My new MAC

long life learner

For years now I had Pc and only PC. Of course I had seen Mac, or should I say I have seen people using MAc in front of me, but I have never really had the occasion using a MAC myself....but a computer is still a computer isn’t it? And because I have been using PCs for so many years I thought “ Well don’t need to be a genius to know how to use one of these beautiful white MACs!!!”

Yeah right!!!

Because I have been moaning for so long at school about not having a MAC, “ I want a MAC, I want a MAC, I want a MAC, I want a MAC, I want a MAC, I want a MAC, I want a MAC, I want a MAC,!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the Deputy Principal must have had enough of hearing me and to make me shut my big French mouth, she gave me one.
So, with my new MAC, I came home and started to play...it looks so cool. But after the week-end, when I had to actually teach, I realized that although MAC is quite easy to use, I couldn’t teach! I asked the kids to be patient and told them that it would take me a little while before I can be as confident with a MAC between my hands as I was with a PC. Funny enough, the students who usually sigh if things don’t move as fast as they want were really nice, patient and so understanding!!! I was honest with them and I think they were patient because they saw me as a learner for once and not as a teacher.

Actually, this is a lie because as being French leaving in an English speaking country, I am always a long life learner. I don’t have an Uni degree in English (I have learnt English on building sites), the kids know that and I always make clear that although my English is not perfect (far from it ) I am not ashamed to speak and I am definitely not ashamed if the students want to correct my English. Aren’t we role models? Of course we are!!! So it is really good for our students to see us as long life learners.

So last week when I had for the first time in my hands my beautiful white computer and I looked like a retard in front of my classes, I felt at ease because I proud to be a long life learner.

another powerpoint

I love Powerpoint and I think it is a fantastic tool to engage students and to make lessons interactive

Oh mon Dieu!!!!

Alors I know that Richard Vandijk has already spoken about it in his blog, but I feel I have to write something about it as well as a French teacher. Richard spoke to me about Stu’s Jeopardy on Twitter. I thought it was really strange because he knows I already have some Jeopardy games, I use Powerpoint for that. But well, Richard is really clever ( he is Dutch) and if he recommended me a site I should have a look . Well, merci mon Dieu I did!!!! This version of Jeopardy has been made for me ( and for you as well it is why I have the urge of speaking about it!!!). it is free (Yes!! free, gratuit, gratos, donné, offert..), I love that word!!!, the only condition is that you have to send the creator a quiz that you created. Speaking about creation, it is so easy it is incredible!!! Usually when I use the Powerpoint template it takes a million years to create a game ( I grow a beard every time!!!) but with this one it is fast, easy, clear (don’t need to have a PHd to understand how it works or being a geek who has not seen day’s light in a decade) and if you make a mistake ( it never happens to me!!!) dead easy to fix it.

So I jump onto the programme and created a game for that afternoon for my year 13. I thought why not making a whole Jeopardy on conjugation revision?? So I did exactly that. A few minutes later my afternoon lesson was ready. The students came in and I told them what will happen during the lesson. They were not that excited as we play heaps of games and they already Jeopardy as I said earlier. We played. They used their brains. And at the end they asked if I created the game myself ( I wish I was smart enough!!!) and begged me ( yes I used Begged!!!) to create more quizzes. 16/17 year old teenagers thought the game was really good and when I asked them if I was doing more quizzes would they want to play they said “of course, it is cool!!!

Voilà!! I just wanted to share my excitement about this game because it is a really good game.