Distance & I

Being away from the University for which you had hardly try to be admitted, was so disappointing by the beginning of the term. August 15,"Probably students are now gathering at the university, talking, walking and getting familiar with one another, with the university..." I was thinking when the phone ranged;

"Hey!You are here yet?" my friend asked !

"sigh!" , "yeah! Yet! " I said.

She asked what would happen then!? 

I said "I have no Idea, I have packed my suitcase, and would travel as soon as I get my visa".

She said : " Is that Probable that you can not go this term ? What will happen then? Is that probable that ou can not go at all?"

I felt my forehead was red and hot, hearing those words, "What will really happen ?!" I thought! and I answered : " Anything is Probable!!!"

By the afternoon I got an e-mail from my professor Dr.Zeitz , He had said I can take part in two online classes and helped me activate my UNI account. I was so worried yet, " I don't have access to the books, and I have no idea about online classes" I thought.

My aunt helped me find the books in online library, and she bought me some of them so that I can start my learning from distance.

It got me about 3-4days to get familiar with the e-learning website, and checking all the videos and syllabus, and finding more about conferences and chat rooms we had to take part. I installed different software required to be able to check the sites, and mails, until I could go online for the first section of second class we had. I couldn't hear the voice clearly, so I was quiet and read the chat.I understood almost nothing, since the questions were not all typed there, but some responses, and some questions by other students.

I was quiet until my Professor recognized me and asked whether  I have questions?! I replied : " Thank you, I am trying to get familiar with the site",

thinking inside my heart with worries: "I am all Question! what will happen? What should I do?"

but I knew they were not questions to ask! they were actually things to find!

My professors attention gave me a great motivation to go through the syllabus and find more and do my tasks. Professors were suggesting to everybody to e-mail them whatever questions they had.

I know I was not perfect when doing my assignments, but I tried my best to deal with situation. I got familiar with my professors and classmates. I read my books ,and post my tasks online. I stay awake some nights to take part in online discussions since we have time differences, but things have become much easier to deal with now.

I think I should be so happy to chose Instructional Technology major for my MA, I found lots of similarities to concern in this major with my BA major concerning (English and Teaching) ,What's more? It gave me this chance to take part in the classes from distance.

Web 2.0 Introduced by my professor Dr.Zeitz, for Emergence of Instructional Technology;

In Web 2.0 I learned about many different tools that a teacher could use considering the different methods and it helped me gain more information about social networks, and how to use them in teaching or class.

Reading every page of that book made me like to continue. It brought me different ideas thinking about my past experiences on teaching and I decided to take note and remember to use some of those suggestions in the future teaching major I would probably have.Some times I was thinking that how helpful it could be if I knew it before!

One of the other tasks we had in this Course was to try and built what we learn. Making Weblog helped me get more familiar with other classmates. I found that many of them are so knowledgeable with brilliant ideas and experiences. Some of them are young and so energetic. They are not the same as each other thinking about different issues but this difference makes me feel happy since I hear some different ideas, I can see one issue from different angels, and different ideas. When I read their blogs I feel I can understand them and it makes me really happy when I see I can find some common thoughts with mine even tough I live in a different country.

I liked Technology and I have enough reasons to like it more now. I hope and desire to gain so much in this course.

:)

Travelling around the Virtual World... by TECHNOLOGY

I was awake all night wanted to read and post an assignment but I couldn't. It was early morning when I decided to go to my father's shop to use the Internet there. My father's friend sent him several text messages to convince him use IMQQ instead of yahoo messenger or oovoo.
When he began to call and text him, he asked me about it, and I said "I have no Idea!!!"
but the questions came one after another.
I said okay, please let me concentrate for 5 more minutes on what I am doing, and then I will help you install and use it.
My father is a young man, whose knowledge of English is so little, but what is nice about it is that he sometimes deals everything so professionally. He never went to an English class, but he traveled and used computer so much.
as we began to use this messenger http://intl.imqq.com/download.html I found that it seems it's easy to download or share a picture of the screen, or translation of the text at the same time when we type it by controlling the language setting (it contains Source and target Language).

When I asked my father about that friend, He said not only his English is not good, but also he can not write Persian well, because he was not educated, but now he has a website through which he does his business, he searches and finds different translators in the web and communicates with companies in China, Dubai,...Orders and even now he sells through the web and right now he has become so rich and knowledgeable.

I remembered one advice I really liked when I was a child and that was (Travelling is the best teacher) travel around the world to discover and observe and learn more. ( Thanks to Technology, today it's not easy to travel all around the world if you are not rich enough, however it may not be as real as traveling with plane, but I believe watching different pictures, movies, reading stories and searching in the net, communicating with people from different countries, does much like TRAVELING AROUND THE WORLD.

I think Technology is a great Teacher itself, We should just learn how to use it in the proper way!!! And I should remember that as a teacher I should try to be knowledgeable enough, to win this competition!

Content/ Device

Using Technology in Education seems so suitable and new to many teachers and students.

Asking ideas of different teachers and students in Iran, I found that many of them are tired of the old system of conferencing classrooms in different ages.

Iran Education system is divided to 4 steps.

4-6 years old Kindergarten (optional).

6-11 years old  (5 years) primary school; studying Persian Literature, Math, Science, sports, arts.

11-14years old (3 years) guidance school; studying Persian Literature, Math, Science, Sports, Social related materials,Religion, History, Geography, and English as a second language, and Arabic.

14-18years old (4 years) high school.

First year, all high school students study Physics, Math/ Algebra/ Geometry, Persian Literature, English, Arabic, Chemistry, Geography, History, Economy, Sports.

Next 3 years of High schools they study some general courses , and some related courses to their major.

Some students start studying English from the age of 8-9, in private Institutes, Even some private Kindergartens, and primary schools teach English and Computers and some extra courses.

But is that really Beneficial?

I was English Teacher in a kindergarten for a year. It was rather playing with language than teaching as it was their first exposure to English and we didn't want students to feel bad, or worry about their learning. 

I found it interesting teaching little kids, the most important part was that I was speaking in English only as it was a rule in our training course.

I recognized students didn't understand many of the words I used , but miming, and using context helped me so much in teaching many words to them. after several sessions they started to ask about concepts, specially when they watched some cartoons like magic English that is suitable for children who want to learn English.

But I never forget the supervisor's dissatisfaction of adding  English to the things that they were going to teach the students. She said the only reason she wants to have these classes is that nowadays many parents want to follow these trades, and she believed teaching English couldn't be useful in the kindergarten.

This is the same at the private schools. computer have been added to students courses, just like many other courses they have to study. students enjoy the time they spend on learning it, but what do they really learn ?

Unfortunately many teachers, parents, and students are not enough familiar with computer, software, and other devices. iPod, iPad are just some devices to show off not only for students, but also for parents. When we discuss using iPod in teaching students become happy, because they think about the games and the way that they can escape from the other contents and courses that they have to study.

I think what makes many people believe computers are not useful in teaching kids or teens is the matter of the content that students could find there. The content of what they have to study at school is completely different from the courses.

To computerize our education, teachers need to do more, they should find the things that students can do, rather practically than mere searching in Wikipedia, or several sites to copy and conference it.

We should look forward a system that is enough related to the content. on the other hand we should make the right context in the virtual teaching world.

I will appreciate all suggestions that my friends have in different fields, and I look forward the reality of technology in education.

How should we add technology to our contents in a way to help a better education, not to make more problems?

Maybe the whole system is under question then! but let's find the true way, and not to escape!

Photography

Kabe-Zartosht (Shiraz)

Arge-Karimkhan(Shiraz)

Kabe-Zartosht

Something that gives a good feeling to me when I am tired/bored is taking photos. Nature Makes us calm,and happy. taking photo gives more attention and concentration.


Hope you all enjoy the photos I share with you here.

Technophobia/Technophilia

It was last summer when I recommended my students who were learning English as second language to use computer and internet to have more practice and fun, I told them chat, use the different sites, read and read..
 One of my students who was 19 made an exclamation; huh ! and a skeptical view of USING THE INTERNET?? and Chat?
"Internet is negative in learning, it is rather time taking than teaching something new." the other young lady said !
It was a friendly adult class, they were the ages 19 to 50 who had no good background in English. we had three votes that Internet is not a good device and 6 indicating  beneficial use of Internet.

......................................
I draw a table on the board and asked them to tell their reasons why using Internet specially chat is good/bad.

............................................
We had lots of advantages, and three disadvantages as they had mentioned ;
1. It's time taking to learn how to Use computer and Chat, especially for those who had never try it.
2. Internet is not safe (for finding friends).
3. Chatting might bring addiction for them.
...................................................
I expected the same result ! I smiled and told them let's find a way to cover the disadvantages now !
We learn English, and we live in the age of Technology, these Ideas are too old to follow, lets find a solution.
They made my day with their suggestions ! In a 15 minute discussion we were convinced that we can use chat and some other tools in a safe way. My students started chatting with their classmates, not strangers, they promised to speak English, and correct their classmate's mistakes. they decided to bring one Idiom to class every session.and the last but not the least result was that they can learn how to use the Internet, and any tool that could facilitate their life.

As a matter of age, and beliefs  I found that there were a variety of point of view toward the Technology. but at the end of that term I was satisfied with the result of engaging 7 out of nine students of mine with the e-learning, and even more useful daily tasks that they had learn to do with computers and mobile phones.

WE HAVE TO COVER THE TECHNOPHOBIC IDEAS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY YET.