008 - The best thing a teacher can do with technology is get organized

The administrative overhead only seems to grow. How to stay on top yet free in your mind to concentrate on the class in front of you?

You think you're organized, do you? I know I'm not. Not as much as I'd like to be, I'd like to have zero leakage in my system, what's a leak? If you've ever found a phone number with no name in your pocket and can't remember who it was you'd planned on calling only that it was important...that nagging self doubt eats at your energy and makes you less able to be present in your own classes.

It is possible to have an overwhelming number of things coming at you and stay sane and free in your mind but in order for that to happen, either your work has to be less or your ability to execute has to grow.

http://www.thesecretweapon.org/

Watch the videos, learn GTD, install Evernote and take your life back.

007 Links for colleagues

A good Camcorder:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-W200-Waterproof-Pocket-Camcorder/dp/B004YJ2GM8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352549896&sr=8-1

For presentations:
http://prezi.com

For creating videos:

For organizing your classes:
http://evernote.com/

For downloading videos from YouTube:
http://vdownloader.com/
You may also like:
http://rp.uk.real.com/guide/

Use this link for dropbox:
http://db.tt/fXr0f5Wk
Or, go directly to dropbox and sign up:
http://dropbox.com

Post lesson observation form in progress:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AvGbwfleu9vDdFUzYkpsRG1HVDIyd3dPZ0UxNkhsTlE

Instant news lessons:
http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/

Imageboards:
9gag.com

News:
Reddit.com

006 What's happening to modern language programs?

Mars Berman, a colleague of mine, forwarded me an interesting article I'd like to share here:

Excerpt:

By Paul Cohen - Fall 2012 

  

In an op-ed piece entitled “What You (Really) Need to Know,” published on January 20, 2012, in the New York Times, former president of Harvard University Lawrence Summers called upon American universities to revamp their curricula in order to better prepare their students for the twenty-first century. Among his propositions, Summers made the case that the study of foreign languages represents a waste of time. As more and more people acquire English across our increasingly interconnected globe, he argued, mastery of foreign languages will become less and less necessary. Colleges and universities should instead teach their students leading-edge skills better suited to an increasingly competitive employment marketplace.

005 Workshop at Gimnazjum z Oddziałami Dwujęzycznymi, ul.Twarda 8/12, 3rd floor

1. Using Prezi to save time and effort in class
2. Using Windows Live Moviemaker for making class films.
3. Apps for teachers and Apps for Students: eTwinning, Dropbox, Google
Drive, Evernote
4. Best online news, research and class materials resources: Reddit,
9Gag, 4Chan (in order of usefulness)

This is the plan of what I hope to get through, it should be a fun, stimulating day. I've happy to see there will be at least 47 teachers with jobs in the next 20 years. That may sound harsh. It is, but it comes with a big disclaimer:

Signal

Message

Channel

Recipient

This is the SMCR model of interpersonal communication. Teachers who don't have the choice of any channel to communicate are placing obstacles between themselves and their teaching practices which do not have to be there.

Today is not about the triumph of electronic tools. It is about the triumph of an integral approach. Good penmanship has its place in the classroom and I predict penmanship, shorthand and other traditional tools of language learning are coming back in a big way over the next 20 years. Just take this with a grain of salt as I haven't a large enough sample to base conclusions of any real validity. You know what they say: If you don't make a prediction, you have zero chance of being right!

http://communicationtheory.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/berlos-smcr-model-of-communication-picture.jpg