Have you ever implemented videos in your classes?

By Hugo Velasco
Guayaquil , Ecuador

What is the most interesting about using videos in the classrooms is the different kind of tasks we can give our students however, we as teachers must be aware of the difficulties we could have.
Have you ever implemented videos in your classes? Well, if you haven´t done it yet, it´s time for you to try and see the variety of activities and tasks that you could do and take advantage of. It’s been proven by experts that a high average of students are visual learners in these times due to the advance in technology that the world has reached.
You have the opportunity to discuss critical thinking topics through Video clips by using real life issues in different areas, practicing listening comprehension and writing skills as well. Who doesn´t like to watch a movie, documental or a cartoon? They are easy to connect to daily life issues. For example , you can make your students identify main characters , settings , main problem , cause and effect analyses and others.
When using videos you could face some problems such as : Low T.V. volume , poor video quality , language in movies could be difficult to understand for students, time availability may be short, etc ; but the important point is to have everything all set and be ready with extra activities.
In conclusion, Don´t be afraid of implementing videos in your classes, personally since I tried them, I have not stopped using them.

To give or not to give my cell phone number to students...That’s the point!

By: Samantha Quintana M.
Advantages:


+ Students can call to ask for homework if they were absent in your class.
+ If students did not understand an instruction can call to be sure .
+ Very useful at the moment of making Thesis.


Disadvantages :

+ Students can call just to ask silly questions.
+ Parents can start calling to know about their children performance at classes.

More acquiring but less learning

By Viviana Velasco

A couple of years ago I was asked to teach language to sixth graders. The language book I worked with called “Amazed” was based on the traditional syllabus, student’s priority was to learn grammar and vocabulary trough different short texts types. The standards set by my institution regarding to providing language instruction was not just focus on building a solid based for language learning but also including communication in the process. Based on that, my coordinator wanted me to develop activities that increased such communications; soon I started developing speaking activities which demands oral interaction. My critical moment showed up when I noticed that my students were not able use language accurately and fluently when doing oral interaction. I was confused with the idea on how could possible a student can perform well on grammar activities and tests but can not perform accuracy in conversations.
To develop a performance in grammar activities ,focusing on the traditional syllabus that the book offered me, my plan for the activities were the following :students first listen to and read the dialog or conversation, reread and paying attention to the pronunciation and intonation, look at the example of the grammar structure, read or give the respective grammar explanation , then practice the new structure in control context ( drills or substitution exercises ) and practice the conversation individually and then in Chorus, memorizing the dialog and finally practicing these with a classmate. After that and because of my communication goal, I wanted my students to interact without using their visual or text aid, for that reason I asked my students to extend the questions in order to have real conversation, using the structure they just being taught and also putting in practice their previous knowledge on it. As a result I observed my students trying harder asking and answering question and having difficulties to be understood by the other. They could not follow natural conversation (fluently and accurately) without consulting and asking me questions on how to say something. I was shocked I thought they have already learned.
As a conclusion, planning every lesson with small conversations, short dialogs or texts, present to a student a grammar structure and putting that in practice doing the grammar exercises do not help ensure students are acquiring a language at all. Thanks to the hypotheses and principles now I know that being taught all the time about how to write in correct way (focusing on form), make students learn language rules but not acquiring language in order to make them feel free of communicating.

Inviting Youtube in our classroom

Guayaqui, Ecuador

Lorena Baquerizo G.

Created in February 2005 by three PayPal employees, its main purpose is to upload, view and share videos. It is definitely a great tool to include technology in our classroom.

With only about four years old, youtube has become in an incredible tool which is used by people from different countries, ages, cultures, etc. It is more than just a site to share videos, it has become in a great tool to let the rest of the world see what you want. At the same time this has also become into a great tool for educators to incorporate technology in our classrooms. Different types of videos have been always within our curricula and weekly planning, so what does youtube have that can make our classroom even more interesting and up to date?, here some hints:
1. Home videos: Believe me, it will not matter what your topic is, you will find a video in youtube. It can go from National Geographic short videos to kids in US, Argentina, or Iran singing carols in their English classrooms.
2. Features: There are no long time videos in youtube, which makes it easier to use it in class since it can fit in our classroom periods.
3. Dynamic: With your own account, leave and receive messages will be part of your classes feedback; you will receive comments from all over the world and do the same to other people.
4. Easy-to-use: You only need to create your account, record your video, download it to your computer and then upload it as in any other social site (facebook, hi5, tagged in, sonic, etc). Then, once in the web automatically you will receive comments and posts.

I am conscious of the high cost of investment (not waste) of money, so we need to be realistic and try to use as much “cheap” technology as we can help our students to develop skills that are necessary in our times.

Sending cool homework through T.V.

Guayaquil-Ecuador

By Hugo Velasco

How many times have you had problems with your kids and the T.V.? . According to a research done by experts in 2006 in the U.S. , kids spend forty percent of their time watching T.V. at their homes ; specially when parents are working .
Most of parents are in a constant fight with their kids and it is usual to hear things like: do your homework!!!!, turn off the T.V. !!!!, You‘ve been the whole day in front of that !!!!!!! , You will not watch T.V. the entire week!!!!!.

What could we do as teachers?? Well, there are some things we could do in order to take advantage of technology; in this case the T.V. might be a good tool to engage our students with interesting topics that might be discussed in our classrooms.

For example, sending our students to watch channels such as Discovery Channel, Travel and Living, History Channel, Animal Planet and others, selecting specific topics or focusing on a specific task might be really useful for our Science, Social Studies, Marketing, Debate, and even our Language classes. If you stop and think what skills are your students developing or reinforcing ; you might come up with the conclusion that through television students might practice their listening comprehension , acquire new vocabulary , write a summary , listen and compare different viewpoints, start a debate based on a specific topic, formulate discussion questions , give opinions , and so on .

Now that you’ve heard some tips and advantages for using T.V. as a learning via in stead of a problem- maker; why not implement it!!!!!. Don’t let the T.V. take over your life, use it wisely!!!!!

Student - Teacher issue......

By: Samantha Quintana M.

Dear Miss Nathaly:

My name is Cristina, I am an English teacher at a boys high school, I should mention that I am 20 years old. So far I have had a great performance with my students, I think they have learned a lot, but recently I have been dealing with a problem.

A week ago a student from third course started to behave in a especial way towards me, on Friday, when I was going home I saw him at the bus station, he was waiting for me, after some short words, he said that he had a crush on me. The next day I talked with the psychologist and we have tried to change his mind and realize that he is just confused, but has not worked at all....what should we do?
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Dear gorgeous Cristina:

According to the event that is happening now with your student, it has been wise from you to talk with the psychologist, what he is feeling now is normal at his age, his emotions and feelings start to mix and they usually have a crush on their favorite teacher.

Something that you can consider would to:

+ Analyze about his family, how he develops with the members of his family maybe you can find an answer there, some kids at that age do not communicate very well with their parents and they start looking for that attention from others.

+ Try not to give too much or less attention than others.

+ Never let him stay in your class after the class was dismissed.

I hope we can start knowing how to handle this; I will be waiting for your message.

I am a really nice young teacher!

Depending on the students' age there are many aspects we can find positive or negative of being a young teacher, but it will always depend on how you manage things life brings to you…..
Like those days when you are standing up in the middle of the class trying to catch students’ attention and no one listens to you because they think you will ignore they are doing a mess.

Some cool things, so COOL!

+ Students feel identified with most of the things you do, the music that you like to listen to, the cartoons o movies that you like or even some activities, as playing in your X-BOX, go to karaoke, eat at FRIDAYS, hang out in the mall or watch the Family Guy cartoon.

+ As a young teacher, some of my colleagues or students find some help in me to solve any problem related to technology. For most people, being a young educator means you can manage any type of information.

Some things are just not cool! Not at all!

+ Students will look at you as a brother and they will try to misbehave in class, trying to convince you to let them do things they are not suppose to do in that moment.

By: Danny Bajaña.