DNLE #6: Designing a New Learning Model

The Final Assignment:

Applying all what we have learnt, each team will design a new learning model catering to 21st century environments and learners. The design can be an application, system, pedagogical model, or education program, and should combine team interaction activities and learning support features in ways that are effective and appropriate for today's computing and communication devices.

The Presentation Content Should Address: 

• The rationale: Describe the needs clearly and provide a logical and convincing rationale for the design. Technology alone is not going to be the primary composition of your model--your Project should consider the whole ecosystem that your innovative design will serve.
• System function and features: Your project must consider potential idiosyncrasies with various learning devices (i.e. tablets, phones, PCs), infrastructure requirements (i.e. cellular network, wi-fi, Bluetooth), and any special hypothetical circumstances that are relevant. You do not need to produce a working prototype. You may use detailed pictures, diagrams, or other artifacts to mock-up and present your design and its features.
• Target audience and learning conditions: Your presentation should address details about what conditions, who, where, and how your designed innovation would be useful and ultimately sustainable. You will not need to conduct an actual needs analysis.
• Business/implementation model: Your project should include a description and defense of a business model (i.e. non-profit, for-profit, or hybrid), for the launch, implementation, scale up, and sustaining of the design.

The Presentation Will be Evaluated on:

• Creativity and originality of the design: Is the design substantially distinguishable from existing and conventional solutions? (1 = Replication of an existing or conventional learning environment or solution design. 9 = Highly original, extremely unconventional, and highest excellence in design.)
• Educationally sound: Does the design promote higher order learning or generate learnable moments? (1 = Design promotes mostly low order learning or technology/design does not incorporate a sound pedagogy. 9 = Effectively and appropriately integrates technology for triggering and facilitating deep/higher order learning.)
• Engagement and interactivity: Is the design engaging and interactive for the learner? (1 = Design mostly delivering and displays content in a one-way transmission of information and knowledge. 9 = Design instills and maintains collaborative, constructive, or game-like learning environment at all stages of learning in the model.)
• Accessibility: Is the design accessible for people with disabilities or for people living in underserved communities? (1 = No evidence of consideration whatsoever for learners with disabilities or special needs, or marginalized learners. 9 = Innovative ideas to make the design more inclusive. Positive steps are taken to make the system non-discriminatory and inclusive of the most marginalized).
• Scalability and sustainability: How sound is the implementation plan and business model? (1 = The design has a low Return On Investment relative to its cost, has no consideration of the overall ecosystem, and will require continuous external funding support. 9 = The overall model can eventually become self-sustainable with start-up investment. The design will be valued by all constituencies in the target ecosystem.)

Final Team Project

Reaching the Reluctant Teacher by a Group of EVOToolers  39

By Click Connect

Click Connect is a project proposed by a group of EVOToolers who met together in one of the EVO 2012 sessions and created a group to be connected to each other extending activity and sharing successful practices. We are 6 educators who have the same passion and enthusiasm to transform their experiences to other teachers who need a help:

1. Ana Rivas, Peru
2. Azhar Youssef, Egypt 
3. Claudia Carril, Uruguay
4. Débora Tebovich, Argentina
5.  Miriam Mahapatra, Singapore
6. Silvia Heshiki, Brazil

This project is designed by teachers for teachers who are unmotivated or reluctant to use technology in their teaching. We designed a multi-theoretical model that merges both the Constructivism and Connectivism theories together with the potential of technology to make a difference in those teachers' professional lives.

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Created by BigHugeLabs and edited by Snagit 9.1.2

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Please, Click the image below to view "Click Connect" project!

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Leave you with this video summing up what is behind our project !

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Vote for my Students' Wiki in The 2011 Edublog Awards!

 My students launched their wiki ten months ago. They wanted to serve their country and parents. After the 25th January Revolution, they came back to their school with so sad faces, but a little bit different. They were full of energy and motivation. They talked a lot about their duties towards their country and decided not to talk but do something. You don't know how happy I was when they asked me to start with them a new change in their lives. 

We created a wiki called WELCOME BACK EGYPT through which my students sent an invitation to the whole world to come back to Egypt. They have created a lot of products, e.g., essays about the most beautiful sites in Egypt, videos, podcasts, PPT presentations, glogs, brochures, Facebook group, vokis, ...etc. They expressed their feelings with the suitable tool. They trained all people around them; their friends, classmates, brothers, sisters, relatives, parents and even teachers of other subject matters. They collaborated with other students and teachers from all over the world.

They taught me how to be a person of deeds not just talks .... they changed my whole life. They succeeded to make a difference in Egypt. Many tourists promised them to come back. They also extremely improved their English language skills because they learn in an authentic environment. They were internal motivated. They like the whole experience. That's why they didn't notice that they learn not just help their country. Now, I cannot stop them. All the time they search for more and more. This is the learning when students like it. 

I feel that my students deserve the NOBEL PRIZE .... why ?

Those students live in one of the poorest Governorates in Egypt called Sohag. Instead of saying we can't because we have a lot of challenges not only facilities but also the ways of thinking, they began with themselves. They challenged all the obstacles and managed to do something for all Egyptians. Don't these students deserve to win with the BEST EDUCATIONAL WIKI in the 2011 EDUBLOG AWARDS?????

Please Vote for them!

Just Go to the following site:

http://edublogawards.com/vote-here/

Choose the category of "Best Educational Wiki".

Choose my students' Wiki "Welcome Back Egypt".

Click Vote.

Thanks for your support!!!

Writing in SEETA Online Community this Week

Dear readers,

I just want to tell you that from June 20-24, 2011, I will write in SEETA Online Community. It is a collaborative on-line community of twelve Teachers' Associations in South Eastern Europe run by volunteers. You will find many free online courses, conferences reports & discussions about many areas of teaching English. You can also be their regular monthly guest blogger as me now. In this week, I will talk about my wiki project that I designed this year with my first-year secondary school students.

If you are interested in this project, please visit me there at this page:

 http://blogging.seeta.eu/category/azhar-youssef/

Youtube is my New Teacher in the 21st Century

Youtube is one of the web 2.0 tools that I use increasingly in my daily life. All the time, you can find me watching, uploading, downloading or searching for videos. I use them most in learning new things. Whenver I decide to learn something, I go to Youtube website and search for it. It is very beneficial for me as I can see and apply at the same time. Today, I have decided to collect all videos created by Lee LeFever.

His videos are concerned with the web 2.0 tools. He explains the idea of each tool in a very interesting way. Please, watch them and leave your comments.

 Blogs

Wikis

Twitter

Social Networking

Social Media

Google Docs

Social Bookmarking

Podcasting

Google Reader

RSS

Happy Watching!

Invitation For Participation

I have designed a wiki with my first-year secondary students (They are between 15-16 years old). The main objective of this wiki is to invite tourists from all over the world to come back to Egypt after the events of 25th Jan. Revolution. Each student has created a page and selected a topic to write about. At the end of our project, we have created a very wonderful collection of topics that are considered a strong invitation to all people to come and visit Egypt again. To see our work, please click the picture below:

Now we need some teachers with their students to participate in this wiki. It is just a very exciting experience for both of us. If you like the idea of collaboration, please contact me or join our wiki.

Waiting for your collaboration!

What is after Oregon Experience?

Coming Back With Exciting News

I stopped writing in my blog a long time ago. This doesn’t mean that I forgot all what I have learnt during Oregon Experience. Actually, what delayed me to write is the circumstances of my work. I have moved to a secondary school which is not technologically equipped to a large extent as my old school. You know it takes a lot of time to change people’s minds and beliefs about using technology. However, my brilliant students encouraged me to take risks and try new things with them.

My Wiki Project:

Among the web 2.0 tools that I have tried with my students is WIKIS. I have used www.wikispaces.com. It is a wonderful website through which you can create your own free wikis. It is a little bit flexible. You can change the template of your wiki, add pages, collaborate with more than 100 persons, and more exciting things. You have a space of 2 GB to add pages, images, videos, files, … etc. I think it is a very wonderful environment where students can try out things.

Target Students:

My target sample is 1st-year secondary students. They are between 16-17 years old. They are very good at using computers and the internet. Some of them have created fantastic videos and uploaded them on YouTube.

School Setting & Computer Lab:

As I said before my school is technologically poor. Yes, it has a computer lab with 10 sets, but without an internet connection. However, there is some sort of a hope in the Resources Room. It has a computer with an internet connection and a datashow. I have made use of these tools as possible as I can. Also, I have used my laptop with USB Modem as it is available all the time with me when my students need a help.

Goal of the Project:

The main goal of my project is to invite all tourists from all over the world to come again to Egypt after 25th Jan. revolution. Every student has selected a certain topic to write about in his/her page in the wiki.

Skills Developed in the Project:

1. 4 language skills: reading, writing, speaking & listening.

2. Higher thinking skills: analyzing, evaluating & creating.

3. Searching skills: using Google and YouTube to search for information, images and videos.

4. Communication skills through using chatting and sending e-mails.

5. Collaboration.

Method of Teaching:

It is a self-learning experience. I’m just a guide throughout the two weeks of the project. At the very beginning, I have met them in the Resources Room that is with just one computer and a datashow. I have prepared a PowerPoint presentation including the goal of the project, objectives, tasks required, and the product that is our wiki titled “WELCOME BACK EGYPT”. I have also designed some tools before the project. These tools help students to complete the project and learn according to their pace of learning. Among these tools are needs analysis survey, rubric, wiki guide, example to follow, quizzes, opinions’ sheet and recognition certificate to thank them for their great efforts.

We have used many tools to help each other throughout the project, e.g., face-to-face discussions during school day, chatting and sending e-mails. We have also used mobiles for urgent cases. Students help each other through commenting in the discussion section of their pages in the wiki. They also send e-mails to each other in the wiki itself as one of the Wikispaces’ features.

In short, it is a pure online learning experience in which students have used a lot of technological tools, e.g., wikis, e-mails, websites (Google, YouTube, ... etc), mobiles (either as a communication tool or recording their voices talking about their experiences during the project), and podcasting (It is another web 2.0 tool and I will talk about it in a separate post later).

My Opinion:

It is a really tiring job, but I feel very happy in all the stages of the project. It is enough for me to see how happy my students are while working in their pages. They like the idea of using the internet in their learning. They told all the students in the school about the skills they have gained in this project. Other students asked me to do the same with them. I promised them to create another wiki next year as we are about to finish this school year. You can see my students’ opinions about this project in the section of “Opinions’ Sheet”. This gives me a very strong push towards trying and taking risks.

Now, I will leave you with my students' wiki and wait for your comments! Click the following image to visit our wiki!