Following Saturday’s session on PowerPoint, the next 10 working days will take one point at a time and see how teachers have used it in their own lessons. Come back to this blog every day, Monday to Friday, from March 19 and see if there’s just one new thing that can be done to make those PowerPoints go with a bang. And if there is – post a comment to let us know. First point up by 9am tomorrow!
If anyone wonders how and why we are giving away the Communicate.06 conference for free, both offline and online, I can reveal the answer today.
In the last week the MFLE has had at least a 10% growth in its membership of Scottish teachers. Many, many more have applied from outside the country, wanting to take part in the forums, which for the next two months are going to offer expert support for educators in their blogging, podcasting, digital video, animation, eTwinning and web projects (more online guides after Saturday).
If a conference with only 100 attendees invited along can generate this much buzz and desire to learn something new, in one of the busiest times of the year, it makes me even more tempted to run another conference later in the year, during a quieter period. I’d much prefer to spend budgets on providing this than on leaflets few will read. It obviously has a huge effect on our membership and on those taking up new technologies in their classroom.
Would educators outside Scotland make the trip if the course was available for a nominal fee ($50 / £30, for example)? Would LTS be prepared to use more conferences like this as a kind of marketing tool?
The MFLE is proud to launch its podcasting section, sharing the expertise and experiences of those who have already been amongst the first in Europe to podcast in MFL and other subjects. You can also learn more if you are a teacher in Scotland by registering for the MFLE and visiting the Communicate.06 conference forum. Anyone can follow the Communicate.06 conference online on the MFLE from March 18.
Quite a debate going on at edublogs about whether students would vote with their feet and stop learning any foreign languages given the choice. Can we increase interest in languages by offering new languages such as Chinese and Japanese? Or is the key in the way things are timetabled? Your comments are welcome over on the edublogs blog.
The MFLE has just launched a new online forum for student and trainee teachers working in Primary as a generalist or Secondary as a Modern Foreign Languages specialist. Brian Templeton, of Glasgow University, has just started proceedings by asking how Initial Teacher Education and the Induction year have prepared trainee and new teachers for the profession.
Register for the MFLE and share your thoughts.
Via Loic I found this blog, Jean de Filles. The author talks on a regular basis about how she is doing la customisation of her jeans. The language is simple and adjective filled, the blog design very cool – what you’d expect when it’s sponsored by Levis. And, of course, readers can leave questions and comments. This could make a really good lesson activity when you’re ploughing through clothing in French.
The aim of the Microsoft Community Learning Awards is to support community groups and charities across the UK who are tackling digital exclusion by providing opportunities for disadvantaged young people and adults to learn about information technology through community-based technology and learning centres. The Microsoft Community Learning Awards 2006 will distribute 30 awards of £2,500 to community groups and charities across the UK.
This is your opportunity to tell how you are already providing IT training and how a grant from Microsoft could enhance the contribution you are making in your community. The deadline for applications for the Microsoft Community Learning Awards 2006 is Friday 24th March 2006.
The organisers of the E-learning Awards are now calling for entries for this year’s Awards. The winners will be announced on 9th November.
Have you an e-learning project that has enjoyed great success this year and would like it to be recognized? Have you a certain professional or team whose excellence and success you think should be recognized? The entry deadline has been set for 31st July 2006, so if you register your entry now you have a full six months to work on your ‘award-winning’ submission! The full list of award categories appears online along with the entry form.
This time last year I was filling in my lengthy application form for the European Award for Languages. All I can say to our language teaching readers – foreign language and ESL – is that if you run a project in the UK using technology (or not) that is innovative and replicable then get yourself over the CILT site and register.
We won last year and it made such a difference to morale, both in the kids and in the teachers. It brings a real sense of worth to the work you do when often, in the early stages of something new, many cast it off as an ‘interesting trial’ or ‘curious’ project (they never think it’s worth anything educationally). Maybe something you are doing now is more innovative and novel than you think…
Newly released this week is the relaunched mflePodcast, the radio show that you can listen to anytime, anywhere. It starts with podcasts from the eTwinning conference in Edinburgh from the end of February. Listen to the inspiring Conor Galvin or find out how you can take advantage of ICT in running your foreign link projects.
You can listen online by clicking the links on the mflePodcast page or you can download the files (right-click and save on a PC, ctrl-click and save on a Mac). You can also search for the mflePodcast on iTunes.
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