These are my eager to learn little skypers!
Last night we had a virtual field trip to Cape Town, South Africa. At the luxury of our living room, we 'flew' there conveniently but I really hope to breathe in their weather. In Cape Town, we visited Sanccob.
It is a non-profit organisation that serves to promote awareness about wild life especially sea birds and helping them to survive in the wild. We were entertained by Ms. Hardy and Steve the famous penguin who walked us through their facilities and some learning materials about the conservatory work and the penguins.
I booked the trip via Microsoft in Education about a month ago and corresponded with Ms. Hardy via Skype multiple times to confirm on the details. She is professional in managing our booking and graciously accept my invitation to Skype (I was anxious as I don't have a proper classroom in school, and the audience was just me and my children).
Prior to the trip, we did some homework about the centre and what they do so that we have some ideas on the things that they do. We went through their website, gathering information and looking at the pictures of the facilities. During this investigation, I solicited some information from my children regarding on what they have read and what kind of questions they would like to ask during the trip. We also browse through quick history about South Africa and my children were shocked to learn on apartheid which was practiced a long time ago. I like the fact that they were able to reflect and what it feels like to be an outcast in their own country.
After some preliminary investigation about the trip, my little skypers were excited and look forward to it. They got ready early and we anticipated some of the things which we think will happen during the trip. The trip was smooth and Ammar managed to answer a lot of questions from Ms. Hardy and I have to admit he is very smart. While I'm not sure what happen to Fahim because he was quiet the whole time but during debriefing he asked some questions irrelevant to the trip but about South Africa in general.
Beside the main attraction which was Steve the penguin, we were in awe when Ms. Hardy showed a picture of the landscape of Cape Town. It is magnificent, Masya Allah! Wish that could roll on it's table top mountain! Imagine we roll and sing 'The Sound of Music' sans Julie Andrews because she would steal my limelight of course!
Would we Skype again? Yes, we will! I think my children and I would have better exposure to others in terms of language exchanges, cultural appreciation and ideology understandings that would broaden our view without much resources being utilized. Insya Allah we will go some other places after this. May Allah grant us meetings with great people who in honest pursuit of knowledge and pure hearts. Ameen.
Through Microsoft in Education, I learn to connect with educators and experts from around the world. For now, I have three sessions scheduled and recently done with one. I was so excited and anxious to see how it goes but Alhamdulillah, it turned out perfectly! Amy was very professional, we corresponded via email prior to the session and she accommodated my questions perfectly and generously shared her ebook with me!
Amy is an expert in organizing activities using Skype and I am convinced that she has done a lot! Looking at her profiles she has been here, there and everywhere. Sadly I was so nervous during the session, hardly to get any screenshot together! Haha! Hope to stay connected.
I think skyping is a great way to get myself, my children, my teachers and their pupils to be connected to the world. Understanding others and befriending them, will make us more open, less judgmental and proactive. We see others are progressing and we have to learn to keep up and open up. Being a global citizen that's what today is.
Till my next Skype Session from Pakistan! Hopefully, I won't get so nervous as not to get a screenshot together!
I had fun seeing them perform! These are 8-year-old ESL learners in their language arts class. They had the opportunity to make props, role-playing in small groups and class presentation. Six out of nine groups managed to present and WOW, they volunteered! Cheers to these children from SK Kuala Perlis!
The dialogue has three characters, a red rose, a gardener and the narrator. These children showed a level of maturity as they democratically chose their character, quietly practicing their dialogue while diligently preparing their props. While the lesson centers on the ability of pupils performing with guidance, their learning repertoire clearly extends it.
Thank you to Ms. Hani for sharing your class with me!
The dialogue has three characters, a red rose, a gardener and the narrator. These children showed a level of maturity as they democratically chose their character, quietly practicing their dialogue while diligently preparing their props. While the lesson centers on the ability of pupils performing with guidance, their learning repertoire clearly extends it.
Thank you to Ms. Hani for sharing your class with me!
Showcase here is stuff teachers made for their classroom use. While some enhance learning, some do motivate learning. I think some of us may have done the same thing, but the key to successful teaching aids is the way a teacher organizes its usage and whether the use will further strengthen learning and achieve the learning objectives. Thanks to Ms. Suhaili Rahmat from SK Arau, Perlis for sharing!
Last week, I found this book sitting on my desk. A friend of mine, Murizah thought that I should indulge myself in fiction before I overwhelm myself with academic journal readings next month. I read Ahern's novels before which I don't enjoy very much and find myself in a dilemma saying NO to Murizah. Which is rather different to Ahern's novel adaptation into film namely P.S. I love you or Love, Rosie where I lost myself ogling at the actors and feeling in deep sympathy for all their mishaps. Murizah saw the look on my face and instinctively assuring me that I will love the book. So, there, me off with Ahern for a 3-day marathon.
After a few pages into the book, I found myself marvelled at her linguistic flair and her interpersonal intelligence. Masya Allah, a language is as it is but human with different preferences, perspectives and reflections reveal a wonderfully crafted string of words which embed euphoria in the readers' mind. Well, I am not much of a reviewer, and yeah the word is WOW. How Ahern placed herself in the character's place certainly gave away on the character and sometimes I find myself there.
The book is about friendship and love, lost and found gripping on a universal theme which many of us are familiar, yet I learn that there are always things to love from anything, so I'm sharing some of my favourite quotes from the book.
“If you have to say something, you have to say it now. And now more importantly, you have to do it yourself. It's your life, you're the one who dies, you're the one who loses it.”
― Cecelia Ahern, The Year I Met You
― Cecelia Ahern, The Year I Met You
“Silent people hold a magic and a knowledge that less contained people lack; that their not saying something means that more important thoughts are going on inside their head. Perhaps their seeming simplicity belies a hidden mosaic of fanciful thoughts.”
― Cecelia Ahern, The Year I Met You
― Cecelia Ahern, The Year I Met You
“Sometimes the very thing I am looking for is staring me straight in the face, but I can't see it.”
― Cecelia Ahern, The Year I Met You
― Cecelia Ahern, The Year I Met You
“In order to fly one must first clear the shit off one's wings. First step is to identify the shit.”
― Cecelia Ahern, The Year I Met You
― Cecelia Ahern, The Year I Met You
Till we meet again, fiction. One question though, will I recommend this book to anyone? Sure, I will recommend this book to EL learners who wants to add colours to their skills and a person who is lost but wanted to be found.
I really want to read my academic journals, it is just that I am not sure...when.
This movie is valuable for teachers' PLC as it provides insights on how differentiated learning can happen. Marva Collins uses Socratic method to develop higher order thinking skills in her learners. The quote featured here is close to my heart and it is not an easy vision to share. Nonetheless, adopting "Malaysia Boleh" attitude should inspire us towards achieving our personal goal in educating our future generation.
These boys high spirit in both friendship and learning are highly inspirational. Young children who are oblivious to their surrounding, pampered (like my children, yikes!) must watch this movie. I intend to do this during this coming weekend. I hope they can understand the struggle to the road of learning and not everyone is as fortunate as them.
3 words: RULES, ROUTINE, CONSISTENCY
These are the words for successful classroom management. Great for teacher trainee or just someone who recently appointed to teach year one pupils! Well, good luck to you. I quote my lecturer at TTC he was referring to the classroom, "it is a jungle out there!"
I love these apps! Recently, I had the chance to introduce it to my teachers during a course. These apps help me to manage behaviour, responses, workshop materials and ideas. I found that teachers learn to appreciate technology in the classroom as they went along the activities in the workshop.
This app may be used on both phone and computer platform. Firstly, I create questions and multiple choice answer. Then I projected the question on a screen and the teachers will show me their plicker cards. The plicker cards must be in the orientation of the intended answer. I scanned their answers using my phone and teachers will see their responses recorded on the projected display. Teachers were excited to get their responses recorded and they will call to my attention if theirs weren't tabulated. And oh, the app is available on both iOS and android.
Ting! It was the sound my teachers loooovee to hear! It meant reward for them and I found them looking for ways to get points. I reward my teachers when they observed the time, kept the area clean, asked questions, give suggestions and working hard on task. Some of the teachers were also penalized for noise, but hey it's ok. It was to demonstrate how the app work. I downloaded the app from PlayStore, but I am not sure whether it is available on Apple Store. What I love most about the app is the report that you can generate at any time and if you want to use it in class, you can get the parents connected.
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| plickers.com |
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| classdojo.com |
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| padlet.com |
Since a workshop will produce a lot of display, I decided to use Padlet for this purpose. For me, a Padlet is a softboard in a classroom for materials display. My teachers posted pictures of themselves, their group activities and of course, their work.
These are some of my Padlet which I share with my teachers for a few of my workshops during the year. Feel free to browse!
Give it a try, and feel the difference!
