Thursday, January 17, 2008

EVO Workshop

Let me tell you more about EVO or Electronic Village Online. EVO is part of TESOL 2008 but is taking place now, before the annual TESOL conference, which is for ESL/EFL/ESOL instructors. EVO, like an online class (this one for example) is an opportunity for instructors to participate in TESOL 20008 even if they can't attend the actual conference.

EFI is hosting a workshop, Tips & Tricks for Teaching and Learning. I am presenting / moderating Week 5, Computing, Writing and the ESL Classroom
I'm collaborating with Beyza, who teach English in Turkey - preparing students to take classes in English at the university. Her classes are not online but she uses the internet, in particular wikis and msn messenger for tutorials. They are what is called "blended." She uses Wikis. Our focus is class management, and we will be comparing how we use different internet communication tools to manage classes. There are other workshops in how to use the technology - and there is a lot of it. The one on social networks looks particularly interesting.

I am looking at the workshop schedule trying to decide if I have time to enroll in one on new technology. At the beginning of next month, I start teaching college classes online again and will have prep work before classes start.

So you are wondering now, "what does this have to with us or with this class?"

Well, that's easy. I am presenting on how I use and have used email, groups, text chat and blogging to manage my EFI classes. The less time I spend on administration - processing applications/ orienting new students - the more time I can spend on the course itself. This blog will be my workshop example of using blogs. Don't worry. I won't let strangers join our blog. A private place to write and share writing is more important than the workshop. I'd like to use some screen shots - with your permission.

I would also like to invite you to join the blog, Computing, Writing and the ESL Classroom, that I set up for the workshop - and participate by telling all the esl instructors what you think of blogging in the esl class and how they could use it in the classes they teach.

4 comments:

  1. Hello teacher vanessa and all classmates,

    I think the name of this website is rather long and it's hardly to remember :)
    I think use hyphen it may help
    ex.
    English-Killer-Tips.blogger.com

    http://teachingandlearningtipsandtricks.blogspot.com/

    Another thing, I think it'd be nice if have categories such as Writing,Speaking,Listening or genneral tips for example in this class, there are a lot of useful links but It's hardly find some information. I'm not sure if this blogger have some thing like TAG to make categories.

    this web site teachingandlearningtipsandtricks.blogspot.com, are you going to create for publick right ? if I understood corctly.

    /Tai

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  2. oop!! I found somem of my typos above

    *to find
    *public
    * corectly

    /Tai

    ReplyDelete
  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oops ... too many formatting mistakes so i just deleted my last post. Trying again now...

    Tai, sas what I write about the purpose of the blog clear? It is for an online workshop for ESL teachers at EVO (Electonic Village Online, sponsored by TESOL.org's CALL (computer assisted language learning) division.

    The EVO workshop that EFI is putting on for ESL teachers is called TEACHING & LEARNING TIPS & TRICKS. The title has more. but including it would have made the title even longer. I created the blog as a demo and for hands-on participation.

    Does that explain WHY I named what I did?

    I am open to renaming the blog but only if the name still refers to and reflects the EVO workshop. Maybe we could have a "name the new English blog" contest.

    By contrast, the name you suggested may be catchy but is inaccurate and misleading. According to your title, the blog would be about tips for or from English killers. Surely, that can't be what you meant! Remember that the adjective precedes the noun in English.

    "Killer English Tips" would be a catchy if not very professional name IF my purpose were to publish a public blog for English learners instead of demonstrating blogging for ESL teachers.

    ReplyDelete

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