My Final Task

Finally, we have just arrived at the end of the course. According to the instructions, we must create a lasting impression with our last activity, for that reason, I have decided to use Voki to create my own avatar and tell you a final reflection. I hope you enjoy it a lot, as much as I have done.

(Click on the photo and you will see and listen what I say)

https://www.voki.com/site/pickup?scid=15954463&chsm=10e5c8c15ba1596b2f795906e9086c2e

Just in case, you don't understand my Voki, here I let you know what he says:

Hi my dear mates, as a final task, I have decided to create my own Voki avatar.

I have learnt so many things during this amazing course, which I am going to put in practice with my students from now onwards.

Using new technologies can make our classes more different, attractive and interactive with our students.

Nowadays, they demand another methodology, and this must be supplied by the use of  ICTs.

They love and use them anytime, for that reason, we must evolve and don't fear them!!

Come on and let use them!!

Thanks Juan Antonio for everything you have taught us!!

Regards Carlos!!

Now it is time to prepare some projects with my students using an online tool called “Genially”, which is an interactive way where you can do so many things:

 First of all, I must say that I split my 1^ST ESO class into five groups – every group was formed by two members – in the subject of ‘Lengua y Literatura’, because my students felt more confident and comfortable and, overall, they preferred to do their projects in that subject. For that reason, as I said in the reading habits module, we thought that they could use this tool to make an oral presentation about the books they were reading. I let them freedom choosing the modality of Genially that they were going to use it. The only restrictions that I did were that their presentations shouldn’t be more than five minutes and all of them had to have:

-       Put a photo of the book.

-       Make a brief biography of the author.

-       Talk about the main and secondary characters in the book.

-       Do a summary of the plot without saying the end of the book.

-       Give their own opinion of the book (if they liked or disliked it and why, giving reasons).

-       Talk about the vocabulary of the book, if it was difficult or not.

-       And finally, if they would recommend it or not and why.

These are the links to the projects realised by my students:

https://view.genial.ly/5db5d4637bee740f537674f8/presentation-las-cronicas-de-narnia  

https://view.genial.ly/5dd597767f3e520f3c073e74/presentation-el-bosque-de-los-pigmeos

https://view.genial.ly/5dd563bbb494090fb06d0f78/presentation-el-principito

https://view.genial.ly/5db578de5481630f7254f659/presentation-resumen-narnia

https://view.genial.ly/5dd54c86cb3c380f7656464b/presentation-mi-vecino-de-abajo

By the way, I couldn’t take any pictures of them, because some parents didn’t allow us to do it, what is a pitty, because I would have been something great and cool for the projects, but you know, “one man's meat is another man's poison”.

Last but not least, we have to remark the success of using Genially, because from that moment most of the class has decided to use, not only in our classes, but also in other subjects. Furthermore, their learning experience has become increasingly aware of the importance of using new technologies as part of our daily classes, achieving with them the objectives that we pursue in our classes. For that reason, I wouldn’t change anything of this project, because they are fulfilling our expectations better than we thought at the beginning of the course.

https://app-es.pixton.com/#/

● How did you organise the groups?

I split the class into two groups, although just one of them did the activity because the other one has troubles.

● What was the sequence of tasks that you followed to get to the final product?

First of all, I taught them how to use Pixton. Then, I told them to create their own comic with a real situation of our class, for that reason, they decided to use a normal conversation between them and I. I encouraged them to be creative and use plain vocabulary like a normal conversation has.

● What were the specific learning objectives for this activity? How did the use of the tool help the learners achieve these objectives? Please be specific and give concrete examples.

- To learn a new way of writing, not the traditional one with pen and paper.

- To be creative.

- To use an authentic situation of our everyday.

- To feel that writing in English it can be something funny.

● In what ways (be specific) was creativity and the use of imagination encouraged in your students?

Using new technologies to learn something new give my students the feeling that they are not studying, they feel like they are playing instead. Overall, when we are using creative tools which encourage them to do everything is an easy way.

● What did your students enjoy most / least about this activity?

They enjoyed that the activity was interactive and wasn't difficult, the problem was the other group had troubles with their internet connection at home and, for that reason, they couldn't do it.

● What would you change next time?

I will prepare the activity with more time, and my students will be able to do it in the class and not at home.

● How were the finished projects shared with the rest of the class?

I showed them in the class with the digital board.

● What opportunities were there for students to co-evaluate and discuss the learning experience with each other?

They really appreciated the effort that the group did, firstly with the brainstorming, to get the idea. Then, with the use of this new tool and the use of vocabulary and simple structures. 

https://edpuzzle.com/assignments/5deeb34ef903f440c64af604/live

• Give a reason for your choice of video:

We have been learning airport vocabulary in one of our units during this term. For that reason, we have decided to use an “authentic video” of an airport conversation.

• Explain briefly the learning objectives for the session(s) and sequence of activities:

-       Acquire the airport vocabulary.

-       Improve our students’ listening skills.

-       Use “real situations” that they must have in their normal life.

-       Recognize the vocabulary.

-       Describe the situation.

• Explain if you flipped your class (or any part of it) and how, if so, this has helped you achieve the learning objectives:

Firstly, I explained the airport vocabulary during one session in the class. Then, I told them to do the “Edpuzzle activity” in Google Classroom at home, which let us make good use of the time in the classroom. Thanks to this, I could see that they learnt and put into practice the new vocabulary learning in class.

• Highlight the high points of the experience: what went well and what did you and the students particularly enjoy about the task:

-       Instant feedback.

-       The use of ICTs.

-       Use of “realia”.

• Suggest ways of improving next time:

-       Use another kind of listenings, for example, songs.

-       Tell them to prepare their own projects using Edpuzzle.

"TIMETOAST", A NEW WAY OF LEARNING

1) English writers: https://www.timetoast.com/timelines/2149755

2) Famous English Literature Books: https://www.timetoast.com/timelines/2149870

• The learning objectives of the activity:

-       Identify some of the most important English writers of all times.

-       Select a photo of every of them.

-       Learn to use Timetoast.

-       Create a time line, filling it out with all the writers and a brief summary of them.

-       Create another time line where there must be one of the most important works of every English writer that we have mentioned them in the other time line.

-       Search for a film of every work, preferably into English with subtitles, if it is not possible to find the film in English, they will use a Spanish version.

• The advantages of using TimeToast for this activity:

Thanks to the use of Timetoast my students have had the opportunity, not only of learning about some of the most famous English writers, but also about their most important works, overall using and improving their knowledge of new technologies.

• The steps you followed to set up the activity:

1)    Choose ten important writers (one for every student).

2)    Every student must find a photo of every writer they have been assigned.

3)    They must write a brief summary of them.

4)    They will create and event in the first time line (“English Writers”), where they will fill it out with all the information.

5)    Then, they will create another event in another time line (“Famous English Literature Books”). In this time, they will write a brief summary of the plot and put the link of the movie.

• Any problems and how you and the students solved them:

At the beginning, my students had several troubles to understand the use of Timetoast, for that reason, I decided to send them a link with a tutorial (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LWuzYW1fxo). Then, they had other problems to find the movie into English, with subtitles. But at the end, they solved it with inventiveness.

• The students’ reaction – how did they feel about using TimeToast to complete the task?

They loved it, because everything related with new technologies is a “must” for them. Overall, they feel self-confident with it.

• Some things that you would change / improve next time:

Notthing.

• At least 3 ways that the use of TimeToast helped you achieve your learning objectives:

1) They learn some of the most important English writers.

2) They learn some of their most famous works.

3) They use new technologies, improving their use of ICTs in the class.