How to make blogs work

This presentation will give you some principles to consider when blogging. I invite you to watch it and apply some of the principles so that we can make the most of our blog.

Getting started in Social Media

View more presentations from Mike Fruchter.

Techonology and Education

The modern world is offering a lot of opportunities to improve the daily life. In education, the Internet has become a useful and important tool to achieve the results expected. There are a lot of websites which can be used in the learning process of a language in order to make students understand how worthy English is. However, we need to be very careful at the moment of choosing one of these sites. It is necessary to analyze the level, the language and the real benefits they offer. Then, all teachers need to deeper in these sites and of course, we need to update our knowledge about this topic in order to have strong principles to evaluate them. Thus, we must not only to learn how to use these websites but how to create them and how to become them a key factor in a meaningful learning inside the classroom.
On the other hand, we need to understand that these sites are just a means and the teacher´s guidance is very important. Thus, teachers can´t forget that technical problems happen at any time, and of course, the room organization and the work by pairs are too basic factors in the lesson development.
I would like you to give your opinions and comments about this interesting topic...

Envisioning the idea about how I will do in class

All English teachers have to demonstrate their commitment to provide effective teaching; lesson planning has an important part to play in this process.

What is a lesson plan?

Lesson planning is an exercise that permits teachers to envision the idea about how they will do things in class. It is an act of ethic and responsibility from the teacher to the institution he/she works at and the students.
I could identify three stages in this process. Firstly, there is a moment of thinking and doing by the teacher, it means writing down the aims which requires a little more thought; choose the topic or language, design materials and organize the stages to develop in class. In this stage it is of crucial importance that teacher knows students´ characteristics, weakness and fortress. Knowing students and assumed knowledge help teacher to propose coherent and feasible aims.

Secondly, this is the time of executing the plan, thinking and doing by teacher and students, interact with our students and live the language in the classroom.

Thirdly, after doing, here we have to go back to analyze what went well, what did not, and what could be changed for next class. Although all three stages are so important, I consider that the third one is a chance we have for professional development.

It would be interesting to know how you conceived lesson planning in your pedagogical practice and if you agree with me that the third stage is a point of departure to reflect on our practice and think ways of being better.