on the road # 2

This is my last official post, of course I’ll follow posting from time to time, and it will be a pleasure if you can visit me, here or in real life, when you come to Mexico.

It is time to follow in the daily  activities,  (My mountain bike miss me a lot)

and some books are waiting for me... however, my dear friends:

I hope the contact follow and the collaboration too as well, and I learned a lot from all of you by your advices, blog post and comments. And more than one time I smile for the comments you post, it was an  incredible experience!

 Today I took some photos in my class, these  are (some) of my kiddos!

my wonderful kiddos, possing for the photo

here we are all in the classroom!

Ivan,Miguel and Maria talking of sports!

on the road

These intense ten weeks were a marvelous and incredible journey for me; my class tool box is now full of new teaching tools, now it is my duty to work with them, implementing some of them to improve my teaching, to help my kiddos, teaching them in different ways.

These tools are covered with a lot of words of experience from all of you, my partners in this journey through the highway of the information. This journey was guided by two incredible and patient Teachers: Jodi and Celeste, always giving us wise advices and encouraging words.

My favorite week was the brainstorm one, perhaps it was the best, because we exchange a lot of tips, and the most important: from the ones that teach every day and in very different contexts. The discussions and the blogging are my favorite parts of the course, however the tech tools are very good stuff too. The recommended sites are very useful.

The ABCD objectives and rubric site my favorites, and I am very into multiple intelligence theory right now.

 Then as I mentioned at the beginning of this post, my tool box is full with a lot of useful tools, that will help me in my adventure on this road  of education, thank you all folks!!

No surprises

Several thoughts are in me right now, I’ve finish reading (again) some of the material of this about to finish 9th week, I agree with Georgia, the work of the teacher is complex and it is getting more. But exiting as well!

I like the idea of multiple intelligences, some years ago I attend a related lecture, and in that time I didn’t understand the concepts as now I did, it was not of my interest at that moment (it was a medical congress, and I was not teacher then) it was on my medical side, now I’m glad to find this again now from a teacher’s view the light is different, as I mentioned before now I can understand why (apart from some context related issues) my students do not learn as I want , as I expect from them, it is on me not on them to change it, and maybe in the future they’ll understand and find their own way to study or to learn.

I took some of the surveys about the kind of learner I am and I get no surprised, (well not too much) I know myself, I know who  I am, I was lucky to have two wonderful parents to help me and support me when I was a kiddo, my dad never complained about this annoying eager asker, and he was always trying to satisfy my interest, until the day  I decided to fly by my own. but when I was taking these, I realize that my students need to know them better, they may not have the supportive parents, or the supportive brother, or nothing at all, that is why I am working on a Spanish version for them, (sorry folks but I want them to understand it very well) specially I’m going to translate the article: “learning styles and strategies” from Richard M.Felder and Barbara Solomon. Actually this is going to be for my non-English speaker partners, from my secondary school, as well as for my students. Georgia(again) was right I want my students to be better than themselves,  thanks  a lot.

Revolution Rock

This week we begin to read and to discuss about multiple intelligences and multiple learning styles, I like the idea of provide multi task material in order to engage all of my students, and after these readings, perhaps I’ll understand why they are not always interested in all my classes.

I think I’ll miss all this, all of my e-friends too,  all these stressing weeks are about to finish, I’ll do my best to apply all my recent knowledge in my future teaching.

Here in my country we’re almost finishing this course, I don’t know which grades I am going to teach in the future  but I am sure that I’ll implement a lot of new things.

The project make me feel nervous, which is rare because I am used to work under pressure, but for me was more less like my first project with my kiddos, and I was dealing with some issues in my school, in which I am the most “revolutionary” and annoying demanding teacher!  That’s how my coordinator defines me (He hates me) but I do not care.  my students deserve to use the computers, desreve better teachers,I did it for my kids, and I will follow for them, I want them to be better Mexicans than I am now, I just hope to encourage them well and right.

 

dream on

This week has been very busy for all, maybe is one of the most demanding  ones in the course , not to mention all the stress for the drafts, and the related issues, however all is walking as expected. This morning I attend my first webinar ever, I was expecting to see all my partners’ faces, but unfortunately it didn’t happen, but the experience was amazing!  I just can hear Maria, and chat with Georgia; perhaps in the future we can conference with the entire group. Interesting tools I think, sadly they’re not suitable for me, right now my school’s computer lab is not properly equipped to work with this tools, and I am afraid it is not going to be equipped soon, however it is good to know that such tools are available.  And even in the remote case that I could use this platforms my students are not prepared for this, it demands a proper compromise, a certain level of maturity, some basic internet and computer abilities that my students require,  they are indeed digital natives, but also digital homeless. Digital homeless because they have no computers at home and the time in my class is not enough, too much students, too few computers.

I like very much his weeks pages about the exercises and the online aids to do exercises, sometimes in the books there are not enough exercises, and here I found excellent options to help me with this, Hot potatoes my favorite, however I can’t stop thinking on ANVILL,  what a toy!, I mean a tool, but far I see the implementation here in my school , meanwhile all I can do is dream on a better computer lab, and work with the resources I got now. As a friend of mine says: “dreaming on a better future but working hard in the present”