How to Create a Timeline in Google Slides

Many teachers have discovered the value of using timelines. Timelines provide a visual tool for studying a brief period of time -- a day, a year, or an individual's life -- or for examining a topic across the centuries. Researching and creating timelines appeals to students' visual, mathematic, and kinesthetic intelligences.There is a tutorial by Richard Byrne on how to create a timeline in Google slides, I find It very useful and accessible tutorial:

TEACHING FOR SUCCESS: LEARNING AND LEARNERS( Week 2)

Week 2 of my online courses by BRITISH COUNCIL is over. I`ve already wrote about these courses as one of the ways for modern teacher to improve their knowledge and develop professional skills. These week the course was about  the question "what teachers need to know in order to teach English". Different types of knowledge were under consideration as well as the language  research techniques.

What is KAHOOT?

Create a fun learning game in minutes – we call these ‘kahoots’. You can make a series of multiple choice questions or try our new game – Jumble. The format and number of questions are entirely up to you. Add videos, images and diagrams to your questions to amplify engagement.Kahoots are best played in a group setting, for example, a classroom. Players answer the questions on their own devices, while games are displayed on a shared screen to unite the lesson. It creates a ‘campfire moment’ encouraging players to look up and celebrate together. Besides creating your own kahoots, you can search among millions of existing games.https://kahoot.com/what-is-kahoot/ it is a link to official site where You can find out more about this useful app and learn how to use it in Your classroom.

Innovative Methods of Teaching English Language

"Innovative Methods of Teaching English Language" is an article by Mr. G. Anburaj, G. Christopher, Ms. Ni Ming: "This paper analyses the innovative and quite interesting methods we have in teaching English language. We may have a number of teaching methods in between traditional and modern. Everybody has their own understanding and conclusions on teaching English language. But this paper portrays combining this two types how we can make our teaching very effective. We have been completely bounded with traditional methods of teaching and understanding where the present day learners felt uncomfortable a bit. Learner’s mind will never be static it is ever growing and ever changing. Whatever the teaching methodology can be, but teaching must be leaner’s centred. However, this paper scrutinizes the difference between traditional and practical teaching and thereafter learning. This treatise practically examines that how learners are being affected by the traditional methods of teaching as well, besides it has portrayed that how learners expect teaching and learning process. There has been a misunderstanding between traditional methods and practical methods always. Somehow teachers and learners should agree eachother in order to fill the gap between the generations of these methods". Main point outlined in the article are: problems with current methodologies,enacting the stories,teaching through conversations, teaching through games,word games, competitions,help from the multimedia.
http://www.iosrjournals.org/iosr-jhss/papers/Vol19-issue8/Version-4/M019846265.pdf

Webinar on Bringing the outside world into the language classroom through digital tools

Cambridge English webinars are a great way for teachers to get free online professional development. They give you the opportunity to ask questions and find out more about our exams and how they are assessed.

Each webinar is presented by Cambridge English experts, who provide you with valuable information about the exams as well as tips and ideas to use inside and outside the classroom. Each webinar has a live question and answer session, so you can ask the experts your questions. The free webinars by Cambridge English are accessible to teachers anywhere in the world. 

I am glad to share with You my happiness. Today I received the certificate from the webinar I was writing about and earned a digital open badge from Cambridge Assessment English.

The benefits and drawbacks of using technology in the classroom

 The benefits and drawbacks of using technology in the classroom

The pros

Using technology in the classroom allows you to experiment more in pedagogy.

As an academic professional, you’ll learn more about how to effectively design and execute a class guided with technology. Whether it’s a dramatic change such as teaching with a flipped-classroom, or just adopting a single tool for a specific project or term, you’ll learn something new in modern academia! Being well-versed in technology can also help build your credibility with students, and even with fellow colleagues.

There are countless resources for enhancing education and making learning more fun and effective.From apps to organizational platforms to e-textbooks and more, there are many amazing tools that can help you.

The Cons

Technology can be a distraction.

This makes the notion of creating a structure and culture of respect all the more important since day one. Identify specific projects, times during class, and the specific intentions you have for allowing the use of technology in the classroom. Creating expectations and guidelines for the students, and sticking to them, will be important for them in respecting your boundaries. It will be better to use technology that students already have (smartphones, laptops, etc.) for good and valuable learning experiences, rather than pretend like those devices aren’t present in your class in the first place.

Possible disconnect of social interaction.

This can happen, but it doesn’t have to. Many people are skeptical of technology and what it does to students’ (and everyone else’s) ability to verbally communicate. If you create assignments in class that use both technological tools as well as oral presentations and collaboration, this will teach students to be dynamic in how they learn and interact with others.

More on (By https://tophat.com/blog/6-pros-cons-technology-classroom/)

Teaching Tools For The Digital Classroom: Tools To Organize What You Do

TheTogetherTeacher

On this site, teachers can find multiple resources that will help them stay organized in their classrooms. Once registered to the site, teachers have access to lesson plan templates, to-do lists, sub plans, project ideas, and much more.

MyBigCampus

My Big Campus gives teachers, students, parents, and administrators unprecedented access to an endless amount of useful resources to raise student achievement. Through an interactive platform that can be accessed though mobile devices and tablets, My Big Campus makes it easy to engage with students, develop lessons, track student improvement, as well as connect with parents and other members of the learning community.

MySchoolBinder

My School Binder gives teachers the opportunity to easily add, edit and organize assignments on their class page. Students in turn, can submit completed assignments, ask questions, and receive instant feedback from their teachers. Additionally, students and teachers can view events and assignments on the Schoolbinder Calendar, and be reminded of upcoming due dates with custom notifications. Teachers also have access to teacher forums where they can receive feedback and tips for lessons and projects directly from other educators.(Teaching Tools For The Digital Classroom: Tools To Organize, Innovate, & Manage What You Do by Mike Acedo)

How can technology help you?

How can technology help you?

• Online collaboration tools, such as those in Google Apps, allows students and instructors to share documents online, edit them in real time and project them on a screen. This gives students a collaborative platform in which to brainstorm ideas and document their work using text and images.
• Presentation software (such as PowerPoint) enable instructors to embed high-resolution photographs, diagrams, videos and sound files to augment text and verbal lecture content.
• Tablets can be linked to computers, projectors and the cloud so that students and instructors can communicate through text, drawings and diagrams.
• Course management tools such as Canvas allow instructors to organize all the resources students need for a class (e.g. syllabi, assignments, readings, online quizzes), provide valuable grading tools, and create spaces for discussion, document sharing, and video and audio commentary. All courses are automatically given a Canvas site!
• Clickers and smartphones are a quick and easy way to survey students during class. This is great for instant polling, which can quickly assess students’ understanding and help instructors adjust pace and content.
• Lecture-capture tools, such as Panopto, allow instructors to record lectures directly from their computer, without elaborate or additional classroom equipment. Consider recording your lectures as you give them and then uploading them for students to re-watch. Studies show that posting recorded lectures does not diminish attendance and students really appreciate the opportunity to review lectures at their own pace. (by http://www.washington.edu/teaching/teaching-resources/engaging-students-in-learning/teaching-with-technology-2/)

"Using digital tools to bring the outside world into the language classroom"

Today I had a great experience of being a member of webinar by Cambridge English . The topic of the webinar was "Using digital tools to bring the outside world into the language classroom". I would like to say that it was really informative and helpful.The organizational part is well-planed  Once registered you get the email with all the instructions and each step that you should take is described. I was pleased by the way of presenting the information, it was well-structured and clear. If any problems occur you  always can write your question in chat box, where by the way you may also see other user`s messages. The main points outlined in the webinar were:
- what kind of apps teacher can use to facilitate learning
- virtual reality in education
- learner projects
and other interesting issues. Anyway,I am fond  of such experience and I`ll definitely practise it in future, so I may recommend all teachers to join me and take webinars;) Besides If you misunderstood some points or want to go through the webinar materials one more time the copy of webinar is send to your email, that is very convenient.

How to get better at the things you care about |

Eduardo Briceño presentation on TED Talks dwells upon the ways of improvement in things "you care about". Although the speech is not devoted to teaching only but to the common improvement in personal life as well as in career. Why I think this is worth watching? Because without motivation and improvement one can never gain a success and especially a teacher, of course to my personal opinion. Teacher`s role is not as only instructivist anymore but also that of motivator, coach and facilitator. To perform these functions one must always remember about the improvement, be eager to find new ways as in private and in professional sphere.

Comparing and evaluating methods of teaching

Approaches and Methods In Language Teaching A description and analysis· by  Jack C. Richards and Theodore S. Rodgers 

These book provides an overview of main methods in teaching:Oral approach, audiolingual method, Communi cative Language Teaching,  Total Physical Response, The Silent Way ,Community Language Learning, The Natural Approach, Sliggestopedia. There is a short passage taken from these book:

"In the preceding chapters of this book we have examined the fundamental characteristics of eight language teaching proposals in terms of approach, design, and procedure. The use of a common model for the analysis of different teaching philosophies has enabled us to define elements that are common to all approaches and methods and to highlight areas where approaches and methods differ. We have seen that in some cases (e.g., Communicative Language Teaching) teaching proposals have norAnecessarily led to a specific and well-defined method. In other cases (e.g., Silent Way) there is much less room for interpretation, and explicit specifications may be given for classroom practices. One level of application of this model is in the comparison of methods. One might wish to know, for instance, if the procedures of two methods are likely ro be compatible in the classroom or if two methods share a similar set of underlying theoretical assumptions. As an example, let us use the model to compare Total Physical Response (TPR) and Community Language Learning (CLL)."

Make the Classroom a Haven for Empathy With These Online Resources

Teachers have the power to create an environment in their classroom that is one of inclusiveness, tolerance, and optimism, despite whatever is going on outside in the world. One of the fundamental ideas of social and emotional learning, which is becoming a critical area of academic focus in recent years, includes feeling and showing empathy for others. Empathy is defined as the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another, without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner—putting yourself in someone else's shoes. Teaching empathy in schools can help students understand multiple perspectives of the reality of others, and learn compassion for their emotions as well.

The level of empathy taught in students’ homes is uncertain and not guaranteed, which could lead to biases and prejudices that may go unchecked throughout childhood and adolescence. Teachers, counselors, and administrators can teach empathy to ensure their students are getting exposure to these kinds of social and emotional learning topics to emphasize their importance.More about Teaching Tolerance,Newsela, Games and Applications on http://www.educationworld.com/make-classroom-haven-empathy-these-online-resources 

Richard Byrne`s  blog http://www.freetech4teachers.com/ - blog by  Free technology for teachers is not only a blog but a treasure for every teacher. It is a endless resource of ideas of innovative techniques for teachers with a tutorial how to use them in the classroom. This time I was catched by this video. Isn`t it great?

Innovation, Research, and Policy: Evolutions in Classroom Teaching

Innovation, Research, and Policy: Evolutions in Classroom Teaching

Virginia J. Goatley and Peter Johnston

" In this article, we describe a) how innovation occurs through small-scale “tinkering”; b) the conditions for innovation; c) methods for distributing and developing innovation; d) the complex relationship between policy and innovation; e) how to evaluate the consequences of innovation; and (f) how to develop capacity for innovation."

http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Journals/LA/0912-nov2013/LA0912Innovation.pdf

Study Tips

AsapSCIENCE presents a video about the 9 best scientific study tips

TEACHING FOR SUCCESS: LEARNING AND LEARNERS BRITISH COUNCIL

There is always time for self-improvement. One way to do it is to take up a course by British Council. They are free and effective. I`ve recently registered for the course: 

Teaching for Success: Learning and Learners

And thenceforward I`ll share my way here, in my Blog.

Teaching Grammar Communicatively

"Teaching Grammar Communicatively"  by OnTesol explains how can grammar rules be 

explained in a modern communicaticve way and why there should be such a method of teaching grammar.The video provides tips for teachers about the way of planning the lesson based on teaching grammar communicatively: 

How can teachers use Smart Boards in the classroom? The answer is easily:) Have a look at the tutorial and learn how to use Smart Boards to facilitate learning:

How to Study Effectively? That is the question that all students care about. The video by Memorize Academy is about top 6 science-based study skills useful for every student.

The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts. 

C. S. Lewis

https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/25-best-websites-teachers/ 

Save this link because there is everything teacher need and even more. Links to 25 best websites for teachers.

Useful video by Richard Byrne 

 Thank You for informative presentation!

Bloggers List

Education is evolving fast. Modern teacher cannot use the methods and technologies that were used a century ago because the learners are different.There are a lot of ways to make your lesson more efficient and interesting but the main point is that at first you should at list find out about their existence. Here is a list of bloggers-teachers who already did their step in future of education. Their post are informative and useful for every teacher who is interested in effective modern learning.



https://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/ - blog by Lisa Nielsen the Innovative Educator  is here to blow away the bore and make learning both available and engaging.


http://www.freetech4teachers.com/ - blog by Richard Byrne Free technology for teachers were the author explains how to apply all your ideas in the classroom if you lack resources. His site is a treasure of free apps, videos and graphics.


http://calnewport.com/blog/ - blog about study hacks by computer science professor.


http://www.edtechroundup.org/ -  as it is said on the page: "The Ed Tech Roundup is your source for regular updates on the latest educational technology news & reviews"

http://www.teachercast.net/my-paperless-classroom/ -  blog by Sam Patterson where one can always find a useful tip for the classroom.

Ways of motivating students

What can be more important that motivation, especially in learning languages. It is essential for every teacher to know how to motivate the students and what ways of motivating are there to help overcome demotivation. The article by British Council suggests some of the possible ways of motivating students. There is a link to the article: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/blogs/alexenoamen/ways-motivating-efl-esl-students-classroom

Ray Cinti - the author of the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uG-8N7FiIw where he provides an example of his educational blog and explains why it is a "useful educational tool"

Handouts

https://en.islcollective.com/resources/printables be sure to save this link, because this is where you may find colourful printable handouts for free. There are handouts for almost every topic and the best think is that there are several variants provided so you may choose whatever you like.One more benefit is that you may choose what kind of handout you are looking for, for what age group and level of your students. For example, these are links to different handouts on topic "Body Parts" for different age groups and levels:
 Beginner :
 https://en.islcollective.com/resources/printables/worksheets_doc_docx/body_parts/present-simple-body/5607
Elementary level:
https://en.islcollective.com/resources/printables/worksheets_doc_docx/parts_of_the_body_vocabulary_exercises/body-elementary-a1/51991
Pre-intermediate:
https://en.islcollective.com/resources/printables/worksheets_doc_docx/appearance/body-elementary-a1/48728
Intermediate:
https://en.islcollective.com/resources/printables/worksheets_doc_docx/describing_people_from_tip_to_toe_-_vocabulary/adjectives-to-describe/82375
Upper-intermediate:
 https://en.islcollective.com/resources/printables/worksheets_doc_docx/describing_people_from_tip_to_toe_-_practice/adjectives-to-describe/82374
Advanced:
https://en.islcollective.com/resources/printables/worksheets_doc_docx/samples_of_famous_people_using_body_language/body-body-language/43197

Blogs in the classroom

 Speaking about blogs and how can we use it in the classroom it might be useful to read this article by Karen. https://startbloggingonline.com/get-started-classroom-blogging/ 
"One form of digital communication being increasingly exploited for learning purposes is blogging. It’s a platform that has been widely used by individuals and businesses for a long time now, and its educational potential is increasingly being acknowledged." -  Karen writes. You may also read about benefits of blogging in education and watch step-by-step tutorial how to start your own educational blog.

Educational Blog

One more nice tutorial by Educationgirl where she shows how to start and lead your educational blog. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYkZihIUnQM

How to record a podcast

Want to create your own podcast but have no idea how to do it and for what can you use it? Then this tutorial by heypoletti!  is for you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSBd26uaHAU

By the way http://www.teachhub.com has a great article about Podcast and how it can be used in the classroom. The article says: 
"A podcast is a topic-specific digital stream of audio files (in some cases, video or PDF also) that can be downloaded to a computer or a wide variety of media devices. They are funny, entertaining, educational, often short, and rarely boring. They can cover news, current events, history, or pretty much anything the creator would like. When you subscribe, each new episode is automatically downloaded to your device, to be played at your convenience. You can play the entire stream or select an individual episode as part of your technology in the classroom arsenal. Here’s how to use technology in the classroom podcasts to enhance your class."

http://www.teachhub.com/technology-classroom-how-why-use-podcasts

Innovative Method of Learning English Grammar Through Communicative Language Teaching

Innovative Method of Learning English Grammar Through Communicative Language Teaching

by Thilagavathy. R and Dr. K.Ravindran
An English teacher plays an important role in English at all levels. When English is taught obviously, some methods have to be followed. There are five methods in English Language Teaching, such as Grammar Translation Method, Direct Method, Audio Lingual Method, Situational Language Teaching and Communicative Language Teaching. Among all Communicative Language Teaching is one of the new approaches. The aim of this approach is to develop learner‟s four basic language skills such Listening, Speaking, Reading, & Writing in English. According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia, Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) is an approach to the teaching of second and foreign languages that emphasizes communication or interaction as both the means and the ultimate goal of learning a language”. Communicative Language Teaching refers to both processes and goals in classroom learning. The central theoretical concept is “Communicative Competence”. The idea of communicative competence is one of the most influential theoretical developments in language education. In Communicative Language Teaching, language learning emphasizes learning to communicate as opposed to learning a set of grammatical rules. It has been widely accepted as an effective way of teaching language in ESL/EFL context. The most recognized features of CLT by David Nunan‟s are an emphasis on learning to communicate through interaction in the target language, opportunity to focus on the learning management process, introduce learning situation, personal experience, and language activities outside the classroom. It often takes a form of fluency-based activities and develops language functions and pronunciation focused activities. Assimilating Grammar for CLT From education to leadership and social life to employment opportunity only grammar skills are useful. Communicative Language Teaching has brought a reintroduction emphasis on the role that semantics plays in the definition of language. Communicative Language Teaching is fundamentally concerned with „making meaning‟ in the language. Viewing grammar with all of its components help the leaners understand the complexity of what it means to know the grammar of a language. While teaching the grammar parts like tense, prepositions, determiners, question tags etc., in traditional method students find it hard to understand. Most of the researchers questions or always be in debate whether the grammar should be taught explicitly or implicitly as the two methods links in teaching grammar. The two methods that link in teaching grammar are deductive method and inductive method. Of which deductive methods is traditionally associated with the dreaded grammar where the rules are presented to the learners first and the examples illustrating the rules later and the inductive method is closely link with the Communicative Language Teaching approach which present the example sentence first and then encourage the learners to discover the rules from the example. More on http://ijellh.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/19.-THILAGAVATHY.-R-PAPER-final.pdf

Five Ways Teachers  Can Use Technologies to Help  Students

( By Darrell M. West and Joshua Bleiberg )

https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/five-ways-teachers-can-use-technology-to-help-students/ 

 

The article by Darrel M. West and Joshua Bleiberg  persuades that " technology will empower them [teachers] and help their students learn." Main point are as following:

Schools must use technology that empowers teachers. 

Teachers should treat the adoption of technology as part of lesson planning. 

Teachers should not fear open-source technologies. 

Use online education portfolios to evaluate students. 

Teachers should embrace the Common Core State Standards.

"Every day teachers face choices about how to implement the curriculum and instruct students. Those moments are opportunities for teachers to engage in education reform that has a real impact on students. Teachers should use education technologies that are inexpensive, easy to use, and improve student learning."

ICT IN THE CLASSROOM

ICT IN THE CLASSROOM

 by Nina MK, Ph.D.

https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/blogs/ninamk/ict-classroom

I have found this article at British Council and I believe it is woth reading because it clarifies "how, when,why it is beneficial to use ICT in the classroom, but also how to use the computers and the web". The author explains how teachers can  integrate computers in the classroom and why it is a great thing to do it.

We all know  about PowerPoint Presentations and I am sure all teachers have used it at least once during their lessons. But if You feel like it is not enough then I would like to recommend Prezi. Why is it cool:

•  It offers wide range of various templates  
• You don`t need to use a pocket drive because You can save it online and have access to it any time you need
• Speaking about classroom activities Prezi is one of the most convenient tools to visualize the material
• It is possible to include videos, audios and anything You want in the presentation
• If You are not sure You may try it for FREE 

Here is a video from "Josh Schorle Tech" where You may find an explanation about how it works and how it can be used.

General tips for choosing technology in a classroom

The material presented by the Office of Instructional Consulting, School of Education, Indiana University (The Instructional Innovations Blog ). These are some tips for choosing technology in a classroom. The article explains:

How does the technology support teaching and learning?
How does the technology enhance interactivity?
How accessible is the technology to you and your students?
Does the technology protect the privacy and security of you and your students? 

https://icoblog.wordpress.com/2013/04/19/general-tips-for-choosing-technology-in-a-classroom/ 

Presentation on Prezi by Beáta Katreničová about "INNOVATIVE METHODS OF TEACHING ENGLISH LANGUAGE"

https://prezi.com/zy7ugwzqlsve/innovative-methods-of-teaching-english-language/

Technology for Teaching

The article by Scott Steinberg "Technology for Teaching: 10 Ways to Improve Classroom Learning" is really interesting and informative. In this article Scott Steinberg explains how "teachers can inspire kids to learn". The author recommends:

• "Embrace Connected Learning
• Share Content Online
• Have Fun with Twitter
• Use Video Chats
• Create a Class Blog or Wiki
• Put Together a Podcast 
• Use Pinterest
• Create Interactive Maps
• Harness the Power of Excel
• Promote Greater Good"

I strongly recommend You to read it and, for sure, You will find out more about new ways of using technologies in the classroom. These ways are something every teacher could do because it is easy and does`n require much time, but at the same time they will help " to promote enhanced classroom learning". Really great post. Here is a link if You want to find out more https://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-steinberg/technology-for-teaching-1_b_2614699.html
It is worth reading!

Use of Social Networks in Language Learning: Advantages And Disadvantages

Use of Social Networks in Language Learning: Advantages And Disadvantages

Article by Joan-Francesc Fondevila-Gascón, Eva Perea, Lluís Feliu-Roé. 

This article is about the use of social networks in the classroom for language learning; the theoretical framework of social networks and their links with education. 

https://conference.pixel-online.net/ICT4LL2013/common/download/Paper_pdf/282-QIL15-FP-Fondevila-Gascon-ICT2013.pdf

5 technologies that will change classroom

5 Technologies That Will Change Classroom Education

Hello there! Today, I would like to share this video and there are the reasons why I think it is cool:

• it shows how the modern technologies can (or hopefully someday will) be used for education;
•  it is really catching and amusing;
• it shows that 21st century is a beginning of a new  era in teaching and learning

So, if You have some time, watch it and see how the teaching process may be changed by using  these incredible techniques.

Lesson Plan

 This is the link to my Lesson plan 

Topic

“YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT”

 https://prezi.com/view/KoJaqrsE2lKas6kT6CqN/