Page 7 - May Newsletter

Christina : Barbara Anna, can you tell us a little bit about your teaching context?

Barbara Anna : I teach English and International English at Nannestad High School,
Norway. It is a public school with academic and vocational programmes. This year we
have more than 850 students. My students have access to mobile devices and laptops
every single day. The school is well-equipped when it comes to technology. It is
definitely a technology rich classroom.

Christina : Can you tell us what your typical teaching day is?

Barbara Anna : It is very hard to describe a typical teaching day. When you work as a
teacher, every day is different. I am an early bird which means I am at school around
7am. Usually all the lessons start at 8.45am and finish at 3.45pm. My day to day duties
consist of planning, preparing lesson plans, publishing interesting articles on our
learning management platform, ensuring students are engaged in the lessons,
evaluating students’ essays and oral presentations and dealing with administration
issues. In the afternoons and evenings, I talk to my project partners via Skype,
participate in webinars or Twitter education chats and learn new things that I can use in
my teaching later on. Continuing professional development plays a very important role
in my life.

Christina : What is your favourite tech tool to use in the classroom?

Barbara Anna : The list of my favourite educational tools is extremely long, but If I were
to choose the top 10, I would probably go for: MySimpleShow, BookCreator, Flipgrid,

Adobe Spark, Quizlet, InsertLearning, Newseumed, Engaged Reader, IntoWords and
Speechify.

Christina : What motivated you to start using technology in your classes?

Barbara Anna : It is a long story but let me try to cut it short:) During my first year of
teaching, my lessons looked totally different from what they look now. Firstly, I would
rely too much on the course book and would not use any digital tools or devices.
Secondly, I would focus more on hard skills than soft skills. Thirdly, there was not too
much variation in my teaching. My first year of teaching at Trysil High School was a real
eye-opener, and I knew that if I wanted to be successful, I would have to change myself
and start to transform my teaching practice.

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