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Module 04: Skill-building Websites for Reading/Writing Skills and Technology-enhanced Lesson Plans


 

In this module, I learned about different web pages for Reading and Writing skills, as well as how to create a technology-enhanced lesson plan.

Firstly, we were introduced to some websites to help improve students Reading and Writing skills. It was quite a shame that very few of the links in the Canvas's Required readings actually worked. I think I could discover many interesting ideas if the links were to work. Nevertheless, I had a chance to explore many interesting websites that my classmates suggested in the discussion sections. So many interesting and useful websites such as Quill, Writing A-Z, Purdue, ReadWriteThink,... were suggested by my classmates. My favorite website among these is Quill, suggested by Ms. Hue Dung. I think it provides a lot of helpful exercises and lessons that could definitely help my learners practice English writing.

Secondly, in this module, we got a chance to design our own technology-enhanced lesson plan. I think the article "Writing a Technology-enhanced Lesson Plan" by Robert Elliott was really useful. I totally agree with the author's ideas that technology should follow the lesson, not the other way around. Sometimes teachers could find a really good application or a website that they want to include in their class, but they should not make big changes to the lesson just so they can use that technology. Instead, they should think about which part(s) of the lesson can be enhanced with technology, and then choose an application/website that is suitable for that part. Additionally, the steps on how to write a technology-enhanced lesson plan were also useful.

In the future, I think I am going to use Quill in my teaching. I think it is definitely a great way for my future learners to practice writing English. It is a very interactive website, and it offers many valuable lessons. Moreover, I am going to also think about ways of including technology in my class, by looking at the parts in my lesson and see which of the parts could be enhanced by technology. I think it is going to make my lesson much more engaging to my learners.

Comments

  1. Cao Thành CôngMarch 27, 2024 at 9:44 AM

    Thanks for your sharing. I also learned a lot in this module and gained some valuable tools that I will apply in my own classes. I like that you mentioned some parts of a lesson can be 'enhanced' with technology. Teachers should start looking for traditional paper alternatives and utilise the ever-evolving technology.

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