Thursday 16 December 2010

5 Tasks to Teach Yourself to Teach with Technology

Some months ago I had a plan to write a book of tasks to get teachers using technology. As with so many of my plans and ideas, time and circumstances over took me and I never got further than the first 15 tasks. When I went back to do some more I noticed that I was taking so long doing these that some had gone out of date, so to try to get some use from the tasks I've decided to revise them and start publishing them here so anyone can download them and use them either to do teacher training or to develop their own ability to use technology.

So here are the first five. If they are popular I'll publish the next 5 for new year, so they can be my new years resolution and yours.

Task 1: Create your learning journal
So here goes. The first task is based around Penzu and you can download the task or read it on Scribd. In this task you'll create an online journal that you can use to reflect on the other tasks you'll be doing, so you should do this one first.

Task 2: Create online storage for your teaching images
In this task you will create a Flickr photo sharing channel. You'll need to do this to enable you to best do some of the later tasks as they come up, but having your own store of images online that you can use for various teaching purposes is always really handy.
Task 3: Create an online speaking activity
In this task you'll learn how to create an online speaking activity using VoiceThread. So if you have never done that before try the task and see how your students like the activity you create.
Task 4: Create a blog with a video activity for your students
In this task you'll create a simple blog and use it to make a video based activity for your students. Many of you may already have your own blog, but it's a good idea to have a separate one that you can use to experiment with and create activities for students. Once you have created the blog you'll be using it for other tasks as you work through them.
Task 5: Create digital books with illustrations
In this task you will create a digital image book based around a short text. Once you have created the book you will embed it into the blog you created in the previous task.
If you manage to do any of the tasks please do leave a comment and tell me how they went and if the response is good I'll try to put 5 more tasks on the site early in the new year.

So, if you celebrate Xmas please take these as my gift and if you don't celebrate it, you will have more time to do the tasks.

Best wishes for 2011.

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Best

Nik Peachey

22 comments:

BookChook said...

Nik, I've been reading along since we did the SEETA course with you. I just want to thank you now with one enormous THANK YOU for all you've helped me learn. I hope you and your family have a great Christmas and I look forward to continuing inspiration from you in 2011.

Susan, the BookChook

Seandlight said...

Thank you very much for so much useful help!

Mary Di Mónaco said...

Another huge THANK YOU here! I started going through the tasks and the first thing I found was Penzu - just what I was looking for and didn't remember was available. Bookmarking is great but sometimes not enough to help us go back to THAT particular item we want to explore further. Blogging about that would be ideal but sometimes we find we (I) can't find the time to do that. So here enters Penzu. Ideal to jot down a few reminders, plus all the other uses you suggest in your post.
I love your project!
Mary

Vernon said...

Nik, a great set of tasks. Exactly what we need, to be able to teach ourselves to teach with technology. Thank you so much.

Purti Singh said...

Thanks for sharing this information. These ideas I would share with my staff once we get back from Xmas break.
Wish you a merry Xmas & Happy New Year.

Ms. Purti Singh
India

Kristi Grande said...

Thanks for the great information Nik! I will definitely share your link and the valuable tools you've just shared with your readers.

Nik Peachey said...

Thanks everyoe for all the positive feedback. Please let me know if there are any problems with any of the tasks so that I can revise them if necessary.I hope to put them all together into an e-book at some point when I have enough.

Thanks and best wishes for 2011

Nik

Livia Farago said...

Nik, I just want to send my huge thanks for everything you have given and keep giving to so many teachers and in turn the thousands of children, students that they teach all around the world.
Let me wish you strength and vigour for your future work.
Lívia

Maizie said...

Thank you so much for this Nik.
I was asked to give 2 in-service training courses in a week and a half and was thinking of what to do ....then I got your e mail .....just in time.......
Thanks a lot,
Maizie.

Unknown said...

Just in time! A number of years ago, I took Comp.101 class to update my skills from the dinosaur era of computers. I absolutely loved it and firmly resolved to learn something new about computers every year ... Fast forward to today and I'm so busy with ESL classes and now teaching basic computer literacy for adults that my surfing the web days are almost nonexistent.

So I was wondering, even if I can only do a little, where do I start? Thanks for a suggestion on where to begin.

Karen

Susana Canelo said...

Dear Nik:
As usual you're such an inspiration.
I've used most of these tools and I'll share these ideas with my colleagues .
Thanks for your generosity.
Merry Christmas and a VERY happy new year.

Nicky said...

Just to say thanks for another great initiative and resource, Nik. I always recommend your blog to teachers, and with these nicely focused and manageable tasks even the most recalcitrant technophobe can be helped to integrate meaningful and fun technology-based activities into the language classroom. Thank you!

Mercedes Frassinelli said...

Easy- to -follow ideas that can make a big difference.
Gracias desde Argentina!!

Maryanne said...

Thanks for the step by step directions. Do you have any suggestions for using one's own photos from Flickr to make a Bookr book? I have tried repeatedly by entering my Flickr user name and tags that I have used with my photos with no success. I also checked to see that my photos were CC licensed and available to everyone. Any suggestions?

Carme said...

Thank you Nik!! I've just started blogging this year and now I feel very lucky to have discovered your technology blog. I haven't started your tasks yet but I've found them really interesting! I'll definitely try them!. I'm also interested in your courses!!
Thank you
Carme Ribas (Manresa, Spain)

gra said...

Very good tasks, and a very interesting Blog by a very generous author!!!!!
Thank you!!!!
Graciela
La Pampa, Argentina

Unknown said...

Thanks, Nik! Task 5 is especially useful for me (and it works, too - many thanks!)

I've also linked to this post from my own teaching resource site (which I'm slowly resurrecting), efl-resource.com. I hope you don't mind!

Best wishes

Simon

Anonymous said...

Nik
What an enormous gift! How can I ever thank you?

It's help like this from people like you that people like me really need.

Many many thanks
Candy

Nik Peachey said...

Hi Candy

You are very welcome. The best way to thank me is just to spread the word and tell other people about the site.

Thanks

Best

Nik Peachey

Erin said...

Your energy and generosity inspire to work harder to be able to bring those same qualities into my teaching life. These blogs of yours are gifts that have transformed the way I approach technology and education...THANK YOU!!!

Nik Peachey said...

Thanks Erin. It's nice to have such positive encouragement.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for your magnanimity, Nik. It takes a lot to share things like this where one has slogged to create something meaningful.

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