Message in a Bottle from Year 2030

Dear Readers,

This is the year 2030 and I am proud to say I work as an educator; the number one respected profession. Here's a day in my work;

I wake up without an alarm clock and get ready for work. I arrive at my office on my bike as we don’t  use cars any more. I am dressed in casual comfortable clothing and head to my office. I have a big office space with windows overlooking the beautiful emptiness of the desert. I have decorated my office with my art work and my kids crafts. I have also chosen the furniture to fit my teaching style. We are lucky to have the full support of the administration for making our space according to what we see fits our needs. So I feel quite good coming to my office. I have a small area for meetings with students and for video conferencing. Even though my office is very comfortable and has a casual living room feel to it, it also includes all the latest technology to facilitate video conferencing and virtual learning.

My students also have their own office spaces. They choose their space and make it their own. We no longer meet in the formal classroom like the old days in 2011. These classroom spaces are now restricted to become small office spaces for students and meetings rooms equipped with video conferencing and other technology students need.

Usually I start my first class by having a video conference with my small group of students; 5 maximum. My role as an educator is to facilitate their learning. So we go through what they need to do for the week. I coach them with some tips on how to go about their tasks. Their study is based on authentic projects. They often need to coordinate meetings with students from other countries. I have now also contacted George Town University in New York and we are working on a project together linking the Emirati students with the Americans to find a solution for a problem one of the emirates is trying to solve. The world now is a small place where all the resources are available to everyone and as such we are all responsible for the progress of the human race.

My group suggests inviting a guest speaker from Europe to get the European perspective so we  have a video conference call with that speaker.

Students have their notes and tasks for next week so off they get going.

Later on in the day, I have a face to face meeting with another group. We still use this old fashioned style because the human interaction is important. Our meeting is in the desert in one of student’s Majlis. This group have their own Majils for meetings instead of the office space. They like to keep their traditions alive. Even though this is in the middle of the desert we still have the latest technology available so we have an area where we brainstorm our ideas for the next project. We also have a video conference with African speakers to give us their insights. All of the projects assigned are real life projects that need to be applied in society.

Learning basically is project based. Students pick a problem and need to find the solution by researching and collaborating with people from around the world. They do not sit in classrooms and talk about theories. They dig in and have their teachers as their guides. Resources are available at their request.

After this meetings, I listen to a presentation by another group of students working on a project for the World Bank. I am doing this while in the park because I don’t want to waste a perfectly beautiful day!

At the end of the day, I feel relaxed, had my exercise and enjoyed a good facilitation. I feel technology has helped making my life easier and more connected and I can shut it down when needed. I don’t feel that the more connected I am through technology the less real communication is happening like the old days in 2011 when people felt more disconnected because of lack of knowledge using technology.

Hope who finds this letter will find something useful.

Best  wishes,

Lana

Message in bottle from 2030

Dear Readers,

This is the year 2030 and I am proud to say I work as an educator; the number one respected profession. Here's a day in my work;

I wake up without an alarm clock and get ready for work. I arrive at my office on my bike as we don’t  use cars any more. I am dressed in casual comfortable clothing and head to my office. I have a big office space with windows overlooking the beautiful emptiness of the desert. I have decorated my office with my art work and my kids crafts. I have also chosen the furniture to fit my teaching style. We are lucky to have the full support of the administration for making our space according to what we see fits our needs. So I feel quite good coming to my office. I have a small area for meetings with students and for video conferencing. Even though my office is very comfortable and has a casual living room feel to it, it also includes all the latest technology to facilitate video conferencing and virtual learning.

My students also have their own office spaces. They choose their space and make it their own. We no longer meet in the formal classroom like the old days in 2011. These classroom spaces are now restricted to become small office spaces for students and meetings rooms equipped with video conferencing and other technology students need.

Usually I start my first class by having a video conference with my small group of students; 5 maximum. My role as an educator is to facilitate their learning. So we go through what they need to do for the week. I coach them with some tips on how to go about their tasks. Their study is based on authentic projects. They often need to coordinate meetings with students from other countries. I have now also contacted George Town University in New York and we are working on a project together linking the Emirati students with the Americans to find a solution for a problem one of the emirates is trying to solve. The world now is a small place where all the resources are available to everyone and as such we are all responsible for the progress of the human race.

My group suggests inviting a guest speaker from Europe to get the European perspective so we  have a video conference call with that speaker.

Students have their notes and tasks for next week so off they get going.

Later on in the day, I have a face to face meeting with another group. We still use this old fashioned style because the human interaction is important. Our meeting is in the desert in one of student’s Majlis. This group have their own Majils for meetings instead of the office space. They like to keep their traditions alive. Even though this is in the middle of the desert we still have the latest technology available so we have an area where we brainstorm our ideas for the next project. We also have a video conference with African speakers to give us their insights. All of the projects assigned are real life projects that need to be applied in society.

Learning basically is project based. Students pick a problem and need to find the solution by researching and collaborating with people from around the world. They do not sit in classrooms and talk about theories. They dig in and have their teachers as their guides. Resources are available at their request.

After this meetings, I listen to a presentation by another group of students working on a project for the World Bank. I am doing this while in the park because I don’t want to waste a perfectly beautiful day!

At the end of the day, I feel relaxed, had my exercise and enjoyed a good facilitation. I feel technology has helped making my life easier and more connected and I can shut it down when needed. I don’t feel that the more connected I am through technology the less real communication is happening like the old days in 2011 when people felt more disconnected because of lack of knowledge using technology.

Hope who finds this letter will find something useful.

Best  wishes,

Lana

My Learning Theory

Blog Questions: 

Read the article about the development of teacher's practical theory. How do you think it's related to your own work and professional identity as a teacher? In your blog, write about how your own practical theory has developed, what has affected it, where does it show now? Also reflect on how you are using different learning theories in your work.

Readings:

1)  Learning Theories

http://www.infed.org/biblio/b-learn.htm

2) Teacher's Practical Theory http://www.directions.usp.ac.fj/collect/direct/index/assoc/D1175794.dir/doc.pdf

Reading about Learning Theories took me back years ago when I was in college when I had to take in all of these theories which didn't make much sense to me. Still, it is useful to be aware of these theories and as an experienced teacher I can now make more sense of the abstractness of these theories. The main focus in the first reading is basically whether learning is seen as a process or a product. In our modern education, the emphasis is still on the end product where assessments are set to measure whether learning has taken place or not. While, ideally, educators should be looking at learning as a process. This is important to differentiate because it would change how we assess learning. 

I would most agree with the Humanist theory of learning where the view of the learning process is to fulfill the learner's potential. My role as an educator is a facilitator of learning to develop the learner's potential. This places a lot of pressure on the learner because it is self-directed learning. My role is to offer the tools to learning but learning will not happen unless the learner takes an active role and decides to do something with what I offer them. So basically my role is to support the lifelong learning which refers to the term: Andragogy. This term may refer in literature to adult learning, however, I apply when I teach my kids as well. 

However, I think that most of learning where I am is influenced by the Cognitivist theory because curriculum is based on developing skills to learn and perform. Teacher's role is to structure the learning activity. The end product is easier to measure in such a format. 

In my ideal world of teaching, I would like to apply more of the humanist theories and develop curriculum along the line with what my students need. Assessments would be based highly on self-reflection. Students would need to make themselves accountable for learning to happen and not expect it to take place just by showing up to class. Learning thus would be self-directed. Value is placed on effort during the process and not the end product. 

As for my own learning theory, I liked the second reading which described the components of developing your own learning theory in regards to values, beliefs and metaphors. In our community, this is extremely important because we have the educators coming from totally different value-laden backgrounds than that of their students. The end result is having students confused about the purpose of learning. 

Dorovolomo suggests that values include sources such as family background, ethnicity, class and cultural images.

I Value:

Good and thorough preparation for every class I give

Having a big vision of the whole course/ curriculum

Innovative techniques in teaching

Keeping up to date with the latest trends

Learning about my students learning styles and adapting my teaching style to fit theirs

Using technology that students use in their daily life and adapt learning to that

Making learning as real as possible by brining realia to the classroom, guest speakers and field trips

Learning should be an enjoyable activity and not a painful process

This I Believe:

Education is your only guarantee in life. When everything else fails, you can always depend on your education and skills to reinvent yourself.  Money comes and goes, properties lose and gain value, and so on…but education is the only thing that stays with you. It is the best thing you can give your children.  

In order for learning to take place, learners need to have an intrinsic motivation for learning. They need to know why they are learning and how it will benefit them in the future.  If this motivation is not there, then the educator’s role is to work on the learner’s motivation.

Teachers should be constantly developing themselves and researching the newest trends in teaching. They should serve as role models for their students.  You never stop learning.

Learning is not an isolated activity. We should be cooperating with institutions form around the world on projects especially with all the technology available to us.

Assessments should be based on effort and improvement and not final product/ result. Students should be in charge of determining if they believe they have learned what they needed from a course.

Teaching Metaphor:

Teaching is like making dinner for your family. You could make dinner all by yourself and serve the whole thing and let your family enjoy it, or not. Alternatively and this is how I would do it: as the cook, you ask your family what they’d like to have for dinner. You put a plan together. You could even customize it by giving each member of the family to have their day. Then, you assign tasks: Some have to research for the best recipe, buy the ingredients, set the table. The next phase is getting the whole family cooking. Each member has a role to complete. The main chef is the facilitator; you keep an eye on things so no fire burns in the kitchen. Everybody is involved no matter what their skill and abilities are. You assign tasks according to their abilities. Chef allows mistakes to take place in the kitchen under his/her supervision so that the rest of the cooks learn. Everybody is joining in and as such they all feel they are chefs for a short period of time. There usually is a greater sense of appreciation for the final dish because of the joint effort.  After the meal is served and enjoyed, the family reflects on what worked and what didn’t in this task. They decide if they need to tweak the recipe a bit to fit their taste and give a try again. They can try as many times and they need till they feel they got it right and they are ready to move on to trying new recipes. 

My Most Memorable Learning Experience

My most memorable experience was when I took my first art class. The teacher was not a teacher by profession. He was an artist who opened a studio and started giving workshops. My lesson was individual and I set my own time schedule. He suggested coming in once a week but I wanted to have  more intensive sessions so I asked for three times a week, 4 hours a day. I often stayed longer than 4 hours! He was flexible. He worked with what seemed to be right for me and adjusted his plan accordingly. He didn't seem to have a set plan as we started. Or so I felt. Somehow at the end of the first 4 sessions I managed to complete a whole painting. There wasn't an assessment to get a certificate. I would get one only if I asked my teacher and he'd ask me if I feel I deserve one. I would have to justify my stand.

 What I most remember about this experience is that I felt proud of myself. It felt good to wake up early in the morning even though it was during the summer holiday and battle the traffic to get to the studio. I often continued working on my art piece late at night.

I think this teacher was able to work on a different level to motivate his students. He had no deadlines, no assessed tasks, and worked with what seems to be ok with the students themselves. He wouldn't push anyone to go further unless if they are ready and willing to do so. I felt in charge of my learning. Still when I needed his help he was there to provide it in the exact manner that I needed it. I was in charge of my learning and he was providing the tools. Below is my first painting...

Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity | Video on TED.com

Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity Video on TED.com

All About Me

 

The Five Second intro -

Lana is a creative soul that enjoys learning and exploring every day. If she's not learning and exploring she doesn't feel alive.

The slightly longer version-Lana has been teaching since she graduated from college and ventured into the world. It was by chance and pure fate that she ended up in this profession. She met a lady who taught using NLP and excited her to start this profession. Lana has taught in Europe, the US and now in the UAE. With two master's degrees and certifications in CMALT ( certified Member of Applied Technology), Bb Vista certified designer, and Teacher Trainings: ISW Train the trainer.  Recently, Lana has signed up for a creativity coaching which is possibly one of the most exciting things she has learned so far. Lana loves teaching with technology and always searches for updates and innovation in the language teaching. She had taken many courses online courses and developed courses online.

Most importantly, Lana is a mother of 4 and a wife. Her kids are the center of everything she does. She has moved to Dubai 5 1/2 years ago from Sacramento, USA as her husband accepted a job with a Danish company.

PGCTH Course

What I hope to accomplish in this course is a lot of interaction with like minded people who love to integrate technology in a meaningful way. I am hoping to learn new things and have new insights to teaching with technology.

What you believe you can bring into the group

I can bring my practical experience in using technology in my classrooms. I will be applying what we learn in this course in my classes and share when possible how it went.

What you expect of yourself

I expect from myself to actively interact with my group and other facilitators, to ask questions if I get stuck or need help and to refect on this journey.

What you expect from your team members

I expect active participation and most importantly to work as a team and not in isolation.

What you expect from your facilitators

I expect from Hanna to clarify and explain in the live sessions and to provide clear guidance and feedback when needed.