Bell Teacher Campus
at Homerton College this summer
(29/07 - 9/08/2019)
Kurs metodyczny "Educational Technology Today"
29 lipca - 9 sierpnia 2019r. - Agnieszka Jadwiszczak, Alicja Łaska
Day 1 - Monday, 29th July
Finally, we’ve arrived safe and sound and we are eager to study and socialize with people from all over the world. We’ve already met some teachers from Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Germany and even … China and Japan. They are all amiable and committed to working on their personal development. We take advantage of sharing our teaching experience.
However, it’s not only about studying. Tomorrow we are going to explore charming Cambridge :)
Day 2 - Tuesday, 30th July
Tuesday gave us a chance to experience real British weather ;)
A heavy rain almost prevented us from taking part in the tour of Cambridge, which would have been a shame. Our enthusiastic guide, Martyn Keys, made our outing a really memorable event.
Day 3 - Wednesday, 31st July
As for our technology classes, they are extremely informative and absorbing. Our lovely tutor, Kristina Smith, is always at hand ready to assist us. She is extremely knowledgeable and experienced.
Our group consists of 9 teachers who are keen to collaborate. We all work dilligently and every day we get familiar with new teaching tools.
Day 4 - Thursday, 1st August
Not only do we study in an international group, but we also dine and socialize together. On Thursday we were invited to attend the Cambridge University Press Reception, where we had an opportunity to get aquainted with the way this publishing house functions. We couldn't resist browsing through numerous publications.
So far we have also watched a gig by Kyle Chater and taken part in a Pub Quiz. We enjoyed ourselves a lot, sang along and even danced... ;)
Day 5 - Friday, 2nd August
On Friday afternoon we went to see a magnificent cathedral in a nearby town of Ely. A guide presented the history of the 1000-year-old building, which made a great impression on us. We admired this magnificent structure and were stunned by its beauty and size. We also took a stroll along the streets of the city of Ely, which actually is a small charming town, and saw the house of Oliver Cromwell, among others.
Day 6 - Saturday, 3rd August
Saturday was a day of exploring Cambridge on our own. First, we went to see a couple of museums - the Fitzwilliam Museum, the Museum of Zoology and the Polar Musem, all of which we found really interesting.
Then we took a stroll downtown, enjoyed listening to buskers, tried some local delicacies. We also visited an open-air market with numerous stalls selling a variety of products.
Day 7 - Sunday, 4th August
On Sunday we headed for Grantchester Meadows, an area outside Cambridge, which is famous for its tranquility and the Orchard Tea Rooms. We took a popular route along the Cam River - the stroll lasted 1 hour and a half one way. A bit tired, we indulged ourselves in cream tea, that is a cup of tea and a scone with clotted cream and some jam. Yummy!
We also listened to a concert by a local brass band and had a chance to see a typical English village with its old thatch-roofed houses.
On that day we covered the distance of 18 km - all on foot. Impressive, isn't it?
Day 8 - Monday, 5th August
Our "Educational technology today" course is highly inspiring. We've learned so many useful things which we are going to take advantage of: Google Slides EDPuzzle, ViewPure, Vocaroo, Classroomscreen and many others... The classes are quite demanding in the sense of us being focused all the time, but we like such challenges. Besides, our lessons are real fun - we are having a great time while studying. And the people of our group are so friendly and likeable :)
Day 9 -Tuesday, 6th August
Today's attraction was punting on the River Cam. A punt is a kind of a flat boat that is moved with a long pole. The punting turned out to be a very enjoyable and relaxing experience. We saw amazing places like the Bridge of Sighs, Trinity College, King's College, Magdalene College... We were lucky in a way - not only did our punters tell us about the history of different colleges but they also sang some songs for us :)
Day 10 -Wednesday, 7th August
This afteroon after classes we visited the Botanic Garden - an extremely peaceful place in the heart of the city. We were having a nice time there strolling, admiring the views and watching rare plants. We were accompanied by our friends, who are such amiable people.
Day 11 - Thursday, 8th August
During our course we were also able to attend lectures by two prominent gurus from the field of English language teaching, namely Peter Watkins and Gavin Dudeney. Both of them delivered highly involving lectures on teaching reading and on the use of technology for teaching purposes.
Day 12 - Friday, 9th August
All good things must come to an end, unfortunately... We received the course certificates, there was a group photo taken. There was even a farewell party...
So many friends, so many memories to take back home...
