Coming Back... For Peter, with love!

Coming back to this blog is painful... I know it is supposed to be a teacher's blog, but this teacher is mourning her beloved partner now...
After a long suffering, my beloved partner, Peter James, left for a better world 19 days ago.  During his long illness, house bound, Peter was still present in the world by means of his social networks. He was a proficient networker and an astute observer/researcher of the human nature and behaviour in the cyber world with its wonders and hazards. He was an early promoter of the advantages of social/professional networking; at the same time, he tirelessly warned against the numerous dangers and was always ready to give safety related tips and advice. For example, way before this blog entry by Scott Thornbury, he would perform forensic linguistics on scam e-mails and we used them as teaching materials for students to spot the mistakes!!! And that was really funny! It was also fun for him to publish photovideos done while on our little trips together on the emerging YouTube and other video sharing sites. You can have a glimpse in our life together by watching his Boffin1157 video channel. Enjoy!

I started this blog a couple of years ago. The reasons were both personal and professional:
firstly, Peter and I agreed that my journey in the "wonderland" of the Internet (started many years before) should serve as a platform for sharing with my Romanian colleagues and students my/our enthusiasm related to Internet use in teaching English for (specific) academic purposes and for tracing the learning curve I was following on a daily basis.
Secondly, because Peter was so present in the virtual world, it felt good to be together here as well and discuss its multifaceted aspects -

- and so it feels now when I follow in his footsteps and numberless questions need to be answered!...

My first workshops (2)

An old adagio: if you don't succeed at first...etc Crazily, it helps a bit to recover from the bitterness.

Yet, there is still the certainty that at least a part of the students will understand what the stakes are. It's a thrilling experience to work with them in a blended learning format - it definitely improves communication and the chances to personalise a bit more the ongoing conversation.

And because I'm currently translating Henry Miller's Colossus from Maroussi, here's a nice set of pictures from the Cyclades

Cyclades on Fotopedia

My first workshops...

 ...on integrating Web 2.0 technologies in teaching foreign languages in Romanian higher education  started last week when we gathered in the multimedia lab at the Faculty of Chemistry. It was my first attempt at organising a workshop on web 2.0 technologies for my colleagues at the Faculty of Letters (Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj, Romania).
I designed Alpha Center Wiki to

• introduce the concepts
• provide information in Romanian for all specialties
• build up a community of learners that would eventually become a community of practice

I know my colleagues are busy, as all teachers are, but I still think that there should be a way round it to start offering our students more in terms of pedagogies, resources and motivation to learn. Because it's not only about foreign languages, it's not about a leap of faith... There's plenty of proof out there that upgrading our profession is a must. Strong as it may sound, just take a brief look around...The answer is obvious.

Wordle this and Wordle that

A very inspiring presentation of the uses of Wordle for instruction. Enjoy!

Project Wiki Strikes Again

Well, not quite fresh news actually! Starting with the first semester of this academic year, I decided to continue my crusade for integrating technology in English language teaching. I have learned a lot from my first attempt last year, both in terms of general learning gains and in specific issues related to wiki usage. I'll talk in more detail about that and the current project on a special page on this blog. All I want to say now is that it is really worth the effort - mostly in terms of improved relationships with students, which is one of my major goals on the road to empowering them to learn how to learn and feel free and creative! We've still got a long way to go but I believe we are on the right track. Please feel free to visit and explore this work in progress!

 

 http://englishforacademicpurposes2.wikispaces.com/

 

http://englishforscienceandtechnology-chem.wikispaces.com/ 

Altruism - Digital!

Digital Altruism - something that instantly appealed to my lifelong commitment to doing unconditional good! Please watch the inspirational presentation below - it really makes you want to go on and find a/the meaning of so many wonderful things people think and do!

Digital altruism

View more presentations from Sorey Garcia.

Nedumeriri amânate

 Rândurile de mai jos le-am scris cândva in iunie anul acesta. Nu le-am postat fiindca mi s-au părut scrise sub imperiul unei emoţii/frustrări de moment. Dar acum, la recitire, îmi dau seama că poate unul din rosturile acestui blog ar fi să dea glas tocmai acelor observaţii, sentimente, frustrări care nu-şi au locul în/ies din cadrele seci impuse de cercetarea academică. Şi mă întreb oare nu ar fi mai igienic, mai sănătos, să împărtăşim aceste gânduri, atitudini, emoţii, reacţii cu colegii şi studenţii noştri cu care, cot la cot, vrem să aflăm soluţii pentru ieşirea din preaîncremenitul proiect al sistemului de educaţie românesc? Soluţia cea mai la îndemână (?), cred, este angajarea pasionată în proiectul personal -angajarea necondiţionată într-un sistem de valori împărtăşit cu cei ce cred în deschidere ca un gest altruist...fie că e vorba de opţiunile existenţiale, de carieră sau profesionale!

Nedumeriri am zis? A fost primul cuvânt care a ţâşnit pe când încercam să îmi potolesc neliniştea referitoare la - un oftat se strecoară, poate un neaoş "Doamne, iartă-mă!" - la "starea studentului român" în preajma sesiunii...

Să fie doar mirare şi/sau încurcătură? Sau semnul unei adevărate angoase construite de-e lungul săptămânilor de peste semestru, de peste ani... E oare profesionist să ai angoase (şi să le mai faci şi publice!) referitoare la tinerii pe care îi vezi (sau mai degrabă nu) la clasă cu figuri acoperite de un strat fin de teamă, speriaţi de nou, înfricoşaţi de a-şi trăi viaţa, purtători ai spaimelor reziduale ale părinţilor?


Se cade oare sau e doar hilar ca un dascăl să se gândească la studenţii lui cu îngrijorare, părinteşte, iar reacţia să fie doar un val de tăcere, indiferenţă asurzitoare?


Aceste panseuri/ puseuri emoţionale fac ele parte din recuzita unui profesionist sau sunt slăbiciuni nepermise: la urma urmei dascălul, în viziunea de secol 19 a studentului român trebuie să fie o autoritate, un zbir, sau, mă rog, cineva care să-l ia de mână si să-l ducă, ca pe un nevăzător pe "căile ştiinţei", să-i ierte de 77 ori câte 77 prostia, lenea, ignoranţa, nedorinţa de a învăţa, să-i dea faimoasele "cunoştinţe" rumegate gata, ce mai, să pună etichete, să-i sufoce creativitatea cu acele cuminţi şi de-a gata reţete ale fericirii...


Nedumeriri am zis? Sau poate mânia că s-ar putea ca aceia, puţini şi aleşi, pe care îi întâlneşte la clasă şi pe coridoare şi cu care poate vorbi ca şi cu vechi prieteni, să rămână prizonierii celorlalţi 90% care vor alcătui majoritatea de mâine? Majoritatea care se teme să trăiască, care e înfricoşată de nou, care se crede atot/atoateştiutoare... majoritatea care e victima fricii perpetuate peste decade, care perpetuează frica moştenită de la părinţi, otrava, neputinţa de a schimba.


Nedumeriri...şi totuşi, aceia zece la sută merită tot efortul, toată bucuria de a împărtăşi, de a învăţa împreună!...

Join the Learning Revolution at Newham College of Further Education

Last week (27/10-30/10) I joined a group of group of Cluj-based Romanian experts in adult education for a visit to London, part of a Leonardo project aiming to exchange good practices on adult e-learning in Europe. We attended a most interesting workshop on the role and benefits of implementing a VLE for the college courses aimed at a very numerous student population.

Newham College of Further Education is a college of further education in the London Borough of Newham, United Kingdom. Previously called Newham Community College, it was created from the merger of the former West Ham College and East Ham College. The main site is in East Ham, with a further site in Stratford, and six further local neighbourhood learning centres. An Oftsted report following a 2009 inspection awarded the school a Grade 1 (outstanding). The college is a member of the 157 Group of high performing school (Source: Wikipedia).

 Our hostess, Mrs. Joyce Amato, and her team introduced us to the college Moodle-based VLE, called New Learning, the result of two-year efforts to integrate technology in learning.
Definitely, where there is a will there's a way... and it's up to us to decide whether we want or not to join this Revolution!

Din nou despre tehnologii si alte minunatii

Rima involuntara din titlu e binevenita. Pentru ca la inceput de septembrie in minunata Creta am avut parte de reteta ideala cu ingredientele mele preferate. In ordinea preferintelor: Mediterana, oameni minunati de la care ai de invatat, multe idei si metode noi, sentimentul ca nu lucrezi in van.

Scoala de vara la prof integrarea tehnologiilor web 2.0 in predarea limbilor straine

View more presentations from Cristina Felea.

Summer School in Chania

Busy, busy...

Introduction to Web2.0 & Language Learning, LaProf Summer School 2010

View more presentations from MARIA PERIFANOU.

Sir Ken Robinson's "Bring on the Learning Revolution!"

No comment for now. Enjoy!

"Better late than never" - First Impressions (do they last longer?!)

"Better late than ever" - This is the motto one of my first year undergrads chose for his wiki page in the project started this semester. He meant it as an ironical reminder that,

yes, he managed to catch up with the missed/skipped classes,
yes, his assignments were late but

we should all be happy and stop moaning because

yes, he managed to do it! Wow! Cool!

It is too early for conclusions regarding the project. There are yet questions to be answered - questionnaires, interviews and my own reflections as noted in a modest "campaign diary"...

Still, my student's motto sadly illustrates young Romanians' plight on the road to a belated modernity - a mixture of their inability to cope with academic requirements on their own (most likely residual effects of an overprotective/ authoritarian educational environment) and the desire to save face derived, I would assume, from either a long-lasting tradition of "I-have-to-preserve-my-dignity-no-matter-what" or a sudden awakening to the real world that, good God, hasn't waited for us, hurry up, time's running out, please wait for usssssss!!!

Bitter joke apart, I believe that the most important gain of this project is that 

yes, I managed to put up wikis and organise them for my classes,
yes, the project failed along most dimensions but

we should be happy and stop moaning because

yes, I sort of found a way back to my real world students,
I can look them in the eyes with a renewed sense of joy - 

Here we are, admitting failure, learning from our mistakes
that a step-by-step approach is better than working in fits and starts
that "the New" should not be a scary movie with dark characters,
and,
hopefully, this will add to the other foundation blocks we all need in
our personal and professional development.

(yes, you've heard well, I said "we" - there's no doubt that one of the greatest satisfactions
is to learn together with/ from one's students)

Wikis in University Teaching and Learning

I believe that anyone who watches Richard Buckland's presentation will understand the definite advantages of using wikis in tertiary education. As already known, this pedagogical approach relies heavily on collaborative principles and a philosophy of trust and respect between teachers and students who, simply, become LEARNERS who are not afraid of sharing and building knowledge together.Enjoy!

First Attempt at Wiki Project

The following is a brief presentation of our first attempt at implementing a wiki project for students in social sciences (Faculty of Sociology and Social Work) at Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj.
Cristina Felea & Liana Stanca.

As numerous research projects (see my provisional Diigo list of references) have demonstrated, Wiki technology and wiki tools are efficient instruments for implementing collaborative learning in teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and particularly English for Specific/Academic Purposes (ESP/EAP).
In the second stage of Web evolution, known as semantic Web (see Tim Berners-Lee), collaboration is the key word of all activities performed on and offline.Constructivist approaches to learning and Web 2.0 tools have developed together into new paradigms for sustainable models of lifelong learning. According to Lev Vygotsky, learners develop socially when they collaborate with their more capable peers. In this context, individuals learn in accordance with their own aspirations to reach the social level they initially planned to attain. Our article will describe the introduction of the wiki tool in the process of teaching ESP/EAP for EFL undergraduate students in social sciences. Although also used for course and syllabus management, our wiki project aims at enhancing students’ and teacher’s involvement in collaborative online content creation with special emphasis on the participatory dimension of both parties.
The wiki learning platform has been designed to support a flexible approach of the EAP course. Materials are presented in a variety of formats (audio, video, multimedia) embedded in a gradual guided approach (accompanied by reference links to EAP tutorials from other universities and internet-based activities tutorials adapted to students’ needs) to learning in a Web 2.0 environment. Our aim is to set up a statistical study of the effects of introducing Web 2.0 tools in the learning process of students who only have computer and internet basic skills. This will be a first step in investigating the impact of Web 2.0 technologies on students’ acquisitions. Our research will move on to a series of experiments designed to create a device to assist teachers in creating a collaborative environment based on learners’ compatibility and affinities drawing on Vygotsky’s social constructivist approach and using methods from the game theory.

Walking on (word) clouds!

Playing with Wordle... always fun! And food for thought...
This is my blog's word cloud.



And this is a nice cloud signed by another Cristina teacher

What next?...

Sacha Chua's concept of Shy Connector is good to start/ continue with when at a loss with what to do next. The need to retire from time to time in a computer/noise/crowd-free environment are part and parcel of a healthy "stay-sane" routine - i.e. trying to find a balance between offline and online presence, creating time pockets for reflection that is not imposed by the pressures and pace of external systems/ tools/ technology-based interaction/ communication. Breathe deeply, count to 10, 100, 1000 and then go further, step by step... try to find your own pace...your own peace!

The Shy Connector

View more presentations from Sacha Chua.

Prin urmare se poate... Enjoy!

"Does Google Make Us Stupid?"

A very exciting survey released recently by Pew Research Center about possible scenarios on the future of the Internet and human cognition. Worth a good read!
To connect it with an overview on the Millenials generation - good stuff for educators to take into account! You might like to take their quiz, How Millenial are You?
As for me, hmmm...

Angela Meiers’s - My L.O.V.E. Affair with Learning

Cred ca aceasta scurta si pasionata interventie a Angelei Meiers (reputat si respectat blogger si educator) ma ajuta sa raspund la cateva intrebari legate de adevarata frenezie a invatarii care m-a cuprins de o vreme incoace. Ii voi da ei cuvantul (traducerea este mai mult o adaptare…!)

    I love learning. I love being around people who are passionate about their own lifelong journey of learning and teaching. It's contagious.

Imi place grozav sa invat. Ma simt extraordinar in preajma oamenilor pasionati de propria odisee a cunoasterii si a instruirii celorlalti. Este molipsitor.

     As I reflect on these past 20 years of working in this great profession of education, and particularly the past few years of worldwide connections I've been fortunate to find due to the blogosphere, I'm excited about learning now more than ever. I strive for at least one WOW each day.

Reflectand la cei 20 de ani de activitate in aceasta minunata profesie de educator si mai ales la acesti ultimi ani in care am fost norocoasa sa-mi creez contacte in toata lumea datorita blogosferei, constat ca invatarea ma entuziasmeaza mai mult decat oricand. Ma stradui sa am parte de cel putin o exclamatie de entuziasm zilnic.   

On this day where we celebrate sharing our hearts and passion, I thought I'd share something I've been thinking on for a few days.

In aceasta zi in care ne celebram pasiunea si entuziasmul, voi impartasi cu voi cateva ganduri.

    My L.O.V.E. Affair With Learning

     Literacy: Though we often think about literacy with regard to book learning, there is so much more to literacy than that. Social literacy and how we interact with others. Health literacy and how we treat our bodies. Global and Economic literacies and how we are supporters of our neighbors and steward of our possessions. And with changes constantly about, we continue to learn.

 Alfabetizare / (Competente de baza in actualele discutii din domeniul pedagogiei, nota mea, CF) – Cu toate ca asociem acest termen cu invatarea traditionala pe baza cartilor, exista acum mult mai multe tipologii de luat in considerare: competente sociale sau felul cum interactionam cu ceilalti, competente legate de sanatate si felul cum ne tratam corpul, competente globale si economice sau cum ne sprijinim vecinii sau ne gestionam proprietatile. Cu toate schimbarile care au loc in permanenta, continuam sa invatam.

  Odyssey: And with changes constantly about ... we realize learning is not a destination (and I think this is what I love most about learning), but a lifelong journey. Who knew 4 or 5 years ago we would be sharing our thoughts via blogs and wikis and Twitter?

 Cu toate schimbarile care au loc in permanenta… realizam ca invatarea nu este o destinatie (si asta imi place cel mai mult la invatare) ci o calatorie de o viata, Cine s-ar fi gandit acum 4-5 ani ca ne vom impartasi gandurile prin intermediul blogurilor, al wiki-urilor sau pe Twitter?

     Valuable: Our brains are pattern-seeking, meaning-making muscles. Thank goodness for that, because otherwise the noise would be too much to filter. Each of us have different styles and reasons to learn. What I am learning (important to me) may not be your cup of tea -- and that's okay, as long as each of us continue to find value in what we are learning, we will continue in our learning odyssey.

Valoare: creierul nostru este un muschi aflat in cautare de modele/ configuratii si creator de sensuri. Slava domnului ca este asa fiindca altfel nu ar putea filtra harmalaia generala, Fiecare dintre noi avem stiluri si moduri diferite de a invata. Ceea ce invat eu (ce e important pentru mine) poate sa nu ti se potriveasca tie – si asta este in regula - atata vreme cat fiecare dintre noi incearca sa gaseasca valoare in ceea ce invata, ne vom continua odiseea cunoasterii.

     Enduring: The most important part of lifelong learning is that it endures. That's the passion part of our love affair. And yet, just like in this acronym - it's often silent and unrecognized. I ask students from 17 to 70 what drives them to continue to learn. Often, a shrug of the shoulders is the immediate answer. If we recognize our enduring love affair with learning, we will continue to nurture it, and even spread it with enthusiasm.

Cea mai importanta componenta a invatarii permanente este ca e durabila. Aceasta e componenta de pasiune din povestea noastra de dragoste. Si totusi, la fel ca in acronimul pe care l-am creat, este adesea tacuta si nerecunoscuta. Intreb studenti cu varste intre 17 si 70 de ani ce-i face sa continue sa invete. Adesea, ridica din umeri. Daca recunoastem ca avem o nesfarsita poveste de dragoste cu invatatura, vom continua sa o cultivam sis a o daruim si altora cu entuziasm.

     It is my hope that you are having a lifelong LOVE affair with your learning, and you spread it infectiously to everyone you meet.

Sper ca si voi traiti o poveste de dragoste cu invatarea si ii molipsiti pe toti aceia pe care-I intalniti.

    But let me ask you this: What drives you to continue to learn (watch the shoulders)

Dar dati-mi voie sa va intreb: Ce va face sa continuati sa invatati (atentie la umeri).

Trust and Respect

Yes, it is time consuming, yes, sometimes you feel discouragingly insignificant in such a huge blogosphere, yes, the impact you produce is next to zero in this stage, but… but…

The satisfaction to discover and re-discover out there thoughts and ideas you have always had and kept for yourself for some reason compensates for the “wasted time” and transforms it in “time regained” because finding out there, in the wide world, people sharing same values and attitudes compensates for the frustration of not finding them in the immediate proximity. However, I know there are such people around, and I’ll do my best to find them.
As to the impact, I don’t worry, you can’t have it in such a short time. Making an impact needs patience, focus and self-confidence…and trust from others.

At the same time, yes, Trust and Respect, said Chris Betcher on his blog, Betchablog, are decisive values in the creation of a good relationship between educators and students. This reminded me of old wounds – the suspicion climate in a Romania traumatised by communism –
So, others too fight rigid frames within which you “are guilty until proven guilty” – others too have to fight educational policies in which students roles are restrained to accepting passively decisions taken for them, with too little space left for discussion or negotiation –

Food for thought for all of us: to what extent do we offer our students a framework based on TRUST and RESPECT, meant to bring us THEIR Trust and Respect?
Or, in Chris Betcher’s words: Seriously, what’s the worst thing that could happen if we created an environment of trust and respect?