EVO 2015: ICT4ELT & more

It's that time of year again: EVO, Electronic Village Online, and their annual online workshops for ESL educators. ICT4ELT replaces the venerable Webheads as an entry level for teaching with technology. Even if you don't teach ESL, it is a good tech refresher as well as authentic English practice

ICT4ELT means Information and communications technology for English language teaching. 

A hands on workshop to learn how to use information and communication technology to connect to educators around the world and transform your teaching. 

Some Blogging English followers teach ESL too. I can't how many or qualify as to few or many. I recommend this and other workshops is them ~ but not just for them. Intermediate through advanced learners will get a lot out of it too. Check out the other workshops too. It's late for registration but the resources are open. 

The pronunciation workshop should be of particular interest as well and helpful for speaking skills.

Tutorial: Twitter 101

Do you use Twitter to help you learn English? Other uses? Still don't get Twitter? This micro-blogging network is a useful tool for finding out what's going on with the people and things that matter to you the most. It is also a good learning tool. More and more learners are using Twitter in the classroom and learning on their own. With this simple and engaging tutorial, you can learn various ways to use Twitter.

Free Twitter 101 Tutorial at GCFLearnFree.org

ESL/Twitter Links

♦ Learn English on Twitter

♦ Twitter Tips for ESL Users

♦ How to Use Twitter with an ESL Group

♦ Using Twitter as an ESL Resource

♦ ESL Tech ~ Everyone's all a-Twitter

♦ Larry Ferlazo ~ Twitter Chats for ESL Teachers (& How to Participate)

♦ Larry Ferlazo ~ Best Resources for Beginning to Learn What Twitter is About

♦ Teaching ESL to Adults ~ How Twitter Helps ESL Students

♦ ESL Daily ~ 10 Tips to Twitter in theEFL Class

Want more? Just search the #ESL hashtag

'via Blog this'

Cool websites to teach writing

Words – so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them.

Nathaniel Hawthorne

As a language teacher I really find it difficult to motivate my students to start writing in class. The Internet is a resource that complements the dynamics of my class. It is easy to access, up-to-date and immediate source of authentic materials. Since I started introducing technology and using a wiki with Middle school my classes have definitely changed. Please check below the cool sites we have been using this year.

• Writing Fun A MUST for teachers.  This website motivated my students to enhance their writing skills.

• The Writing Site Check this website with a great variety of tech integration ideas.

• iWrite Provides several examples for students to learn how to write effectively.

• Writing Fix Practice Prompt Recommendations.

• Writing Exemplars I make my students search for writing samples created by other students worldwide.

• Interactive Scoring Another website that provides writing samples to use with your students.

via jenverschoor.wordpress.com

In a self-paced study group, you are your own teachers, although (as a college writing teacher) teaching yourself writing still calls for 3rd party feedback. What is your strategy for getting feedback on your writing?

Posted via email from Academentia

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

• TESOL Convention
• EVO 2008 Wiki
• EVO 2008 Tips & Tricks
  

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.