Reflections on Using Office software

• How do I manage my whole class activities?

I like whole-class activities, beacuse it gives opportunity for working together with the whole class. It enables better students to achieve their skills, and gives possibility to weaker students to learn from the better. I mainly use this kind of working method to present new structures, present music and videos and to play games.

• How much time are my students actively engaged in whole class activities?

Maximum one-third or half of my lessons are spent with whole-class activities, I prefer learning by doing, when the children work in small groups or pairs. Actually, it depends on the topic.

• How could these ideas fit into my syllabus?

These are very good ideas, and to any syllabus can be fitted in.

• What classroom management issues may occur from taking my class into a computer room?

There are a number of issues we have to manage when we take our class into a computer lab. Firstly, we have to be careful with the instructions, so we have to tell them exactly what to do.
Secondly we have to agree on certain rules with them: Everybody has to use that website, that we agreed on, (not Facebook), and they can switch on their computer when the teacher allows them. They cannot upload or save for themselves anything that is not related to the schoolwork.
Another important point is that we have to check the computers in advance, if it is the internet connection available, are the softwares all available, etc.
Finally, another important management issue is how to arrange the children? Will they work in pairs, groups or everybody gets one computer?

Free onlin courses: Alison , Microsoft

Good practice of using Power Point

• How could the ideas above be used within my syllabus?

I use many of these ideas, hopefully more and more.
The children used power point to present mini dialogues. You can see some of these here.










Using office software:

• Replace "I" with "she"
• To separate two mixed texts
• Complete the story with adjectives
• Change the tenses
• Power point photo story

Interesting readings:
Creating a dream lab