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How to successfully engage your learners in an IT project (part I)

When I coach teachers on how to use web 2.0 tools, I can see that they need to achieve strategies for creating and managing IT learning environments to get students really engaged in the task proposed. Many teachers think IT sessions cannot be related to what they are doing in class :(  , so students cannot see the purpose of the session and take it as a break to "play and have fun". 

For this purpose, IT classes require teacher's skills of the web2 tools to make the IT session or project work well. If teachers show uncertainty they will experience chaos instead of flow. Teachers must be familiar with the tools but be flexible if a new situation appears. What do I mean by flexible? 

Digital natives are not afraid of exploring the web, so they may ask for other possibilities the tool may offer whichthe teacher may not know. So, my piece of advice is do not panic or feel uncertain. Just be honest and say you do not know about that possibility , and that you will give an answer next class or ask students to give you an answer. Students will appreciate your honesty and you will have created a two way learning situation: you teach English to your students and they teach you technology.

If students are engaged in their tasks, they use the second language in real context, ask questions and are really creative. Teachers will experience joy, and joy is a lot less tiring than the frustration that comes with student apathy.

Comments

AR Mirza said…
Fantastic work guys keep the good work like this thanks


English Learners
English Grammar Guru
4 July 2013 at 02:51
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