your teachers to “toot their own horn”. In the presentations the teachers may find the chance to express themselves and their work- a good way for them to get the appreciation they deserve.
6. Set up a way to get feedback on your meetings: You can obtain feedback with surveys, suggestion boxes of some informal visits and all of these feedback will enlighten you

In short: Meetings can be a useful communication tool. Planning will help a meeting accomplish more in less time. Everyone will not always agree on the best way difficulties should be solved, but friendly disagreements about solutions can be beneficial. The meeting will be a waste of time, however, unless concrete action plans are made to solve problems. Specific dates for goal accomplishments can be set and followed up .