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!

A year of big changes!

2018 is coming to an end and so I've realised it's been a year of big changes in many ways. 

Academically - I feel really satisfied with all the learning done this year! In my last post I shared I had started the IH London Diploma in Academic Management and well, I finished it in Aug and got a Distinction, so I couldn't be more pleased. It was hard but a rewarding experience and I learnt lots both from my tutor Maureen McGarvey and my classmates.

I also completed a few very interesting MOOCS: Culture of Services: A New Perspective on Customer Relations with EdXand the University of Kyoto. It was a real help during the IH London Diploma above.

The next course was a Udemy online course: Become a SuperLearner2: Speed Reading and Boost your Memory, which I enjoyed a lot too.

And the last one, also online, by Trinity College London - Excellent in Education: Quest for the Best: Teaching and Learning Vocabulary which I also enjoyed a lot. There were lots of interesting materials and the tutor, James Easton, was excellent too! 

I've started learning Basque while taking advantage of the fact that it is widely spoken here in my new town and that people are so friendly and patient when I try to practice everywhere I go. It's going to take a long time as it is truly difficult a language, but I love it and am determined to learn as much as I can and use it as much as possible too!  In also resumed French lessons at work so I couldn't be happier a man - I love languages and having a job that allows me to learn then and use them is a blessing! I've been actively using Memrise, Quizlet and following a couple of YouTubers (Eskera Satorra) to keep up with my learning curve!

My next academic adventure is the new Going Mobile Online Course by TheConsultants-e.com running from 1-20 Feb 2019! Nicky and Gavin's book Going Mobile is a great resource in the classroom already so I can't wait to start this course. Also, I'm seriously considering doing a PhD in Education and so that's in the back burner for the moment. I'm really thankful to my last MA tutor at the University of Nottingham, Cecilia Goria for her support and encouragement at this stage!

Personally - ups and downs family-wise but Thank God everything back to normal now. I also left my previous post as Academic Manager at GIGA IH Catania where I was for 8.5 years to join Lacunza IH in the Basque Country as Director/Team Leader Goierri Area at Lacunza IH Beasain. I learnt tons at GIGA and had a very productive time there, but it was time to move on to face new challenges!

I've resumed running and going to the fantastic gym here in my new town too so I'm really excited about all the new and positive aspects of our new life here!

ICT-wise - I continue to experiment and explore tech tools for the classroom so my blogging will resume shortly too!

Genyally - it's simply great

I came across Genially just recently thorugh a Twitter post by Nick Peachey and I simnply loved it. I think it's got a lot of potential for presenting information in a nice and visual way for our students.  Nick's great Genially presentation on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs here (there are links to Nick's social media at the end of the presentation) is a wonderful example of how you can use it.

I have now created a Teacher account and will start exploring it asap as I can see it can be very useful for me as a teacher trainer and learner myself. I'll keep you posted as I'll report soon on how I use it while reviewing it from a teacher's point of view.

Google Keep - a must keep!

I came across Google Keep not long ago and it's been an incredibly flexible tool so I decided to write a short entry here to share what I've been using it for and how useful it's been. There are other programs out there to make notes and organise one's ideas, commitments, etc., like EverNote, OneNote, Swipes and many more. Jimmy Daly's blog post here offers up to 14 different ones!

As I said earlier, I've been using Google Keep and it's been really simple to use and very useful so I would definitely recommend it to anyone doing lots of different things and wanting to be able to make, classify, find, edit, etc., notes in their daily lives.  As I have several roles besides my full time job, Google Keep is helping me organise all those extra commitments I have easily as you can create labels for the different categories you need and also colour code them.  They're accessible to you anywhere you go and so it's easy to keep track of all the different things I need to do. Here's a Google Keep video with the basics and do share the good stuff!

Update - after using it for over 6 months now (Jan 2018) I can say that Google Keep is definitely a tool worth exploring and using. I have at least 4 or 5 different jobs and so Keep helps me keep tabs on all my commitments and projects offering a lot of flexibility as I can create to-do lists or simply notes, I can also label them by creating the label I need to group them together thus making it is easier to organise. I can also add visuals, pictures and links to specific notes so this has been very useful when I get specific info from different parties at the same time on different projects or activities. Once done, I can archive them and move on and the best feature of all for me: that you can access your notes and important info anywhere on any browser and on your phone so I would recommend it without reservations.

Here we go again!

Hello!

It's been four months since my last post and I must confess it's been hectic to say the least. This is, of course, no excuse for my absence so here's an update on all the things I've been working on since then.  As regards my full time job, it's going well and as usual I'm enjoying it immensely. I think it's great when you can honestly say you do want to go to work in the morning so in spite of the usual ups and down we all go through, things are going well and changes are ahead as my role is changing from DoS to Academic Manager with a more supervisory capacity, but still very involved in the academics of the school and of course, Teacher Training and Development, which is my true love.

My external activities are also thriving and this year I started working for IDP as a language consultant so a very exciting opportunity from which I'm learning lots and also traveling a bit more! Language assessment can be said to be my second true love and as such I'm getting more and more involved in it as a lead trainer also for Cambridge so I'm very pleased that I can learn and also make a difference in the lives of those colleagues I'm to lead for.

Study-wise, I had said in late September last year after finishing my second MA wonderful results that I would have taken a break from study for a year as I have not stopped studying in the last 12 years and was feeling it was a time for me to focus on work and on making a bit of money! However, I cannot help it! So I've enrolled in the Diploma in Academic Management offered by International House London. As part of the Ih Family I know lots of people there and some of the tutors so I can't wait to learn with and from them!

As part of my Head of Teacher Training role, I will be leading the team offering the International House Certificate in Teaching Young Learners and Teenagers at GIGA Ih Catania and so I'm now busy making sure the transition from the Cambridge YL Extension to CELTA into the IHCYL&T course, also validated by Cambridge, is smooth.  So if you're interested our next teacher training and development courses are:

CELTA 5-week course Mon through Thu: Aug 1 - Sep 5

IHCTYL&T 2-week course Mon through Fri:  C1 - Sep 11 - 22 & C2 - Sep 25 - Oct 6.

You can email me at direzionedidattica@gigact.com for information and an application pack.

Bye for now!

Time to come back!

It's 2017 already and time does fly when one is having fun! I finished my MA in September last year and it seems like it was yesterday when I got the great news that I had got a Distinction. After that, it's all been really busy with new projects, courses, training, assessing, inspecting and examining! You name it!  I wanted to get on to a PhD, but it's all been so busy - enjoyable and challenging at the same time - that I have decided to have a short break and dedicate myself to all the different projects ahead of me.

I'm back now and looking forward to getting back into creating videos, trying out apps and tools and briefly writing about them so stay tuned!