27 jun

Posted at 13:26h in Classroom Experiences, Educational Technology by

Hi! This month I want to finish sharing with you the remaining three teaching techniques I recently got to know as I searched the Internet for innovation. The idea is to create affordances in class so that students feel compelled to learn. Below I briefly refer to remaining three teaching techniques. The previous three were the topic of last month’s post. 4. Gamification: ‘Gamification’ is another way of saying learning through play - a class procedure effective at any age since it keeps students motivated. The use of games is usually considered appropriate...

15 maio

Posted at 19:35h in Educational Technology, Technology by

Olá a todos e todas! Vamos a mais uma postagem sobre dicas de como usar o celular na sala de aula! Embora já tenha falado anteriormente sobre alguns apps que podem auxiliar nas suas práticas de sala de aula (aqui, aqui e aqui), desta vez pensei em focar em apps e no próprio smartphone, por assim dizer. Hoje em dia, é muito comum nossos alunos virem para a sala de aula munidos não apenas de seus livros e cadernos, mas também desse pequeno aparelho multiuso. Em alguns estados...

31 mar

Posted at 23:33h in Classroom Experiences, Educational Technology, Reflections about Education, Technology by

Dear all, From now on, I'll write about my journey to becoming an e-moderator in order to reflect upon it. I realized the way online courses have evolved and my online teaching experiences intertwine. Thus, you'll be able to accompany me in this journey to the past and to understanding what has been going on in this field for a while now. ...

30 mar

Posted at 16:12h in Educational Technology, Lesson Ideas, Technology by

Instagram is part of my daily life, and I know it is also very popular among our teen students and some adults. Though the focus is social, the imagery and, depending on the user you follow,  Instagram can be a very powerful teaching/learning tool. You can explore with students from grammar aspects of the language to an in-depth take on cultural issues. The news is also there. Here, I've selected some of my favorite Insta IDs with some activities you might want to try in your next class: Natgeo Besides being...

18 mar

Posted at 15:45h in Classroom Experiences, Educational Technology, Resources, Skills, Technology by

My Portuguese grandfather was a globetrotter and, when he died, we inherited dozens of postcards from every city he had visited. I was the only one in the family who took some interest in the postcards and the beautiful places that I never thought I would have a chance to go to. However, I decided to turn those travels into my own experiences and I started writing on them to my imaginary English speaking readers. I reminisce about these things every time I come across old pictures and...

28 jan

Posted at 07:30h in Classroom Experiences, Educational Technology, Lesson Ideas by

I was about to start this post, and had a totally different idea in mind. But then I couldn't miss sharing with you such interesting, simple and effective idea for the classroom with all resources already there, a click away. I've just come across this post "Interactive Learning Menus (Choice Boards) Using Google Docs" , which gives a practical idea of how to prepare a learning menu based on a Tic-Tac-Toe using Google Docs. The idea behind it, giving choice, control and autonomy to the learner is such a simple...

14 jan

Posted at 00:01h in Educational Technology, Games, Technology by

One of the books that made the biggest impression on me last year was Evgeny Morozov's To Save Everything, Click Here: Technology, Solutionism and the Urge to Fix Problems that Don't Exist. In it, he describes the rise of tech companies into all-pervasive areas of life, their inherent solutionism, and the threats this process poses to society as a whole. So what exactly is solutionism? Well, in its simplest terms, it's the belief that pretty much everything we face in live can be cast as a simple problem + solution. The...

28 dez

Posted at 08:00h in Career, Educational Technology, Technology by

We all deserve rest, relaxation and some time off. Educators are working during class time, before and always in late hours, correcting, planning, preparing, researching. So, yes, school recess is certainly a time of a certain relief and a bit of goofing off. However, after reenergizing a bit, meeting friends and family, taking care of our more mundane daily lives, celebrating the end of the year, you might feel ready and eager to learn something new, to connect, network with other like-minded professionals. Numerous free professional development opportunities...

20 dez

Posted at 08:28h in Educational Technology, Technology by

Have you noticed how much our desktop and browsers can say about our internet surfing habits? Whenever someone shares their screen with me, I love paying attention to websites people save to their browser bar and the little extensions they use the most. Today, I'd like to share a few of the Google Chrome extensions which save a lot of my time. But before describing them, I bring a definition found at https://howtogeek.com. WHAT ARE EXTENSIONS? "Browser extensions extend your web browser with additional features, modify web pages, and integrate your...