1. March 26, 2003TESOL 2003, Buthaina Al Othman1 Colloquium: "Case Study of a Community of Practice" Wednesday, March 26, 2003 9:30 am to 11:15 am, (14:30-16:15 GMT) Baltimore Convention Center Room 306 event number #4101 at the TESOL 2003 Convention, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

2. March 26, 2003TESOL 2003, Buthaina Al Othman2 Why I Joined WiA? BeforeAfter 090 Main Page090 CALL Program 090 Week 1 090 Week 1 (Scroll down to find it) 090 Week 1 090 Week 5 090 Week 5 (Scroll down to find it) 090 Week 5 161 Main Page161 CALL Program (Didn’t Exist)Week 0 & 1 Grammar PresentationsGrammar Page

3. March 26, 2003TESOL 2003, Buthaina Al Othman3 Things I Learned from WIA. Sharing Knowledge. The on going Learning Process. Never Alone Again. Support & Encouragement from the Experts. Why Am I Still Here?

4. March 26, 2003TESOL 2003, Buthaina Al Othman4 Week 5Week 5: Mon Feb 17 to Sun Feb 23 Learned how to plan and prepare for an online conference. Learned effective ways to promote for an online session. Learned about effective ways to moderate an e-group in a text-voice- chat session. Learned some essential facts about managing Chaos Navigation. Learned more about effective ways to use synchronous & asynchronous CMC tools, inside a EFL C-Lab. Planed, designed, and implemented 2 online text-chat projects and created an e-group for email exchange project for my students: 1. A Chat Project, Using a Group Board: Inviting a Webhead to chat with my students. 2. Moderating a Yahoo Group for my ESP, Science Class: Inviting a Webhead to interact with my students at Yahoo Group. 3. A Chat Project, and Using Yahoo Messenger As a Stand by Solution: Inviting three Webheads to chat with my students on a pre- decided topic.

5. March 26, 2003TESOL 2003, Buthaina Al Othman5 More About Week 5Week 5 Learned more about the amazing characteristics of Tapped In, (TI). Learned various ways to use TI, effectively: My participation in a text-chat project for Taiwanese Students, at TI. My participation in a text-chat project for Taiwanese Students, at TI. (Another learning experience). Learned more about the E-learning theory behind, using MOO at TI: This was during a chat session, moderated by Webhead, Dafne, from in Spain, with the participation of Webhead, Susanne from Denmark. Learned more about Chaos Navigation, and the concept of “Cat Herders”.

6. March 26, 2003TESOL 2003, Buthaina Al Othman6 Webcams, are they really Necessary?  I knew about webcams earlier, but it has never occurred to my mind that they are necessary for us, language teachers, until I saw how they are used by other Webheads. I tried them inside a c-lab and found:  Using a webcam can create a natural, fun learning environment, during a C-Lab session.  Using a webcam can motivate students and encourage a friendly atmosphere during a virtual classroom.  Using a webcam can make students take the responsibility and respect the privacy of online publications, including images and material, in general.

7. March 26, 2003TESOL 2003, Buthaina Al Othman7 Conclusion (1)  In terms of Professional Development: I.Participating in online communities, like Webheads in Action, helped me: A.To improved my learning and teaching skills inside both, a face-to- face classroom and a c-lab. B.I gained more knowledge and understanding to the concepts of cooperation & collaboration among groups. C.I am more flexible and creative in both virtual and face-to-face classrooms. D.My teaching approach, inside a f2f classroom, has improved. I am able, now, to organize and manage better group activities inside a classroom. E.My e-teaching and e-learning skills have developed, building more self-confidence and increasing self-esteem. F.I learned how to emphasize and encourage independent learning through online activates and fun tasks to use for my students, integrating constructivists approach. To see what I mean, please, click here!here!

8. March 26, 2003TESOL 2003, Buthaina Al Othman8 Conclusion (2)  In terms of Personal Development: I.Participating in online communities, like Webheads in Action, helped me: A.To step into the 21st century with more style, creating a feeling that I became part of the current, positive, global change process. B.The great inter-cultural interaction inside Webheads communities, is the right step toward peace and a beneficial globalization.  Suggestions and Recommendations: A.Educators must consider and encourage e-learning and teaching, particularly, in countries suffering from bureaucracy or easy led citizens by other parties or forces. B.For more elaboration, click here!here