Here's more about EVO (Electronic Village Online) that I probably should have posted before my last one on the Week 4 Tips and Tricks presentation by Ali Boumoussa.
TESOL and TESOL's CALL- IS = Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) Interest Section are sponsoring EVO. The TESOL CALL Interest Section organizes a computer lab, called the Electronic Village, at each TESOL Convention, where convention participants can explore language software and Internet applications and discuss computer-mediated instruction with colleagues around the world. EV puts on special events at the annual TESOL Convention: EV Fairs, EV Mini-Workshops, Ask the CALL Experts and Developers' Showcase. Webheads put on EVO, which is sponsored by CALL-IS, takes place before and is entirely online.
TESOL and TESOL's CALL- IS = Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) Interest Section are sponsoring EVO. The TESOL CALL Interest Section organizes a computer lab, called the Electronic Village, at each TESOL Convention, where convention participants can explore language software and Internet applications and discuss computer-mediated instruction with colleagues around the world. EV puts on special events at the annual TESOL Convention: EV Fairs, EV Mini-Workshops, Ask the CALL Experts and Developers' Showcase. Webheads put on EVO, which is sponsored by CALL-IS, takes place before and is entirely online.
Webheads are a community of language teachers worldwide, coordinated by Vance Stevens, that explore Web communication tools and share the best ways of using them in teaching practices, engage with students in virtual classes, collaborate on projects, and participate in conferences as audience and presenters. This collaboration takes place online, as Webheads are geographically apart.
So far, the EFI workshop,Tips and Tricks, presented using WiZiQ and Second Life for ESL classes emphasizing speaking. WiZiQ is a online classroom and conferencing platform with features that allow teachers to show power points and video clips on line - and then discuss them live with a class. There is also a whiteboard, a real time collaborative tool. The downside is that WiZiQ does not run well on dial up.
So far, the EFI workshop,Tips and Tricks, presented using WiZiQ and Second Life for ESL classes emphasizing speaking. WiZiQ is a online classroom and conferencing platform with features that allow teachers to show power points and video clips on line - and then discuss them live with a class. There is also a whiteboard, a real time collaborative tool. The downside is that WiZiQ does not run well on dial up.
What is Second Life?
- SecondLifeEnglish.com Blog
- Second Life English Blogwork
- Open Source ESL Book for Second Life | Webheads
- ESL (English) in Second Life - Google Teacher Center
- Second Life & ESL: Learner Autonomy for the Digital Natives
- about English Village in Second Life.
If WiZiQ does not run well on dial-up, Second Life does not run at all on it. In my opinion, both reflect a serious blind spot about and indifference to the digital divide. However, both have tremendous potential as teaching tools - especially for speaking and real time speech interaction with other speakers. Superior to audio tapes and videos, it adds real time interaction and approximates spending time with native English speakers. There is are also studies suggesting that over-reliance on real time voice technology interferes with developing strong reading and writing.skills.
