Highlights from a workshop at University of Havana (April 2013)

This is the invitation letter from
the University of Havana

This is an example of the type of information that
was shared in the workshop

The flipped classroom is a topic of interest in Havana

The participants learned about the features of
reducing the amount of time spent in lecturing

The group was asked to think about how to get the
same results without using the Internet

 

Pablo E. (left) is the dean of "external professors" who teach English
for Special Purposes

Renier commutes two hours by bus each direction to get to his
work at the university.

Frank teaches English for Special Purposes at other departments

Many of the videos were downloaded from
YouTube using KeepVid.com

The certificate program included a description of projects
and portfolios.  This is a view of a classroom in Florida
designed by Dennis Yuzenas.

What qualifies the instructor to deliver this information?

You can see the channel at Youtube.com/Freeenglishlessons

The posters on the walls were copied by several of the participants.

It was interesting to deliver a workshop in 1998.  The participants used pen and paper to take notes instead of using a mobile phone to snap photos of the posters that I put on the walls.  

This definition of instructional technologies invited participants to focus on the USE and
EVALUATION of RESOURCES and PROCESSES

Sixteen participants are planning to obtain the certificate of Applied
Instructional Technology by compiling a portfolio of performances
of understanding.

Start with the prior knowledge of the audience.

The Foreign Languages department invited a teacher from Florida to deliver a workshop about the use of technology in the classroom -- without Internet.  
These photos give a sample of what was presented to the group of teachers who wanted to learn about principles of educational technology.


Imagine that you were asked to go to the year 1998 (15 years ago) to deliver a talk.  What would the sixteen people be doing during the lecture?  Checking information on a laptop?  Looking at a text message?   Quietly leaving the lecture hall to make a call?  Hunting for the smartphone, trying to turn off the annoying ring tone?

Not at all.  The teachers devoted two hours each day during the four days of instruction to following instructions and doing homework to prepare for the next day's activities.