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reflections

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on February 24, 2007 at 2:10:59 pm
 

Reflections

 

 

 

 

"Le Penseur" by Auguste Rodin

 

 

 

 

Remember what your profile was 6 weeks ago? Remember what your goals were?

 

Well, the time has come to reflect on this 6-week workshop, so the Baw 2007 team invite you to leave your thoughts, suggestions and comments about this collaborative journey. It's always nice to know what our participants think and your reflections will also help us improve Baw 2008. Thank you! :-)

 

 

VIP: Please write between the horizontal lines which, in .html code, correspond to the "hr" that you will see when you are in "edit mode". (See the example below.) And do leave your name and a photo, because it's so much nicer to relate a name to a face.

 

Tell us:

 

*What you liked and didn't like

*What you learned

*What you would have liked to learn

*What your next steps will be

*If your goals were met

*Any other comment you would like to share with us

 

 

 

 

 


This is me, Snoopy, during one of the many endless hours at the computer during these 6 past weeks. There were times I felt very frustrated, because I couldn't get something going, but I always had this fabulous BaW07 community to rely on and lend a helping hand. That's called collaborative and constructive learning. Well, I won't ramble on, because I'd love to hear about you all first...

 


 

This is me AngelesB from Mexico

 

*What you liked and didn't like

I liked to learn about a lot of new resources and to find a collaborative group like this.

I didn't like I don't have enough time for all activities.

i didn`t like that my photo wasn't at the slide show story XD

 

*What you learned

I learnt about wikies, podcasting, video mails. Before this workshop, every time I listened to the word podcast, I felt afraiad and don't understand what does it mean but know I can see it as an interesting tool to use.

 

*What you would have liked to learn

I would like to learn about Web Page design and moodle but I'm motivated to do it in other courses

 

*What your next steps will be

I have been busy these days working on a wiki for my students in secondary school so I want to finish (more or less) it and I'll show it on Baw07 yahoo group (it's still on a draft)

I have opened a site in multiply.com and I want it to be updated so I'll use it. I have used multiply.com and it's so nice to me. I can listen music, have a calendar so it's practical for me.

 

*If your goals were met

Not just met my goals...I can remember they were related to learn about blogs...In this moment I'm feeling inspired to try something different... I like wikies and podcast :)

 

*Any other comment you would like to share with us

I love to be in this course. it's a great opportunity to learn about web resources as a teacher. moreover, I can "smell" friendship and Want (of course9 to participate in a more active way in BAW08 :)

 

Angelesb from Mexico

 

Take a look to this cartoon!!! XD

 

 

http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/comix.php?comix_id=1199272258

 



 

Ronaldo, from Brazil

I decided to take Baw07 because two friends at my work had taken Baw06 and simply loved it. So I decided to do the same. I was a little reluctant at the beginning, though, because I knew I would be traveling during the three first weeks, but they talked me into it anyway. Well, when I came back from the lovely beaches from Fortaleza, you might know what happened: I almost fell from my computer seat when I saw the four hundred something unread messages in my inbox. So the result was that I simply gave up the course and decided I would take Baw08. But you know what, some days later I contacted the coordinators, explained my situation, and they were so supportive that I said to myself, "you know what, teachers love challenges, so let's do it!" And now I can't even imagine what I would have lost if had really given this whole thing up... I've learned so much, and have the sensation that I will continue learning throughout the year by exploring the tools we didn't have time to explore fully now, and from all you webheads, who are outstanding people! I still have questions (about rss, for example), and have no idea what moodle is, but I'm sure that if I read this reflection again next year, I will laugh at my doubts from today, and maybe cry with my forthcoming doubts - afterall, this seems to be the webheads spirit: never satisfied with the known, but always reaching for the unkmown.

Love you guys! Ronaldo


 

*What you liked and didn't like

I liked everything. The moderators are a great team. I had all the support I needed. I also loved meeting so many interesting and friendly people. Today I can say I have friends almost all over the world. Last, but not least, there was a lot of learning. What I did not like was the fact that I myself could not participate as much as I thought I should, but I know that learning is chaotic and I can cope with it.

*What you learned

I have learned about conference tools that I did not even imagine could exist. I also expanded my knowledge in relation to things I already knew and discovered new uses for them. I have also learned to deal with frustration when things just won’t behave the way you expect them to.

*What you would have liked to learn

I would like to learn more about conference tools. I say this because, I still cannot visualize myself using many of them with my students. Maybe, because I have students that have needs that do not match these tools. I still suspect that I do not have the confidence necessary to deal with them yet. I still cannot see myself as a moderator (especially after seeing so many articulate and competent moderators as the ones I have seen in this session).

*What your next steps will be

My next step will be using voice tools embedded in my blogs and do some threaded discussions. I also want to continue exploring tools I did not have enough time to experiment with during the session.

*If your goals were met

My goals were definitely met. In fact, my learning was beyond expectation. Like Ronaldo, I also took the BaW07 because of the same referral from the same friends and they were so right to be that enthusiastic about it.

*Any other comment you would like to share with us

I just want to say that I deeply appreciated the way I was treated in this session and I am thankful for having learned so much.

Abraços

Jose Antonio

 

 


Reflections

What I liked: I liked the over abundance of tools I have been exposed to. I could never use them all unless I quit my job and devoted 18 hours a day to the pursuit of Webheadismo.

What I learned: I learned that I know more than I thought I knew but I also learned that I don't know enough.

What I would have like to learn: I would have liked to learn some techniques to get the school I work for (International House Saudi Arabia) to cough some funds to actually do the job right instead of expect the teachers to pay for it out of their own paycheck if they wish to initiate e-learning for their classes.

What your next steps will be: Educate the teachers where I work about using e-learning techniques in the class. To some teachers, their idea of teaching is to photocopy pages from Grammar Books.

Were your goals met: Very much so. Apart from the cliche, "Teaching is an art," it's also like the game of Golf. "You can never win, just get better." This course has enabled me to continue my paradigmatic quest to continually get better at teaching English as a Second Language, although it is at my own pace.

Other comment: I would like to see Job Networking among the members of theGroup. I have seen several countries I would like to go and work.

There are basically two types of teachers, Farmers and Hunter/Gatherers. The Farmers stay in one place and teach at the same institution for 15 or 20 years and are perfectly content. I am very happy for them and applaud their efforts and stamina. The rest of us are Hunter/Gatherers. We go forth and seek knowledge and enlightenment from the rest of civilization. TRUE Multiculturalism does not exist because we are all from the SAME CULTURE. Apart from the differences in designs on the outter shell, people are the same everywhere. In general, people want their kids to be happy and grow up healthy, They want to have a good Love relationship with another person and finally people want to sleep iniside at night and be able to put food on the table. Unfortunately, it doesn't happen that way for many people but that desire is still there. Thank God they have chosen English as one path to get there.


 

***What you liked and didn't like**

In contrast to Rolando and Jose Antonio I was prepared this year. Last year I was caught off guard and gave up on the second week. This time I cleared space and tried really hard to deliver as requested.

I loved the Webheads Community. I amazed by the sharing spirit of the group, the warm and kind way to enable the learning of people they haven’t even met. I have learned a lot, met adorable friends from all other the word and have a formidable teaching tool to explore for the rest of the year.

What I didn’t like was that I could not participate as much as I expected that I didn’t have enough time to explore all the tools presented and my inexperience with the Web.

***What you learned**

I learned about wiki pages, blogs, conference tools, yahoo groups, voice chats, yahoo mail, podcasts and many teaching tools that still blow my head. I also learned about myself, the way I organize information, the way I deal with frustration and the way I exchange ideas.

*What you would have liked to learn

I would have liked to know what it is the core difference between a blog and a wiki.

I would have liked to know how to create an office at Tapped In, to use the sidebar on a wiki page, and to organize threads and links.

***What your next steps will be**

To get familiar with the tools presented, to complete my wiki page, to arrange the layout of my blog, to make work the voice tool embedded in it, to make online material and the get a group of students to practice.

*If your goals were met

My goals were met beyond my expectations.

***Any other comment you would like to share with us**

I will like to make an analogy. Becoming a Webhead course is like making a pilgrimage to ‘Santiago de Compostela’. It is a road that starts in Bayone, France and ends at ‘Puerto de la Coruña’ in Galicia, Spain. The road was created and guarded by the Templars; it had several posts along the route. Every post had a guardian. The guardian was in charge of attending every need of the pilgrims; he cared for them and guided them to the next post. The road was maintained by the community, they saw that it was safe, in well condition, and provided that all the pilgrims reached their goal.

I felt in a learning journey, at every cyber site met a guardian who cared for my needs, if I had lost the way someone came around with a link to get me to where the group was gathered, if I made mistakes there was someone who either corrected them or told me how to correct them myself, all along the way there were angels watching my development and sharing light where needed. With my deepest thanks.

Love: Maru

 


Hi all - this is Sharon Betts from Maine, USA

What you liked and didn't like

I loved all the collaboration and worldwide friendships that were begun.

*What you learned

That everyone has something to offer and so many tools that I can't begin to list them.

*What you would have liked to learn

More in depth knowledge of many of these tools

*What your next steps will be

To continue to imbed the knew knowledge into my everyday teaching

*If your goals were met

I did meet my goals

*Any other comment you would like to share with us

Although I enjoyed every minute, I believe that 6 weeks of this intense work was a bit long. With the demands of my regular job and everyday life, I found myself almost burned out somewhere in week 5. But it was definitely worth it.

 


What I liked and didn't like: I loved the interaction with friends I knew from last year and new friends I met this year, both on the YG and on Yahoo Messenger, and I enjoyed being part of the BaW team. I was disappointed not to be able to participate as actively as I would have liked to, especially during the last three weeks when I was busy with the threads and was then unable to catch up with the YG and the tasks.

 

What I learned: I learned a lot about pbwiki! I learned a little wikistyle, and then I learned something about the new wysiwyg editor, including how to make a table and a table of contents.

 

What I would have liked to learn: I would have liked to learn more about voice tools and podcasting, but I was so busy keeping up with the threads that I had no time to explore the tools everyone was discussing.

 

What my next steps will be: I’d like to read through all the threads, not just mine, follow the links, and try out the tools. Two tools I particularly want to experiment with are Chinswing and Audacity.

 

If my goals were met: My technical goals—increasing my comfort zone with a variety of e-tools and e-toys and exploring some of the tools I didn’t have time to learn last year, particularly wikis—were partially met. As the tools are always being improved and there is always something new, I guess these goals are, by definition, always moving farther away even as we approach them. There is always something more to learn! My interpersonal goals—making new friends around the world and helping those even less experienced at all this than I—were achieved.

 

Any other comment: I wish I had been able to do more, but I am glad to have done what I did! Thanks to all who have supported me along the way. Webheads forever!

 

Nina Liakos in Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA

 

 


 

 

Reflections: Dennis Oliver

 

In these reflections, we were asked to respond to several prompts. Following are the prompts,

plus my comments on each.

 

What I liked and didn't like

 

I liked everything in the workshop. I particularly enjoyed the live sessions I was able to

be part of, the wealth of information presented by everyone involved in BaW07, the organization

provided by the coordinators, the interactivity enabled by the coordinators and moderators

and participants, the questions posed by the participants and the responses they received,

and the chances we had to see what others have created or are in the process of creating.

 

There was actually nothing that I didn't like. Not so long ago, I would've been stressed

and frustrated at this point because I hadn't done every single activity included in the

syllabus. I've learned a little as I've gotten older, however, and now realize that I can't

do everything. What I can do, however, is to go back to the BaW materials later and

learn more at my own pace.

 

What I learned

 

I learned more than I can list. However, I know that I learned quite a bit about making

Wikis and about using new voice tools (such as MobaTalk, Chinswing, and Vaestro). I also

learned more about how to add features (such as audio) to blogs and to make and embed

short videos.

 

What I would have liked to learn

 

I had no specific expectations of what I wanted to learn—only that I wanted to

explore new e-tools and gain practice in using them. That expectation was certainly

satisfied with Mobatalk, Chinswing, Vaestro, and the basics of making a Wiki.

 

What my next steps will be

 

One thing that I'll do is to continue to participate in the Webheads Sunday-morning

chat sessions at Tapped In; another is providing some behind-the-scenes work in

planning the Webheads second online "convergence" (which will take place in mid-May).

 

Plans for my next steps plans aren't clear. I definitely want to continue to add to

my 'Scuze me? blog and and other online materials, and I would like to collaborate,

on an individual basis, with edubloggers and other online materials developers, but

have no real plans or committments at this time.

 

Whether my goals were met

 

These were my initial goals for this workshop:

 

1. to expand my network of friends and colleagues

2. to explore new e-tools and gain practice in using them

3. to expand my skill level with e-tools I have used or currently use

4. to do my part in making our time together truly collaborative

5. to add to what I have already learned about CMC

6. to help others whenever I can

 

I met the first two goals in that I definitely have new friends and colleagues and

have explored a number of new e-tools and practiced using them.

 

Regarding goal 3, I've expanded my knowledge of html (in particular, familiarity with

the numerical codes for certain special characters, such as letters used in Slovenian

and other Eastern European languages and letters used in Turkish). Knowing how to

include these characters in online text will be useful in some blogs and even when

I do Web pages using Dreamweaver. I also used Audacity a number of times during our

workshop and have re-familiarized myself with it.

 

Regarding goal 4, I'm not sure what I originally had in mind. I can't think of any way

I made our time together collaborative, though I did foster interactivity a bit,

particularly at the beginning of the workshop, when I spent a lot of time welcoming

those who had enrolled. I also added comments to a number of participants' blogs

and added to several Chinswing threads started by participants.

 

In terms of goal 5 (adding to what I've already learned about CMC), I feel that the

goal has been met in that I've added both knowledge and skills, particularly with regard

to CMC as a component of coursework. I'm particularly grateful for fresh ideas regarding

assessment and how / whether to correct student errors, for having increased my familiarity

with Wikis, and for learning how to use some new voice tools.

 

What other comments I would like to share

 

I'd like to express my gratitude for the active, enthusiastic attitude of all the

participants in this workshop and for the wealth of information posted through comments

on e-tools and responses to queries. I'm also very grateful to the coordinators and

moderators for the overall design of the workshop and for the time they spent in

keeping things moving and helping us all solve challenges we encountered while we

learned to use new tools. What this workshop did was to open many doors and provide

many venues for increasing our familiarity with e-tools, e-platforms, and e-learning

in general. BaW07 has been a wonderful experience, and I sincerely hope it continues

long after the workshop officially comes to an end.

 

Kudos to all from Dennis in Phoenix!

 

 

 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 

Teresa on behalf of the Week 6 BaW07 team!!!

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