Continued Professional Development and FutureLearn

Online Learning and CPD
It's been four months since my last post and as you can imagine it's been really busy. This post is about Continued Professional Development as I think it is an important part of one's progress and, in my personal case, what keeps me ticking about teaching and learning and what brings the most satisfaction.

In a world where skill sets required for different jobs are changing rapidly because of technology and how it permeates our lives, I think that keeping up with the times as well as abreast in our field is not just necessary but an obligation, especially for those in the teaching sector. We need to be knowledgeable and well prepared - how can we help others learn if we do not keep curious about teaching and learning?

It is this curiosity that keeps me going and which inspires me to keep studying, reading, doing short courses and MOOCs. Someone once told me why I bothered and whether I didn't get bored! I think it's a matter of perspective as I think that we never stop learning and those courses which are similar to other courses I have done have allowed me to revise and revisit concepts and ideas also from different perspectives thus giving me a fresh take on them. I'm grateful for the internet and even more for open source education and platforms like FutureLearn, Coursera, EdX and the like as they make it possible for people to keep studying and learning. I'm on full-time employment and I would not have been able to complete 5 MA level qualifications and many other short lower level courses if it wasn't for the internet and online education! I love the fact that I can continue to learn from others via these courses at my own time and that I have the choice to do the course for free or pay a small fee to get a certificate of achievement.

What I've done so far!
With my relocation to the Basque Country last year and to a new job, I was especially busy in the last quarter of 2018 and also in the first trimester of 2019 so I didn't have as much time to study (my hobby - you've probably worked that out already!). I was able to get a bit more time for myself from Term 2 onwards, April on and so I've completed three courses on FutureLearn which I would definitely recommend:

TEACHING ENGLISH ONLINE
This is a 4 week course which recently won an ELTon Award by the British Council. Although I am already an online tutor and have been one for a few years working as lead tutor on the CertICT and also on other courses by TheConsultants-e.com, I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting ideas and concepts, resources and my engagement in dialogue with other course participants. I think the different weeks provide a nice and balanced view of what teaching online. I found particularly useful the last week of the course where information about points to consider when setting up your own online teaching business or getting started as an online teacher. 

MANAGING PEOPLE: UNDERSTANDING YOUR ORGANISATION
This 3 week course was also very interesting. It helped me revise from a different perspective some of the aspects and ideas I had studied when I completed the Post Graduate Diploma in Academic Management. I liked the tasks and also being able to interact with people from different backgrounds - I think this was the best part as ideas and responses came from professionals outside the ESOL sector and this, in my opinion, allows for a different perspective. This course is the first one of 3 so I've signed up for the next one which starts in September.

ENGLISH IN EARLY CHILDHOOD
This British Council 6-week course was my favourite of the three! I work with Very Young Learners (VYLs) and YLs so it allowed me to refresh some of the theories and approaches I had studied and also taught as a YL trainer. The tasks and the videos are up to date and offer a fresh perspective - IMHO. I really enjoyed the tasks and the amount of reflection required and of course the interaction with some of the course participants.

So, CPD or not to CPD?
The answer is yes and always CPD. It is important that we do not become stale teachers and trainers, that we challenge ourselves and if not then that we revisit what we 'think' we know, that we explore and listen to other voices and perspectives in our field. Whatever it is you teach, keep learning and don't let that light and desire to discover go out! 

Nowadays, it is impossible not to continue with our learning journey. The internet provides the tools, many of which free, that allows us to keep learning, exploring, discovering the world and, in my case, learning and teaching!

Going Mobile - a conclusion!

Hello again!

As you know form my previous post, I was doing the Going Mobile course by TheConsultants-e.com and well, it's come to an end now and I'm sad it has finished because I loved every minute of it. Module 2 of the course was very hands on with lots of articles, tools to explore, pair and group work, and so what better way to learn than to do things yourself and then share your own experiences during the process, what your context is and what you're doing while also learning from others on the course about the same things. What I Iike the most about online learning and from good online courses is that they provided you with the opportunity to learn with and from others while acquiring new knowledge through the exploration of content, tools and theory via experimentation.

Module 2 also offered the possibility to meet virtually at a video conference to discuss the different topics and tasks, share experiences with both challenges and triumphs. It is not always possible to participate in these VCs because of last minute obligations or unforeseen circumstances, but they are recorded and then shared tin the Moodle so it is possible to then watch the meetings and still get to feel a little closer to the other participants.

What have I taken away? Lots of new ideas about how to use mobile devices in my classroom. These ideas came not only from links and resources included in the course but also through the experimentation with them and also through the generous sharing of participants' ideas, contexts and support. Mobile devices are here to stay and get better and more powerful every day and we're more and more involved by them in our daily lives and so are our learners so why not harness that power to enhance their learning experiences in the classroom? I'm a learner myself having just recently resumed studying French and learning Basque by myself and mobile devices e.g. my iPad and Samsung smart phone are key to what I'm doing and how I'm doing it. Being a teacher myself allows me to see these devices both from my own student role and teacher roles and get the best of both to bring useful ideas of what I am doing already in terms of learning to the classroom for my students!

So, what's next then? Thirsty as I am for learning, I'm already on the look out for my next adventure!  Stay tuned and you'll soon find out!

(Picture taken from https://pixabay.com/en/confetti-paper-birthday-blank-3182653/)   

Going Mobile - a must do course!

I'm really excited about the new online course I'm doing as a student: TheConsultants-e.com Going Mobile course with Lindsay Clansdfield as tutor. The course is divided into two modules and runs over 20 days. As with most online courses it is asynchronous so participants can log in when convenient and engage with the tasks and other participants in the different fora. This course came out of Nicky Hockly and Gavin Dudeney's super interesting book: Going Mobile - yes same name!

We're in the middle of the Module 1 and I really like how all the different tasks are clearly related, interesting and above all hands-on!  This is my type of course as you get to see the content, explore it, do something with it and then discuss it/share it with the other participants on the course. One of the things that I enjoy the most about online learning is that you usually get to do the course with people from all over the world, different levels of expertise, experiences and stories to tell. I find that allows for a wonderful opportunity to see things from a different perspective even when we may already know what is being discussed.

Anyways, can wait to do Module 2 and see what is in store for us participants on the course!