Modern Languages Blog

The latest news and events from Alliance Française is  now available online. Highlights include the latest podcast episode and details of their upcoming courses.

Alliance Française are hosting an illustrated talk discussing Jules Verne’s ‘forgotten’ Scottish novel – The Green Ray.

As well as a debate around Towns as characters in works of modern fiction – a panel of authors from twinned cities Glasgow, Nüremberg and Marseille will discuss the identity of their town and the influence it has had on their literature.

http://www.afglasgow.org.uk/

Web-Translations blog has posted an article which lists 15 different online places offering free language lessons online, covering a variety of languages.

http://blog.web-translations.com/web-translations/where-to-find-free-foreign-language-lessons-online/1403

Episode 5 of the Alliance Française de Glasgow podcast is now online. It is in French for learners of French. This month’s episode is entirely dedicated to the recent Fête de la Musique in Glasgow. Accompanying documents will be available asap on the related Facebook group (search for Alliance Française de Glasgow podcast).

http://www.afglasgow.org.uk/spip.php?page=podcast

Lexiophiles has complied a list of all the blogs that have been nominated in their category ‘Language teaching: Blogs discussing languages from the perspective of a teacher’. 

http://www.lexiophiles.com/language-blog-toplist/top-100-language-blogs-2009-nominated-blogs-language-teaching

Meet the Germans from the Goethe-Institut Glasgow.

You’ll find:

• a weblog from Berlin, written by travel writer Rory McLean
• articles on Germans in different walks of life
• interviews with contemporary personalities in art and culture.

http://www.goethe.de/ins/gb/lp/prj/mtg/enindex.htm

The Primary Languages website is a national gateway to advice, information, support and training for primary languages teaching and learning. The site is owned and operated by CILT, the National Centre for Languages, the government’s recognised centre of expertise on languages.

http://www.primarylanguages.org.uk/primary_languages.aspx?

This spring, the Alliance has launched a podcast in French for learners of French.  The podcast comes with accompanying documents to help you make the best of it. You can also interact with teachers and co learners/listeners.

Listen to the podcast: http://www.afglasgow.org.uk/spip.php?article306 

See Podcast Alliance Française de Glasgow on Facebook for accompanying scripts and learner materials.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=78617930258

Voxbone has been chosen by language Learning specialist Learnosity to connect language students around the world with their teachers and each other. Through its global IP network, Voxbone enables Learnosity’s students to share their native fluencies and accents for the cost of local calls. 

Find out more about Voxbone and Learnosity

http://www.checkpoint-elearning.com/article/6480.html

All Scottish primary schools are invited to join the Junior Language Challenge, the only national language-learning competition of its kind in the UK.
The JLC was started six years ago with the aim of encouraging children under the age of 11 to develop a lifelong passion for language learning, by using cutting-edge multimedia software to learn up to three foreign languages as they compete against schools from all over the country.

The competition is organised and run by modern languages publisher EuroTalk Ltd and this is what it offers:

- a fun, interesting way to give children a headstart in language learning

- the chance to offer a new language (one you wouldn’t already be teaching) (and EuroTalk say it won’t be a drain on time as they take responsibilty for organising everything)

- because of the way the software is designed, teachers need no previous knowledge of the languages used

- great prizes for everyone

There is a nominal competition fee of £2.50 per child. These monies go entirely to an educational charity supported by EuroTalk. Each year the winner of the competition visits Africa to inaugurate a classroom purchased with the competition fees.

If you’re interested, there are full details and an online application form on the EuroTalk website.

The Scottish Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research (Scottish CILT) has recently created a wiki especially for Modern languages in Scotland.

The aim is to create a unique knowledge base for teachers in Scotland. You can easily add your own ideas to topics that already exist or share your own ideas on a brand new topic. Please visit the Scottish Cilt wiki for more information.

http://scottishcilt.wetpaint.com/