What I learn from Week Four?

I read a lot of different articles about reading listening and speaking. I feel that I gain a lot from the mentioned articles. What I enjoyed most is the websites I got from different people and from the articles mentioned.  The reading materials make me learn more about different techniques and methods about teaching and learning process. Concerning the websites, I tried all of and they are useful and they have huge number of uses. They need much time to go over them and try to organize them and put them on the right spot to be used. I am astonished by the number of websites and by the content they have. I am delighted that I learn new things every week.  I feel happy that my students will get much benefit from the ideas and websites that I am getting from this course and this week. What makes this course great is its rich stuff, materials, websites and ideas. I am positive that all participants get benefit, richen their background and make them brighten up their critical thinking skills. The magic thing about this week is the Nicenet thread which is the cream of the crop. I feel that it is a pleasant journey for me and for all of the participants to learn, read, process our thought, generate ideas, put them logically and present them on the thread. Everyone is an expert in this course because the huge experience each one has. What makes me thrilled about this week is the amount of materials I went over and the way of communication we use. Ideas agree generated automatically. The big challenge that occurs in this week is the tasks given by the instructors. Lots of work is given like the reading materials, web search, project tasks and the Nicenet thread that required time, effort and quick reflection. Challenge makes people learn in this course and add a lot to their experience. I got a lot from the participants especially those who use critical thinking skills to communicate with each other. I am trying my best to use some ideas in my class and with my coworkers in the school. I try using some of the ideas in my field. I won't forget the articles about lesson planning which is the most important activity that a teacher should worry about. Once you manage and write a well-organized lesson plan, your message will be delivered smoothly. This lesson plan is engaged with the use of technology so that a teacher ends up with an interesting lesson.  I am happy to be a participant in this course. I am thankful to the participants and the instructors for making this course interesting. I would like end up my words by saying thank you very much to you all and thank you for your time reading my humble words.

I would like to suggest more websites for this week:

www.usingenglish.com

www.englishonthego.com

www.eslfocus.com

www.eslbase.com

www.apples4thteacher.com

www.lessonplanet.com

www.esljunction.com

www.reall-language.com

www.honeyboee.net

www.educationworld.com

Week Four Valuable Materials

I read an article about using the Internet in ESL writing instruction by Jarek Krajka. The article emphasizes the use of technology in our life and in our field especially education, teaching and learning. Technology gives variety to the classroom and to the learning process. This article tries to explore the use of the Internet as a teaching aid or as a teaching medium, through which students are taught how to write different writing genres. The writer proposed the use of web pages, email connection and creating websites to develop the students writing. Jarek Krajka refers to some articles on the topic. The first article is by Dennis Wilkinson, in his article “Getting your Class Connected” from the title I understand that the writer is in favor of using the net to develop the student writing. He suggested also that students should exchange their emails and teacher should introduce emails to students. Belisle suggested that teachers use some software like (Eudora Light ). Chao-Chih Liao talks about “E-mailing to Improve EFL learners”. Reading and Writing Abilities. He talks about pen pal connection.

Gerald Fox, in his 1998 article. “The Internet”. The Internet motivates students in their efforts to acquire English proficiency skills. Both teacher and students will be active using the web. Trokeloshrit and Jost in their paper say that the Internet helps students improve their skills in typing skills and general computer usage. Students will be involved in new group discussion via an Internet system to learn how to sue the Internet for general research purposes. The authors claim that web classroom has widened and authentic reading audience. 

Victoria stressed on using the Internet in the classroom to motivate learners. Internet projects are interactive and facilities for using the Net are often readily available. The summary of the mentioned above research the writer emphasizes on the management, successful planning and the implementation. Teachers should be careful about their goals when they prepare their lessons. There teachers should think careful about the integration of the on line-activities into the syllabus. The teachers should be aware of the complexity of using the Internet such as; difficulties in scheduling the access to the computer labs, the availability of computers out of the classroom to finish their activities. I understand that the Internet gives students variety and choice since they have huge number of sites to choose form. Each student will be encouraged to do something different, and later the class compare their findings orally. By this way we add speaking and listening development to the lesson, whereas the course book which is given to student has the same text or exercises, and there is no possibility of change. The Internet gives the freedom, more knowledge and the ability to learn more about culture, having the world at their fingerprints and moving from one place to another freely. In addition students are motivated to learn through using the web. On –line lessons might add new flavor to the classroom. Another important point is how this on line component could be in corporate into the curriculum. First, the students level should be considered in English. Students should be in an intermediate level so they will be able to understand the content of the Internet sites. Besides English level students should computer-literate in the sense that they should know how to manage using the Internet.  The teacher should be well prepared for the lesson, with a careful detailed plan lite, the content of the sites, time, the language. Teacher should know how to solve minor technical problems. There should be a ready lesson plan in case of emergency like, Internet communication. Control and keep observing students so that he knows that student are doing the exact work assigned.

The teacher should consider the resources needed for conducting on line lessons like intern connection, the speed; lab tops, scheduling the lab and etc. Students should have the access to use the lab outside classes. Students should have an individual email account and should bring a flash desk to save their work, interesting sties and incoming email messages.

The last issue which needs to be considered is the syllabuses of a course including the on-line elements.

Some ideas for teaching writing Genres with help of the related components. Mary Stephen mentioned some practices and ideas for tasks and techniques done with the help of the web or e-mail could make writing more interesting and appealing to students. There are three elements to be used in most of the genres.1. A letter to a friend               2. A formal letter     3. A Biography   4. A description of a person

5. An argumentative essay(Both For and Against) 6. Notices and advertisements    7. A description of a Festival of Ceremony    8. A description or Reviews of a Book, Film or play    9. A newspaper report   10. A personal open essay     11,. A description of a place.

Teachers should think wisely on how to generate on-line activities into the syllabus rather than the adding them on top of the rest of the classroom activities in a disconnected fashionable way. To conclude my work, I do really learn a lot from the articles given and I enhance my skills in developing the writing, speaking and reading among students.