- Participating
in a CoP like WIA helped me modify and improve most of my old Web-pages
and create new pages. I managed to design two on-line CALL programs
for the two courses I currently teach.
- It has
never occured to me that educational theories, including teaching/learning
approaches, phylosophies, and e-learning quality were going to be disccussed
by this community of practice, thinking that Webheads in Action, is
a CoP focused on computer and other technical skills,only.I intend to
continue participating in this CoP, due to the tremendous amount of
knowledge I'm gaining , almost everyday, on the available Computer Mediated
Communication, (CMC) Tools and their integration in on-line teaching,
effectively.
- In addition,
"advaneced" educational theories, based on Socratic teaching
approach; such as, "Constructivist approaches" have been discussed
by participants.These kinds of discussions, are another major reason
for me to continue participating in WIA. The awareness and enlightment
on pedagogical issues I experienced reflected positively on my pedagogical
style and inspired me to think of ways I can use CMC tools with my students
, who are unfortunately dependent learners,mostly.I also managed to
transfer the kind of e-learning I'm practicing with webheads to my online
teaching trying to help my students become discoverers, motivating them
to seek learning for life.I took the move,earlier this Spring 2003,
and began integrating some CMC tools in my online teaching.The following
are examples of ways I learned from WIA on inetgrating CMC tools in
my current on-line teaching, inside a C-Lab and in cyberspace:
- A
chat session during week 1 inside a C-Lab using a Groupboard.
- A
chat session during Week 3 inside a C-Lab, using YMessenger
- An
effective way of communicating with students using a Yahoo
Group.
- Participation
in WIA, also, helped me to develop prfoessionally. I managed to hold
my first Hands-on Workshop for my colleagues at the Language Center
of Kuwait University, on March 18th, 2003.I also succeeded in creating
an on-line Handout for that event.Moreover, three FL instrcutors from
my Unit left the wrokshop satisfied with their newly built home pages,
already, published. Without this CoP, I wouldn't be able to create and
develop new professional, effective web-pages; such :
- Particiapation
in an on-line community, per se, helped me find that there is a correlation
between on-line and face-to- face, (f2f), instructions. While the first
made me enforce and encourage more of collaborative and cooperative
learning inside a f2f classroom, the later helped me create, design,
and instruct better online teaching/learning materials.
|