This is the thirty-minute talk I gave at the IATEFL conference. I describe the process of tranforming a 100% f2f writing course for teachers into a 50/50 f2f/blended version.
4. Desire to attract
students from
neighboring
cities
Declining
number of
registrations
Desire to experiment with online teacher
development
Why go blended
5. Two-month, 32-hour course
Improve student-teachers’ writing and provide an
authentic experience with the process approach –
focus on multiple drafts and peer revision
Assessment by way of participation and e-portfolio
Students read and write essays on learning and
teaching English
The Composition Course
16. Post a comment about the text you've just read entitled ' How I
became a teacher".
In your comment you should:
- State whether you think the writer's thesis is clear.
- State whether you think that, directly or indirectly, the writer
mentioned the setting, main characters, plot, climax, and ending of
her narrative.
- State what you think are the strengths of the text you read.
- State if there are any weaknesses and, if there are, what they are.
- Conclude explaining how you identify (or not) with the text.
Instructions for reflective post
17. Your comment should contain no fewer than ten lines (in
the editing box - I know that when you publish they become
fewer); no more than fifteen lines.
For your comment, you should base yourself on the
information about narrative essays provided in your
book and on the online resource provided right
below this forum.
Click on "reply" below to post your comment. It's best that you write
your post on a word processor first, edit it, and then paste it as a
reply.
Instructions for reflective post
20. Analysed the topics
for narrative essays
Wrapped up discussion on the
authentic narrative essay
(thesis statement)
Analyzed the vocabulary and
discourse markers used in it
Textbook: Brainstormed
ideas for narrative essay
and shared with peer –
spoken variety of
freewriting
Textbook: Wrote an
outline of narrative essay
and gave feedback to
each other on the outline
F2F
Weaving into the following class
24. Revised Bloom’s
Taxonomy
Activities
Creating E-Portfolio: choice, reflection, growth
over time
Evaluating Peer revisions: Wiki; workshop
Analyzing Sample texts: links + forum; open-ended
questionnaire; wiki for jig-saw reading
Applying Forum; open-ended questionnaire
Understanding Quiz
Remembering Quiz
Levels of thinking skills
25. Students’ voices: Why go blended
Benefits shy students
Fosters learner responsibility and autonomy
Room for a wider variety of tasks
Improves teachers’ digital literacy
Meets a variety of learner needs
Flexibility
26. Time management
Workload can end up being
bigger
A lot of distractions
Preference for f2s
interactions
Students’ voices: disadvantages
27. In sum, the ongoing changes and the useful
resources of technology are here. We can borrow the
positive aspects of online and traditional learning to
improve knowledge. Since learning is a lifelong
process, a blended approach respects individual
differences and helps students become more
independent as they make these adjustments
gradually. Because of the reasons mentioned above,
I believe the TDC blended format is the most
appropriate for a teacher’s classroom reality.
Students’ voices