ICT as a Mind tool

I tried "Inspiration" application to create this concept map and it was really easy.

And my student will have a batter under standing of the software types and categories.

This test gives me the imprison that ICT as a mind tool is very helpful an ease the way we draw a concept map,

when I was a student I  high school I used to hand draw concept map and that takes me a long time to draw one, but now with the use of ICT as a mind tool every thing will be easier.

the mind tool helps to Visual learning which help to:

• Make abstract ideas visible and concrete

• Connect prior knowledge and new concepts

• Provide structure for thinking, writing, discussing, analyzing, planning and reporting

• Focus thoughts and ideas, leading to understanding and interpretation

• Clarify thoughts

• Organize and analyze information

• Integrate new knowledge

• Think critically

WebQuests

what is a WebQuests?

"A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the internet, optionally supplemented with videoconferencing. " *

I think about WebQuest as the new type of teaching that should be implemented in the school in Bahrain. WebQuest are very interesting and the students nowadays love to use the internet a a resource, so if we implemented it in our lessons I think it will change the way the students think about learning. That means that the students will be self-directed learners where they will be responsible of their learning and the teacher will be a guide.

Now let us see the component of the WebQuest:

1. An introduction that sets the stage and provides some background information.
2. A task that is doable and interesting.
3. A set of information sources needed to complete the task. Many (though not necessarily all) of the resources are embedded in the WebQuest document itself as anchors pointing to information on the World Wide Web. Information sources might include web documents, experts available via e-mail or realtime conferencing, searchable databases on the net, and books and other documents physically available in the learner's setting. Because pointers to resources are included, the learner is not left to wander through webspace completely adrift.
4. A description of the process the learners should go through in accomplishing the task. The process should be broken out into clearly described steps.
5. Some guidance on how to organize the information acquired. This can take the form of guiding questions, or directions to complete organizational frameworks such as timelines, concept maps, or cause-and-effect diagrams as described by Marzano (1988, 1992) and Clarke (1990).
6. A conclusion that brings closure to the quest, reminds the learners about what they've learned, and perhaps encourages them to extend the experience into other domains.
1. 
   
   Now the steps to make a WebQuest are as described in the picture below:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

 

there are so many website that can help you to build a WebQuest such as

www.webquest.org

http://www.teach-nology.com/

http://www.zunal.com/

All what we have to do now as teacher is to start to build one now.

Thank you and see you in the next reflection.

* http://webquest.sdsu.edu/about_webquests.html

Inquiry based learning

This is a great video that describes the Inquiry based learning, what dose it mean and how can you apply it in your classroom.

I liked this video a lot that I don't want to add anything more to force you to watch it.

But I might add that Inquiry based learning is the new way of teaching and many teacher starts to apply it in their teaching strategies and I was a fan of this type of learning since I was a student and I tried to use it in my teaching but now after knowing its principles I think that the quality of learning will increased.

This is comparison between the traditional teaching and the Inquiry based learning

click here to see the comparison 

Student centered learnning

Student centered learnning is great opportunity for student to express their thought and their ideas. Student feels less bored and excited to learn new things. Student relations are enhanced where the student should deals with each other to learn and to do projects.

The information that the students learn through the student centered learnning stays in their head more than the information that the students learn through the old teaching methods because they get involve in learning process.

On the other hand the students may don’t like this type of learning especially if they have some issues with the other students. Other student may get scared of this type of learning especially if they have low self confidence because in this type of learning the responsibility of learning relay on the student where the teacher is a guide.

For a teacher this type of Student centered learnning is relieving because you will know that the students won't get bored and all of them will be engaged in the learning process. But that dose not means that there won't be some students who don’t want to work and will only watch the other while they are working. The challenge now is to let them be involved and self-motivated.

 

Computer as a tutor , tutee and a tool

Before 10 ago most of the people in the education field thought that the computer is only a tool that can help them to do their work and organize their documents. But know the computer role in education has been change. Now the computer is used as a tutor especially after the release of Kings Hamad School of the futuer project.

Learning is encouraged to be student centered leaning where the students do all the work to get the knowledge and the teacher guides them and this can be done using the computer as a tutor where the student can use the internet browser to find the information they need by googling it or use an educational websites that have lessons prepared and posted by teachers or watch a video

or use an Educational applications that were implemented to teach the student a specific concept.

Since the role of the computer may vary, teachers should understand its roles in their classrooms and use it in the right way which maximize the benefits of the computer. I as a computer teacher I usually use it as a tool specially that I am teaching the students MS Office

 which is a tools programs. But when I teach Ms Fron Page the computer is a totee where the students tutor the computer how to bulid the websites according to their Instructions.

I hope in the future that  I will be able to use the computer as a tutor to teach those programs, and in order to do this I should implement the application that helps me to achieve my goal.

who am I?

My name is Thajbah. I am a computer teacher. This year I'm doing my PGDE in Bahrain Teacher College in the University of Bahrain and this blog is part of my study.
I am a mother of two adorable girls Amna who is six years old and Eman who is 2 years old.
I've been a teacher since 2007. Teaching is my passion becoming a teacher was one of the good choices I did in life. I like interacting with people and inspire the upcoming generation to be a better person and great leaders, and teaching gives me the opportunity to do this.
I love social networking I have a face book account where you can be my friend and a tweeter account @thajbah82 where you can follow me.