The Potential of Web Resources in Enhancing and Modifying Teaching and Learning of Literature in English.

 

I am an English language and literature in English teacher. From my research on the internet I have discovered a variety of information regarding the Literature in English subject which is useful to the learners as well as the teachers. Aside from The Government Inspector, I have noticed that there are more Web  Resource Sites with information on other Literature books such as Romeo and Juliet, To Kill a Mocking Bird, The Burdens, Prose, Poetry, the list is endless. Some of the Sites offer content information that enhance teachers understanding of the text The Government Inspector by Nikolai Gogol. The information they offer range from the themes of the text, character role and characterization, plot, setting, language and style not to mention background information on the authors. Examples of such Sites include; http://www.sras.org/gogol_the_government_inspector_in_text_and_presentation_1836_1938
http://study.com/academy/lesson/methods-of-characterization-in-literature.html.

There are Resource Sites that offer very useful information to learners about the same play and two of them are,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Government_Inspector#Plot_summary

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Government_Inspector.

There are also Resource Sites with interactive educational activities that are very interesting and suited for learners and would enhance the learning environment as well as promote collaboration for effective learning and one such site is; 

http://www.brown.edu/about/administration/sheridan-center/teaching-learning/effective-classroom-practices/interactive-classroom-activities.

Let me also include some Resource Sites on the lesson plans that could be useful for Literature teachers such as; 

http://www.enotes.com/homework-help/hi-can-some-one-someone-tell-me-where-can-find-470714

http://teachers.net/lessonplans/subjects/literature/

These Sites are authoritative. They have credibility, authenticity, currency, authority, accuracy and their scope of information is wide. There are so many links coming off these Sites and each addresses a particular aspect of literature. I have curated these Sites and added them to my Library "Serabidde2014 Public Library Diigo" and I hope to revisit them in the near future and to use the information to teach my Literature class. I recommend that you visit the above resource sites you won't regret. With Literature in English, I shall go with the organization Sites and the commercial Sites which seem to offer a lot of information. On YouTube I can definitely view the videos but the important thing here is identifying what is helpful to both the students and the teachers in the process of teaching and learning

 

 

A Day at the Office

Amongst the software I have viewed in this lesson I would say that some of them are good as a resource for teaching and learning of Literature in English. There are a variety of tools that one could choose from but it is also important to choose the most appropriate of them for that particular subject. The subjects differ in presentation as well as in content and can therefore not use the same App across the board. Maths is not English just as History is not physics. The choice of the App to use depends on the subject the person teaches.

I have tried out some like Microsoft Excel and discovered that the arrangement of the cells is not the best for subjects that use so many words. In their nature they have cells and literature rarely needs them apart from when one is just highlighting points without using so many words. However, in cases where the teacher or learner is interested in brief outlines, it serves the purpose well. Microsoft Excel would do well more with numbers and keeping of students data regarding grades and marks. Just like Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access is structured in cell like divisions and good for keeping a tab on students performance as well as the important things about them (Bio-data).

Literature being a wordy subject requires an App that allows for as many words as one would love to use.  Microsoft PowerPoint on the other hand uses slides that can accommodate the alignment of points as one would wish to present them and also offers space for giving comments or adding notes and is therefore a more appropriate instrument to use in Literature. I have actually enjoyed myself working with Microsoft PowerPoint. It has designs you could choose from to make your product more attractive to the learners and hence chase boredom. You can also put sounds in the background of the text as well as decide how you would wish the slides to move. All those options are there and they are geared to give us the skills to have more interesting products and also make lesson more interesting as we discover more and more about technology. If students were to use Microsoft PowerPoint, they would find it very interesting and captivating because of what it has to offer.

Another tool that I have grown so accustomed to using is Microsoft word processor. This is also a very valuable tool as it allows for spelling checks, can offer substitute words and has dictionary facility that learners can use in the process of typing. Mine being a subject that requires one to get the spellings of words right, this is an appropriate instrument of technology integration for teaching and learning processes.

I do not think that these software stifle in any way the depth of knowledge of activities. Personally I think it depends upon what the person who is using the App wishes to include. It is up to the learner or teacher to choose whatever App is appropriate for the task at hand, and having the choice to do so gives one the opportunity to choose the best.

Where in Tech are We?

In this lesson I have learnt how to apply or integrate technology in my teaching. I have discovered that technology can be integrated into teaching starting with the simplest and basic ideas and moving onto the more complicated and modified forms of integration. Slowly by slowly it is easy to introduce the learners to this method of teaching and learning without scaring them into thinking they are getting into something that is more modified and challenging.

I have learnt the four stages into technology integration substitution, augmentation , modification and redefining from watching the SAMR model videos.  The first stage of substitution is not any different from the old way of teaching because you only get the students to transfer what they could have written down in pen into a microsoft word document.  A simple process but captures the interest of the students since they are doing it hands-on. Then Augmentation which is also similar to substitution improves a bit on the original format of task i.e allows the learners to do spell checks using the computer, access online dictionary and using clip art or digital pictures where they would have done it manually. Modification on the other hand allows for complete transformation of task through redesigning it such that the students can do the task but cannot complete it without using technology. e.g creating something like a book report or comic out of a book report. Redefining is almost similar to modification but it emphasizes use of technology. The students have to do something with technology in order to complete task/assignment. In this case the students would need to have all the materials they are to use lined up. In this process, the more one interacts with the technology the more they get used to it and the more they feel at ease with it. The process is simple and clear and it keeps taking you into the next step and by the time you realize it you are already there and ready to use TPACK.

TPACK is basically integration of technological knowledge with content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge. In integrating the three there is need to have the technical knowledge and know how it relates to content. Know what it is that you want to pass to your learners. What is that that you wish them to learn. After which you should know how to teach, what technology you are to use to teach the content you want to pass on.

 

 

Designing Learning - My Experience with Online Learning

This entire course has taught me a whole lot of things I did not know before and never thought to accomplish in such a short time. From the start of the course it has been one road of discovery after discovery of the advantages and highlights of online learning vis-à-vis the problems and pitfalls. The info graph has been such a challenge but a welcome one at that, let alone knowing how to keep notes in an Evernote application. The Virtual school, the Flipped classroom has been yet another wonderful experience for me as a teacher and for my learners too after having taken them through one of the most interesting and engaging lesson online. Online learning requires the learner to visit wikis, webinars, blogs, podcasts, Khan Academy videos, YouTube videos and all the resource sites available on the Net. In reality, it looks like an ocean of knowledge where one would fear to venture because of the diversity of the information there. But once there, the learner will discover that it is easy to navigate through this ocean and get to the desired information in just a matter of minutes or seconds or utmost hours. And the most wonderful thing about it all is the fact that most of these sites, once you are connected to Internet, you access them free of charge.  

Advantages include;

·        Learner-centered with the teacher as a facilitator

·        Teacher's role as a monolithic node is taken away.

·        Learners can study from anywhere ie at home and in the confines of their bedrooms. 
·        No fear of being embarrassed.
·        Ability to view lesson as many times as one wishes for clarity and further perception of concepts.
·        The learners who have jobs can also find time to read and learn without worrying.
·        Tutoring is possible across continents
·        Supports the learner to take charge of their own learning and decide what they want to learn.
·        Allows learners to experience things in their own learning and construct knowledge basing on their own experiences.
·        Encourages collaboration amongst students/learners.
·        All learners are treated according to their abilities since online learning takes into account the multiple intelligences of the learners.
·        Promotes continuity of data.
·        Gives immediate feedback.
·        Does not affect the final grade.
·        Provides for an all inclusive environment.

Highlights

·        It is up to the learners to dream big in every community.
·        Be a learner and be willing to be transformed.
·        Let the learners decide what they want to learn.
·        Give the children a chance to realize themselves.
·        Ensure that children can make sense of the world, the images, the ideas, and information they are bombarded with every day.
·        Learning to accommodate the differences.
·        Understanding how TPACK's three domains of knowledge interact including the subject domains that are in actual fact essential to support effective technology integration in the learning process.
·        Use technology to humanize on a global scale what is happening in education.
Disadvantages and pitfalls include;
·        Requires a lot of time.
·        Reduces memory span.
·        Reduces the ability to think.
·        Reduces concentration since most of the time there is skimming through texts to get to what one is looking for.
·        The culture of reading is killed.
·        A sea of information that may be too much for the learner to digest all.
The disadvantages and pitfalls are minimal as compared to the advantages and highlights of online learning.  Technology allows learners to research, collaborate, create, network and present in all kinds of new ways.  

 

The Sweet Spot

The lesson has been carried out and it  has been all about the play Romeo and Juliet. The children have worked in groups to analyse the contents of the play in terms of plot, themes, character role and characterization, and Language and Style. Each of these topics has been allocated to two groups. In all there have been eight groups. All members have been very active and have been in a positively excited mood. They have all been ready to do what it takes to accomplish their tasks, which they have done so well. There has been animated discussions within the groups. They have viewed and re-viewed the play in certain areas where there  has been lack of clarity in the actions of the actors.

The students feed back is that it has given them the time to view and also go back and view some areas that have not been clear to them. It has given them a chance to watch at their own pace and to collaborate to get the required details. However, presentation could not be carried out to the end because of the time factor. Only two groups have managed to present out of the eight. We have failed to get an interactive whiteboard to use so the presentations  have been physical.

As a teacher I feel technology is the way to get the students to have an interest in what they are doing because it even excites them. It gives them a chance to utilize the online resources of some of the things they need to know more about. It provides them with a constant supply of information that is useful to their studies and helps them understand more.

However, i have discovered that online videos tend to be slow especially when you are working against time. Apart from the teacher's facilitation of the entire lesson, the groups need to have a leader to control the discussions and ensure that they listen to each other when they are carrying out the discussions. All in all, the lesson has been exciting and interesting.

When We were Trained as Teachers and Started Working in Schools

When we were trained to be teachers and started working in schools.	Our advice to you now
All learning done in class	Create an all inclusive environment
All students sat at desks in rows.	Use the space freely
Teacher was the all knowing	Learner centered
Chalk board, and textbooks	Use technology
Lessons Timetabled	Allow as much time as possible
Rigid curriculum	Students interests and allow them to experience tasks.
Individual tasks mostly.	Group and project work Encourage creativity and collaboration
Examinations a must at the end of term.	Continuous assessment.
Negative motivation through punishing, humiliation and harassment.	Positive motivation through encouraging and rewarding.

Creativity,Constructivism and Accommodation

Not all children have the same abilities. Each child has its own strengths and weaknesses. It is not necessarily true that if a child is weak in one subject they are also weak in the other. On several occasions children who fail in one area excel in another. There is need to help the children in areas where they are strong.
In creativity we employ our thinking as well as our hands. The mind chooses what it is interested in and will grasp the concepts of that very fast. The child is able to come up with different ways of dealing with a task that is of interest to them. Where they lack interest, they will be bored and probably will not even engage in such a task whole heartedly.That is why we view children differently in their respect strong points.
Creativity is linked to accommodation and constructivism approach. In a constructivism approach, children have interests in varying projects/areas, they are given chance to focus on that, they work in groups with the people who share the same interest, they are given chance to experience and discover for themselves, they share their ideas and end up creating and presenting something creative.
Accommodation allows students to focus on what is being taught but gives them some room to adjust to the task knowing that the students possess differing capabilities. While some are fast at learning and grasping concepts, there are those that take a longer time to do so. Creativity and constructivism let the students be in control of their own learning, accommodation on the other hand provides them with a task and guides them and gives them  chance to learn and understand things in their own time, in their own way.