I've spent the last year learning up on technology in education and in particular web2.0. My toolbar overflows ... and yet I'm stumped whenever I try to sit down and think what to do in the classroom come September, unable to focus, unable to make a decision. How do I create a meaningful experience, for a heterogenous class of about 30 students, in one 45 minute weekly lesson? How do I multiply that by 6 grades? Pastexperience has taught me that I can't please everyone, no matter what "project" I choose/build/create for my classes, collaborative, international or not, it won't suit every student. I could have students research a topic of their choice. However when I tried this in the past I found it very difficult to be the lone mentor, mediator, guide and teacher for so many students on such a wide topic base. The beginnings of an idea, "teach my students and I'll teach yours".
Teachers create and publish online 1 collaborative distance learning "project" - this could be achieved by opening different groups on ning, imbee, haiku, edu20 etc.
Individual students would register for the project of their choice
We become the online teachers/mentors of the students who registered for our project and mediator/assistant for students in our classes who are working on other projects.
Our students would benefit from: choosing a subject that interests them, working with a teacher who is a specialist in the subject they have chosen, meeting and working with other students who share similar interests.
Of course, I know this would take a lot of planning but is it at all feasible?
Mother of 3, originally from the UK, I now live and teach ICT in elementary school in Israel.
מורה ביסודי - מלמדת מחשבים - בחיפוש תמידי אחר כלים שיקלו על העבודה ויהפכו את הלמידה למעניינים יותר
As child I found I could answer my own questions once I had verbalized them. Usually my father was my sounding board.
We now live in different countries and while I prefer webbased communication, he is pretty much still a phone user . So in order to avoid long telephone bills and even longer, fun but inane conversations with my mum (you know what I mean, who did what, where, why, with whom and how much it cost) I will try to use this blog as my sounding board.