Burcu Akyol's Blog

I have been thinking about the ways how English teachers can learn about Web technologies. I decided to write this article especially for the teachers who are hesitant to use technology in their classrooms.

Here are some ideas for learning about Web technologies and the possibilities to integrate these technologies into your teaching. The links included in this article are the ones that I find the most useful.

1.Online courses
There are several free and paid online courses available for teachers who are willing to learn about the use of technology in the classroom. Here are two of them that are offered for language teachers.

The Electronic Village Online (EVO) is a set of online courses that is offered by TESOL. It takes place every year for six weeks, January-February. Sessions include a range from simple discussions to virtual hands-on workshops. The sessions are free and open to all interested parties. You do not need to be a TESOL member to participate. Click here to view the descriptions of 2008 Sessions in order to have a general idea.

Consultants-E Online Courses : Consultants-E offers a variety of online courses for language teachers. Their 20-week Cert ICT (Certificate in Teaching Languages with Technology) course is fully validated by Trinity College London. There are also short courses on different ICT tools. At IATEFL Cardiff, I personally met some of the high calibre and well-equipped tutors of Consultants-E who were really passionate about sharing their skills and knowledge with other teachers.

2.Web sites, Blogs and Wikis
Another thing you can do is to follow the web sites, blogs and wikis which offer a great wealth of information about using technology in the classroom. They are created and maintained by great people who enthusiastically share their knowledge and ideas. Here are some good links to follow:
Nik’s Learning Technology Blog: Nik Peachey is a person you should definitely be following to keep yourself updated on ICT and new technology.
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day: Larry Ferlazzo has an excellent collection of links for English teachers. I’m sure that his great work will motivate you to explore the web and learn a lot of new things!
Web 2.0 in Education: Web 2.0 in Education is created by Darren Walker in 2008.  It is designed to provide teachers with a directory of free webtools along with some suggestions as to how they may be used in the classroom. The idea behind this site matches with my idea of creating portals for English teachers in order to support them to use new technologies in their classrooms.

3.Videos and slideshows:
As we all know YouTube is a great source for English teachers. (See Jamie Keddie’s TEFLclips). There are also very good videos about the use of technology. Here are some YouTube links:
Blogs in Plain English, Wikis in Plain English, Podcasting in Plain English, Web 2.0 for EFL/ESL Teachers, Language Learning & Web 2.0

Teacher Training Videos is another web site where you can find useful videos. It is created by Russell Stannard. The videos on his web site are created for teachers to help them to incorporate technology into their teaching.

Some teachers and teacher trainers share their presentations with others. You can find good ones on Slideshare. Although presentations would be more comprehensive along with the presenters’ talk, having a look at the slides is another way of getting new ideas. Here are links to some presentations:
Web 2.0 Tools for EFL/ESL Teaching
Web 2.0 in the ELT Classroom: An Introduction
Integrating ICT into the Classroom
Blogs, Wikis and Podcasts: Web 2.0 Tools You Can Use

I hope you find these ideas and links useful. Once you start using Web 2.0 tools in your classroom, you will soon realize the great potential that the new technologies offer. Your students will find your lessons more engaging and this will be a great motivation for you. Please remember to share your experiences with your colleagues! Feel the pleasure of learning by sharing! (See my previous post about ‘online social networks’)

HAPPY LEARNING!