advice



At the end of our workshop, on Mar 4, I promised that I would create this page and give you tips, advice, suggestions... whatever you want to call them, but it has taken me quite some time to do so. After all, it **//is//** June 2 today. Shame on me!!! ;-)

Well, let's not delay things any longer!

To start with, I strongly suggest that you **check your email once a day**. It's sad when people send you messages and there are few or no replies. Email should be answered in 24-48 hours. This is especially important with students. We should reply as soon as possible to help them in a timely fashion and not let them down.
 * Email**

In order for you to know what changes or additions are made to this wiki, you should **activate "notifications"**. How?
 * Notifications**
 * click "Manage Wiki" (top left, above the clock)
 * click "Notifications" (under Tools)
 * check the three options under "Email Notifications"
 * click the "Update" button

From now on, every time there is a change, you will get an email message. Ah! But before that... you need to be a member of this wiki to do this. You're lucky, because you all are. I checked the number of members and it seems correct.

Though I can relate names to faces, it would very pleasant if you all inserted a short personal text and a small photo in the Participants page. It's always nice to look back on what we did and with whom. So... please click on Participants (in the Navigation bar) and **write a short text and insert a small photo**!
 * Participants page**

As I said several times during our one-week workshop, it is very important that you gradually insert/blend a part of what you learned into your lessons. First, because by practising, you won't forget. Second, because your students will benefit from a classroom that is open to outside world and can communicate with it.
 * Using what you learned with your students**

Let me repeat some suggestions I gave on the last day.
 * convert Web pages into .pdf documents that you can copy to your pen/flash drives and show in class
 * remember to use the PDFmyURL page< http://pdfmyurl.com/ > to do it in a very easy way
 * show you students the page/s, but don't forget to give them the URL (or Web address)
 * select it when you're in the Web page > click Ctrl+ C (to copy) > click Ctrl + V (to paste it in a Word doc, for example, that you also copy to your pen/flash drive)
 * create a wiki for them and show them how to edit it / how to insert content
 * show them how to send a voice message with Vocaroo or Audiopal
 * show them how to send a video message with Eyejot
 * insert links or the html code of their messages in the wiki, or have them do it
 * create interactive exercises for them
 * share that task with more challenged students who can also help creating exercises
 * give them a deadline for each task

Show enthusiasm in order to motivate them! :-)

Last but not least, **start small**. Take it one step at a time. Choose one or two tools and give yourself time to master them together with your students. Turn it into a collaborative project. They often know more than we do, but that isn't a problem. Consider it a //learning moment// in which the roles are temporarily exchanged. They become the teacher and you become the student. It's very motivating for them and it makes them feel very important that they have something to teach.

Give your students time to get used to these tools. Not all of them may be equally enthusiastic and motivated, or techie. Promote help among the students (interpeer help). Suggest that they help one another at home, after school. They can go to each other's house and do collaborative work. But do get them started in this fascinating new world! :-)

Remember that I'm always around to lend a helping hand. Fenya can tell you about that. We chatted in Skype a few weeks ago.

That's it for today, 2 June 2011.