Motivation and Creativity with Technology

Facilitators - Gavin Dudeney, Tatiana Kuznetsova.

The session began with Gavin outlining how the morning would unfold: that the main body of the session would be provided by the particdipants, facilitated by Gavin and Tatiana. The outcomes of the groups discussions and tasks would then be 'produced for the other groups to read.
Firstly, the participants were asked to consider, in small groups, what motivates them with regard to their own work. What makes them get out of bed in the morning? What helps them enjoy their work?

Some answers were;

• Job satisfaction
• Socialising - to be part of a group of like-minded people
• Good salary (there was some laughter at this!)
• Being able to balance life and work
• The joy of being able to share with your students
• Facing challenges [and presumably, overcoming them...]
• Curiosity
• Being entertained
• Respsonsibility

This initial list had only one 'extrinsic motivator" which was money. 
All the other factors come from inside ourselves [intrinsic motivation]. This indicates that our motivation comes from working with others, having responsibility, working in a nice environment with supportive colleagues.

The session then moved on to consider what could be motivating factors for our students. The participants were then put into groups according to colour, and each group had a different discussion task:

1. What motivates your learners?
2. What demotivates learners?
3. What is the teacher's / tutor's role? (watch video)

This done, Tatiana and Gavin re-arranged people into groups and had them brainstorm what motivates learners in the modern society.

The Green group (motivating factors)

• Communication/globaliation
• Career development
• Education
• Immigration
• Travelling
• Access to information, entertainment, modern technologies
• Fashion, prestige and ambition

The Yellow Group (demotivating factors)

• Boring lessons
• Inexperienced teachers
• Talkative teacher
• Predictable lessons
• Too easy/too difficult lessons
• Tactless teachers
• No technical support

The pink group (Teacher's role)

• Encourge
• Self-esteem
• Provide interesting materials (technology can impact them)
• Acting
• Give knowledge
• Cooperation with parents
• Exam preparation
• Motivating for self-education
• Class management, learning management

Next Gavin lines up the participants down one side of the hall and asks them to think of their favourite dish,
take the name down on a poster and pin it up alphabetically from left to right, so that apples
come at one end zuchini at the other one. A nice way of grouping it is!

Surprisingly many participants came up with fish. I've got a hunch it was a set-up :)
or it is just that an overriding majority of teachers feed on fish. You decide.

Part Two

This part was set aside for sharing participants' experience with technology (good and bad!) and the ways to use technology to increase students' motivation.

1. How have you used technology?
2. Good and bad experiences?
3. What are your favourite sites?

Among the ideas were Webquests (webquest.org), power point, tracknotes to remain posted on students's activity, video dictations, use of social networks (creating a group and posting all relevant information there, no personal involvement since you don't have to addfriend your students), voicethread.com (multimedia presentations and on-line discussions that require no special software. It's an immense repository of recorded audio and video, too. A really powerful means, if you ask me).

If you were there, I'm sure you saw for themselves the motivating power of technology. Do you remember the 30, give or take a few, teachers childishly shouting out names of countries to web-slides with famous constructions switching on the screen. Indeed, technology IS a shortcut to rapt attention :)

How does technology greatly increase motivation?

1. Quick access to motivating materials
2. Makes traditional methods more interesting
3. Involvment of students.
4. Chance to shy students ... / learning styles
5. Research, planning, peer evaluation, collaboration
6. Good with large groups / mixed levels
7. Social / cultural / world knowledge / audience
8. Perception of choice/flexibility
9. Cool teacher / free materials / time savers
10. Good for busy teacher.

Towards the end of the session, a life-affirming video was played that I believe every one of you will find enjoyable. 

Stay tuned

WEBSITES

www.GenkiEnglish.com
www.livemocha.com
www.onestopclil.com
www.onestopenglish.com
www.macmillan.com
www.bbc/flatmates.com
www.TED.com
uk.wikipedia.org
mes-english.com
bc.co.uk/kids
breakingnewsenglish.com
esl-lab.com
bla-club.ru (movies)
Home-english.ru
englishtips.org
starfall.com
busyteacher.com
teflclips.com
moviesegmentstoaccessgrammargoals.blogspot.com (moviesegments with work sheets (ranged)
uz-translations.com (downloadable books, materials)
TEFL.com
twitter (#EFL, ESL, TEFL)
teacherbootcamp.edu.blogs.org
free-tech4teachers.com
neolingva.com