Sunday, March 22, 2015

WebQuest

Hello everyone,
This week for my ELT 408 lesson I will evaluate a WebQuest making references to the categories in the rubric given. If you want to see the rubric, please check the linkhttp://webquest.sdsu.edu/webquestrubric.html. Before my evaluation first let’s talk about what is WebQuest? We can simply define it as web-based activities in today's classrooms. According to Bernie Dodge ‘’ A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which most or all of the information used by learners is drawn from the Web. WebQuests are designed to use learners' time well, to focus on using information rather than on looking for it, and to support learners' thinking at the levels of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation."  There are some popular webquest pages like, http://webquest.org, http://questgarden.com, http://zunal.com. I preferred to evaluate a WebQuest called ‘‘Albert Einstein" in the area of English/Language Arts from Zunal.  The link is below.
Overall Aesthetics
Overall Visual Appeal: Visual elements are related to task and helpful for understanding, each page has a picture about the topic. Therefore I gave 4 out of 4.
Navigation & Flow: It is easy to follow instructions; students can easily understand what they should do in the next step. Therefore I gave 4 out of 4.
Mechanical Aspects: There is no problem with the links, pictures or any other elements. There are 4 links at process part and 4 links in conclusion part. Everything is accessible. Therefor I gave 2 out of 2.
Introduction
Motivational Effectiveness of Introduction: The introduction relates somewhat to the learners’ interests. The teacher wrote a factual knowledge about Albert Einstein but there is no appealing or related question about Albert Einstein. Therefore I give 1 point out of 2.
Cognitive Effectiveness of the Introduction: Introduction gives some reference to learner's prior knowledge: ‘‘You have just realized that everything around you at some time or another has been discovered, invented, or done for the first time by a real human being known as scientists.’’ Introduction previews, to some extent, what the lesson is about like ‘‘Your assignment is to find out more information concerning life and work of most famous scientist Albert Einstein and create a project to share with your classmates so that they can learn more as well.’’ Therefore I give 1 point out of 2.
Task
Connection of Task to Standards: What students are expected to do is stated clearly in a detailed way. They are responsible for creating a project and they must share their new knowledge on PowerPoint or via Poster. Therefore I give 4 out of 4.
Cognitive Level of the Task: It is doable and engaging because each student is required to present their topic in the class. It will be beneficial and useful for students. For these reasons I give 6 out of 6.
Process
Clarity of Process: There isn’t enough information given for this section. The students might be confused. Therefore I give 2 points out of 4.
Scaffolding of Process:  Strategies and organizational tools embedded in the process are insufficient to ensure that all students will gain the knowledge needed to complete the task. For example; sample for a research paper will be sufficient for the learners. For these reason I gave 3 point out of 6.
Richness of Process:  The process mainly consists of searching, reading, writing, preparing a power point presentation or a poster. Different roles are assigned to help students understand different perspectives and share responsibility in accomplishing the task. Therefore I give 2 points out of 2.
Resources
Relevance & Quantity of Resources: There are numbers of resources every of whose aim is different. Therefore I give 4 points out of 4.
Quality of Resources: Resources are specific for the task. They provide students direct information. Some tips are helpful for the students and they are beneficial related to topic for this reason I gave 4 out of 4.
Evaluation
Clarity of Evaluation Criteria: The evaluation instrument clearly measures what students must know and be able to do accomplish the task. They can easily understand what they are expected to do utilizing the rubric. Therefore I give 6 out of 6.
 The total score is 43 out of 50.
It was a challenging assignment, it took a lot of time to decide which project to evaluate but I liked the Webquest projects that's way I will benefit from them in my teaching career.





Sunday, March 8, 2015

New online tool '' EDYNCO'' for creating learning maps


Hello everyone...


I was surfing on the internet and I found out Edynco and I would like to share this new tool with you. Edynco is an online tool for creating learning maps.  A learning map is a version of a mind map specially designed for teachers and students.  Learning maps can include several elements (called nodes) including: title, instruction/summary and an attached resource, which can be a website, quiz, video, audio, PDF, image or document. Nodes are placed on an endless canvas and are connected to each other with branches that help visualize a learning path to follow.

Teachers can use learning maps for lesson planning or for creating interactive lessons.  These lessons can be shared with students as a pre-class activity in a blended learning setting.  Teachers can also use a learning map as an assignment where students can create their own learning map about a specific topic individually or collaboratively as a group. Learning maps employ a variety of cognitive skills: remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, creating and evaluating.

Learn more about how students and teachers can use Edynco as a creation tool by visiting their website http://www.edynco.com  othis video! 


Friday, March 6, 2015

The Little Prince


Hello everyone,                       
Today I will talk about my ELT 408 lecture. Our instructor assigned us    to create a wiki page related to our favorite book, which we read. I have read so many books that I cannot make a decision which one is my favorite. After a long period I decided my favorite book, which I want to introduce you... Can anyone guess?  Let me give you some hints: I read this book in my childhood and after years passed I bought the same book for my niece as a gift and we read it together. The novel is most-translated book in the French language. It has become one of the best selling books ever published. It is called The Little Prince, written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. I decided to review the book to refresh my memory. Although the book may be perceived as a children’s book, the themes and the ideas are geared towards adult readers.


I think this project was really good; I took so much pleasure in writing it.  I believe wikis are very useful tools for EFL learners. Because wiki makes them improve their writing skills and also it makes them gain some information about something they haven’t learned yet such as books, movies, places, and so forth. That’s why   I want to use Wikis in my future teaching career.

 The following link will address you to my favorite book project I hope you will like it.

https://myfavouritebook.wikispaces.com/The+Little+Prince


Saturday, February 28, 2015

Podcast

Hello everyone,
Today I am going to share my podcast with you. It was an assignment for ELT 408 TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION lecture. For this assignment we were supposed to record a podcast and upload it to our blog. Our teacher gave us this prologue: " I thought it was going to be the best day of my life, but turned out to be the funniest. It was a perfect morning.  The weather was sunny and warm.  Then the telephone rang….."  and she wanted from us to complete the story and use sound effects. After spending hours on the internet, I found the application for MAC It is called GarageBand.  After writing my scenario, I found the proper effects from http://soundbible.com/free-sound-effects-1.html and downloaded them. For my telephone conversation I needed a male narrator. My friend Gökalp helped me for that part I would like to thank him. You can find the transcript part above.  Here comes my podcast…. J


Transcript
I thought it was going to be the best day of my life, but turned out to be the funniest. It was a perfect morning.  The weather was sunny and warm.  Then the telephone rang.

Janet:  Hello
Mike: Hi. Is Janet there?
Janet: "This is Janet.
Mike:  Hi Janet. This is Mike. I met you at the party last Saturday night.
Janet: Oh. Hi Mike."
Mike:  Did you enjoy the party?
Janet:  I had a great time. How about you?
Mike:  Yes, it was real fun, especially meeting you.
Janet:  Oh thank you it was great meeting you too.
Mike:  Can we get together   again? How about dinner? I promise you a wonderful evening.
Janet:  Well, ımmm I am a little busy.
Mike:  A couple of hours shouldn't hurt too much. I'll make sure you have a wonderful time.
Janet:  Ok then it sounds good. I'm free this Friday after 6:00. How does that sound to you?
Mike:  That sounds good. Do you want to meet somewhere or would you like me to pick you up?
Janet:   I'll meet you at Cento per Cento at 6:30 on Friday.
Mike:  Sounds great.
Janet: Ok I'll see you then.
Mike:  Ok see you bye
Janet: Bye

On Friday around four o’clock I started to get ready. I took a bath. I wore my red dress and high heels. I put on makeup.  I arranged my hair and when the clock chimed at 5:30, I was almost ready. I took my car key and hit the road to Cento per Cento. There was a lot of traffic, but nothing could get me down. I started thinking." Mike is the handsome guy I have ever seen, he is also very polite and a couple of minutes later we will have a romantic dinner together." When I arrived, I pulled the car in front of the restaurant, got out of the car and gave the key to the vale to park. When I turned my back I saw Mike with 3 kids. I was shocked. He introduced me to his wonderful children, then he said he has an important meeting and he needs a babysitter. He made the dinner reservation for four of us and then he made a hotel reservation for the night. He gave me the room key and said   " Take care of the kids and keep an eye on them." It was going to be the best day of my life, but turned out to be the funniest.


Monday, February 23, 2015

5th BİLGİ ELT CONFERENCE

Hello everyone!

I am here to share a conference announcement with you! 5th BİLGİ ELT CONFERENCE will be organized by İstanbul Bilgi University on May 9, 2015 at santralistanbul Campus. The conference theme is “The Post-Method Era in ELT” so if you are interested, you can have a look at the link below: http://elt2015.bilgi.edu.tr/