Final Reflection

Here is my recording of my final reflection:

This is my written version:

This subject was obligatory for me.  However, I knew it was going to be useful since I started working this year and I found it hard to look for and create materials for my students.

Now that I've taken the subject, I know so many new things I didn’t know before.  I now know that teachers CAN be materials developers, they have the capacity to create materials better than graphic designers do, since a lot has to be taken into account when creating materials: including age, language level, context, level of difficulty, clear instructions, appealing content, opportunities for interaction and reflection, and so many more.

Before taking this subject, I had never actually created my own material.  If I did, it was only copying and pasting from others.  I didn’t do it because I figured it was too time consuming.  However, after having done my own materials, I realized it really is not that time consuming, and it's actually fun, too.  Obviously it is also more meaningful because after all, who knows my own students better than I do?

I learned so much and will definitely apply many of my learnings in my own lessons and with my own students.  It's been a great term and I'm grateful for everything you’ve taught me.

Thank you so much

Natali

Handout on short film "The Notebook" & Analysis

Below is the magazine including a handout I created based on a short film from www.film-english.com, and its analysis.The analysis is based on Jolly, D & Bolitho, R. (2011) "A framework for materials writing", where I explained the process of creation step by step. I also explained how I adapted Kieran Donaphy's lesson plan, using McDonough, J. & Shaw, C. (2003) (2nd edition) "Adapting Materials." Finally, I analyzed the physical production of the handout, using "Visual Design Basics".

Evaluating Family & Friends 4 CD-ROM and Analyzing Educaplay activities

Below is the analysis of the Family & Friends 4 CD-ROM, and my Educaplay activities. The first part, as the title states, is an analysis on the CD-ROM that comes with the coursebook. Here, I used Bax, S. (2003). CALL: Past, present and future. System Journal to analyze the activities in the CD-ROM, regarding whether they were in the restricted, open, or integrated phase. After having done this, and realizing most of the activities were restricted activities, I created my own digital activities using the website www.educaplay.com. I described and explained each activity and the decisions I had to make throughout. Finally, I came to the conclusion that most of the digital activities weren't so "integrative" either, so I came up with other methods or activities to do with my students, triggered by the Educaplay activities, that would include more interaction and reflection.

Webtool Reviews: Fotobabble & Thinglink

There are so many online tools that may be useful in the classroom for different reasons.
My job was to explore two of the many websites and write a review to share with others, including a description of the tool and ways in which educators may use it.

Here are my webtool reviews on Fotobabble and Thinglink:

Webtool Review: Fotobabble

Webtool Review: Thinglink

Kiddle Word Cloud

In Thom Kiddle's text, "Developing Language Learning Materials," he deals with the use of technology in the classroom today.  Based on this, I created the word cloud above including what I think are the most important key concepts:

The three phases the use of digital technology went through with the passing of time
Restricted
Open
Integrated  (web 3.0)

Concepts which came together with the integrated phase, like interaction, sharing, intelligent web (which is one that knows the profile of the user).

The social skills of the 21st century:
Play
Performance
Simulation
Appropriation
Multitasking
Collective intelligence
Transmedia navegation
Networking
Negotiation

The three phases students go through with the use of digital material:
Infusion (where learners are passive)
Integration (where they are a bit more active)
Transformation (where they are centrally involved)

Isolated important concepts

The BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) movement, which consists in bringing any technological device to school, from an mp3 player to an iphone 6.  This is a great movement considering the fact that students may have very different economic-situations and so may have devices of all kinds.

*The concept of Flipped Classroom, where the learning and studying takes place at home and the actual classroom is only used for doubts or questions.  I think this works well with responsable students, who are willing to and able to work on their own.

*The Networked Teacher, which is a label given to a teacher who also has digital competence.  I hope to become one in the future.

*Materials vs. Tools (which does not necessarily imply something intentionally made to be used for educational purposes)

*Multimodality (or multiple modes of representation, like images, videos, texts), Orchestration (teacher's shaping to encourage participation), and Participation are key for learning to actually take place

Content Curation: Pearltrees

We learned about the importance of content curation and the difference between bookmarking or adding websites on your "favorites" and using a website like Pearltrees, since here not only do you put together your favorite websites, files, links, etc, and organize them, but you share them with others.  You can also subscribe and collaborate in other people's collections.  This is especially important nowadays since one of the most important 21st century skills are sharing and collaborating.
 
Natimuhafra

Analysis of a Textbook: Family and Friends 4

Below is the document I uploaded on ISSUU, Analysis of a Textbook: Family & Friends 4. This magazine includes an analysis of the textbook Family & Friends 4, regarding whether it is a global or local texbook, with theory supported by López Barrios- Villanueva texts: "Minding the Needs of the Argentine Learner: Global Textbooks and their Adapted Versions for the Local Context" (2006), and "Global vs. Local: Does it Matter?". Following is the analysis of a unit in the textbook regarding the visuals used, and what functions they have. For this, we used "The visual element in the EFL coursebooks" by Hill, D. (2003). I then analyzed the textbook's website, deciding whether it was a companion website or a promotional one, based on theory from Reagan, N. & Murray, O. (2203) ESL/EFL Textbook Companion Websites. TESOL Journal, 11(3), 49:52 Finally, I chose one of the units in the textbook and adapted the lesson plan using technology.