Since it is the last time I am going to post on my blog, I will share with you the last project my class did last week before the school finished.

The topic was '' Make a parade mask''. Since there is a computer and a beamer in the class I thought to show them some pictures where they can find their favourite mask. First I divided them into groups of three. Then I asked each group to choose a mask. They chose animals such us a panda, a dog, a pengiun in order to create the mask and others chose to paint some half-masks and decorate them. Through technology, the process of making a mask becomes easier than before. They saw a video How to make a mask, saw some pictures of the animals they chose to draw on their masks. 

After they finished I asked all groups to present what they have done and to describe the masks they have made using more than 5 sentences. They are 4th grade students.

Eventhough they are fourth grader, they know how to cooperate with each other.

I combined Project Based Learning Method with Communicative approach. Of course, it was technology that made the lesson interesting and useful as well. 

At the end of the lesson, I asked each group to vote for the best mask. The winner will be given  parade costumes they may wear them during carnivals while the others will be given chocolates.

In conclusion ,

You have to know how to use technology , how to combine methods and how to manage the class effectively, but what is most important is that you have to know how to assess your students. 

Online teaching

Hello everyone! 

Have you ever heard about online teaching? I am sure you know something about it. If not here I am going to share with you some information about online teaching? How important is it to our students? Is it effective or not? 

The current challenges facing traditional colleges have caused many students to search for alternatives. Based on some studies and statistics, nearly three million students currently enrolled in fully online degree programs and six million taking at least one online course as part of their degree program. This fact has made online education one of the most popular higher education alternatives. Online learning can be just as effective as face-to-face education.

Why do the vast majority of students prefer online courses rather than the traditional ones? There are some reasons for this decision:

1. Variety of programs and courses. Students can find online courses or degree programs they need. 
2. Lower total costs: Online programs can be a more affordable alternative than the traditional colleges. There are no costs and there is not any required course materials such as textbooks because those are often available for free online.
3. The environment is more comfortable than the traditional one. Lectures and other materials are electronically sent to the student, who will then read them and complete assignments. Students will not have to fight traffic, find parking spaces, leave work early to go to class, or miss family time.
4. More interaction and greater ability to concentrate. In an online classroom you can feel comfortable and you have the ability to concentrate. The lesson is interactive too.

To sum up, students in online programs are able to manage time, learn the materials that are presented and of course complete assignments required. 

Have you have heard about Khan Academy?

It is an education organization created by Salman Khan in 2006 with the goal of creating a set of online tools that help to educate students. 

here you will find some information about it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khan_Academy

https://www.youtube.com/user/khanacademy

What is the difference between the traditional way of teaching and teaching through technology?

This is the topic I am going to discuss. 

Sometimes when we think which way of teaching is better, we choose the second one and of course the traditional way is replaced by a new one which is helpful and enhances collaboration, creativity and interaction and communication and that is what a student needs to become a good learner. 

There are some reasons why I think that the traditional way of teaching should not be used anymore.

• First, everything is learned mechanically. It doesn't give to the students the opportunity to interact, communicate.
• This way of teaching do not allow them to express their opinion and it kills creativity let's say. Everyone should be taught to think critically, to comment, to analyse, to compare, to give arguments and to be creative. 
• Another disadvantage of it is that it do not teach students how to overcome obstacles. Students need to put into practice what they learn and to find solutions to their problems. 
• the teacher stands at the front of the class and directs the learning. This way no student will be free to share his opinion, to talk about the lesson, to explain something using as many words as he can, to think critically and to be creative. The teacher should be the facilitator, to help students as much as possible. 

what about teaching through technology?

• That is the most interesting and useful ways I have ever heard before. The teacher is a facilitator, a friend, a person with whom you can talk about everything, about your problems. 
• Everyone has the opportunity to share his or her ideas and opinions, to debate, to communicate, to interact eith one another etc.
• The students have the possibility to think critically, to analyse and find a solution to a particular problem and to be creative at the same time.
• This new way of teaching help every student to interact and collaborate with one another. That is the purpose of it: to make every child a good learner and user of the language. It enhances the use of the language, communication and interaction.

What about you? What do you think about these two ways of teaching? Share your ideas. Feel free to comment on my blog.

Hello everyone,
The topic I have chosen to write about is "Teaching vocabulary through technology".
There are some aspects that we teachers should know when teaching new vocabulary. 
1. To know methods that will be used.
There are a lot of methods actually. When I teach new vocabulary to my students I use total physical response method, communicative and grammar translation method. 
Total Physical Response method means acting words. I.e. teaching new words such walk, read etc through acting.
Secondly, communicative method is useful when practicing these new words. Students need to listen how these words are pronounced and than repeat each word.
Thirdly, grammar translation method is as important as other methods when you need to translate words into Albanian.
2. To know how to use technology in the class, especially when teaching new vocabulary.
- Technology is as important as these methods. We should combine them together. We may start the lesson with the presentation of the topic through pictures, videos or songs. 
You may use them even later on. An advantage of technology is that through online exercises we know how much our student have understood the lesson.  At the end of the lesson, we may use these online exercises. They are like games and that' s why students like them very much. You may use even other exercises such as listen to the song and underline the verbs. Than you explain them the past tense of the verbs. 
There are a lot of ways a teacher might use to make the lesson interesting. 
The secret stands on the fact that you should know how to use these methods combined with technology.
Always remember that to the world you may be just a teacher but to your students you are a hero!