LEARNING WITH COMPUTERS

LWCBookmarks (weekly)

2011-09-03T21:39:00.001-03:00

Children's Books Forever
Tags: Reading, books, children
Learning Games For Kids
Free educational games and songs games for kids
Tags: interactive, elementary, resources
- - By Cara Whitehead
CaptionTube: Home
Tags: youtube, captions, subtitles, listening
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… - The Best Online Resources To Teach About Plagiarism
Tags: plagiarism, writing
Sitemap - Richard Byrne
Richard Byrne's Favorite Tech Resources for Teachers (Google Site, sitemap)
Tags: Byrne Richard, education, learning, online, resources, teaching, technology, tools
- - By Paul Beaufait
webdoc beta - For rich expression
Tags: multimedia, website
Learning with 'e's: Who put the 'ass' in assessment?
Tags: assessment

Posted from Diigo. The rest of LearningwithComputers group favorite links are here.

LWCBookmarks (weekly)

2011-08-27T21:39:00.001-03:00

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… - The Best Sites For Learning About The History Of Technology
Tags: technology, history
Test Your Vocabulary
The site provides accurate results for virtually everyone, from very small children (with answers input by parents) to professional linguists. It can calculate vocabulary sizes from less than 100 words to more than 40,000 words.
Tags: english, language, vocabulary, test
- - By haimju
Contractions
Free games to reinforce the usage and spelling of contractions.
Tags: contractions
- - By Cara Whitehead
Three generations of distance education pedagogy | Anderson | The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning
Tags: elearning, distanceeducation
How to create keyboard shortcut of any Program
Tags: how to, keyboard, shortcut, program, Windows
Free Technology for Teachers: Activities for Introducing Google Tools to Teachers and Students
Tags: google
TheInterviewr: A Really Easy, Fast, Free Way to Record Telephone Interviews
Tags: record, interviews

Posted from Diigo. The rest of LearningwithComputers group favorite links are here.

LWCBookmarks (weekly)

2011-08-20T21:39:00.001-03:00

Online converter - convert video, images, audio and documents for free
Convert media files online from one format into another. Works with audio, videos, images, documents, ebooks and archives, and also includes a "hash generator (?). Introduced to me by Marta Costa. Looks cool!
Tags: converter, tools, free, online
- - By Gladys Baya
- - By Gladys Baya
Mobile Motivation: Learning with Mobile Devices
Tags: mobilelearning
Analogies
Tags: analogies
No Projector? Use QR Code & SlideShare to Share a Presentation on Smartphones - SocialTimes.com
Tags: qrcodes, presentation
Viewbix - Make YouTube Videos Interactive
Tags: youtube, video
A WebQuest Resource Page
Tags: webquest
The State of Digital Education Infographic - #edtech #edutech #edchat
Tags: infographic, education, edtech
Tips for Learning Foreign Languages
Tags: learningwithcomputers, online, learning, vocabulary, language, languages, grammar
- - By Miss Language

Posted from Diigo. The rest of LearningwithComputers group favorite links are here.

LWCBookmarks (weekly)

2011-08-13T21:39:00.002-03:00

... [An unrelated bookmark slipped through Diigo; it's gone from the group bookmarks site, so I've removed it here. PB, 2011.08.16]
Back to School
Great word list and free online games for the first week of school
Tags: school
- - By Cara Whitehead
Creative Commons images and you: a quick guide for image users
Creative commons
Tags: creativecommons, creative commons, images, copyleft, copyright, photos, learning, teaching, technology
- - By Jose Antonio da Silva

Posted from Diigo. The rest of LearningwithComputers group favorite links are here.

LWCBookmarks (weekly)

2011-08-06T21:39:00.001-03:00

eduTecher.net - explore. share. contribute.
Tags: edutecher, technology, web2.0, resources, education, edtech, teaching, tools
Interesting Ways | edte.ch
Tags: tools, web2.0, resources
The Anatomy Of An Infographic: 5 Steps To Create A Powerful Visual | SpyreStudios
Tags: presentations, infographics
Great Kids Websites « Ask a Tech Teacher
Tags: websites, technology, resources, web2.0, kids
List Sharing - SpellingCity.com
Word lists from textbook series
Tags: spelling, vocabulary, textbook
- - By Cara Whitehead
Pegby: Peg it up, Move it Around, Get it Done.
Come to the board with friends, family and/or coworkers and get stuff done. Make your plans by pegging up cards to your board or boards. It's simple and fun.
Tags: organization, tasks, bulletinboard, notes, collaborate, board, writing, learning
- - By Jose Antonio da Silva
slidestaxx - create amazing social media slideshows
Tags: slideshows
Grisker | Free Online Magazine, Blog, Portfolio in a unique way
Tags: writing, reading, magazine, portfolio
5 Ways Teachers Are Getting Inspired This Summer | MindShift
Tags: online, technology, education, resources, writing, teaching, learning, web2.0, tools, Summer, ways, teachers
MiceMeeting
Tags: screensharing, conferencing, cmc, meeting
Facebook Search
Tags: web2.0, technology, facebook, search, tools, find, people
- - By Jenny Anderson
The Secret to Managing Your Social Stream | Social Media Today
Tags: managing, social media, stream, Google_reader

Posted from Diigo. The rest of LearningwithComputers group favorite links are here.

LWCBookmarks (weekly)

2011-07-30T21:39:00.001-03:00

Engrish.com
Tags: English, Engrish, errors, humor, humour, Japan, language
bubbl.us | brainstorm and mind map online
Tags: brainstorming, mindmap, graphic organizer
Not The “Best,” But A List… Of Online Video Editors | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...
Tags: video_editing, tools, videos
teachwithyouripad - iPad Apps
Tags: ipad, apps, education
TubGet - Download videos from YouTube online for free. Convert videos to MP3, M4R, 3GP, MOV, MP4, FLV, AVI.
Tags: youtube, videos, converter
Create your own E-Book for your iPad
Tags: iPad, ebooks, writing
Google+ For Educators
Tags: google+, google, education, edtech, Googleplus
8 Great Free Digital Presentation Tools For Teachers To Try This Summer | Emerging Education Technology
8 Great Free Digital Presentation Tools For Teachers To Try This Summer
Tags: education, edtech, presentation, powerpoint-alternatives, technology
- - By mbarek Akaddar
Science Vocabulary
Science vocabulary for all content areas and age levels (K-12)
Tags: science, vocabulary
- - By Cara Whitehead
Teacher Resources - GoMobile4Learning
Tags: resources, mobilelearning
Common Core Curriculum Maps | Digital Resources
Common Core resources
Tags: CommonCore, digital resources, tools, digital, resources
- - By andrew bendelow
Radical Curriculum Sharing at the Open High School of Utah | Edutopia
Nice set of open source learning resources
Tags: online, technology, resources, open, source
- - By andrew bendelow

Posted from Diigo. The rest of LearningwithComputers group favorite links are here.

LWCBookmarks (weekly)

2011-07-23T21:39:00.001-03:00

Teacher Resources
Did you know Spelling City offers more than just spelling practice? There's vocabulary and writing, too. Check us out http://bit.ly/c3xqWy
Tags: via:packrati.us, resources, teacher
- - By Cara Whitehead
Infographic: How Technology is Facilitating Education
Tags: learningwithcomputers, education, tools, resources, learning, web2.0, online, technology, teaching
25 Interesting Ways to use Voicethread in the Classroom
Tags: voicethread, tools
Infographic: Anatomy of a Teacher
Tags: learningwithcomputers, education, resources, web2.0, learning
Using the Voice Memo Iphone App for Corrective feedback
Tags: Newsletter, CALL, feedback, correctivefeedback, pronunciation, speaking, iphone, app, mlearning, classroom

Posted from Diigo. The rest of LearningwithComputers group favorite links are here.

LWCBookmarks (weekly)

2011-07-16T21:39:00.002-03:00

ePals Global Community
Tags: collaboration, epals, cmc
Online Stopwatch
Full-screen stopwatch and count-down timer
Tags: clock, countdown, stopwatch, timer, tools
- - By Paul Beaufait
Free Video Chat and Video Conferencing from ooVoo
Tags: chat, videoconferencing, speaking, cmc
iPodsibilities
Tags: iPad, iPod, apps
Teacher Challenge
Tags: web2.0, tools
FilePigeon - Send Large Files
Send files up to 100 MB. Get them stored online for 7 days. Recommended by Zamzar.
Tags: file, file sharing, free, send
- - By Gladys Baya
... [An unrelated bookmark slipped through Diigo; it's gone from the group site, so I've removed it here. PB, 2011.07.17]

Posted from Diigo. The rest of LearningwithComputers group favorite links are here.

LWCBookmarks (weekly)

2011-07-09T21:39:00.001-03:00

fur.ly | shorten multiple urls into one
Tags: url, tinyurl, urlshrinkers, shorten, multipleurlshrinkers, fur.ly
The KYVL for Kids Research Portal - How to do research Home Base
Tags: web2.0, tool, research, information_literacy, education, technology
Screenr | Instant screencasts: Just click record
Tags: screencasts, screencapture
Teaching with Technology in the Middle: Revisioned Student Blogging
Tags: teaching, technology, blogging, digital-writing, digital-literacy
Nik's Learning Technology Blog: Crowdsourcing Knowledge with Students
Peachey recommends "a very simple brainstorming and voting website called tricider ... that it is incredibly quick and simple to use" (¶1, retrieved 2011.07.05).
Tags: crowdsourcing, education, learning, online, teaching, technology, tools
- Peachey recommends "a very simple brainstorming and voting website called tricider ... that it is incredibly quick and simple to use" (¶1, retrieved 2011.07.05). - By Paul Beaufait
Storytelling Applications for Your Smartphone
Tags: storytelling, Applications
111 EdTech Resources You May Have Missed–Treasure Chest July 3, 2011 | Tech the Plunge
Nice compendium of web-based learning resources from Thomas
Tags: Web 2.0, learning, tools, resources, teaching, online, technology, education
- - By andrew bendelow
July: 4th of July
Tags: independence, 4th, July

Posted from Diigo. The rest of LearningwithComputers group favorite links are here.

LWCBookmarks (weekly)

2011-07-02T21:39:00.001-03:00

WebList - The place to find the best web lists on the web
Tags: weblist, aggregator, list, Bookmark, lists
- Create a list you can easily share with your friends using a single URL.
  A list can include anything from a collection of web pages, images, documents, videos and
  more. Still have questions?
Pollmo Polls - The simplest polls on the web
Tags: poll, survey, polls, polling, pollmo
YouTube - ISTE 2011 Opening Keynote: Dr. John Medina (full-length)
ISTE keynote looks to the next generation of teaching software that "reads" students
Tags: iste11, keynote, teaching, learning, web2.0, education, tools, resources
- - By andrew bendelow
ALIS Newsletter - June 2011
Abeywickrama, Priyanvada. (2011). The validity of nonnative speaker input in listening comprehension tests. [TESOL] Applied Linguistics Interest Section Newsletter (June 2011).
Tags: ALIS, applied linguistics, attitudes, IELTS, languages, linguistics, listening, native varieties, nonnative varieties, performance, skills, testing, tests, TESOL, TOEFL
- - By Paul Beaufait
- Test performance data in this study suggest that nonnative
  varieties of English can be used as listening test input while attitude
  questionnaire results go counter.
- These findings support most of the previous research in
  this area.
- Until research shows that the use of nonnative English as input
  is irrelevant to the construct of listening, we may be unable to use
  such input in testing, especially in high-stakes tests such as TOEFL and
  IELTS.
- As nonnative speech gains recognition among language users
  and test takers, we hope the attitudes and perceptions toward the use of
  these varieties of English will change.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of LearningwithComputers group favorite links are here.

LWCBookmarks (weekly)

2011-06-25T21:40:00.001-03:00

ManyBooks.net - Ad-free eBooks for your iPad, smartphone, or eBook reader
Tags: ebooks, ebook, reading
Literature.org - The Online Literature Library
Tags: literature, books, ebooks, library, reference, resources, education, reading
Free English teaching materials for ESL
Tags: esl, english, resources, learning, teaching, language, ELL, grammar
Project Gutenberg - free ebooks online download for iPad, Kindle, Nook, Android, iPhone, iPod Touch, Sony Reader
Tags: ebooks, books, literature, library, gutenberg, ebook, reading
PointSmartClickSafe.org, Smart choices for internet safety
Tags: internetsafety, safety, internet_safety, online_safety, media_literacy
WiredKids, the ultimate online safety project for kids and teens!
Tags: cybersafety, safety, cyberbullying, internet_safety, internetsafety, internet safety, parents, kids, educators, teachers
HotChalk Learning Management System Connecting Teachers, Students and Parents
Tags: education, resources, tools, web2.0, LMS, collaboration, teachers
writing workshop
Tags: writing, writersworkshop, education, lessons, english, literacy, teaching
Education Eye - Mapping Innovations
Education Eye is a free, engaging and easy-to-use online space that gives access to a wide range of exciting, relevant and useful innovations which are selected from the best of the web and updated daily.

The Eye provides a way to discover, explore and share new ideas. It maps hundreds of the top educational websites, forums and practitioner case studies. With additional features like saving your own favourite innovations, Futurelab's favourites, customisable email digests and a downloadable widget version, it's invaluable for exploring educational innovations.
Tags: education, innovation, mapping, web2.0, futurelab
- - By Barbara Moose
Digital Literacy across the Curriculum handbook | futurelab
Tags: digital literacy, handbook, literacy, digital citizenship, digitalcitizenship
The Innovative Educator: Sites for Using iPads in Education
Tags: iPad, education, apps
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt - Global Education Challenge - Idea Display
H Mifflin - Globl Ed Chllge - Dorit' Eilon's goal-setting program = perfect for individ, networked learning http://diigo.com/0hy1x #edtech
Tags: challenge, education, global, dorit, eilon, goal-setting, knowledge, idea
- - By andrew bendelow
- our educational system practices have a tendency to foster dependence, passivity and a "tell me what to do" attitude.
  
  Effective learning is that students are in charge of their own learning and progress. A growing body of research indicates that when students are working on goals they themselves have set, they are more motivated and efficient, and they achieve more than they do when working on goals that have been set by the teacher.
Syllables/Segmenting
Tags: syllables
Let There Be Facebook! Our plunge into using FB for summer reading and other learning adventures - New York, NY, United States, ASCD EDge Blog post
..should teachers and students really be interacting with each other in this way? With proper adherence to respectful and professional interaction, and with the understanding that our personal and professional cyber presence cannot really be altogether separate and based on different standards...yes! Yes, we should! Who better to teach students how to develop online identities aligned with the same character education standards modeled in “real” life? Who better to guide them on what is acceptable interaction? I believe this is a wonderful opportunity for mentoring young students, and for the most part, we are currently opting out.
Tags: facebook, FB, ASCD, EDge, united states, blog, teacher-student, relationship, social_networking, education
- - By andrew bendelow
- .should teachers and students really be interacting with each other in this way? With proper adherence to respectful and professional interaction, and with the understanding that our personal and professional cyber presence cannot really be altogether separate and based on different standards...yes! Yes, we should! Who better to teach students how to develop online identities aligned with the same character education standards modeled in “real” life? Who better to guide them on what is acceptable interaction? I believe this is a wonderful opportunity for mentoring young students, and for the most part, we are currently opting out.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of LearningwithComputers group favorite links are here.

LWCBookmarks (weekly)

2011-06-18T21:43:00.002-03:00

Possessive Nouns | Articles
Resources to help you teach possessive nouns.
Tags: possessive, nouns
- - By Cara Whitehead
... [commercial promotional listing removed, 2011.06.20, PB]

Posted from Diigo. The rest of LearningwithComputers group favorite links are here.

LWCBookmarks (weekly)

2011-06-11T21:42:00.001-03:00

Open Culture
Tags: culture, education, media
HootCourse
Tags: hootcourse, education, Classroom, socialmedia
- HootCourses are held online, using Twitter and Facebook as a virtual classroom space.
EchucaELearning - Digital Portfolios
Tags: eportfolio, assessment
Be The Curator of Your Favorite Topic! | Scoop.it
Tags: bookmarking, tools, news
The Super Book of Web Tools for Educators
Tags: tools, Web2.0
Digital Life: Today & Tomorrow on Vimeo
"Digital Life: Today & Tomorrow"
Tags: digital, life, today, tomorrow, future, technology, social
- - By John Evans
PLCMC: BookHive: Zingertales
Tags: no_tag

Posted from Diigo. The rest of LearningwithComputers group favorite links are here.

LWCBookmarks (weekly)

2011-06-04T21:43:00.001-03:00

Rich Internet Applications from the Center for Language Education And Research (CLEAR) at Michigan State University
"Online programs for recording, uploading, mixing, and interacting" (tagline), found thanks to Carla Arena's micro-review of one of the tools: Audio Delivery Made Super Simple (Collablogatorium, May 23, 2011).
Tags: audio, applications, education, interactive, learning, language, tools
- "Online programs for recording, uploading, mixing, and interacting" (tagline), found thanks to Carla Arena's micro-review of one of the tools: Audio Delivery Made Super Simple (Collablogatorium, May 23, 2011). - By Paul Beaufait
The Best Rubric Sites (And A Beginning Discussion About Their Use) | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...
Tags: Rubrics, assessment
Digital Tools
Tags: tools, web2.0
Mobile Perspectives: On teaching Mobile Literacy (EDUCAUSE Review) | EDUCAUSE
Tags: mobile, mobilelearning
News: Tablets, Yes; E-Texts, Maybe - Inside Higher Ed
"Claims that tablets will revolutionize the learning experience often go hand-in-hand with a push for more digital textbooks, but the Pearson survey showed that students don't often link the two. While most students perceived an educational value to tablets, only 35 percent said they preferred digital editions to print editions, and only about half of those preferred tablets to other digital devices" (Keving Kiley, 2011.05.25, ¶8, retrieved 2011.05.30).
Tags: ebooks, education, higher education, iPads, reading, tablets, technology, tools
- - By Paul Beaufait
May: Memorial Day
Tags: memorial
Apps in Education: Needs for Education: Multi User iPads
Tags: apps, ipads
A practical guide to creating learning scenarios: part 2 | Onlignment
In part 1 of this series, we looked at what a learning scenario is, its basic structure, capabilities and applications. We move on now to look in more detail at the steps involved in creating simple scenarios to support learners in understanding the principles underlying everyday problem-solving and decision
Tags: practical, guide, education, teaching
- - By Jose Antonio da Silva

Posted from Diigo. The rest of LearningwithComputers group favorite links are here.

Want to Remember Everything You'll Ever Learn? Surrender to This Algorithm

2011-04-05T00:30:00.000-03:00

Want to Remember Everything You'll Ever Learn? Surrender to This Algorithm (Wired Magazine: 16.05)

. . .

Long-term memory, the Bjorks said, can be characterized by two components, which they named retrieval strength and storage strength. Retrieval strength measures how likely you are to recall something right now, how close it is to the surface of your mind. Storage strength measures how deeply the memory is rooted. . . .

. . . [L]aws of memory wreak havoc on students and teachers. One of the problems is that the amount of storage strength you gain from practice is inversely correlated with the current retrieval strength. In other words, the harder you have to work to get the right answer, the more the answer is sealed in memory. Precisely those things that seem to signal we're learning well — easy performance on drills, fluency during a lesson, even the subjective feeling that we know something — are misleading when it comes to predicting whether we will remember it in the future. . . .

(Gary Wolf, The problem of forgetting, ¶¶6-7, 04.21.08).

New Look and Old Look

2010-07-09T03:01:00.003-03:00

This post, the first since a template update necessary to enable modifications such as the addition of a Recent Comments feed, displays the old look in a series of screenshots. These pictures show the previous home page layout and sidebar elements. Hopefully, as time permits, one or more of us will be able to restore other page elements, such as the LwC logo, to make the new look into a fair facsimile of the old one.

Personal Start Pages

2008-10-15T11:34:00.003-03:00

Welcome to personal start pages for LwC! Over the next few weeks, we'll be exploring personal start or home pages, especially Pageflakes. With Pageflakes and similar online tools, you'll be able to create your own personal start page, bringing everything that you are interested in to one place! This makes it easy to see when your favorite blogs and sites have been updated, what your friends are saying on Twitter, or even what the weather is like! In order to get started, we'll review the very basics of RSS and then we'll get started creating our own personal, class, and professional pages using Pageflakes. As you'll see, you can easily customize your Pageflake to suit your interests and needs. Finally, in addition to Pageflakes, try out alternate tools, such as Netvibes and iGoogle, or even Protopage.

Week One Tasks: Personal Start Page Basics
1. Watch Nik Peachey's training video and/or read his post about start pages
2. Check out options for creating your personal start or home page, including Pageflakes, Netvibes, iGoogle, Protopage;
3. LwC members who already have a Pageflakes or start page, please share your URL with the group, so others can peruse sample pages from LwCers who already using them
Optional: If you need more information about RSS, please see Common Craft RSS in Plain English video

Questions: Please post a comment here on our LwC Blog.
How would RSS be useful for educators?
What is a Start or Home Page and how would it help you?
What are your initial impressions of Pageflakes?
Which option for creating your homepage will you try and why?
Other comments or questions?

Who are you online?

2008-03-24T16:26:00.000-03:00

The question of anonymity on the Web seems to me a heated and
never-ending debate. Should we reveal our true identities online? Or
should we hide who we truly are and go around cyberspace as
anonymously as possible?

In favour of the first position, I've heard:

People like real names. It's much easier to trust content posted by someone you can track back in time, and this helps you get readers more realistic perception of the poster.
The more background information you give about yourself, the less likely your readers are to misinterpret your words.
For educators, addressing a group without introducing themselves seems unthinkable (at least in my culture). Conversely, I would personally refuse to teach someone who refused to identify themselves. Why would I do otherwise online?

Against revealing your true identity online, it's been said that:

The Web is the place for anonymity by excellence. (I do not support this view, I actually believe this idea goes against true communication)
You cannot control who has access to your information online. Therefore, it's wise to protect your privacy. (I do agree with this view to a point, though I guess it's time we started questioning how "private" our identity is even before we go online when so many sites can post about us!).

A solution reconciling all arguments (except perhaps the unlimited right to anonymity) could be the systematic use of aliases and an avatar instead of a photo.

In conclusion, I can certainly understand somebody's decision to use different aliases to post about their professional life from family news. What I find hard to deal with is somebody who asks for support from a community I belong to, and at the same time refuses to open any doors to collaboration with me by not revealing who they are.

In this video clip, Dick Clarence discusses Identity 2.0. Enjoy!

Can you add any arguments to the ones mentioned above? Would you like to share your views on our online identities? Post a comment below! (or write a post in your own blogs and trackback here).

Gladys

Speaking Activities

2007-09-29T06:45:00.000-03:00

This month's focus is on sites that promote speaking activities. You can find hundreds of links that relate to this topic on my English For Beginners page under Audio Conversations and on my English Themes for Beginners/Early Intermediate page under Conversations.

However, since the best way to encourage speaking in English is by having students.....speak, I'd really like to highlight the hundreds of links I have on my Examples of Student Work page. There, you can find countless activities where students have to actively participate in speaking instead of passively listening. The best of this category include:

* Ones where students sing karaoke and record their masterpieces. Two of these site are Sims On Stage (formerly known as Singshot) and KSolo.

* Links where students record messages that virtual alter-egos of themselves speak, such as Voki.

* And, of course, there's Voicethread, which allows students to create narrated slideshows.

Larry Ferlazzo

Reading Treasures Show

2007-08-25T11:19:00.000-03:00

This is a wonderful recording of an Alado session which took place some time in August 2007, called "Reading Treasures Show". Teachers from various countries talk about what they do to create reading opportunities for their students. I'd like to congratulate all of them on this wonderful work!
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THEIR DISCUSSION

Developing Reading Skills

2007-08-03T15:32:00.000-03:00

This month in Learning with computers we'll be sharing links to develop reading in English.

http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/ttp/ttpbooks.html (Gladys's suggestion)(Enchanting!)

Some of Larry's links:

http://professorgarfield.org/pgf_ReadingRing.html Put cartoon strips in order and answer comprehension questions. (Great!)

http://reading.ecb.org/student/index.html It's not fully ready yet but focusses on reading strategies.

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/interactive/onlinestory.htm#talk a collection of online reading stories.

http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/book_buddy/gr1_4lily/skill_ae.html Drawing conclusions. (simple but interesting)

http://www.dfes.gov.uk/readwriteplus/learning_material/portal/predicting-meaning_lit_e2/m01/t08/index.htm Predicting meaning

http://www.dfes.gov.uk/readwriteplus/learning_material/portal/checking-the-meaning-of-words_lit_e3/m01/t24/index.htm Using a dictionary

http://www.studyzone.org/testprep/ela4/i/enviroprintp.cfm Reading Street signs

http://www.learnenglish.org.uk/stories_poems_archive_frame.html a collection of stories from BBC

http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-stories-archive.htm collection of stories

http://www.britishcouncil.org/kids-stories.htm stories for kids

http://www.stories.org.br/ the same TRUE story in English and portuguese side by side.

http://www.indianchild.com/short_stories.htm SHORT stories.

http://www.englishclub.com/reading/short-stories.htm short stories graded by level.

These ones I found in Libardo´s blog:

http://www.zapdramatic.com/mod1.htm You can read, listen and watch a very exciting story. You are even asked to interact with the events. SUPERB!
http://www.3xplus.com/pasnet01/scrpasnet01US.htm another interactive DETECTIVE story.
http://www.kizclub.com/Sbody.html Different stories to read and listen, 3 different levels.
http://www.nwlg.org/pages/resources/owl/OWL3Book1/Book01/default.htm this story explains about opposites in an interesting way.
http://www.go4english.com/ffk/archive.php?lang=en&cid=10041002 Great stories.
http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthemove/games/game2/game2.html The time machine. I had great fun travelling in time!

Using Computers To Teach Reading

2007-08-02T03:12:00.000-03:00

I wanted to share a few of the favorite sites I use to help my English Language Learner students develop their reading skills.

They are basically divided into two categories -- sites that explicitly teach reading strategies and test comprehension, and sites that offer fiction or non-fiction stories that have text with audio and visual support.

For the former, my favorites include:

* Reading Ring, an activity on the excellent Professor Garfield site. In this game, players have to correctly unscramble a comic strip and then answer questions about it.

* Into The Book is a work-in-progress that will eventually have interactive exercises helping students learn multiple reading strategies. Right now only the one of "visualizing" is complete. It's extraordinarily well-done.

* There are two sites that have multiple activities to help teach reading strategies. I have links to many of these specific activities, and the ones I mentioned earlier, under the English For Beginners -- Reading section of my website. However, it's worth checking-out the two sites that host them all, too. They are Study Zone Test Prep Center of New York and the United Kingdom's Embedded Learning Portal.

I have links to thousands of online stories that offer text with audio and visual support on the English For Beginners- Stories and English For Beginners Non-Fiction sections of my website. My favorite, though, is:

* Woodlands Junior School in the United Kingdom. They have many of the same stories I have on my pages. However, there's is much better-designed and attractive.

Finally, I'd encourage people to read here about my school's use of computers to teach reading to English Language Learners, which was awarded the 2007 International Reading Association Grand Prize Presidential Award for Reading and Technology.

Larry Ferlazzo

Favorite Vocabulary Activities

2007-07-05T18:42:00.000-03:00

I've sent an email to the group pointing-out the two links to hundreds, if not thousands, of vocabulary sites that I've linked to my website. In case you missed the email, the links are:

Vocabulary Sites For Beginners and Early Intermediate

Vocabulary Sites For Intermediate and Advanced

I'd also like to highlight a few of my favorites.

Learning Vocabulary Can Be Fun has numerous games, including many with audio, which are fun and effective with my ESL students. Students don't learn the words in context of sentences, but you can't necessarily expect everything from one site.

The Language Guide is an extraordinary picture and audio dictionary that is organized well and covers the basics.

Basic Sight Words covers the most commonly used words in the English language. On particularly great element of this site is that words are taught in the context of sentences. You won't find this link in my Vocabulary sections, though. I have a completely separate category called Sight Words that has a zillion links about.....Sight Words.

Finally, I love a site called Willing to Try. It's hard to explain what it is. Try it out (be sure to have your pop-up block turned-off, though). I think you, and your students, will enjoy it.

Summary: "Teaching Grammar".

2007-06-20T17:32:00.000-03:00

A SUMMARY OF THE ARTICLE "Teaching Grammar" by Larsen-Freeman.

To watch this presentation, FIRST click on the audio and THEN click to change the slides.

The original article can be found in the book "Teaching English as a Foreign Language" by Mariane Celce Murcia.

Grammar For Beginners

2007-05-26T22:09:00.000-03:00

I've been asked to provide a "guest" post once a month. I understand that June's focus will be on grammar. Since June is going to be a bit crazy for me, I'm getting a little bit of a head start....

There are a ton of sites that focus on grammar. Many of them are mind-numbing lists of exercises and are almost as bad as the useless grammar worksheets that many textbook publishers put out.

Today I'd like to highlight two sites that I think are the best, especially for beginner English Language Learners. They stand-out for both providing text with audio support, and also provide a variety of different activities. My high school students here in Sacramento, California, seem to like them, too.

One is Grammarman Comics, which teaches grammar through the use of attractive online.........comics.

The other is Grammar Gold, which provides a series of fun exercises that teach and provide opportunities to practice English grammar.

For more grammar sites accessible to Beginner students, you can go to the Grammar section on my website's Beginner's page.

For grammar sites appropriate for Intermediate or Advanced English Language Learners, check-out the Intermediate Grammar category on my webpage.

I hope these are helpful links.

Larry Ferlazzo

PROJECT: Listening Sites

2007-05-23T10:45:00.000-03:00

This is an e-mail written by Mary Hillis suggesting a project we could develop with our students. Read her e-mail and leave your comments.

Hi LwCers!Jen made a good point that many schools don't have the necessaryequipment to do activities with online listening sites. As this is often the case, I would like to propose two assignment ideas:

Extensive Listening Journal Students choose an appropriate listening site, then create a journal about their experience. For instance, they should write a short report detailing the name of the site, the date, the topic of the listening, a summary of the listening, a list of new vocab plus meanings, and a reaction to the listening. I've done the extensive listening journal before, then had students share their reports with others, discussing listening sources, etc. It was a good way to encourage students to listen to materials of their choice outside of class.

Oral Presentation on an online listening site. Students choose an appropriate listening site, analyze it, and give an oral presentation on their findings. Analysis of a listening site can be based on criteria such as interest, difficulty level, visual appeal of the site, available exercises, links provided, etc. (In this way,evaluating a listening site is kind of like writing a movie review,which many students are already familiar with.) Another plus-- after finishing this assignment, you'll have a clear idea about which types of listening sites are useful and interesting for your students!!

Sorry for the long post! I'm looking forward to hearing other members' ideas on how to use these fabulous listening resources we've found!!

Hugs,
MaryH

LWC YACK PACK group

2007-05-23T09:26:00.000-03:00

Would you like to join our Yack Pack group?

With Yack Pack, Learning with Computer members will be able to have synchronous meetings and also leave each other written or voice messages. We know there are other tools that offer the same thing but this time we´re trying Yack Pack. If you´d like to join us, post a message in the Yahoo LWC community and we´ll send you an invitation. Hope you can join us.

TEACHING LISTENING

2007-05-10T17:10:00.000-03:00

We´ve barely started the topic and we already have a long list of suggested sites in our WIKI. Wow, it´s sure overwhelming! We´ll try to organize a list of special features from some of the sites in order to guide us through this discovery.

Let´s start with ELLO, my favourite. It offers interesting activities I haven´t found anywhere else, for instance:

Interviews : The interviews integrate image which is known to help understanding.
Mixer: Six different people talk about the same topic. It also offers comprehension questions at the end.
News game: A news programme in cartoons.Great for beginner levels!

Free online EFL listening exercises has other interesting features:

Beginners Dictations
Video Dictations ( elementary to intermediate)
TV commercials (ads from the 60s/ intermediate level)
Movie trailers + dictation (advanced level)

Manythings.org is also interesting.

Listen and read along (interesting lay-out)

English Listening room (cloze exercises)

Breaking News English

lesson plans for current events . (Fantastic!)

Literacynet.org

news stories (advanced level)

Wordchamp

Verb DRILLS

Picture FLASHCARDS (picture + sound)

Lingual.net

Learning English through MOVIES (check out the tri-view method clicking the "How to use button")

Anglesonline.org (wonderful template) (beginnners/ intermediate)

lessons, movie trailers and music clips with activities.

Carla Arena´s del.icio.us page for listening activities.

Let´s leave our impressions in the comments area.

Larry Ferlazzo´s blog is amazing. These are some of the sites I selected from his suggestions.
LISTENING DICTATION (movie sounds and clips) (really good!)
Listening to different speakers This is from Tokyo International University and has faculty members talking about themselves, followed by questions that need to be answered by students.(very good!)
ESL VIDEOS is incredible. Not only does it offer video with quizzes at various levels but also offers us the opportunity to create quizzes for videos of our choice.

One Thing You've Learned from LwC

2006-10-15T01:14:00.000-03:00

This week as we "Look Back, Look Around, and Look Ahead", let's reflect on what we've learned over the past month and throughout our experiences at Learning with Computers. How have the tasks, discussions, and fellow members impacted your teaching or other areas of your life? Please reply by posting at least ONE thing you've learned from the group!

FEEDblitz email subscription added!

2006-08-14T23:46:00.000-03:00

Elizabeth picked the idea from one of Gladys' posts. I saw it in her blog (Virtual=Real: FEEDblitz email subscription added!) and decided to add e-mail subscription to this blog and my own. Now you can enter your e-mail address and be notified every time a new post is added. You can also open an account with FEEDblitz and add as many subscriptions as you like, by simply entering the URLs of all the blogs you would like to get an update from.
So have a look at the sidebar and subscribe to Learning with Computers blog NOW!

Adding multimedia content to your blog

2006-08-05T03:50:00.000-03:00

Now that you have created your blogs, you will want to explore different tools to make them more attractive. You've seen some webtools that allow you to create slideshows. Some other sites provide videos that you can post in your blogs. Let me introduce now a couple of websites where you can create voice posts.

powered by ODEO

While Odeo provides a choice of some different players, this other tool, Podomatic, gives you a link to your recording.

Both tools are free and easy to use. So why not trying them?
http://odeo.com/
http://www.podomatic.com/

Blogging safely

2006-07-28T18:25:00.000-03:00

Why are netiquette and security important issues for teachers dealing with blogs? How can they be dealt with?
Students should be warned against using offensive language or content and should become familiar with basic netiquette rules. They should be aware about cultural differences. Anonymous posting should be banned. On the other hand they should be aware that anonymity is not absolute on the web and that they may be held responsible for whatever they write.
These are some of the things teachers can do to keep their blogging environment safe:
Set yourself as blog administrator for your students' blogs. This way you can edit or delete offensive content.
Enable comment moderation in the class blog and encourage your students to do the same in their own blogs.
Set up a "comment notification address" to be sent comments by mail as soon as they are posted. (Comments tab)
Set up a BlogSend Address (E-mail tab) to be notified when someone writes a post in your class blog.
There must be other tips more experienced bloggers can suggest.

by Claudia

Are blogs similar to portfolios?

2006-07-28T18:23:00.000-03:00

Why can a portfolio be compared to a blog?
A student's work can not only be collected, edited and assessed in a blog (the same as in a student's portfolio), but it can be instantly published.
The blog develops reflectivity in learners through peer- viewing because peers' comments and criticism can foster students' revision of their own work.
by Claudia

The Blog Audience

2006-07-28T18:21:00.000-03:00

Can you explain why the article refers to the blog audience as anticipated, expected, multicultural and responsive?
Someone who writes a blog is conscious of his/her target audience and not only presumes his/her writing might be read, but expects it to be. This presumption affects the blogger's writing style.
Blog writers are at the same time blog readers. This duality pushes them to write comments to other people's blogs.
by Claudia

The Filter Style Blog vs The Journal Style Blog

2006-07-28T18:16:00.000-03:00

Comparing the filter style blog to the journal style blog
A filter style blog is based on creating links with interesting websites and other blogs, thus building a network of multiple voices and perspectives.
A "journal style blog" is motivated by a need of self-_expression.
by Claudia

The pros and cons of blogs by Illya

2006-07-25T19:25:00.000-03:00

The Pros...
- blogs offer real reading material from real writers, thus reflecting the language actually used
- blogs reflect current topics and there will certainly be a blog for every interest group
- Ts and Ss can negotiate choice of blogs to read for discussion, written work, etc
- Blogs can offer access to the culture(s) of the countries where the language is spoken
- Writing for a real readership may motivate learners to edit and rewrite their work, thus improving their writing skills
- Some learners may find the technical aspect motivating and inspiring

The Cons...
- The level of writing is often not a good model for language learners to read
- Reading on a screen while scrolling does not help to develop some of the reading skills
- Texts are not graded to readers’ levels
- May be difficult to filter out useful material from the huge bank of blogs
- Some learners may feel intimidated when writing for a public readership
- Most blog-types cannot be corrected by teacher, thus bad writing habits may be developed
- Without broadband, viewing or publishing blogs may be extremely time-consuming
- Technological aspect may frighten some learners

Take you time to share your comments and reasons to support your views on this topic

Silvana

What is a blog? by Illya

2006-07-25T19:21:00.000-03:00

What is a blog?

“… a blog is a dynamic place which is updated regularly (hopefully) and with ease, it is organized chronologically, and its moderation access rights allow multiple authors”

Moving on to Week 2:

2006-07-24T02:33:00.000-03:00

What was your choice?

After reading the article called Blog-assisted Language Learning (BALL) at
www.teflweb-j.org/v3n1/blog_ward.pdf , which task have you chosen?

You could choose to do at least one of the following tasks:

1- Try to complete the following paragraph.

“… a blog is a dynamic place which is updated ………………………, which is organized ……………………….. and its ………………………….. access rights allow …………………….. authors”

2- Compare a “Send to all email”,a discussion board, a website and a blog as regards audience, voice and content
a-Explain the difference between the filter style blog and the journal style blog
b-Explain why the article refers to the blog audience as anticipated, expected, multicultural and responsive?
c-Compare a portfolio to a blog
d-Explain why the blog develops reflectivity in learners through peer- viewing

3- Make a chart with the pros and cons of blogs for the development of reading and writing skills

4- Explain why netiquette and security are important issues for teachers dealing with blogs

Feel free to share the results of your reading here.

Silvana

Ready for week 2? Let's continue with our trip

2006-07-21T11:15:00.000-03:00

Week 2:
Task 1:
Just a quick review to start the next step of our blogging journey
Considering some of the reasons for using blogs in ELT given by the article you have read by Stanley, I would like to ask those of you who have had a try at creating your own blogs to share with us the purpose you had in mind when doing so by writing a comment in our blog at:
http://learning-with-computers.blogspot.com/
I also want you to post the blog address to the group so that we can visit it and see how it fits your goals.
If you have not created your own blog yet, start by taking a tour through those already created and see if you can dicover both the purpose and target audience of the creator.

Hope to read your comments soon

Silvana

LwC goes bigscreen

2006-07-19T00:31:00.000-03:00

Graham Stanley, one of our featured authors this week, has written, produced and directed this fantastic film with an online tool that will soon become a favourite among LwCers. It's called Zimmer Twins.
Get a big bucket of popcorn and enjoy Graham's online show at http://www.zimmertwins.com/node/238206

Week 1 - Task 3 - Reaching the Sky - Blog Set Up

2006-07-18T22:51:00.000-03:00

Dear LWCers,

From what we’ve been practicing here, you might have noticed by now that the main aspect of blogging is its interactive feature. People blog for different purposes, be it for personal or professional reasons. Indeed, the “Weblogs” provide a means for a dialogue.

Will Richardson, in his very recent book, “Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and other powerful web tools for the classroom”, states the difference between a blog and a webpage “…what really distinguishes a blog from your run-of-the-mill Website is much more than process; it’s what you’ll find there. Weblogs are not built on static chunks of content. Instead, they are comprised of reflections and conversations that in many cases are updated every day (if not three or four times a day). Blogs engage readers with ideas and questions and links. They ask readers to think and to respond. They demand interaction.”

Can you see the potential of this Web tool in your classroom?

Well, we were very glad that we could start this talk about blogging with a truly interactive audience. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, doubts and ideas with us! This is not to say good-bye, but just to praise your take off! Now, you are ready to reach the sky.
Below, you’ll find some examples of different types of blogs in the classroom according to Aaron Campbell (2003), cited in Graham Stanley’s text. Explore these examples as you wish and relate them to your own setting and your students’ objectives and needs.

The Tutor Blog
http://top21.blogspot.com/

Professional Development
http://blogenough.blogspot.com/ Collaborative Blogging
http://ctjonline.edublogs.org/ – Workshop on Blogging

The Class Blog
http://virtualnewyork.blogspot.com/ Virtual Trip to NY
http://ctjonline.blogspot.com/ - Reading Project ( The Pit and the Pendulum)

International Exchanges
http://brazilargentina.blogspot.com/ Brazil and Argentina
http://mechanicaltorpedoseahorse.podomatic.com/ Brazil and Portugal
http://internationalexchange.blogspot.com/ Brazil and Arizona

The Learners blogs
http://shota.eslblogs.org/ - Aaron Campbell’s student
http://kamiiille.blogspot.com/ - Bee Dieu’s student
http://belhassens.blogspot.com/ - Bee Dieu’s student
http://berti01.blogspot.com/ - Bee Dieu’s student

_________________________________________

Ready to set up a blog?

TASK 3: access http://www.blogger.com/ and create your own blog.
Share with us the link to it, your first impressions and questions.

If you already have a Blogger account, share the link and your experience with it.

We want to know it all!!!

We’ll be around to help you out, and, on Thursday, Silvana Carnicero will take the lead.

Thanks for your enthusiasm.

Carla and Erika

Week 1 - Task 2 - Texts - Blogging Itinerary

2006-07-14T15:22:00.000-03:00

Dear all,

Just like anything on the Internet nowadays, everything is fast paced and response can be immediate! Blogs are one of many tools that gives people the chance for a dialogue. Thanks for you who have already contributed to our discussion and seem so interested in the topic!

To move on, we need to understand some key concepts to order our thoughts and to structure our actions towards this fantastic Web tool.

The texts will let us choose the best "flight itinerary" for us and our students. We'll also provide you with a wealth of worth-reading resources suggested by Teresa Almeida d'Eça, a fantastic online tutor from Portugal.

So, get yourself comfortable and enjoy the readings.

Text 1 - Blogging for ELT
Graham Stanley, British Council, Barcelona
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/resources/blogging.shtml

Text 2 - EFL/ESL Classroom Blogging: A Comparative Review
http://tinyurl.com/o6fwc

After exploring the texts,

Where would you like to start? Which bloghosts will you explore? Why?
Why blogging in the classroom?
What aspects should you consider when blogging?

Extra readings - Teresa's Suggestions:

Blogs of many Webheads

Different Resources on Blogs

See you around.

Carla and Erika

Week 1 - Task 1 - The Blogging Take Off

2006-07-13T09:32:00.000-03:00

About us
We have been teaching English at a Binational Center in Brasília for seven years. We are responsible for the school computer lab and website. We've been working with online collaboration and spreading the word about the benefits of technology in language learning. We'd like to share with you our enthusiasm towards blogging. Since we've started blogging with our students and friends, our classes haven't been the same! We haven't been the same. Now, we can have our voice online and give the power of speech to our students, too.

So, let's start this week by sharing our own ideas and experience on blogging. If you are a totally newbie to this concept and the tool, don't worry. By the end of this week, you'll be a blogger! By the end of five weeks, you'll have a whole new perspective on the infinite possibilities of uses you can give to Blogs.
_____________________________________

So, Let's take off! Please, take your time, click on the "Comments" area below, and share with us what your thoughts are.

Have you ever blogged for fun?
Have you ever blogged with your students? Why/why not?
If you have blogged, which bloghost do you use? Why did you choose it?
Our group has a Wiki. Can you tell us the difference between a Wiki, a Webpage and a Blog?
Do you have any idea of what you can do with a blog in your classes?

If you are not a member of Blogger, write your comment, choose the option "Other", and write your name. We're waiting for your views on the topic to start off!

Carla and Erika
Two Brazilian Blogger-Teachers!

Week 1 - Task 1 - Bee Dieu's Contribution

2006-07-13T09:30:00.000-03:00

Dear Gladys, Carla and Erika and community members,

There are a lot of resources on blogging in the Blogstreams Salon group at Tappedin (which you can join for free) and also in the navigation column of "Building a Community of Practice" blog http://evo05.blogspot.com/ (interviews with guest speakers, links to the common wiki).

Dekita also sports some articles on blogging in EFL (see articles tab) and you can send us information about your classes who are blogging so they are in the repertoire (see exchange tab) for other teachers/students to interact with. The orchard tab takes you to class posts from different parts of the world .

I would also like to share two films about school with you. One is a 20 minute interview with Ken Robinson which is inspiring and uplifting (to be viewed first)
http://www.ted.com/tedtalks/tedtalksplayer.cfm?key=ken_robinson

and the other an example of the darkest English humour to contrast (or exemplify)http://www.flabber.nl/archief/016805.php#dating

I am sure you will all have a great experience and loooking forward to putting your students in contact with mine and others.

Warm regards from Brazil,
Bee

Barbara Dieu
http://dekita.org/
http://beewebhead.net/

May-June

2006-07-01T20:58:00.000-03:00

As this post corresponds to the period that begins May 1st, let's share this text by Dennis in which he describes how Germans celebrate that day:

I trust all list members are happily enjoying whatever you do in your part of the world on May 1st. In Germany young people load small wooden trolleys with lots of beer and walk in the woods getting drunker and drunker. I must ask my wife what it is all about....Ah... Adults march in their trade unions about earnest matters like pay and pensions and younger people have somehow updated dancing round the maypole and celebrating spring by disappearing into the woods and transfering the beer in the bottles into themselves.
Having been exposed to night and day reports from Germany this past month, we have all witnessed to what extent beer is part of all kinds of events nowadays. Whether it is nightlife or sport, everybody you see is holding a can or a bottle in their hands. Not that it is an exclusive German phenomenon. Here in Argentina the scene is not too different. Drinking beer is a favourite pastime with young people. If there's no beer, there's no fun. And this seems to be a worldwide concept.
You must be wondering what this has to do with Learning with Computers.
Basically all human behaviour has to do with LEARNING. Evidently mass media are
doing a far better job than educators at modelling attitudes and thoughts. We
are lacking impact and our message is not getting through. Just food for thought.

May was "Browsing the Web" month. We discussed how to evaluate websites, shared some useful tips about safe and fast surfing.
After so much "sport" we settled down to discussing wikis. Our PBwiki has proved to be a useful tool to collect and organize all the information we have been building as a group. I'm sure quite a few of us have felt encouraged to create our own wikis to work collaboratively with colleagues and students. At the same time some tried their hand at creating quizzes, which should be included in our list of to-do's, shouldn't it? I'm behind the group in this.

Another two months have gone by. Half of 2006 has vanished. I'm looking forward to what this group has in store for the months to come.
Image: http://www.nataliedee.com/

--;-<@ Claudia @>-;--

Groups that work

2006-06-09T15:59:00.000-03:00

Laura Szmuch and Jamie Duncan have just released their latest issue of RTNews - A magazine on Neuro Linguistic Programming in Education. In this month's article, they discuss: what makes a group function well together? Reading them, I thought of Learning with Computers, and felt eager to share the following extracts with you:

Using an NLP perspective, we can observe what works in productive and positive teams. In these, the members share a common purpose, which provides the motivation and sense for being together. They are often homogeneous groups, at least on the surface. We tend to work better with people that are like us, that we have things in common with and who we feel understand us. Groups where the members consider they have a voice and equal rights combine better than those in which the power is concentrated in the hands of a few. Perhaps the few have the power today, but there is the expectation that it will be shared around on a regular and systematic basis ... At a more sophisticated level, most students of group theory also point out the need for a group to contain people playing diverse roles – like the initiator, the details wizard, the motivator, the mother or father figure, etc.

And here comes the most interesting part (to me!). They tell us group cohesion does not depend exclusively on the teacher/moderator, but all members can contribute to it! How? Have a look at some tips for us all to bear in mind!

Be really aware of all the members of the group. Make sure everyone feels part of the bigger unit and that their contribution is recognised not only by group leaders but fellow members as well.
Ensure that the group has time to be together alone to work on the task in hand. If there is no stability of membership, it makes it very difficult to forge a working team.
Check if the members are happy with the progress. If discontent is related to something to do with the functioning of the group, the quicker this is acknowledged, the better.
Where appropriate and possible, foster a sense of equality. A good attitude to develop is that we are all equal shareholders in the outcome of the group’s work, we are all contributing to the task and each has a role to play. It helps to establish how each member will be better off or satisfied by the group achieving it’s goal. If the accountability falls on the shoulders of one or two people or if only they are to reap the rewards, these people have to recognise the help they have had. As flat a hierarchy as possible tends to function better.
Maintain a flow of communication and clearly establish how and when members can talk to each other as a group.
Be open about difficulties and obstacles facing the entire team and its project. If there are constraints of time or resources, these should be admitted openly. History has shown many examples of people working together in adversity when they know what they are up against (perhaps you've heard of the Dunkirk spirit?) .
Groups often stick together because of the shared humour, the jokes, the nicknames and the experiences they have in common. Encouraging this as a group member can be very rewarding.
Play to the strengths of the individuals. If one person is the mothering type and the others respond to this, let it happen. If someone is the bossy one and the group appreciates this, great.

And they finish telling us:

Groups are like individuals. Every one is different and they are always constantly changing. Nonetheless, much of what we have successfully achieved on this planet is the result of group work and it makes sense to nurture a positive and cooperative group spirit. Most of all, the sense of achievement gained from having worked together on a project can be one of the most enriching human experiences possible.

Good time to say: Thanks for the enrichment you've brought to my life, group members!

Gladys

NOTE: RTNews is emailed monthly for free. You can subscribe by sending a mail to: rtnews@resourcefulteaching.com.ar with your name and city stating 'subscribe' in the subject box)

March-April

2006-05-21T21:32:00.000-03:00

As you can see, my initial plan of writing a monthly entry has already gone to the dogs. Unlike most of you, who are already in the final stage of the school year, here (I mean in the bottom part of the planet) we are just beginning, adjusting to new timetables, trying to put papers in order, making room for more paper, going over last year’s class plans and projects to see what we keep and what we do without. And on top of all this, just like you all, we’re keeping up with e-mails, making new friends and new knowledge.

I've personally found these first two months of LwC a time of deep discovery. On the one hand I’ve started to make sense of Yahoo! Groups and all the potential they have for virtual communities of learning. I’ve been in other groups before but had never explored them in depth. LwC makes a full use of all the group facilities and encourages members to get into the action themselves: create a photo album and upload your photo, create and entry for your birthday in the calendar and set up an alarm for everybody else to send their birthday greetings on time, keep links in the Links section, upload files…
On the other hand, the wiki has proved to be an excellent collaboration tool. It’s easy to create new pages, edit them and add them to the sidebar. All of us have been able to leave our signature in one or more pages. It’s nice to see the wiki grow week after week, a big intercultural puzzle made up of big and small pieces, all equally important for the global picture.

Finally, having weekly tasks keeps the group moving all the time. All the members are involved doing what they can, or interests them most, and receiving positive feedback for what they do and no dressing downs for what they don’t. Can we expect more of a learning environment?
Working with images, voice and text mail along these two months has allowed us to experience multimedia in communication technology. I bet quite a few of us have discovered new and rich ways to get across to loved ones as well as students and colleagues.
As an add-on to all our “academic” work, we have been introduced to the world of widgets by hard-working mother-of-six Teri. We are all looking forward to a new round of widgets. We hope Teri is back on the list soon after “getting her kids through their final exams.” In the meanwhile, I've found a new one by Frappr, which is in Beta version and which we could try here: the chat box, which you'll see in the sidebar. Let's see if some of us meet in blogosphere for a chat!
Isabel and Dennis have taken over our social bookmarking. Each of them has chosen a different tool -Blinklist and Del.icio.us –and carefully gone over hundreds of messages to get all the useful links contributed to the list conveniently organized and tagged.
As Dennis himself put it in one of his messages: “'I love about this list is that there are people on it who DO things”.

(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

Claudia

Another Star in Cyberspace

2006-04-14T14:52:00.001-03:00

Gladys Baya, an EFL, teacher trainer and computer fancier from Buenos Aires, Argentina, decided to create Learning with Computers Yahoo! Group by the end of February 2006, to cater for those language teachers in need of basic training in the use of Internet-based tools. Having been a member of Webheads in Action since 2005, she realised many participants in annual EVO Sessions felt overwhelmed by the unintelligible techie jargon of initiated participants and chose to remain in the background. There she saw fertile soil to plant the seed of cooperative technology training and discussion.

As soon as I got to know of Gladys's initiative, I jumped into the action. I've known her for a few years but have started regular communication with her since our "virtual" meetings in this year's Becoming a Webhead sessions, where she was a co-moderator for one of the weeks and I, a first timer.

Not many English teachers in our area think it is worthwhile to spend free time exploring new technologies. But we do. And a small bunch of others out there do too. Facing the impossibility of f2f teamwork, we have found CMC (computer mediated communication) a useful bridge to get to other like-minded people all over the world and break free from isolation. Thanks to this, our individual efforts can find echo in big communities who are ready to help, encourage, comfort, guide.

Gladys has confided me the task of setting up this blog to record our development as a community of teachers/learners. Each and every one of us has something to learn from the group as well as many useful contributions to offer. Even when we ask a question we are providing others with the chance to reflect on some issue. Isn't that important?

Let's use this blog to keep a record of our memorable moments as members of this community, of our "Eureka!" moments and frustrations. I bet there will be many.

I expect you to make this blog yours, that is, ours.

Claudia