A New Start

Among these tasks, I like keeping the blog most. I like being free; I am more fond of the idea that I may avoid following some directions, which tend to restrict my thinking  to certain forms, such as ABCD objectives. But it doesn't mean I will scribble down whatever in my mind. Contrarily, from these weeks’ experiences, I come to develop a rule embarking on keeping the blog. Not awaiting the time to write, then I start to think what to be involved in the blog. Instead, I record ideas flashing through my mind. By so doing, once starting, I only have to organize my ideas. And I won’t end up with a nonsense scrawling.

While glancing through the websites of writing and reading, I did feel it is rewarding to attend the course: so many websites to foster my teaching. Most of them are delicately organized ones, and free of charge. Besides, these websites are categorized according to different purposes: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. While teaching, I am always anxious what activity I should adopt to interest learners and so benefit them. Therefore, I often beat my brains out, and now these websites allow me to gain a convenient access to ideas, approaches. In addition, I should say I am kind of surprised to learn some participants are able to share with us useful and practical websites. All the websites resemble a door to another level of teaching English. Awesome!

Before making up my lesson plan, I actually worry that it might be a hard task. But after looking over some from Baltimore County Public Offices of Technology Instruction, the anxiety dispels. Clear and simple, not complicated at all. Indeed, a lesson plan should be drafted in this manner. Just think about the real teaching scenarios. A teacher has so many lessons to teach, but if writing a lesson plan becomes a stupendous task, then lesson plans will not be planned. While I was earning my teacher license, it is a colossal task to write a lesson plan. Then, I felt it was way too impractical. That kind of lesson plan was ironically written for professors’ examination only,  not in a real teaching setting. In fact, that horrible experience causes me to have a fear for writing lesson plans.

Finally, I start to reconsider the upsides of using Delicious. Perhaps, I will have a different thought about it some time later. By the same token, I trying using an alien browser. Internet Explorer is my habitual browser, but I trying getting accustomed to using Chrome to cater to the course. The new software and browser will likely oblige me to raise myself to a new level in the use of technology in teaching English. And, I believe I just need time to get used to them well.

An Inspiration

I was instructed to keep a journal, at the time I was earning my master degree, when I didn’t understand why I had to do so. But I came to know why I had to, because that helped me take down messy information coming to me. Now, taking the course, I was asked to write a blog. Besides working as a platform where I can share with other participants ideas of the course, the writing blog reminds me of the journal I made in the graduate school.

     I think the two are similar. A journal is a good source for me to retrospect what flashes into my mind during a time period; a blog plays a similar role. Most of time I stick to my computer, dealing with hodgepodge. Whatever I am tackling, ideas or thoughts keep hitting on me, and how should I keep track of them? As I used to write a journal, writing a blog becomes a channel for me to manage assortments of information.

     As a teacher, I have developed a like lifestyle. Like things; like people every day. Though my life sometimes is infused with innovation, it is a drop in the ocean. However, the course pours into a lot of new things to my teaching. This week, I touch a new online tool, Delicious, a bookmark tool, such a device being one I have never used. And I think the ensuing weeks novelties will enter my life. In addition of new online tools, this weekly reading offers me a great chance to review my own teaching as well as to get acquainted with others’ instruction. The class project I read is one made by a teacher in Romania, a country alien to me. On seeing the project, it occurs to me that how fascinating to take in a report written in a remote country. I find Ms. Nicolici’s teaching itinerary is one arranged beforehand, and modified along the way, which gives me a sigh of relief. More often than not, I alter my teaching map, and I feel afraid because I wonder if it is my negligence or poor preparations. Ms. Nicolici teaching project dawns on me, even though a well-organized teaching project is still need of adapting to living up to students’ needs. No wonder quite a lot of reverend predecessors say teaching is an art. Art should be something felt by our heart; it is more than schedule and arrangement.

    I always start with my class by asking students to listen to a piece of short news, a clip I select from ABC news. Therefore, one task this week asks me to express my opinions on listening. I should say teaching listening is my favorite; teaching listening by using authentic materials is especially challenging and interesting. Last week, in a lesson whose topic is connected with the idea that we are bothers, I used a ABC news report, in which American country song super star, Brad Paisley, works with hip hop musician, LL Cool J, to make a song about the eradication of discrimination. I could see students glittering eyes while they were listening to that song after the news report. Then both students and I feel the process is constructive learning, and how wonderful the learning outcome is. Actually, the advance of IT facilitates teaching in many ways. And that is why UO’s programs contain IT pedagogy.

     I can imagine what a stunning effect it will have on me after I complete the course. It must be very fantastic. 

Nothing To Do With Teaching

The course is demanding, as I was warned. But it is, after the course comes to the second week. Perhaps I have been occupied with many other things: preparation for TOEFL, GRE, school teaching, and a presentation in a seminar… What makes me on edge is, it seems, all my classmates in the course are staying all the time at the  computer working on the tasks. It stirs me to work hard to catch up.

So, I cannot stay in my office, where my colleagues like to have a chat with me, because it will deprive my precious time devoting to my attendance to the course and the preparing work. Now, my school library becomes a place I often linger around. For I have to seize the time to study and work.

However, it doesn’t mean time suffices to deal with all jobs I have now. I can feel it transient, but meanwhile the busy life replenishes the emptiness which used to haunt me. Even so, I still have a sense of loss. In the course, I have the rare chance to work with my teacher in University of Oregon and other participants from other countries. It is a pity that I cannot have ample time to read their posts, tasks, and communicate with them. I wish to take my time appreciating every participant's articles, posts, and interchanging ideas. Explicitly, I have not adapted to the tempo of the course. I still leave a lot to be done, hoping to catch up with other participants and have time communicating with them.

     Now I am attending the online program, Building Teaching Skills Through The Interactive Web. For me, this is a fantastic opportunity to promote my teaching skills. I have often wondered in what way I can utilize the Internet to enhance my teaching both benefiting students' learning as well as polishing my teaching.
     In the class, I can merely know my teacher through his pictures and the messages he sends me. The experience is actually distinctive. If I have problems, I have to send him a message, awaiting his reply. Probably this is much better than face-to-face discussion, especially because I am not a native speaker. If I don't really understand what my teacher is explaining, I will probably pretend I have got what I want to know. Through the indirect communication, I will have time to re-read theacher's information. The other distinctive one is my classmates;  they are from different places of the world, some of which I have never heard. But their desire to better their teaching is not less aggressive than I.   I am eager to communicate with them on teaching English in their countries. Especially in their classroom settings, what language dominates their teaching, the target language or their mother tongue. In my country, most English teachers prefer using mother tongue as a teaching medium. Besides, I would like to share with them the teaching skills applicable to teaching, and discuss miscellaneous problems. To what percentage, for instance, do they use computer as a teaching aid? For me, I cannot teach without computer. It is my contention that a non-native speaker EFL teacher must be able to use computer in teaching English. For example, in giving a definition, an online e-dictionary will give an EFL teacher a definiton and example sentence with ease. When explaining what avocodo is, a simple on-line image will solve the problem.
     The first-week task is not as difficult as I have expected. But no other classmates have sent me any messages. Nor have I. As for this, I feel a bit lonely. I hope next week, the classroom will be full of discussions.
     

Tomb Sweeping Day

    Two tiring days.
    Our family drove a long way back to the end of Taiwan for the Tomb Sweeping Day. The day is a weary one, always. It is hot in April 4 th and 5 th every year this time, for the  southern tip of Taiwan is actually situated in the tropics.  Plus, we have to carry heavy offerings to a hill, where our ancesters' graves are located. There is not just one, but two. The second one, my grand grand father's, is much higher than my grandfather's. So we had to scramble to  the locations. Yes, scramble.
     Under the scorching day, we started to pull up weeds and do some cleaning. To my annoy, my kids were  pestering the adults with questions, " May we leave?"  They were losing patience, so was I...
     Every year before the Day, I figure out some ideas to ALTER "the good tradition." But to my dismay, my father's idea is always obsolete and rigid.
     Now, it's 9:56 p.m., and I am tired now. But I must be working on my blog. My eyes  blur.
     What about next year? It will be another nightmare.