Task 7 - How Can The Standard-Features Word-Processing Programs Be Exploited For Teaching Writing Skills?

Writing, one of the four main skills, has always been a problem for ones and a piece of cake for others. But why is it so? It is so because of the lack of vocabulary we have.

Nowadays, there are many technologicals tools to better our writing skill, one of them WORD-PROCESSING PROGRAMS.

Word-Processing Programs are many, we can go from free to pay programs ( Calligra Words, Lyx, Quicksilver, Microsoft Word,etc). All of them can be used in the educational field, especially Microsoft Word wich is the most famous and manageable nowadays.

Teachers can ask the students to create paragraphs, essays, etc. These programs automatically will help the students with the mistakes they make and the students will be corrected instantly.

Undoubtedly, word processing is one of the most important technological tools that can have been applied to education due to it offers freedom to write and can be used without the help of a teacher.

On the other hand they have some disadvantages like:
- Students can get used to being corrected automatically and not pay attention to their mistakes anymore.

-Prevent student writers from revising their superficially neat-looking but unfinished writing.

- Not all the students have equal access to these programs.

But anyway, they can be applied, as I already stated, by teachers trough asking the students to write an essay, paragraphs ,etc. And students are helped because we can check and check our work before submiting it and if we have a mistake we would not have to make a total rewritten version, just modify the problems.

They should be applied more often in the classroom as a technological tool.

Task 6 - Should technologies play a central or a peripheral role in second language teaching and learning?

It is true that we, human beings, are involved by a big wave of technology and therefore all the aspects that, as humans, we face are involved by such technology. Educational aspects are not away from these reality and our students are exposed too.

Many years ago, we did not even though we would be able to have such technology, but now we do have it and we have to take advantage of it. Specially in our case, we could use many technological resources to make our classes more interesting and make learning happen. Videos, computers, etc should be used in the normal classrooms, but I think in a peripheral way. Because if we use them all the time, many normal situations may stop taking place, such groupal work, social interaction,etc.

Technology makes our lives as teacher easier due to nowadays it is not difficult to find , for example, an audio to play in the classroom, a video to be shown or even lesson plans are avaliable specially in the internet. We could make our students to read an specific article or task we want them to be develop in their houses in order to have more time in the classroom to discuss it or to teach another topics that require time that we often dont have.

Students, as I stated, should take advantage of this too. They shouldn't spend many hours doing something non productive but doing somenthing productive. We as students have many tools we can use, such tutorial videos, explanation videos, educatinal videos and so forth , that we can use to better our learning.

Technological tools should be taken into account when developing a class because it catchs our students' attention easily and make learning better.

But let's be careful, because if we want to make technology the center of all methodologies, it wont work because students could get bored by the overused of it, as all things in a high quantity bores us!

To sum up, technology should not play a central role in a second language teaching and learning, but a peripheral role.

Task 5 - What do you think is the role of research in improving our understanding of teaching?

Many times we assign some homeworks in which students have to make use of "research", according to us. But we are miss understanding it! In fact, do we really know what it involves and what it really takes?

"Research" is not only for students but (should be mainly) for teachers. It is quite important for us, as teachers, make research. 

By doing this, we will be able to keep updated and therefore to have better results in our classes and in our own understanding of teaching. What I mean by "keep update", well it means that we will know what strategies, approaches or techniques might work in some instances and wich might not.

Researching also allows us to get familiar with topics that we have to develop and we dont know very well. In addition, it helps to improve our way of teaching and consecuently it makes our students to learn more and to have a learning not mechanical but for life. Anyway, our goals as teacher is no other than make our students learn the most they can and "research" takes a great part into it.

Task 4 -What Experience Do You Have Of Learning A Second Or Foreign Language? How Would You Characterize The Teacher’s Teaching Method? How Effective Did You Find It?

First I want to clear that learning a new language is not recieved by all the people in the same way. Some of us learn better when we are taught trough some especific method or approach, others get it more whe are taucht by other methods and finally there are some of us who just can't learn trough any method.

I have been exposed to English for a little period of time, approximately for 5 years. But since I first started to study this foreign language I felt really atracted and I really liked it.

I have had many teachers, some have had a knowledge about methods and approaches of teaching but some others have not. My first English teacher was the best teacher

 I could ever have. You may be asking: Why was he such a great teacher? Because he was not boring at all and he always knew how to catch our attention. In fact, he was one of my inspirations to become an English teacher.

On the other hand, in the university I had the least prepared teacher I have ever seen. Even though he prepared the classes, he didn´t know how to use the tools and therefore all the students got lost and didn´t understend a thing.

They both used mostly the CCL and Direct method but for one of them they worked and for the other it didn't. But it just depends in how you apply it and how the teacher has created the rapport in the classroom.

I think teaching is not something innate, I think it is something you learn trough the years and according how much you like it. Sadly, some persons take it just like a job wich is not. IT IS MORE THAN A JOB.

Task 3 - What Are The Differences Between Teaching Approach, Teaching Method, Teaching Technique And Teaching Strategies?

Many times we think all of them are the same but indeed they are not. Here yo have definitions and a little explanations about them.

An approach to language learning consists of the techniques and activities you decide to use to learn a language, based on: our beliefs about language and how it is learned your learning style preferences the constraints of the learning situation A method is an overall plan for learning a second language, based on the theoretical approach selected. It involves the design of a syllabus for the course, which in turn consists of learning objectives and techniques for achieving those objectives. Examples: The Language Learning Cycle Total Physical Response Suggestopedia Counseling Learning Direct Method A technique is a particular method of doing an activity, usually involves practical skills Examples ThinkPair Share Role Playing Strategies  are Overall plans for implementing instructional goals, methods, or techniques Examples BuzzGroups Concept Mapping Graffiti We could sum up that Strategies go into Techniques, Techniques into Methods, and Methods go into Approachs.

Task 2 - Self-fulfillment: The Most Important Purpose

Self-fulfillment  is a concept used in philosophy and, to a lesser degree, psychology, referring to the realizing of one's deepest desires and capacities, and we, as teachers, want our students to be successful because it reflects ourselves. How come? Students are our own mirror, according to the personality and way we treat them, that is how they will behave.

That is why, teachers must believe in their students in order to have this feeling mutually. Even when students are not doing a good job teachers must encourage them and make them see that the student can do better and can overcome all the problems they face in the way to learning.

Students, most of the time, see the teacher not only as a teacher but also as a guide or example to follow in their lives; therefore teachers have to guide the in a good way, encourage them and teaching them that they don’t have to give up.

We know changing a life is hard, but when doing it, we don’t have to focus only in the academically aspects but in the spiritual and social life in order to make them successful in all aspects. Even though it is difficult it feels great whe you can see one of your students being successful in life… that is why: NEVER GIVE UP AND ENCOURAGE YOUR STUDENTS TO KEEP MOVING AND NEVER GO BACKWARDS. 

Task 1 - Inspire Your Students

WHY DO I WANT TO TEACH?

Because I know that by doing it I can change and better many of my students lives. I am aware that trough teaching I can not only help my students academicly but morally and prepare the to face real life situations.

It wont be easy for sure, but I like challenges adn I`m sure I can help students who have problems and encourage them to keep trying until they succeed.

HOW THE TRANSFORMATIONAL PEDAGOGY MODEL MAY IMPACT THE LIVES OF BOTH, PRE-SERVICE AND IN-SERVICCE TEACHERS?

Transformational pedagogy could impact in such a way the lives of pre-service and In-service teacher that could help them to be understood and to understand much easier their students.

As the chapter says "The way teachers think and learners feel in school trascends the curriculum" teachers have to have a positive attitude in order to create a good enviroment and let the students feel comfortable and ready to learn.

Pre-service teachers can take advantage of this beacuse it will show them how to treat their students regarding to teaching and also will prepare them to face situations that could hold the learning of the students.

In-service teachers who were not doing a good job when treating their students might make changes to full fill some requirements of teaching. They gotta have clear that students are not only empty glasse in which they can put information, but teachers must know students have feelings and that sometimes such feelings can stop the learning process.