Lesson Plan/Teaching Ideas Emerging Technologies Reviews Networking SIG Group Reports Chapter Reports
In this issue: Feature Articles Introducing Your New Web 2.0 Toolkit! – John Allan & Stephen Roney Seven Ways Technology Can Make You More Effective – Justin Shewell & Christine Coombe
C o n t e n t s Perspec tives
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From the Co-Editors
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Message from the President
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TESOL Arabia Conference Update
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Feature Articles Introducing Your New Web 2.0 Toolkit! Seven Ways Technology Can Make You More Effective
John Allan & Stephen Roney
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Justin Shewell & Christine Coombe
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Lesson Plan / Teaching Ideas Class Forums: Promoting Independent Learning through Setting and
Mary Hughes
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Richard Lau & Laura Lau
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Peter Waters
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Siham Landolsi
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Abdelbasset Jeddi
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Michael Fields
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Jane Hoelker
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Ali Shehadeh
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Assessing Weekly Goals A Math Function: Linking Mathematics and English through Technology
Emerging Technologies Emerging Technology- Photoblogs: Every Picture Tells a Story
Reviews A Teacher’s Guide to Classroom Research: Fourth Edition Teaching Vocabulary: Strategies and Techniques Oxford Wordpower: For Arabic-Speaking Learners of English
Networking The 7th Asia TEFL Conference 3rd Biennial International Conference on Task-Based Language Teaching TESOL ARABIA CONFERENCE 2010 TRAVEL GRANT
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Calendar of Upcoming Events
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TESOL Arabia News TESOL Arabia News
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Special Interest Group Reports
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Chapter Reports
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TESOL Arabia Membership Form
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Perspectives Contributor Guidelines
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Co-Editors Melanie Gobert / Rebecca Woll Abu Dhabi Men's College
Abu Dhabi, UAE
Copy Editor
Welcome to the November issue of Perspectives. We are delighted to bring you this special technology issue. No matter where you find yourself on the technology continuum, we hope that you will find something here that sparks your educational imagination.
William Kennedy ADNOC Technical Institute Abu Dhabi, UAE
For our “innovators” and “early adopters,” we have some powerful new tools with which to entice you in our feature article, “Introducing Your New Web 2.0 Toolkit!” by John Allan and Stephen Rodney.This article provides descriptions of a variety of Web 2.0 tools with innovative platforms for collaborating and networking. For example, you can read about Pageflakes, which allows you to create your very own user defined (home) page and Forvo, which offers its users a pronunciation guide as well as a pronunciation modeling resource. Alternatively, if you care to try something Delicious, you can read all about this “tasty” Web 2.0 tool, which enables its users to bookmark web sources not only for their own benefit, but to share with others as well. Allan and Rodney have done all the legwork for us tired teachers – it is now thoroughly up to you to read their article and learn all about these tools which have the potential to put the learning and creating into the technologically capable hands of our students.
Reviews Editor Atta Gebril UAE University Al Ain, UAE
Publication Committee Mashael Al Hamly Kuwait Embassy in Dubai Dubai, UAE Rebecca Woll Abu Dhabi Men's College Abu Dhabi, UAE Melanie Gobert Abu Dhabi Men's College Abu Dhabi, UAE Sufian Abu Rmaileh UAE University Al Ain, UAE
For those of you who are “laggards,” we believe that you will appreciate the tips provided in our second feature article,“Seven Ways Technology Can Make You More Effective,” by TESOL Arabia outgoing Webmaster Justin Shewell and the new Leadership and Management Special Interest Group Co-Chair, Christine Coombe. This article features advice that will help you to organize your time more efficiently using technology, such as “rainlendars,” which allows you to display todo lists and calendars directly onto your computer desktop. For our Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) practitioners, we have an integrated lesson plan: “A Math Function Technology – Linking Mathematics and English,” by Richard and Laura Lau, which gives students who are fairly proficient in math, but may not be as equally capable in English, a chance to shine. If you are a dedicated promoter of lifelong and independent learning, we also have a lesson plan for you, entitled “Class Forums: Promoting Independent Learning through Setting and Assessing Weekly Goals.” In this article, Mary Hughes describes how to use the forum “Proboard” to help students set and meet self-directed learning goals.
Advisory Panel Fatma Alwan Supervisor Ministry of Education, UAE Christine Coombe Dubai Men’s College Dubai, UAE Kourosh Lachini University of Qatar Doha, Qatar Olivia Riordan American University of Sharjah Sharjah, UAE Richard Harrison German University of Technology in Oman Muscat, Oman Lynne Ronesi American University of Sharjah Sharjah, UAE Nicolas Moore Khalifa University Abu Dhabi, UAE
For those teachers with a keen eye, we are also quite pleased to offer you an Emerging Technology piece from Peter Waters, a 2009 recipient of the Higher Colleges of Technology’s Chancellor’s Nikai Faculty Award for Excellence in Innovative Teaching. In his article,“Photoblogs: Every Picture Tells a Story,” he shares his experience and knowledge of what we are sure you will agree is a great class project - joining a public photoblog portal like the highly successful,“City Daily Photo.” Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to encourage you to read in this issue about how to apply for three TESOL Arabia grants, the Professional Course Development Grant,Travel Grant, and Research Grant, which are available for TESOL Arabia members exclusively.We hope that you will take advantage of the wonderful opportunities such grants may provide, as described in this issue in reports by previous PD grant course recipient Justin Shewell as well as Travel Grant recipient Ali Shehadeh. We sincerely hope you find something to “technify” your classroom in this issue and, as always, thoroughly welcome feedback on articles as well as submissions for future issues. Here’s to a great academic year!
CREDITS Rebecca Woll
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Layout / Artwork
Melanie Gobert
Sudeep Kumar
Co-Editors, Perspectives
Printing International Printing Press Dubai, UAE
The co-editors would like to remind the readers that the views expressed in this periodical are those of the individual authors. These views are not necessarily shared by the other authors in this issue or by TESOL Arabia. Responsibility for the content and opinion of articles and advertisements rests with the authors. TESOL Arabia is a non-profit organisation based in the United Arab Emirates with membership from the Arabian Gulf and beyond. TESOL Arabia does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, gender, national origin, disability, religion, age, or native language. For more information, please visit our website: http://www.tesolarabia.org
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Dear Colleagues, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all members to the 2009-10 academic year. I hope that all of you have weathered the hectic start-up that every new academic year seems to bring, and that you will find some time to take part in the line up of excellent professional development opportunities TESOL Arabia is providing this year. TESOL Arabia Chapters and SIGs have mapped out a number of events for the year. There is an event nearly every weekend, and members are welcome to attend free of charge. Our membership chair, Les Kirkham, and Memberat-Large, Sandra Oddy, will be attending various local chapter and SIG events, at which time you may join TESOL Arabia or renew your membership. You will also be able register for the 16th Annual TESOL Arabia Conference & Exhibition on these occasions. Please check the website for notices about when you will find Membership at your local events.You may also join TESOL Arabia, renew your membership and register for the annual conference online (credit cards now accepted). For details, please visit our website (www.tesolarabia.org). In the first weekend of October, the TESOL Arabia Executive Committee and SIG chairs met in Dubai for our annual retreat, where we considered the organization’s performance, identified our strengths and areas for improvement, and determined ways to better serve our membership. During this process, we identified several critical success areas for TESOL Arabia, including the improvement of communication and contact with members, the need to maintain financial stability without increasing membership fees, and the importance of providing a greater variety of professional development opportunities to our members. To this end, we have designed a survey to determine members’ interests in terms of training and development. The survey has been sent through the TESOL Arabia listserv, so please do take a few minutes to complete it. We will use this information to develop professional development opportunities that will address our members’ particular needs. By the end of the annual conference next March, we are hoping to have launched at least two intensive courses. I am also delighted to announce the establishment of a new Special Interest Group (SIG). The Leadership and Management (LM) SIG, chaired by Phil Quirke and Christine Coombe, will focus on the promotion and development of good management practices in the region, and the investigation of leadership and management issues. Personnel management, motivation, conflict management and strategic planning are only a few of the topics that will be addressed by the LM SIG. Check the TESOL Arabia website to see their great lineup of events for this year. Another new development in the region we are very excited about is the Franklin Global SpellEvent, which TESOL Arabia will host on April 24 at Dubai Men’s College. The event, organized by TESOL International and Franklin Electronic Publishers, is an international spelling competition that is open to English language learners between the ages of 11 and 15. The UAE’s first and second-place finishers, along with their guardians, will be flown to New York for the 2nd Annual Global SpellEvent which will take place in August, 2010. First prize in the final competition will be a scholarship worth US $10,000. This is a great opportunity for teachers to get all their students involved. We will send out more information about how to take part in this event in the near future. In my last letter to Perspectives, I wrote about the spirit of volunteerism, the very heart of an organization such as TESOL Arabia. Since that time, a number of people have come forward to offer their services. In particular, I would like to welcome volunteers Phil Quirke, Craig Ivory, Steve Allison, Hilal Onat and Christine Coombe to the new LM SIG; Saad Rabia, Fathi Bin Mohamed, Naamat Saadi Hezber and Ahmad Awadh to the ESP SIG; acting representative Yurii Vedrashko to the Eastern Region Chapter, and Ismail Fayed, incoming Webmaster. You can find their contact information on the TESOL Arabia website. We have also been joined by a host of new volunteers who have offered their time and energy to organizing the 16th Annual TESOL Arabia Conference & Exhibition. It is exciting to see so many new faces, and to reap the benefits that these new people bring to the organization. It is the people who make TESOL Arabia vibrant and strong, and I look forward to meeting even more volunteers this year. In closing, I would like to wish all of you a successful and rewarding academic year. I plan to attend local chapter and SIG events around the Emirates throughout the year, so please come and say hello. I look forward to seeing old colleagues and meeting new ones. With warm regards,
Josephine Clark Kennedy President, TESOL Arabia
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TESOL Arabia Conference Update
16th Annual TESOL Arabia International Conference and Exhibition 2010 Thursday March 11 - Saturday March 13, 2010 Pre-conference professional development courses on Wednesday March 10, 2010 Zayed University, Dubai Academic City “TESOL Transformations” Proposal deadline: 15 November 2009 Look out for details at http://tesolarabia.org/conference Presentations, Workshops, Publication Exhibition, Job Fair, Innovative Materials Showcase, New Online Delegate Interaction, Poster Presentations, and much more…. Further information? Contact the Chairs at TACon2010@tesolarabia.org
On behalf of the Committee of TESOL Arabia Conference and Exhibition 2010, we would like to take this opportunity to thank our conference participants of previous years for their continuing support and participation and to welcome prospective first-time conference participants to what is the premier ESL conference in the region.We have some exciting new initiatives on offer in 2010. The theme for this year’s conference is “Transformations in TESOL.” Change is one of the few constants in TESOL. It is a field that has always been in constant flux, as new theories and beliefs about learning, teaching and research emerge. Like all areas of education, it is also a transformative process, with the potential to change learners, teachers and institutions. Change is also being felt in the region, through English content instruction, and shifting expectations of English language teaching.The constant change in the field is not always linear, nor is it even always consistent. On the one hand, teachers face the demands of professionalization and the expectations and perceptions accompanying them, while at the same time, others must deal with the threat of de-skilling.Teachers are also taking on greater responsibilities such as continuing their studies in the field, and becoming teacher mentors or supervisors. The growing role played by non-native speaking teachers is also significant as these teachers seek to build upon assets and overcome unique challenges. The intention behind the current theme is to reflect on these and other changes we face, and to share how we are meeting them or how they are influencing our practice. Overall, the theme “Transformations in TESOL” invites participants to explore the ways in which educators respond to the dynamic nature of English language teaching and learning. As always, we have a fantastic line up of plenary, featured and invited speakers ready to challenge you with fresh ideas and insights including David Nunan, Jeremy Harmer, Andrew Wright and Michael McCarthy. For those who would like to contribute to the program, the Call for Papers is open for submissions until midnight on November 15, 2009. Presentations and workshops may look back with new awareness at where we’ve been in the field, explore innovations in research, theory, technology and classroom practice, and consider challenges and changes both educators and learners face and how these can transform our ideas and practice. Volume 16
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Of course, change is not only limited to educational institutions. 2010 brings more changes to the TESOL Arabia International Conference, including a new venue. The conference will be held at Zayed University and Conference Centre located in Dubai Academic City. We are delighted with the design of the space, the well-appointed presentation rooms and the magnificent exhibition area. We hope that conference delegates enjoy the opportunity to make use of the excellent facilities the university has to offer. Another new feature of the 2010 conference is the introduction of an online virtual initiative which offers more channels of interaction amongst conference delegates and/or organizers. Shortly before and during the conference, conference delegates will be able to share their own profiles by taking part in the TACON 2010 blogs and discussion forums. In addition, conference updates and announcements, as well as a video archive of some key presentations, will be available online for conference delegates. In line with recent conferences, TESOL Arabia delegates will once again be offered the opportunity to participate in a selection of specialized professional development courses both before and during the conference. These specialized courses require payment of fees in addition to your main conference registration. As spaces on these courses are limited, you are advised to register for them early to avoid disappointment. Further information about the courses can be found in the relevant sections of the website. For all book lovers and material writers, as well as those looking for the latest teaching aids or editions of their preferred texts, the TESOL Arabia Exhibition will once again host the major education publishers and distributors in addition to many tertiary institutions. In addition to the Exhibition, we plan to host the Innovative Material Showcase. This part of the conference gives publishers, distributors, and educational establishments a chance to showcase their latest products in interactive presentations and workshops. The new Innovative Material Showcase, coupled with the Exhibition, will provide delegates with great networking and learning opportunities. The 2010 Conference will also continue to offer a comprehensive Job Fair, which will once again bring together job seekers and the major recruiting organizations in the region. Looking for qualified candidates to fill a variety of posts, including some positions that are filled onsite, the TESOL Arabia Job Fair retains its position as the premier employment opportunity for both recruiters and job seekers in the ESL teaching profession in the region. Please note that job seekers must register for the Conference in order to attend the Job Fair. Due to the incredible success of Dubai as an international tourist and conference destination, demand for hotel space is high.We have done our best to provide you with some options for your stay in Dubai. Please feel free to make use of those listed on the conference website, and make hotel reservations as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. On behalf of TESOL Arabia’s Conference Organizing Committee, we look forward to welcoming you all to the 2010 Conference!
Mashael Al Hamly & Josephine Kennedy Conference Co-chairs, 2010 Volume 16
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Introducing Your New Web 2.0 Toolkit!
John Allan, New Media Language Training Ottawa, Canada
Digital Natives
one is a host service, and four are social networking or Web 2.0 sites! Indeed, the five search engine sites also employ social networking features, such as blogs and media sharing.
Not too long ago we noticed something new in our language labs. For what seemed the first time, most of our students were accessing and utilizing on-line digital resources without assistance during the facilitating of an integrated project.This differed from the past, when our students required, at least for the first few times whilst engaged in a fresh webbased task, a certain amount of instruction, guidance and teacher energy. These students had now become “digital natives.” As defined by Prensky (2000), digital natives have the ability to navigate and use new Web 2.0 tools without supervision, due to the fact that they have been using networked computers, mobile phones and gaming consoles since they were old enough to toddle.The greater part of this digital contact has been without supervision. By adolescence, they have developed awareness of the commonalities in interactive media design and created strategies to sample and master new digital products.
Beyond simple blogs, podcasts, and wikis, hundreds of new tools have appeared under the Web 2.0 umbrella.These digital resources embody the amazing creative genius of thousands of dedicated developers combined with the almost equally imaginative contributions of millions of individuals on the Internet. Solomon and Schrum (2007, 21) contend that the shift to Web 2.0 tools can have a profound effect on schools and learning, causing a tectonic shift in our thinking. It seems vital, therefore, for teachers to be acquainted with the new offerings from the Web 2.0 movement.
What is Web 2.0? As Riedel (2009) stated, "It's about sharing and collaborating." Likewise, it's about putting the power to learn and create into the hands of the students. More technically,Web 2.0 can be defined as a new set of resources on the Internet resulting from powerful new scripting languages such as Ajax.These sites are novel in that they rely on the community of users to contribute and develop content.Thus, they are, among other things, truly social gathering spaces. In the words of The Economist’s longtime Silicon Valley correspondent, “these new applications and services inherently lend themselves to collaboration, sharing and participation” (Six years, 2009). Examples of this are augmenting an entry in Wikipedia, authoring a blog, commenting on an online video, rating a photograph or contributing to an on-line community map.
According to Godwin-Jones (2009, 3), “Language instructors in higher education are finding that the current generation of students is coming to campus with quite sophisticated technology skills and habits. Many are fully conversant with and committed to communicating through social networking sites.” They may be digital masters whereas some, if not many, of their teachers are, by contrast, “digital immigrants,” or perhaps, in some cases, “digital refugees.” The sheer volume of traffic through the Internet is awe-inspiring and it is rapidly becoming more interactive through Web 2.0. According to Alexa.com (Top Sites, 2009), of the top ten most-accessed sites on the Internet, five are search engines, Volume 16
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Solomon and Schrum (2007) provide another comprehensive description of the Web 2.0 and education landscape, suggesting that the core elements are podcasting, wikis and blogs. Their definition also encompasses other Web 2.0 essentials such as social bookmarking, photosharing, photo editing, video showcasing, word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, e-portfolios, content management, mapping, calendars, 3D modeling, social networking, surveys and polls, drawing, mash ups, eHubs, instant messaging, and Internet telephony.
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One way to look at Web 2.0 is as a school built without the restraints of walls. Everything is or can be in full, unimpeded contact with the surrounding world. Students often become more engaged when they are creating or contributing media for an authentic real-world audience. Therefore, it may be thrilling for them to realize that their work can now be seen and have an effect upon the world that exists beyond the confines of their school’s walls. This article offers a small sample of the Web2.0 resources presently available to the language teacher. This is not an exhaustive listing, and cannot be, for the Web is continuously changing. However, it gives some idea of the broad range of activities that can be turned into learning opportunities by enterprising ESL instructors. Please bear in mind that for each resource uncovered here, there are more than a dozen other valid digital assets waiting to be discovered by language teachers and their students.
Picnik – used for creating images for documents or presentations Delicious - used for setting up common web links TeacherTube - used for locating or uploading video for teaching purposes Pageflakes - used for quickly creating a class page on the Internet
Lexipedia is a visual lexical analysis tool. It is in the early stages of development, so it lacks a certain amount of Web 2.0 functionality. However, it is already appropriately structured so as to be exploited by language teachers and learners. Lexipedia suggests seven types of related words for each term entered: nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, synonyms, antonyms and “fuzzynyms.” For each of these, it offers a concise text description. Fuzzynyms are words of the same part of speech that loosely but logically associate with the search term. The item entrepreneur, for example, returns capitalist, shopkeeper, tradesman, financier, moneyman, executive, administrator and storekeeper as fuzzynyms. English teachers can offer this tool to students as a resource to generate their own rules of language. In addition, learners can use teacher-generated charts to complete definitions, parts of speech, synonyms, antonyms and closely related words or fuzzynyms. Learners can also be challenged to generate their own fuzzynyms without the aid of Lexipedia.
Web 2.0 tools can be useful during the preparation, execution and closing stages of a language lesson. Although most can be creatively used either for materials production or as discovery widgets in the hands of students, they are presented here in two sections: preparation tools and active learning resources.
This resource can be found at www.lexipedia.com.
Presentation and Lesson Preparation Tools These tools make the job of teaching (and learning) easier, without requiring all students to have access to a computer in class.
Slideshare is a community-based resource for sharing electronic slide presentations, most commonly known as PowerPoints. In addition, other common documents and media files can be stored such as worksheets or spreadsheets. For educators of English, this resource has four powerful applications. The first is to locate and learn concepts
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and practical strategies for teaching from teaching peers. The second is as a source of slide shows that might be useful in the classroom. The third is to create lectures, visual prompts or guides for use in the classroom or school. The fourth is to use it as an international platform for your students to show their work. A fifth and final powerful application is at the institution level whereby administrators use it as a means of promoting special events.
Picnik also talks to, or interfaces with, a myriad of Web 2.0 community-based resources such as Flickr, Photobucket, FaceBook, MySpace, Picasa and many more, including blogging resources. In a class blog, many photos must be cropped, resized, possibly rotated and color-corrected to meet the requirements of the visual space for presentation and thus, Picnik could be a handy tool. Picnik may be found on the Web at www.picnik.com.
Slideshare offers storage, archiving and worldwide retrieval of stored presentations. Presentations can include all media types that can be embedded in a PowerPoint slide. In addition, a Slideshare author can add an audio track to a pre-existing presentation. One can, for example, record the full lecture along with the slides. Teachers or students can make their presentations private, give permission to individual users or groups (the class) to view it, or make it open to the public. Non-members can view Slideshare presentations, but are not allowed to download the original files, upload their own files or join groups. The community is growing at such a rapid rate that teachers should soon be able to locate slide shows related to every topic they require at this site.
Language teachers can set up their page as a command center or as a class resource page with ready-made widgets or “flakes” such as dictionary feeds, online translators, daily ESL podcasts, the class schedule, recent quiz or exam results, and so forth.
The URL you need for this resource is www.slideshare.net.
It is not challenging to use, as it is mostly a matter of drag-and-drop with prepackaged tools. However, even an extreme technophobe can make use of predesigned “pagecasts,” which are full pages stocked with tools and feeds on a specific subject, created by others and offered to the public. Among the pages already available are a fair number specific to education and even to ESL. One, for example, is titled “EFL Classroom 2.0” with feeds of ESL audio files, videos, texts, and daily “lessons in a can.”
Picnik is a relatively new resource that allows the user to create, edit and manipulate images. Students and teachers can use this tool freely and for free. The premium option allows for visually spectacular filters and functionality; however, the complimentary functions far surpass the requirements of a language-learning lesson.
Another exciting option for this tool might be for a teacher to assign his/her class to develop a pagecast revolving around a subject under current discussion in the class as a whole class or group project with the added incentive or “thrill” being that it would be accessible worldwide and, therefore, of potentially much greater beneficial use to others.
Creating images or optimizing photographs was a core requirement for teachers creating worksheets and assessments even before the desktop publishing revolution in the eighties. Picnik allows educators to construct more interesting paper-based or digital learning opportunities for their students. Beyond practical image editing, students can use it to construct collages, scrapbooks and cards to tell a bigger story.
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Pageflakes is a user-designed page, ideally a homepage, which draws desired content from all over the Web. Teachers can, for example, set up a page which shows them, at a glance, their most recent emails, what is happening with their friends on Facebook, their latest Flickr photos, the local weather forecast, upcoming local events, and clocks giving the current local time as well as in other locations of choice around the world.
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Delicious is a social bookmarking site that allows users to organize and store their web resources at a central web-based point. Here, web links can be saved, tagged, classified and ultimately shared with the world. Thus, it serves as a global extension of the “bookmarks” or “favorites” options in a person’s Internet browser. Furthermore, in the spirit of social communities, a person also has access to the bookmarks of the rest of the community. Many find that the benefit of having access to other users’ bookmarks is this site’s greatest advantage. “Not only does it organize ‘my’ stuff, but it provides infinite resources for me too!” enthuses one user on Blippr (Harnett, 2009).
Mind42 is browser-based collaborative mind mapping software. Mind maps allow users to visually represent relationships that exist between words through the use of links, lists, and categorizations. Mind maps are a useful tool for brainstorming and also allow learners to apply visual skills to recognize a concept or concepts. Granted, students can create such maps using pencils, but without the ability to quickly change tack. They can also create them using software, but at a price. Alternatively, they can create them dynamically for free with an online resource such as Mind42. Additional activities are offered through this Web 2.0 tool which can enhance the primary mapping activity so as to improve comprehension and exercise communicative skills.
ESL teachers may simply wish to use this as a means of acquiring a vast number of resources from other educators or from friends who share common hobbies or interests. However, it can also serve as a conduit for teaming students together, allowing them to pool any resources they find while researching a common topic. These bookmarks could then, in turn, be offered to other course sections or larger communities in order to create a repository of links on various subject matters. A local application would be to have students create digital resources, book reviews, Internet pages, or image collections, and add these to a Delicious space for public or private display.
Mind42 offers two levels of membership. The basic membership allows all of the functionality that an ESL teacher and student would require, including online collaboration and publishing. Teachers should explore this resource before using it with their students, as it offers many features, such as adding notes, a variety of templates, online publishing to the community, flexible node functions, and the insertion of pictures and hyperlinks. If the goal is to create a basic and shareable mind map with or without collaboration within the class or Internet community, this is, indeed, a useful tool.
Delicious is located at www. delicious.com.
Active Learning Tools These tools are more hands-on, and better suited to the computer lab. The active learning tools to be included in this article are as follows: N N N N N
Mind42 can be found at www.mind42.com.
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Writeboard - used for collaborating on digital projects
Voicethread is a common web space that allows people to discuss a medium of focus. The medium of focus could be a video, drawing, photograph, text document, or presentation. The Voicethread community can comment or annotate on uploaded files using a telephone, web camera, microphone, or
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typed text. While recording a commentary on Voicethread, an individual can also draw upon the original medium of focus in order to illustrate his/her viewpoint.
quick access to the whole of YouTube, including videos one wishes to avoid. It is therefore advised that educators access TeacherTube resources exclusively though http://teachertube.com.
Applications for ESL include the creation of listening and reading exercises, both aided by illustrations, if so desired, as well as activities which practice writing and speaking such as the creation of written or recorded commentary on posted media. Encouraging students to then comment upon others’ comments means that it can be highly interactive and can produce a very natural, realistic linguistic dialogue. Voicethread is a rich resource and, potentially, quite a motivational tool for language teachers due to the diversity of existing media it utilizes as well as its potential to launch an infinite number of new discussions or “threads.”
Students can access and view all content without a membership account. However, you must be a member in order to comment, add friends, or upload video to the TeacherTube site. ESL teachers can profitably use streaming video for tutorials, lectures, training on the fly, current events, drama, or to practice their students’ writing and listening skills. There are, of course, many other streaming video resources on the Web. Social video sites include VIMEO, Google Video, MetaCafe and, perhaps of greatest interest, YouTubeEDU (www.youtube.com/edu), featuring college-level content. Even more convenient is ESLvideo (www.eslvideo.com), which allows a teacher to generate a simple quiz based on an existing video. This is the area where Web 2.0 and streaming media will excel in the coming months and years.
Voicethread requires a full membership in order to create a space with media to be discussed. Teachers and students must also sign up in order to comment. General access allows one to strictly view the media and listen and read the comments of others.
To access TeacherTube, use http://teachertube.com.
This browser-based collaborative discussion resource can be found at www.voicethread.com.
Ask500People is a visually diverse polling resource that promotes discussion on-line as well as in the traditional classroom. Polling can stimulate conversation as a pre- or post- activity on any topic. Ask500People offers the students a worldwide focus group to react to their questions. Questions such as, “Is recycling important in your city?” or statements like “Democracy is a good system of government” can generate up to 500 responses. Data is reported in a single window in a variety of possible forms: by location, with responses shown on a map, as a graph, by gender, by age, by income, and by education, based on each member’s data. Some of this data may be misleading, since non-members can vote based on their IP connection. Nevertheless, it tends to produce a fairly good representation of world opinion. For instance, the question being featured on its home page at the time of writing this article showed respondents from every continent except Antarctica.
TeacherTube is a relatively risk-free area that teachers can use to deliver and contribute video, slideshows or animated mixed media content. Based upon the model of YouTube, TeacherTube collects, categorizes and dispenses rich media to both members as well as the general public. It uses tags provided by the contributor as well as channels for quick searches on specific topics. Perhaps its greatest value is that TeacherTube offers a “safe zone” for educators to guide their students to relevant activities. Because TeacherTube is outside the penumbra of YouTube, a teacher can be confident that unwanted or inappropriate content is unlikely to appear on students’ screens during lab sessions. Beware, however, for there is also a TeacherTube channel inside of YouTube, but this is not the safest access route to TeacherTube content, as it allows
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ESL teachers can use this data for projects, reports, comparisons, chart-reading practice, categorization, discussion topics, or writing tasks for their students. The visual data can be handily printed in digital documents. In addition, there are ranking and comment functions on this site which enable further interaction with the global community on any given issue being discussed in class.
Anyone can search and listen to the extensive database of pronunciations. However, only registered users can download all these files, create or rate pronunciations, and create a personalized page of pronunciation files for further practice or to assign for study. Forvo can be found at www.forvo.com.
Your own sampling of 500 people from around the world can be found at www.ask500people.com.
eHow is a community which essentially pools knowledge on how to do virtually everything. It is akin to a do-it-yourself encyclopedia and can advise on such matters as “How to Dress for College,” “How to Be Happy,” or “How to Keep Score in Bowling.” It is a great Web 2.0 tool, even for the idly curious who may wonder how anything and everything is done.
Forvo is a pronunciation guide as well as a pronunciation modeling resource that embodies all of the characteristics of Web 2.0. Forvo has advanced compatibility with mobile devices such as cell phones and personal data assistants. The global community continually contributes to its corpus. As of April 2009, it held over 135,000 pronounced words in 213 languages. It provides an easy-to-read profile of the vital statistics of each language. (Kazakh, for example, has 8 million speakers.) If no native speaker has yet registered a pronunciation of a given word, then Forvo requests your input. Inputting your voice also involves entering data such as gender and geographic region. The Forvo community then votes on the pronunciation and can report if the pronunciation seems inauthentic. This is, of course, a useful check on quality. Due to the fact that it traces a speaker’s place of origin, it is thus possible to demonstrate distinctions among various English geographical dialects such as those found in Yorkshire, Newfoundland, Singapore, Chennai, or New Orleans.
The resource includes several sections with special functionality such as written articles, videos, and community areas. Perhaps the most effective parts of this site are the “HowTos,” which are articles detailing processes. Within each “HowTo” entry is a step-by-step procedure (of particular use to those who may be teaching the imperative grammatical structure) that can be viewed at the site, copied to another medium, or printed for use in the classroom. Following this you can sometimes find a “Tips & Warnings” section in a more aphoristic form, followed by a section earmarked for reader comments. At eHow, teachers can find such gems as “How to Plan an ESL Valentine's Day Lesson” as well as a “HowTo” video on “Using Commas.” Membership is not required to search and view these great resources. However, formal association with this site allows a person to have all of the functionality associated with a Web 2.0 resource.
Forvo also sorts the pronounced words into various categories, such as “occupations,” or “transitive verbs.” This allows the ESL teacher to assign set blocks of words or terms for study. Students can then use the targeted list to practice their listening and pronunciation. The categories range from grammatical forms, or idioms, to topics such as fast food industry jargon, male names, and geographical regions.
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EHow, with all its useful teaching aids, can be found at www.ehow.com.
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offer plentiful opportunities for students to practice and thus improve their English language skills. These resources are virtually redefining the discipline of computer-assisted language learning, arguably even language teaching itself. The learner now has more power, creativity and chance for interaction with the broader community outside of the traditional classroom. The greatest boon of all may be that the cost for using such dynamic and engaging tools is usually only a free registration process and the ability to tolerate the advertising used at the sites.
Writeboard is, stated simply, a user-friendly wiki. A wiki is a collaborative digital document that is created, altered and enhanced by the subscribing community. There are many similar resources on the web and they offer roughly the same functionality. Teachers can designate groups or whole classes to work together on writing projects in Writeboard.
References
One of the issues with wikis is that editing requires the use of simple tags, which must be taught to users. Fortunately, there are only a few to learn: B is bold, U is underline, and so forth. “Digital natives” will already be aware of these conventions.
Top Sites. (2009). Alexa, the Retrieved on July 1, 2009, from http://www.alexa.com/topsites Hartnett, D. (2009). Delicious Reviews. Blippr. Retrieved on July 1, 2009 from http://www.blippr. com/apps/336896-Delicious
Wikis are best used for brainstorming or collaborative writing. Other media, such as images and videos, can be inserted into the presentation, as it is essentially a simple web page.
Prensky, M. (2000). Digital Game-Based Learning. New York: McGraw-Hill Riedel, C. (2009). Top 10 Web 2.0 Tools for Young Learners. T.H.E. Journal. Retrieved on July 1, 2009, from http://thejournal.com/articles/2009/02/02/ top-10-web-20-tools-for-young-learners.aspx
One can access the wiki experience at www.writeboard.com.
Conclusion
Six years in the valley. (2009, March 19). The Economist. Retrieved on July 1, 2009, from, www.economist.com/research/articlesBySubject/dis playstory.cfm?subjectid=348963&story_id=13337910
This short survey of Web 2.0 resources highlighted only twelve offerings whereas there are over 1700 others listed at AllMyFaves (www.allmyfaves.com). Some other worthy resources not discussed here are the VisualThesaurus, Authorstream, Blogger, ePals, 21classes, PBwiki, Wikipedia, ToonDoo, Myheritage, Kartoo and Yola. The rapid proliferation of these sites is staggering, but teachers should bear in mind that they are not required to be experts in them but merely understand their core commonalities. They can then use any of these resources, albeit with a little prior practice, to enhance their instruction as well as their students’ learning.
Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2007). Web 2.0: New tools, new schools. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
Biographies: John Allan has been involved in the TESOL profession for more than 20 years as a teacher, writer, presenter, trainer and materials developer. He currently works for a non-profit government contractor, New Language Training, in Ottawa, Canada, specializing in the use of educational technology.
Indisputably, there are numerous innovative activities available on the Internet. Web 2.0 communities such as Pageflakes, eHow, Writeboard, Picnik, VoiceThread, Forvo, Delicious, SlideShare, Mind42, Lexipedia, Ask500People and TeacherTube provide learning objects for students, teachers and administrators with a flexibility and an embarrassment of riches unheard of only a few short years-nay, months-ago. Such communities Volume 16
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Stephen Roney has been involved in TESOL for sixteen years. Before that, he was a software designer, professional writer and editor. He is a former president of the Editors’ Association of Canada and currently teaches, and handles CALL, for the College of the North Atlantic in Qatar.
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Web Resources Name
Description
Location
21classes
virtual classrooms
www.21classes.com
AllMyFaves
visual link homepage
www.allmyfaves.com
Ask500People
polling the world
www.ask500People.com
Authorstream
visual media sharing
www.authorstream.com
Blogger
blogging
www.blogger.com
Delicious
social bookmarking
www.delicious.com
Docstoc
professional document sharing
www.docstoc.com
Ehow
knowledge resource
www.ehow.com
Epals
electronic writing & reading
www.epals.com
social community
www.facebook.com
Flickr
photo sharing
www.flickr.com
Forvo
pronunciation & listening
www.forvo.com
Kartoo
visual searching
www.kartoo.com
Lexipedia
lexical analysis tool
www.lexipedia.com
Mind42
mind mapping/brain storming
www.mind42.com
Myheritage
categorization/family trees
www.myheritage.com
MySpace
vanity websites
www.myspace.com
Pageflakes
personalized homepage
www.pageflakes.com
PBwiki
wiki
www.pbwiki.com
Photobucket
photo sharing
www.photobucket.com
Picnik
image/photo editor
www.picnik.com
SlideShare
presentation sharing
www.slideshare.com
TeacherTube
education video sharing
www.teachertube.com
ToonDoo
comic strip creator
www.toondoo.com
mini-blogging
www.twitter.com
VisualThesaurus
visual thesaurus
www.visualthesaurus.com
VoiceThread
media discussion
www.voicethread.com
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
www.wikipedia.com
Writeboard
wiki
www.writeboard.com
Yola
website editor
http://www.yola.com
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Seven Ways Technology Can Make You More Effective
Justin Shewell UAE University Al Ain, UAE
effective, or alternatively, distracting us from what is really important (Coombe & Shewell, 2009).
Franklin Covey, a company which is a world leader in time management and effectiveness training, reported that in a recent survey 83% of people said they would like to be more organized (Limon, 2008). Another source reported that 60% of Americans feel that they do not have enough time to get everything done (Swenson, n.d.).
Keeping in line with the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (Covey, 2004), we have put forth seven ways we can use technology to become more effective time managers, as well as ways we can avoid the technological distractions that so often infiltrate our lives.
It seems, then, that many of us feel that if we could get more done in the time we have, we would be happier people with more balanced lives. In reality, trying to get more done in less time leads to increased frustration and stress.This is especially true for teachers as in recent years our roles have increased along with expectations as to our performance.Time, however, is the one resource we cannot control.We cannot speed it up, or make it go slower. Instead, to feel satisfied and effective in life, we need to focus our time on the things we deem most important in our lives (Covey, Merrill & Merrill, 1994).Thus, to be truly effective, we first must decide what is really important, and then find ways to focus our time and effort on those priorities.
#1: Use Technology to Organize Important Information In 2006, the Boston Globe printed an article that outlined the hazards of being disorganized.This article stated that “43% of Americans categorize themselves as disorganized, and 21% have missed vital work deadlines. Nearly half say disorganization causes them to work late at least two or three times each week� (Von Bergen, 2006). A year later, Accenture reported that, according to a recent survey of middle managers in large companies in the U.S. and U.K., 59% routinely miss important information because they don't know how to find it (Hatter & Trapasso, 2007). If you are like these managers, and so many other people, organizing important information you use everyday will go a long way towards helping you to become more effective.
As we try to become more effective, and concentrate on the things that really matter in our lives, we must look at how we spend our time, and find ways we can improve and make the time we have really count.To this end, we can turn to technology for help. Of course, technology can be a virtual doubleedged sword; while there are many ways technology helps us to use our time better, achieve our goals and become more effective, technology also offers many distractions that can waste time and detract from our effectiveness.Therefore, it is important that we carefully analyze the way we currently use technology, and evaluate how well it is helping us be Volume 16
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Christine Coombe Dubai Men’s College Higher Colleges of Technology, Dubai, UAE
Technology offers us many ways to efficiently and securely organize our information, some more advanced than others. Simply typing up important information in a text-editing program like Windows Notepad, or Microsoft Word, and then storing those files in a specific folder is an effective yet simple way to keep information accessible and reduce the amount of paper kept around the office or home. Of course, there are many programs that offer more attractive options to organize information, including N
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This type of task would typically be very difficult and tedious if we had to review several months’ worth of calendar books and appointment logs. However, if we are already keeping track of our appointments and daily tasks using technology, keeping a time log becomes much easier. Our appointment logs can also serve as a record of the happenings at meetings, so we remember what has previously been discussed, and what needs to be done as a result of those discussions. Once we have established our relationship with time, it is then necessary to categorize our time spent as either “productive” or “wasteful.” Those who keep a time log usually learn one or two things about themselves. Hopefully, they will come to the understanding that they are already using their time fairly well. Unfortunately, some learn that they are wasting a lot more time than they had previously thought (Coombe & Shewell, 2009).
postal addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers. There are also programs that can help us organize important calendar events and appointments. We can even keep such information private by password protecting the files. Many people have a simple text file on their computer where they store all kinds of important information such as their family's passport numbers and expiration dates, airline frequent flier program membership numbers, and so on, so that that they always know exactly where to find something without having to search for it. By keeping everything in an easily accessible location as well as an easy-to-use format, we then spend less time looking for important information, and more time using that information to help us achieve our goals.
#2: Use Technology to Remind Ourselves of Important Matters
#4: Use Technology to Organize our “To-Do Lists”
In line with keeping our appointments and contacts on our computer, we can also use the computer to remind us of important events in our lives. Calendar programs, such as Microsoft Outlook, or Mozilla's Sunbird, allow us to keep important events in the forefront of our minds by giving us reminders before our next important meeting or someone’s birthday, for example. One program we use, called “Rainlendar” displays calendar information, including important events and tasks, right on our desktops, so that it is always visible when needed. It also displays reminders at preset intervals, so we don't forget anything.
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NOT URGENT
I IMPORTANT
In much of the time-management literature, it is recommended that in order to increase our efficiency, we must first examine our relationship with time. One of the most common techniques to do this is through what is known as the “time log” (Time log, 2002). This time log is simply a list of how we spend our time each day. Once we have maintained a time log for a sufficient number of days or weeks, we can review the log to see how we typically spend our time and then decide if we are being effective at using our time wisely.
Covey (1994) talks about categorizing the items on our to-do list into four different categories: URGENT
NOT IMPORTANT
#3: Use Technology to Keep Track of How We Spend Our Time
We have mentioned “tasks” several times already in this article. Creating a list of things to do is a very important way to manage our time, and helps us become more effective. Of course, simply writing out a list of tasks, and then attempting to accomplish them in sequential order is often not the most effective way to do it.
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Preparation/Planning Prevention Values clarification Exercise Relationship-building True recreation/relaxation IV Trivia, busywork Junk mail Some phone messages/email Time wasters Escape activities Viewing mindless TV shows
Time Matrix (Covey, 1994, p. 205)
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1. Things that are urgent and important help us achieve our goals (important) and need immediate attention (urgent). An example of something in this category might be preparing for a class that starts in 15 minutes, or finishing up an article that is due the following day.
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2. Things that are important, but not urgent help us achieve our goals (important), but do not require immediate attention. Examples of things in this category might include getting regular physical exercise, or planning an activity to do together with your child later in the week.
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3. Things that are urgent, but not important need our immediate attention, but do not help us achieve our goals. An example of something in this category might be interruptions from colleagues. 4. Things that are not urgent and not important do not help us achieve our goals, nor do they require our immediate attention. In short, this category encompasses everything that does not fit into the three previously mentioned categories. Examples of things in this category include junk mail, “escape” activities, and many kinds of TV shows. Of course, there are many books available that provide advice on managing to-do lists, but here are a few pointers that will help make your to-do lists more effective and manageable: N
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Include a realistic estimate of how much time will be needed to complete each task. Oftentimes we sabotage ourselves by not setting realistic time estimates for tasks we need to accomplish. Do not make the list too long. Make a real list, not a “wish” list of all the things you “hope” to get done. Do not rank everything as urgent and important. This makes the prioritizing unrealistic and ineffective. Be creative in scheduling. Alternate difficult tasks with easier ones, long tasks with short ones, and so on. Schedule tasks that require greater mental awareness for times when you are the most alert and least likely to be disturbed.
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Break “boulders” into “pebbles”. In other words, break up larger, more significant tasks, into smaller, more manageable ones. This helps us avoid the “time bandit” of procrastination. Do not be discouraged if you are unable to accomplish every task on your list. Nobody is perfect and there will be times when you get distracted and cannot get everything done. Just try to get yourself back on track as quickly as possible. Evaluate the tasks on your list. If you notice that there are one or two tasks that you keep moving from one day to the next without accomplishing them, perhaps they are too large and could be broken down into smaller tasks (see above), or perhaps they are not really important in achieving your goals. Always be ready to abandon the list. Do not become so “organized” that you prevent yourself from taking part in life. Sometimes the most important things cannot be scheduled. Be alert to life's possibilities.
As we schedule in time to complete each task on our list, it is important to schedule breaks and time to rest and recharge our mental and physical “batteries” so to speak. Many people overlook this important point, and then feel the system is not working for them because they are always tired and worn out. We should schedule time for rest when it will be most effective, such as during a lunch break, or after the children are asleep. Another important thing to remember in using a to-do list is that it must be easily accessible and preferably visible most of the time for it to be effective. It does not do any good to make a to-do list, and then never look at it again. At this point, you may be thinking, “all this stuff about to-do lists is great, but what has technology got to do with it?” All of the preceding tips do not require technology, per se, but technology can help us in many ways to keep our to-do lists from becoming “wish-we-would-have-done” lists. At this juncture, it may be worthwhile to mention a few websites and technology-based solutions which can help us manage our to-do lists.
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sends out notifications of TESOL Arabia events and other information, such as job announcements and conference announcements.
“Rainlendar” allows us to display calendar events and to-do lists right on our desktop, so they can be easily seen whenever we look at our computer screens. Rainlendar is free to download for personal use, and it supports the “iCal” calendar format, which is used in many different software applications. Therefore, it is easy to switch between programs later if you decide to use something different. You can find out more information at http://www.rainlendar.net/.
You can also receive up-to-date news and information through social networking sites, such as Twitter (http://www.twitter.com). On these sites, users are able to send updates via their laptops, mobile phones, or other means. On Twitter, these are called tweets. You can follow other people who also use Twitter, and when they send an update to the Twitter website, you will be able to view it. If you follow a colleague’s Twitter account, you might pick up valuable information such as project dates and inside perspectives you might not have seen otherwise. Furthermore, if you follow leaders within your industry, you may be able to glean interesting news and information that is not published anywhere else, or else is published elsewhere, but at a much later time than originally posted on Twitter.
Of course, Microsoft Outlook has a calendar and “task list” feature, and is readily available at many companies and academic institutions. There is no point in downloading and using something different if Outlook is already available and working for you. There are even a couple of freely downloadable programs that can display calendar information from Outlook onto the desktop, as Rainlendar does. (Rainlendar does not work with Outlook, however.) There are also several websites that help manage todo lists. One is called “Todoist.com” (no, that is not a typo), at http://www.todoist.com. One excellent feature of this free website is that it allows you to create task sublists. For example, you could create a list of major tasks for a specific project, and then break each task on that list into smaller tasks.
#6: Use Email Effectively How much time do you spend on email each day at work? Do you often feel that it is too much? You are not alone. Tom Pisello, of ITBusinessEdge.com, reported that “organizations lose around $1,250 per user in annual productivity because of time spent dealing with SPAM, $1,800 in unnecessary emails from coworkers, and $2,100 - $4,100 due to poorly written communications” (cited in All, 2008). In another study, done in Britain, it was reported that 45% of emails received at the office had no relevance to actual work (Time management skills, n.d.).
Another website, based in Australia, is called “Remember the Milk” at http://rememberthemilk.com. This website has a free option, but also offers a premium option, with more features, for a monthly fee. One nice feature of this site is that it will send reminders of tasks to your email inbox.
While email may be one of the most popular ways to communicate in the technology age, it is also one of the most misused. Knowing how to effectively and efficiently handle email will help us save a lot of time. Here are a few tips to remember when dealing with email:
Another website that combines calendar features and to-do list features is called “HiTask” at http://www.hitask.com. This website allows users to create teams, with team members being able to share calendars and to-do lists with one another. This is a useful feature if you often work on group projects and need to update other team members of your progress.
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Ask yourself if email is the right method of communication for that specific situation. If you are having a hard time writing the email, it might mean that a different method of communication is more appropriate, for example, a phone call or face-to-face meeting (Time management skills, n.d.). Learn to use the subject line effectively, and ask others to do the same. It saves a lot of
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time when you can look at the subject line of an email and know immediately if it needs your attention or not. Subject lines such as “Here you go...” or “Please respond immediately...” are not helpful if you would like to know something about the content of the email before you open it. Many people will also save emails for future reference, and it is difficult to find the specific email you are looking for if it has a generic subject line, or no subject line at all. Learn to leave emails unopened if you deem them unimportant. For example, you might move emails with no subject line, or from people you do not know to a special folder where you can deal with them when you have time, if at all. Use the Reply All feature sparingly, if ever. Decide if the message you are sending really needs to go to every recipient of the original email, or just to the original sender.
Remember, get in, get what you need, and get out!
#7: Avoid Technology Time-Wasters As much as technology has improved our lives and helped us to become more productive, technology also offers some very tempting distractions that can rob us of valuable time, and prevent us from achieving our goals. Here are a few examples of technology time-wasters: N
Having the latest gadget: The newest technology is not always the best. New technology often has problems that have not been discovered or worked out yet. Furthermore, it may often prove unstable, and unreliable, and you may spend more time getting it to work properly than it actually saves.
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Internet “surfing”: the Internet is such a vast resource that it is very easy to start out looking for something specific, and then end up spending hours looking at something completely different from what you originally intended, simply because it was interesting or amusing. Setting a time limit for your Internet searches forces you to stay focused on the task at hand.
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Information overload: One study reported that 71% of white-collar workers feel stressed about the amount of information they must process and act on while doing business; 60% feel overwhelmed (cited in Doherty, 2008). Learn to limit yourself to relevant information only, especially when subscribing to mailing lists and news groups.
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Forgetting passwords: As much as possible, try to use a password that is easy to remember, but hard for others to guess. Avoid using personal information such as birthdays and names as these are easier for hackers to guess. Some people use the same password for their most important applications, but it is simply a string of numbers and letters at random. You should also change your password frequently.
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Multi-tasking: Simply put, multi-tasking means focusing on more than one task at a time. Technology has made it easier, for example, to send someone an email while simultaneously conducting an Internet search, and chatting with a colleague about tomorrow's presentation. However, research shows that our brains are not designed to focus on more than one thing at a time. One study, which monitored workers' IQs throughout the day, noticed a drop of 10 IQ points when workers were involved in multi-tasking—that is the equivalent to losing a whole night's sleep and more than double the 4 IQ points lost after taking illegal drugs (CNN, 2005). People who multi-task are less efficient because they have less brainpower to devote to each task.
A final technology time-waster is staying “turned on” all the time. Being constantly “switched on” and available to the office 24 hours-a-day is exhausting, and leads to increased stress and decreased productivity. One source (Time management skills, n.d.) suggests taking the “gravestones test” where you ask yourself if your gravestone will read:
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management-articles/how-stress-affects-business448173.html. Hatter, Anthony & Trapasso, Ed. (2007, January 4). Managers say the majority of information obtained for their work is useless, Accenture survey finds. Accessed on October 5, 2009 from http://newsroom.accenture.com/article_display.c fm?article_id=4484.
WAS ALWAYS AVAILABLE TO WORK WEEKENDS
ANSWERED EVERY EMAIL
Limon, Connie. (2008). Time management tips: Does technology give you more time? Accessed on September 29, 2009 from: http://searchwarp.com/swa355954.htm.
If the answer is “yes”, you probably need to “unplug”. Take charge of your technology and do not let it take charge of you.
Swenson, David X. (n.d.) Stress facts. Accessed on September 29, 2009 from http://faculty.css.edu/ dswenson/web/Stress/stressfacts.html.
References
Time log techniques. (2002). Accessed October 5, 2009 from http://www.time-managementguide.com/time-log.html
All, Ann. (2008, December 23). Lost productivity has a cost, but no one knows exactly how much. ITBusinessEdge.com. Accessed October 6, 2009 from http://www.itbusinessedge.com/cm/blogs/ all/lost-productivity-has-a-cost-but-no-oneknows-exactly-how-much/?cs=10525.
Time management skills training courses. (n.d.). Accessed October 5, 2009 from http://www.totalsuccess.co.uk/timemanagement -and-technology.htm.
Arkins, Audry. (2004). Whatever happened to leisure time? Accessed September 12, 2009 from http://www.experience.com/alumnus/article?ch annel_id=manage_your_career&source_page=ad ditional_articles&article_id=article_11262863262 93.
Von Bergen, Jane M. (2006, March 12). So many reasons to neaten up, but it's too imposing. Boston Globe. Accessed October 5, 2009 from http://www.boston.com/jobs/news/articles/200 6/03/12/so_many_reasons_to_neaten_up_but_it s_too_imposing/.
CNN. (2005, April 22). E-mails “hurt IQ more than pot”. Accessed October 6, 2009 from http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe /04/22/text.iq/.
Biographies: Justin Shewell has an MA in TESOL from Brigham Young University. He is currently a lecturer at UAE University in Al Ain. His professional interests include teacher training, CALL, materials development, and pronunciation training. Most recently, he has been accepted into the PhD Educational Technology program at Arizona State University.
Coombe, Christine & Shewell, Justin. (2009). Time management strategies for the busy ESL professional. Paper presented for the TESOL Leadership Development Certificate Program, Denver, Co. March 2009. Covey, Stephen R. (2004). Seven habits of highly effective people. Simon & Schuster: New York.
Christine Coombe has a PhD in Foreign/Second Language Education and Assessment from The Ohio State University. She is currently a faculty member for Dubai Men’s College. Over the years, she has served TESOL Arabia in a number of capacities. Her newest role is as the Co-chair of the newly formed Leadership and Management SIG.
Covey, Stephen R, Merrill, A. Roger, & Merrill, Rebecca R. (1994). First things first. Simon & Schuster: New York. Doherty, Terry. (2008, June 13). How stress affects business. Accessed October 6, 2009 from http://www.articlesbase.com/stress-
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Class Forums: Promoting Independent Learning through Setting and Assessing Weekly Goals Students can learn to become more independent language learners by setting and assessing their own weekly goals on a web-based class forum.When students take control of their own learning, they are accountable to themselves. By making their own study goals, they begin to have expectations of themselves, which will affect their motivation to learn. Class forums not only provide a place to gain insight of different learning strategies used by peers, but also help students to improve their writing and editing skills. Organizing weekly goals for an online forum presents an easy way for the teacher and students to track students’ progress.
Mary Hughes, Fujairah Women’s College, United Arab Emirates
Step 1 On Proboards, the set-up is straightforward:
fill out a basic registration form
receive an activation code
log in
select features to customize forum
have students register, activate their profiles and try logging in
Step 2 You will want to pre-teach vocabulary such as forum, thread, post, poll, modify, profile, and avatar.
How to start a class forum with weekly goals
Step 3 Show examples of weekly goals.The intention is to help students become independent learners.To this end, make it a rule that their goals have nothing to do with other assigned work. All of their goals must pertain to outside study.
If your institution already has a system in place that will allow you to have your own class forum, and students are familiar with discussion boards, skip this section and go to Step 3. However, if you would prefer to use another system, there are plenty to choose from. Google can direct you to a number of useful sites. I looked at some that had easy to follow instructions of how to set up a forum. I also read the support forums for these forums, in which users left messages about their various successes and failures. In the end, I chose proboards.com because their help section had a video that clearly explained the set-up process, and I felt that their features suited my needs.
Example of my weekly thread.
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Step 4
Step 8
Present the idea of setting specific, realistic and measurable goals.You may want to introduce the concept, taken from the Top Achievement selfimprovement website (www.topachievement.com/smart.html), of SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely.
Within an established time limit (in my case, from Sunday to Sunday), students use the modify function to post their scores, based on the Warlick rubric.
Step 5 Create weekly goal threads. These should be set up in advance. Use the lock function until a given thread is required. Have students post their goals. Give feedback as to how specific, realistic, or measurable their goals are.You may also have to remind them that while finishing their homework on time is commendable, it is part of their required study and therefore not to be included as a weekly goal on the forum. An example of a student’s post with goals and self-assessment.
Step 6
Step 9
As the owner of the forum, you will have admin rights. You can use the modify function to make comments directly onto students’ posts about the content of their goals, as well as the grammar, spelling, or punctuation. Remind students to refer to your feedback and edit their posts, if necessary.
Repeat Step 6. Throughout the semester, encourage your students to read each other’s posts, so that they can benefit from trying different learning strategies. At the end of the semester, have the students add up their weekly scores. Choose some activity to recognize and celebrate their achievements. It is also a good idea to provide opportunities throughout the semester for discussion and feedback as to how your students have set, achieved, and evaluated their weekly goals.
Step 7 Present students with a rubric that will allow them to assess how well they did in achieving their goals. I use the one from David Warlick’s Landmarks for Schools project (http://landmarkproject.com/classweb/tools/printable.php?rbrc_id=155333). Including the link in your weekly post ensures that students will be able to easily access the rubric.You can also create your own rubric and include it in the text of your weekly post.
Objectives
Low Performance
At or Below Average
At or Above Average
Exemplary Performance
Earned Points
Goal 1
0 points I did not try to achieve my goal.
1 point I tried to achieve my goal. If I couldn’t achieve my goal, I did not try again.
2 points I tried to achieve my goal. If I couldn’t achieve my goal, I did try again at least once.
3 points I achieved my goal. I tried as many times as it took to be successful.
Goal 2
0 points I did not try to achieve my goal.
1 point I tried to achieve my goal. If I couldn’t achieve my goal, I did not try again.
2 points I tried to achieve my goal. If I couldn’t achieve my goal, I did try again at least once.
3 points I achieved my goal. I tried as many times as it took to be successful. Score:
Warlick’s rubric for assessing goals. Volume 16
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A Math Function: Linking Mathematics and English through Technology
Richard Lau, The Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Laura Lau, The Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Introduction As teachers in a post-secondary foundation program, it is our responsibility to prepare students in only three semesters to enter the institute's engineering programs. To help focus student learning, we look for ways that not only engage students but allow us to provide authentic opportunities where the students can listen, speak, read and write about math and science in English (Brown, 1997). We also look for lessons that help these students, who have proven themselves proficient in math and science on national tests in their native language, to translate what they know from Arabic to English and then utilize that knowledge in their technical courses taught exclusively in English (Cummins, 2003).
clips into movies that could be added to their eportfolios. Because technology allowed us to make these permanent records, only one teacher had to be present during the presentations. These digital recordings were then assessed at a later date by the math and computer teachers. In addition, these movies were archived and used for further comparative analyses among the teachers responsible for the students’ progress.
Materials Needed
Camcorder with tripod Whiteboard, interactive whiteboard such as Smart Board or chalkboard Access to a computer with movie editing software (Windows Movie Maker, i-Movies, etc.)
Designing appropriate tasks that help do the above can be made easier with technology. With its expanded band-width and storage capacities, technology allows us to use audio and video in the classroom in ways that were unheard of just 10 years ago. Where before we were limited to written materials or cumbersome audio-visual aids, today we can make our lessons come alive with streaming video, animation, and clip art. Technology also makes it possible for students to archive and preserve not only their written work but also their oral recitations and presentations in e-portfolios.
Learning Outcomes: In this lesson, the language instructor, with support from the math and computer instructors, prepared and taught the classes; all three assisted in assessing different skills and worked toward achieving the following outcomes. By participating in oral language production tasks, students will demonstrate: 1. translation skills by writing math symbols but saying English words. 2. the ability to explain a process by listing steps involved in creating a math function and then turning it into a formula. 3. presentation skills by speaking in front of a camcorder. 4. software skills by making permanent digital records, (i.e., movies).
Rational: With the intention of designing a task that was real, we asked the students to present in English, at a whiteboard, the actual steps involved in setting up a math function and then turning it into a formula (Fiorito, 2005). During the assessment, students were videotaped so that they could later edit these video Volume 16
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To repeat, my variable is six. I then multiply, subtract, add, and divide to give me ten. Now, I’m going to translate this simple function into a formula.
5. the ability to engage in reflective exercises by assessing their own work and that of others. 6. organizational skills by compiling e-portfolios.
The Task
(Write in math symbols.) f(x) =[ {(2x) – 1} +9] ÷ 2
Students were asked to do an English oral presentation on how to do a math function in three to five minutes, using English words and math symbols. The presentations were videotaped. Later, students were given copies of their movie clips and instructed to make and submit individual movies. In order for them to do these tasks, seven 50-minute class periods were used. (If movie making software skills need to be taught, add an additional three.)
(Say in English.) F of x equals two x, minus one, plus nine, all divided by two. (Say in English.) Let me input my numbers and simplify. (Write in math symbols.) f(x) = 2X + 8 2
(Say in English.) F of x equals two x plus 8 all over 2.
In the seven class periods, we did the following: 1st Week – Class Periods 1, 2, 3 (Activities 1-4) Outline the task, explain the rational and present an overview of the lesson. Activity 1: Present, practice and review vocabulary needed for the task. Activity 2: Discuss and practice sentence structures used to talk about simple math operations. Activity 3: Teach and model the math function.
(Write in math symbols.) 2X + 8 = x + 4 2
2
(Say in English.) To simplify, I rewrite it as: two x over two plus eight over two which equals x + 4. This formula allows me to solve for x which is x + 4. I go back to my variable, which is six. Six plus four is ten. Activity 4: Guided Practice Once the students had seen an explanation of how the model worked and clearly understood the steps, they were then allotted time to practice using the model. They were also encouraged to change the variables and functions to derive their own formulae.
To model the assignment, teachers distributed and explained the following model lesson.
Example of Model Today, I am going to tell you how to do a math function. Before I begin, let me tell you what a math function is. It is when numbers are input and calculated to give you an output or an answer. (English) (Math Symbols) In this function, I am going to choose a variable, which I will call x. x In this case, for x, I will choose six. 6 I will multiply by two x2 which gives me twelve. 12 Next, subtract one -1 which gives me eleven. 11 Add nine +9 which gives me twenty. 20 Finally, I divide all by two ÷2 which gives me ten
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10 Foundation Level 1 student outlining the steps of his newly created function.
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2nd week – Class Periods 4, 5, 6 (Activities 5, 6, 7)
Using Technology in Assessments
Activity 5: Presentation Students orally presented their math functions by writing math symbols on the whiteboard while using English words to explain the process. A Presentation Scoring Guide was used by the mathematics teacher to assess the student for content, by the English teacher for language fluency and accuracy, and by the computer teacher for computer/technical skills. Scores were tabulated and only one grade was given to each student.
Technology allowed for multiple levels of assessment here. First, an assessment during the actual presentation for language skills was done. Then, using the movies made by students, the math and computer teachers were able to assess for content and computer skills at a more convenient time - away from the distractions of the classroom. Months later, it was possible to compare a given student’s progress over time with other videotaped presentations.
Conclusion In this lesson, students actively engaged in activities that allowed them to practice speaking about math. They also applied audio, visual and kinesthetic learning techniques to further boost their acquisition of English. Finally, the technology component allowed them to see themselves engaged in math as English speakers and also allowed them to save their samples of oral production in e-portfolios; it also made it possible for teachers to archive the oral production for further analysis. As the demand for students with technical and mathematical skills increases, it is imperative for teachers to use varied resources to teach their students. In non-English-speaking countries where English is rapidly becoming the language of instruction, especially at the tertiary level, technology can assist second language learners to learn the language of math and science.
Foundation Level 1 student using math symbols that match the new English vocabulary he is using to present a math function.
Activity 6: Computer Lab Using Microsoft's Window's Movie Maker on PCs, students created and submitted a movie entitled A Math Function, in which they demonstrated their ability to use the moviemaking software by inserting music, and titles into their movie clips.
References Brown, G. & Howard, R. (1997). Teacher Education for Language Specific Purposes. (pp. 1-10). Retrieved September 4, 2009 from http://books.google.ae Cummins, J. (2003). Putting Language Proficiency in Its Place: Responding to Critiques of the Conversational/Academic Language Distinction. Welcome to Dr. Cummin’s ESL and Second Language Learning Web! Retrieved September 4, 2009 from http://www.iteachilearn.com/cummins/converacade mlangdisti.html
3rd Week - Class Period 7 (Activity 7) Activity 7: Showing the movies in the class Each class watched their own movies. This activity had multiple benefits: 1. Repetition helped reinforce learning new math terms. 2. Students were able to see themselves as fluent English speakers in an authentic situation. 3. By having videoclips, students were able to include samples of oral work in their eportfolios.
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Fiorito, .L. (2005). Teaching English for Specific Purposes (ESP). Retrieved September 4, 2009 from http://www.usingenglish.com/articles/teachingenglish-specific-purposes html Wallis, C. & Steptoe, S. (2006). How to bring our schools out of the 20th century. Time, 168, 50-56.
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Emerging TechnologyPhotoblogs: Every Picture Tells a Story
Peter Waters Abu Dhabi Men’s College United Arab Emirates
Blogging celebrates its 10th birthday this year and the educational benefits of blogging have been well documented over the years (Downes, 2004; Richardson, 2009). Everything from student engagement and motivation to improved writing and computer skills have all been cited. Hardly emerging technology, I hear you say. However, turning an individual student blog into a class blog gives it a whole new dimension with cooperation, collaboration, organization and time management skills all being addressed. Making it a photoblog adds the creativity and fun element. Also, with free publishing tools like Blogger (www.blogger.com) and alternatives include, Live Journal (www.livejournal.com) and WordPress (www.wordpress.org), starting your own class photoblog couldn’t be easier. Other City Daily photographers love to see and read about different cultures.
(http://citydailyphoto.com), a phenomenon which was started in 2005 by Eric Tenin with his “Paris – One Photo A Day” blog. Today, it is a fantastic collection of photos submitted daily from people living in over 1000 cities worldwide from obscure places such as La Antigua and Maungaturoto to well-known cities such as Abu Dhabi, London, New York and Paris, all of which have multiple entries. The rules for joining the City Daily Photo community could not be simpler: The City Daily Photo Portal keeps track of over 1000 blogs 24/7.
One idea for a great class project is to join a public photoblog portal such as “City Daily Photo”
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The blogger should post one photo a day, though not necessarily one taken that day. A short caption (in English) should be included, describing the place, the situation, and sometimes a little history.
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The blogger should ideally be living in the city they photograph and write about. The name of the city should be included in the title of the blog.
(http://tinyurl.com/nho5br) offers photography advice with “50 Free Resources That Will Improve Your Photography Skills” and Photo Net (http://photo.net/learn/) offers great tips and useful lessons. Of course you will need access to some digital cameras. Some students may have their own and others could use their mobile camera phones, although the quality is of a lower standard. If not, you may need to ask your institution to purchase a couple of cameras. Once you have your cameras, set your students a weekly photography assignment or scavenger hunt. This way your students will have a chance to practice before the launch of your blog. For inspiration you might like to visit this photoblogging website: http://sh1ft.org/projects, which runs a number of public photographic competitions such as “26 Things,” “A Day in the Life,” “Q&A,” and “Quick Snap.” Next, you should download Google’s easy-to-use Picasa software (http://picasa.google.com) to help organize, edit, and blog photos easily.
For some photos, you may have to ignore the advice in the old saying, "Never work with children or animals.”
A year ago I started my own photoblog, http://abudhabidailyphotograph.blogspot.com/ using Google’s Blogger. I get an average of 2000 visits a month from people all over the world. Within one 24-hour time period alone, I had visitors from Athens, Bremen, Kuala Lumpur, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Moscow, Nairobi, New Delhi, Oslo, Pretoria, Santiago, Tbilisi, Toronto and Warsaw. Many readers leave interesting comments, questions or additional information. I have got 75 public followers who receive regular updates automatically. The spinoffs are numerous: Two of my photos have graced the covers of TESOL Arabia Perspectives; I have won a top 100 blog award; I have had two advertising agencies contact me about selling my pictures; I make $5 a month through advertising on my site and I have published this article! I am even considering publishing my own book of photographs.
Steps for Getting Started on Blogs Start by creating a Google account at www.blogger.com and build and name your class photoblog. Blogger templates come in various sizes, shapes and colors. Some are even designed especially for photoblogs. You may care to look at http://www.ourblogtemplates.com where they offer a wide range of templates for free. Blogger is perfect for a class project as it allows up to 100 authors to share and publish the same blog.You will need to invite your students to be co-authors (under the permissions tab). Although you can send the invitation to any email account, every student will need a Google account (www.google.com/accounts) to participate in the project.. For those concerned with student privacy and anonymity, blogger comes with a range of settings. For example, students have the option to choose a display name rather than their real name.
Preparing Students for Blogging
I recommend adding a web counter to your page. Sitemeter (www.sitemeter.com) offers a free tracking and counter tool giving you instant access to vital information and data about your site’s audience. With their detailed reporting, you will have a clear picture of who is visiting your site, how they found
Before launching your blog, introduce and discuss the idea of a class photoblog with your class. “BrainPop” (www.brainpop.com/english/writing/blogs) has a great educational video, language activity and quiz on blogs. Likewise, “Smashing Magazine”
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(and photos) before publishing. This activity could easily make up part of the writing component of an English course. One of the most satisfying and rewarding aspects of running a blog is the feedback and comments from readers. This gives students an authentic and worldwide audience which provides an excellent opportunity for them to improve their reading and writing. Responding to these comments is also a valuable part of the learning experience. Likewise, visiting and commenting on other people’s blogs is an important aspect of blogging etiquette, which will also bring in additional readers to your site. Google does a great job of indexing your blog’s keywords and tags, so it is recommended that you take time to consider how to best exploit this in order to increase readership. Fifty percent of my blog traffic comes as a result of Google searches. Do consider signing up with Google AdSense at www.google.com/adsense for displaying relevant Google ads on your blog pages can earn you money. It might even raise enough funds to publish a book of your project! Once you have started publishing your blog, you will need to publicize it by registering it with City Daily Photo (http://citydailyphoto.com) and a couple of others such as Blogged (www.blogged.com) and Photoblogs (http://www.photoblogs.org/signup), which have over 36,000 photoblogs indexed.
Sitemeter provides essential data, valuable statistics, and useful reports.
Before you start publishing, you will need a good bank of photos to start you off. It is advisable to discuss the theme and subject matter of postings with your class in advance. For example, you may want to post a week-long series on a particular aspect of your chosen city such as architecture or people and portraits. Alternatively, you could post an A-Z of city life or keep it completely random. In a class size of fifteen, students should be prepared to write about and post an average of two photographs a month for the duration of the project (a semester, a year, forever)! Blogs can even be handed down to the next batch of students. I recommend that you have the class help to draw up an acceptable use policy which addresses matters such as what may be considered safe and sensible behavior of blog authors and readers. In addition, as blogs have no publisher, producer, or editor, you may also want to consider forming a rotating student editorial committee to deal with quality control, themes and scheduling issues. One of the newest and best features of Blogger is the ability to schedule blog postings in advance, so weekends, public holidays and semester breaks are all covered.
People shots normally make for interesting subjects.
Another way to help your readers keep up with your blog is by placing an email subscription form on your site. I obtained mine from FeedBurner
Once you have your bank of photos, the students will need to plan, draft, edit and revise their posts
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(www.feedburner.com). Likewise, you could add the “Followers� widget (under the layout tab) to your photoblog.
References Downes, S. (2004). Educational blogging. Educause Review, 39(5), 14-26. Retrieved August 18, 2009, from http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERM0450.pdf
Finally, at the end of the year, you may like to consider putting on an exhibition of the photographs or producing a commemorative book. Blog2Print (http://blog2print.com) allows you to publish some or all of your posts, photo and comments as a professionally-printed, full-color book starting from $14.95 (or $7.95 for a PDF version). Alternatively, if the project really takes off, you may want to design, publish and sell your work online at Blurb (www.blurb.com).
Richardson, W. (2009). Weblogs: Pedagogy and practice (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
BIO: Peter Waters is the Independent Learning Coordinator at Abu Dhabi Men's College where he's responsible for the management of the Self-Access Centre and promotion of ICT. Awards from the Higher Colleges of Technology include the Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Achievement in 2007 and Nikai Faculty Award for Excellence in Innovative Teaching 2009.
I look forward to seeing a whole host of new city daily photoblogs. If you have any questions or queries about starting a class photoblog, please do not hesitate to contact me at peter.waters@hct.ac.ae.
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A Teacher’s Guide to Classroom Research: Fourth Edition David Hopkins McGraw Hill Open University Press, 2008 ISBN-13: 978-0335-22174-5 215 pages
admits that this book is an attempt to promote Stenhouse’s works and ideals.
The purpose of A Teacher’s Guide to Classroom Research, as stated by the author in the preface, is to “provide teachers and students with a practical guide to doing research in their own classrooms.” Furthermore, David Hopkins calls on all teachers to actively and collaboratively participate in the process of enhancing their practices and the quality of education in schools.
Chapters 2, 3 and 4 provide a definition of classroom research and an explanation of the rationale for doing research. In stating the benefits of research, the author persuasively argues that it is both possible and simple to do research, and that the term itself should no longer intimidate teachers. Classroom research can help teachers become independent and “take more control of their professional lives” (p.38). Chapter 2 offers particularly interesting practical examples of action research conducted by experienced teachers.These give a clear idea of the possible motivations behind classroom research. For example, teachers do not necessarily need to have a problem they hope to solve through classroom research. A simple reason could be that teachers are “genuinely interested in understanding the dynamics of their own teaching styles” (p. 7).
Considering the rich literature on the issue of classroom/action research, this book is by no means just another book dealing with this issue. On the contrary, it uniquely complements what has been written about classroom research. Hopkins offers teachers a step-by-step guide to doing research in their daily environments. Updated several times to reflect changes in the educational scene, this book emphasizes the need for teachers to realize the potential that this kind of research has on “their teaching and learning repertoires,” their professional development, school reform, and the educational system as a whole. The book contains 12 chapters. Each chapter begins with an introduction revealing its most important aspects.The last two paragraphs of each chapter are usually dedicated to summarizing essential points, with suggestions for further readings. In addition, practical examples of action research done by teachers, summary tables and graphs add to the clarity and accessibility of this book.
In Chapter 4, the author proposes six principles that teachers need to have in mind when conducting research. Chapters 5, 8, 9 and 10 delineate the process of classroom research. As stated in these chapters, teachers should first develop a focus and then select from among a range of techniques to gather information about their teaching and classroom behaviors.These techniques include field notes, students’ diaries, audiotape recordings, interviews, and questionnaires. Researching teachers should then analyze data, using a coherent methodology that the author describes in four stages: data collection, validation, interpretation, and
The first chapter is an introduction to the past and current status of classroom research. Strongly influenced by educational reformer Lawrence Stenhouse, who advocated an active role for teachers in research and curriculum development, the author
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action. In Chapter 10, “Reporting Classroom Research,” the author offers ways in which classroom research data can be reported and then shared with teachers all over the world to improve teaching practices.
informative and accessible, not only for experienced language teachers but also for novice educators and master’s students, as well. However, the book does not provide sufficient details regarding the gathering of data during the research process. For instance, detailed information on how to formulate a questionnaire or how to deliver an interview would have made the book more complete and useful. Teachers will not find a tightly prescribed method; rather, they will read of the importance and benefits of doing research. I think this book can be a good starting point for teachers who have little or no knowledge of classroom research.
Chapter 6, “Principles of Classroom Observation,” and Chapter 7, “Methods of Observation in Classroom Research,” are particularly interesting, as they are devoted to a description of observation, the importance of observation and the conditions for successfully conducting an observation. As a crucial way to gather data about classroom behaviors or any other particular problem, observation greatly contributes to the professional development of teachers. It enables teachers within the same school to work collaboratively by observing each other’s practices and giving honest feedback in order to improve each other’s practices.
Overall, the book succeeds in defining and presenting the process of classroom research, which I believe language teachers will find invaluable. The author’s easy style and unique analysis approach make it worthwhile reading.
The final two chapters are a plea for teachers to engage in an audacious enterprise of school reform and personal commitment to teaching and learning. The vision of the author encompasses the idea of personalized learning and the potential for classroom research to create professional learning communities in schools.
Reviewed by Siham Landolsi MA TESOL Graduate Student The American University of Sharjah, UAE
A Teacher’s Guide to Classroom Research is a useful resource for teachers who wish to get involved in classroom research. This book is well structured,
Is there a new book or a piece of software you really enjoy using with students or one that has helped you in your teaching? Consider writing a review for Perspectives. Contact our Reviews Editor, Dr Atta Gebril, for more information. AttaG@uaeu.ac.ae
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Teaching Vocabulary: Strategies and Techniques I. S. P. Nation Heinle Cengage Learning, 2008 ISBN-13: 978-1-4240-0565-9 222 pages
Those who attended the TESOL Arabia 15th International Conference in March 2009 will have found Paul Nation’s presentation on vocabulary instruction of great value. Nation’s presentation successfully summarized the major parts of his most recent book, Teaching Vocabulary: Strategies and Techniques. The book is a substantive contribution to an area now recognized as of central importance for language learning: vocabulary. Nation draws on major vocabulary research findings to provide practitioners with a unified approach to vocabulary instruction across the four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
language, deliberate learning of unknown words, and taking control over one’s learning to become autonomous. This chapter also provides teachers with useful guidelines to decide on what vocabulary to choose for their learners and how to deal with various types of words in class. The next five chapters are the heart of the book. Together, they form a practical guide for dealing with vocabulary across the four skills. Chapter 2 suggests diverse meaning-focused listening activities that can help learners increase their vocabulary knowledge. “Label the Picture,” for example, encourages one learner to use the input provided by another to label the parts of the picture. Chapter 3 illustrates innovative ways of developing learners’ spoken vocabulary. The “4/3/2” technique, for example, illustrates all the conditions needed to develop fluency in speaking. This is an easy task that focuses on communication, gives learners plenty of practice, and challenges them to perform at a higher rate. Chapters 4 and 5 offer excellent advice on using intensive and extensive reading to make language-focused learning more beneficial for learners’ vocabulary knowledge. Ten different ways of dealing with unknown words while reading are discussed. Similarly, chapter 6 proposes activities that can strongly support vocabulary learning through meaning-focused output. Activities such as “Speak, Listen, and Write” successfully cover the vocabulary learning conditions of repetition, retrieval, generative use, and deliberate attention.
Teaching Vocabulary: Strategies and Techniques runs the gamut of topics associated with vocabulary teaching/learning, from the four main responsibilites of a vocabulary teacher to strategy development and the deliberate study of vocabulary. It exhaustively demonstrates applications of research findings in classroom contexts and suggests over 60 techniques for teaching vocabulary. ELT professionals should find it interesting since Nation’s fine, easygoing, and unique writing style makes his book very accessible, especially for school teachers who badly need help with vocabulary teaching. The book contains 10 chapters. The first chapter presents the essential components of a well-designed vocabulary program. It examines the four main obligations of the teacher: planning for opportunities to meet unknown words, strategy training, testing learner vocabulary size, and teaching vocabulary. On the other hand, it also specifies the learner’s responsibilities: using the
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Having demonstrated how to deal with vocabulary across the four skills, Nation smoothly proceeds to one more dimension of successful vocabulary instruction: training learners to use deliberate strategies to develop their vocabulary knowledge. Chapter 7 reminds the reader of what is involved in knowing a word and suggests interesting strategies for giving repeated attention to vocabulary. Chapter 8 explains how to deal with the Academic Word List. For example, nine ways that can help learners cope with a lecture are presented. In chapter 9, readers are shown how to use and interpret The Vocabulary Levels Test. Most importantly, this chapter includes a checklist that teachers can use on what makes a good vocabulary test. Finally, chapter 10 summarizes the main points discussed in the book and takes the reader through the process of planning the vocabulary component of a language course. For teachers in the Gulf region, this chapter offers practical advice on how to determine learners’ vocabulary levels, decide on what and how much vocabulary to teach, and how to evaluate the vocabulary component of a language course.
illustrated with easy-to-understand examples that are alone worth the price of the book. Another even more important aspect is the variety of vocabulary tests included in the appendices. The Vocabulary Levels Test, The Vocabulary Size Test, and The Productive Vocabulary Levels Test are all very useful for teachers to determine learners’ current vocabulary levels and what learners need to focus on. However, had these tests, and the accompanying illustrations and tables, been made photocopiable, teachers would appreciate the book even more. All in all, Nation’s book will certainly benefit language teachers, as well as graduate students who intend to specialize in researching vocabulary. The first-hand research findings and the various techniques demonstrated in the book offer detailed guidance for teachers and open up new horizons for graduate students hoping to research vocabulary.
Reviewed by Abdelbasset Jeddi Ministry of Education Fujairah, UAE
One important feature of the book is that it has specifically been written for teachers. Nation’s unrivalled experience in researching and writing about vocabulary makes the book very teacherfriendly. The 60 or more techniques included are
Have you been to a professional development event or conference lately that you think TESOL Arabia members might benefit from? Consider writing a review of the event. Contact the editors for more information.
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Oxford Wordpower: For Arabic-Speaking Learners of English Oxford University Press, 2008 ISBN: 978-0194300094 916 pages
“Mohammad, stop looking at your dictionary and listen to me!” How many times have we had to pry students away from their electronic dictionaries while we try to creatively explain a word?
Example sentences are routinely provided. In addition to an IPA pronunciation following each entry, an IPA pronunciation guide runs along the bottom of every page for easy reference.
Whether to use dictionaries in class for quick reference or use listening skills to hone in on an explanation is an ongoing debate for many teachers. Dictionaries can always be used later or at home. But, why discourage students from using a valuable resource and developing their dictionary skills?
Word families (called derivatives) are included in each entry, so that by looking up important you would find unimportant, importance and importantly listed under the same entry. Phrasal verbs are included and clearly marked, so that ring back, dress up and side with are defined. Idiomatic usages are also included. For example, make do with, hit it off and would not dream of are listed.
Furthermore, should students use bilingual dictionaries or monolingual dictionaries? Bilingual dictionaries are smaller and easier to carry around, more practical, and the first choice of many students. We ourselves would most likely choose a bilingual Spanish-English dictionary over a monolingual Spanish dictionary before our next trip to the Costa Del Sol. However, monolingual dictionaries provide more reference information, example sentences, and nuance of meaning while bilingual dictionaries give only a translation of the most general meaning of the word. Monolingual dictionaries also require students to read and process information in the target language, giving them more language practice.
Grey boxes, which appear on almost every page, signal special usage notes which are especially salient to learners. Thus the difference between recently and lately, history and story, or fast and quick is clarified. Words pertaining to the same subject are often highlighted in a grey box, so that words related with jobs (look for, apply for, full-time, part time, and work) are presented together. Tricky usage, such as plural words referring to singular (scissors, scales, news), are dealt with. Cultural references are also featured in grey boxes, so that the British style of introducing people and the function of mistletoe, for example, are explained. All of this is managed in an extremely user-friendly way.
Oxford Wordpower is a “bilingualised” dictionary: a standard monolingual dictionary with the added advantage of providing Arabic translations. Wordpower is a learner’s dictionary, with definitions written in easy-to-understand English. Nouns are classified as countable [C] or uncountable [U]. Verbs are listed as transitive [T] or intransitive [I].
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Wordpower includes 16 pages of photo supplements, labeled both in English and Arabic, illustrating animals, fruits and vegetables, furniture, technology,
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Another shortcoming of Wordpower is that no learner-training section is included in the preface or appendices. Many students in the intended market would take better advantage of this resource if they were more comfortable and familiar using it. Teachers need to be skillful in creating learnertraining exercises to avoid it being an underused resource.
and weather, among other things. Appendices deal with collocations, prepositions, modal verbs, phrasal verbs, punctuation, prefixes and suffixes, and include exercises for the students. An accompanying CD ROM gives anyone with a laptop the power of an electronic dictionary. Words can be typed in and their full entry will be shown, including both British and American audio pronunciation. The CD also includes games and exercises. The games section groups vocabulary into 84 categories, and contains a range of engaging quizzes, crosswords, hangman, matching words to pictures, floating anagrams, and wordsearches. The exercise section includes PET, IELTS, and TOEIC/TOEFL practice tests, as well as hundreds of vocabulary exercises organized by word category.
All in all, Oxford Wordpower is one of the best dictionaries on the market for university level or adult students in the Gulf. It is both monolingual and bilingual, both paper-based and electronic. Getting them to stop leafing through it when they should be listening is our job. Lauter, B., & Kimmel, M. (1997). Bilingualised dictionaries: How learners really use them. System, 25 (3), 361-69.
One disadvantage of Wordpower is that it is essentially a monolingual dictionary which includes Arabic translations, not a true bilingual dictionary. Students cannot go from Arabic to English, so that the dictionary is less useful for writing than for reading. In addition, students using bilingualised dictionaries tend to skip the target language explanation and go right to the translation (Pujol et al, 2006). On the other hand, as different learners have different preferences and learning styles, a bilingualised dictionary goes the farthest to meet the preferences of the most learners (Lauter & Kimmel, 1997).
Pujol, D., Corrius, M., & Masnou J. (2006). Print deferred bilingual dictionaries and their implications for effective language learning: A new approach to pedagogical lexicography. International Journal of Lexicography, 19 (2), 197-215.
Reviewed by Michael Fields Abu Dhabi Men’s College, UAE
Donate to the Book Drive at TESOL Arabia Conference 2010! Contact Paul de Jong at tesolbookdrive@yahoo.com Volume 16
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The 7th Asia TEFL Conference Bangkok, Thailand
routine, keep developing their knowledge and skills, especially through collaboration with colleagues in their institution, region, or around the world. Jane Hoelker Qatar University, Doha
Leo Van Lier absolutely inspired all with his plenary entitled, “The Ecological Approach to Classroom Teaching and Learning: Practice to Theory—Theory to Practice.” He explored the five pedagogical principles in an ecological approach to language education: context, relationships, agency, motivation and identity. He talked about the fact that practice and theory are dynamic and emergent, but never finished and absolute.
“Creativity and Collaboration in English Language Teaching and Learning in Asia” was the theme of the 7th Asia TEFL Conference, held in conjunction with the 29th Thai TESOL International Conference.The conference was held at the Imperial Queen’s Park in Bangkok,Thailand, from August 7 to 9. More than 1,000 participants attended and more than 500 presented. Sessions were 30 minutes long and I found that that length was quite suitable.
I loved Van Lier’s statement that it is not the big and grandiose things that make theory come to life, but rather the actions of the learners and their teacher from moment to moment, and the ways in which they reflect sensitivity to the context that achieve that goal.Van Lier illustrated his ideas through video clips from the 2008 French film, Entre les Murs (The Class), which won the Palm d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. He promised release of his latest book on identity in 2010.
Dr Hyo Woong Lee, the President of Asia TEFL, introduced himself at the reception the first evening of the conference. He said that he encouraged a university, English language association, or interested educational party from the Gulf Region to host an Asia TEFL conference in the near future. Dr Lee is very interested in forming stronger ties with educators in the Gulf Region, which he views as more Eastern than Western and, therefore, on the fringe of Asia.
On the first day of the conference, I spoke on how communities of practice (CoP) develop creativity and collaboration.The latest research results have prompted a shift in the perception of learning from being something that takes place inside the head of an individual learner to a social process.This process, called legitimate peripheral participation, facilitates coparticipation of novice and expert.The expert, who can be an instructor or a more capable peer, provides the scaffolding of skills as needed by the novice. As higher levels of expertise are achieved, the novice can gradually assume more responsibility for the final output.Thus, learning is interactive before becoming intra-active and internalized. I gave three examples of CoPs. I explained how the Webheads under the leadership of Vance Stevens of the Petroleum Institute in Abu Dhabi is an excellent
His Excellency Jurin Lakasanavisit, Minister of Education, kicked off the three-day conference with a very well-received keynote address that recounted interesting and even comic incidents from his personal experiences as a learner of the English language. Mark Algren, president of TESOL, Inc. and the first plenary speaker, discussed “Creating Opportunities for Collaborative Professional Development.” He talked about how educators can, after the creative burst of energy from conference participation wears off after the return to the daily
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example of a distributed CoP. Then I talked about Nishino’s work at Temple University in Japan on multi-membership in local communities of practice, and how each membership meets a particular need of the individual teacher. Finally, I discussed how shared practices in a model elementary school in Doha move reform forward. The relatively new topic of CoPs was extremely popular but not completely unknown to the audience, who filled the room.
Always a very social group, the Thai TESOL Conference organizers scheduled numerous networking events. The most fantastic event that I attended was a dinner of international fusion foods at the famous Library and Water Restaurant on the campus of Chulalongkorn University with Alan Maley, Leo Van Lier, Mark Algren, Stephen Henchley and several other international speakers and publishers.
3rd Biennial International Conference on Task-Based Language Teaching University of Lancaster, UK
teachers can implement the multiple pedagogical implications of the various theoretical perspectives on TBL in the L2 classroom.
Ali Shehadeh UAE University Al Ain, UAE
2) Chairing Sessions: My second contribution was chairing academic sessions at the conference. I was invited by the organizing team to chair three sessions at the conference. For each session, my responsibilities consisted of introducing the presenter(s), keeping the time, handling the audience’s questions during the Q&A time, and making sure that the session started and finished on time.
The 3rd Biennial International Conference on TaskBased Language Teaching (TBLT) was held at the University of Lancaster, UK, September 13-16, 2009, under the theme “Tasks: Context, Purpose and Use.” I contributed to the conference in three major ways:
3) Meeting of the International Consortium on Task-Based Language Teaching (ICTBLT):
1) Paper Presentation: My first contribution to the conference was a paper presentation on “The Discourse-psycho-pedagogical Bases for Task-based Learning.” In this presentation, I demonstrated how the various theoretical perspectives on task-based learning (TBL) and their respective pedagogical implications can be implemented in the L2 classroom. The presentation fell into three parts. In part one, the three major perspectives on TBL were illustrated: the socio-cultural perspective, the cognitive perspective, and the discourse/interaction perspective. In the second part I demonstrated how these three perspectives constitute the pedagogical basis for TBL. In part three, I showed how classroom Volume 16
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My third contribution to the conference consisted of attending the meeting of ICTBLT in my capacity as a member of the International Advisory Board to the consortium. Other members included Michael Long, Teresa Pica, Michael Bygate, John Norris, Kris Van den Branden, Geoff Brindley, Heidi Byrnes, and Bernie Mohan. Over four days, the conference brought together researchers and educators from around the world to share and learn from one another’s innovations and research in task-based language teaching. More than 70 individual paper and poster sessions, keynote
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speeches, research forums and symposiums were offered at this thematically-based conference. Some of the issues that were addressed in the conference included the following: Can we use tasks with learners at all levels? Is deeper restructuring of knowledge really taking place with TBL? How do we design taskbased language courses? How is the syllabus in TBL organized? What is the methodology of task-based teaching? How are learners tested in a task-based language learning/teaching context? And, how do we assess task-based language learning and teaching?
teaching contexts, or rather how the various TBLT frameworks can be put into practice. It also enabled practitioners who are specifically interested in using TBLT in their teaching situations to see how practice can be anchored in theoretical frameworks. Indeed, from a personal and professional perspective, the conference enabled me to make my teaching practice more effective and more principled, having gained insight from TBLT theories that are, in turn, based on second language acquisition (SLA) research findings.
I am pleased to say that this event provided me with much input both for my professional as well as personal development. For instance, the conference enabled language professionals such as myself to see how TBLT principles can be implemented in their
Finally, it is worth mentioning that the Task-Based Language Teaching Conference is convened every two years. The next TBLT Conference will be held in New Zealand in November 2011, at the University of Auckland.
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TESOL ARABIA CONFERENCE 2010 TRAVEL GRANT (Travel Grant [In]) GUIDELINES Overview
Applying for a TESOL Arabia Conference Travel Grant (In)
The Annual TESOL Arabia International Conference provides limited financial support to help individual eligible TESOL Arabia members attend the Annual International Conference in the UAE. The grant is administered by the Travel Grant (In) Committee which is composed of the Conference Chair, who acts as the Committee Chair, the Proposals Chair, and three ordinary members of TESOL Arabia in good standing appointed at the discretion of the Chair. This Committee will field all applications.
Applicants are requested to complete the online application in full. This will automatically be sent to the Chair of the Travel Grant (In) Committee when it is submitted. The deadline for applications is January 15 for that year’s conference.
Criteria for Awarding the TESOL Arabia Conference Travel Grant (In) Funding is evaluated and awards made based on the following criteria:
Current Limitations and Constraints Given funding limitations, the following constraints are necessary:
i.
the rating given the applicant’s proposal by the Proposals Committee ii. the applicant’s number of years of membership in TESOL Arabia iii. whether the applicant has previously received money from TESOL Arabia in the form of a PDC Grant, a Travel Grant (In) or a Travel Grant (Out).
Financial support available through the Travel Grant (In) is currently a flat AED 1,000. TESOL Arabia expects that the applicants will apply for other funds and use some of their own resources. This enables the allocated resources to benefit more members. There is no absolute entitlement to money in any given year and when the funds are depleted no further applications will be accepted.
In all cases, decisions made by the Committee are final and no correspondence regarding decisions reached will be entered into.
Eligibility
Payment of the Grant All grants will be paid in AED dirhams, at the conference.
All current members of TESOL Arabia residing outside the UAE who have had a paper accepted for the Annual International Conference are eligible to apply for funding.
Responsibilities of the Grantee Before the payment of the Travel Grant (In) can be made, the following condition must be met. The grantee must have: Submitted receipts to the value of AED 1,000.
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TESOL Arabia’s “Language Teacher Research” Competition
Who’s eligible? What’s the prize?
All TESOL Arabia members! A complete set of the six Language Teacher Research series of books edited by Thomas Farrell and published by TESOL.
Language Teacher Research in Africa by Leketi Makelala Language Teacher Research in Asia by Thomas S.C. Farrell, Editor Language Teacher Research in Australia and New Zealand by Anne Burns & Jill Burton, Editors Language Teacher Research in Europe by Simon Borg, Editor Language Teacher Research in the Americas by Hedy McGarrell, Editor Language Teacher Research in the Middle East by Christine Coombe & Lisa Barlow, Editors What do I need to do?
Submit an article of 2,000-3,000 words describing a piece of action research you have conducted. The winning article will be published in Perspectives (provided it meets the guidelines for all feature submissions.
When’s the deadline?
Please send your submissions to leskirkham@gmail.com by March 30, 2010.
Who’s judging? And the winner is?
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Thomas Farrell – TESOL Editor Announced in the June, 2010, issue of Perspectives and on the TESOL Arabia Internet List.
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Calendar of Upcoming Events December 10-12, 2009
TESL Ontario, "Language for a Changing World," Sheraton Centre Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada E-mail: conference@teslontario.org Website: http://www.teslontario.org/conference
December 11, 2009
IATEFL LA SIG and SWON (a network of academics and research students at the Universities of Sheffield, Warwick, Nottingham and the Open University) “Autonomy in a Connected World,” Milton Keynes, UK Website: http://secure.iatefl.org/events/event.php?id=16
December 17-19, 2009
The American University of Sharjah (AUS) and Zayed University’s Research Excellence Center, “UAE Center for Bilingualism and Bilingual Education” International Conference on Bilingualism and Bilingual Education in the Middle East, American University of Sharjah, UAE, “Fostering Multiliteracies Through Education: Middle Eastern Perspectives” Website: http://www.aus.edu/conferences/tesol09/
January 28-30, 2010
Thailand TESOL, "ELT in the Next Decade: Sharing, Caring, and Daring" Twin Towers Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand E-mail: ubon_s@hotmail.com Website: http://www.thaitesol.org
February 11-12, 2010
IATEFL Testing, Assessment and Evaluation SIG and Zayed University Conference, “Establishing and Maintaining Standards” Zayed University Convention Center, Dubai Campus Website: http://tea.iatefl.org/
February 20-21, 2010
IATEFL Teacher Development Special Interest Group, “The Role of the Teacher in the 21st Century,” An Open Space Technology (OST) event Website: http://secure.iatefl.org/events/event.php?id=20
February 25-27, 2010
Hildesheim University and the Young Learner & Teenager SIG, IATEFL Children's Literature in Language Education, "From Picture Books to Young Adult Fiction," Hildesheim University, Germany Website: http://www.childrenslit.de/
February 27-28, 2010
6th CamTESOL Conference on English Language Teaching, "One World: World Englishes," National Institute of Education (NIE), Norodom Blvd corner Suramarit Street, Phnom Penh, Cambodia Email: info@camtesol.org Website: http://www.camtesol.org
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Professional Development Course Grant Report
Vocabulary Acquisition and Teaching Grant Recipient: Justin Shewell
Two of the world’s most renowned names in vocabulary teaching gave a workshop at the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Dubai in connection with the TESOL Arabia 2009 Conference, sponsored by TESOL Arabia. I was privileged to attend this course thanks to a TESOL Arabia Professional Development (PD) Course Grant for which I am greatly appreciative.
association scale,” where the teacher writes a word on the board and then students think about varying degrees of that word’s meaning. She used the word happy as an example:
ecstatic
Paul Nation and Cheryl Zimmerman, both known in language teaching circles for their extensive research into the acquisition and teaching of second language vocabulary, specifically English vocabulary, gave a joint workshop that covered many topics, including the importance of teaching vocabulary, and a detailed look at the acquisition process of a specific word or phrase, as well as ways to effectively teach collocations and word associations. Zimmerman, from California State University in the USA, began the workshop by talking about the acquisition process of vocabulary words and phrases. She emphasized the point that the acquisition process begins with the teacher, and not the student, when the teacher selects appropriate words that need to be learned. She also pointed out that students need to notice new words, not just be exposed to them. Furthermore, they need to think about the new words, and their use and purpose in context.This is in line with other language learning principles that state that students need to be aware of language, not just using language. In teaching vocabulary, teachers can raise students' word consciousness, which is more than just knowing the meaning of a word.Word consciousness includes things like meaning and collocation, as well as the differing situations in which a certain word may be considered appropriate while others are not.
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happy
content
satisfied
For practicing collocation or phrasal verbs, Zimmerman suggested activities such as having students find further examples of the word or words in authentic language situations. She also mentioned two websites that students could use to practice collocation:The Compleat Lexical Tutor (http://www.lextutor.ca), created by Tom Cobb, and the Academic Vocabulary site created by Sandra Haywood at Nottingham University (http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~alzsh3/acvocab/index.htm). In concluding her remarks, Zimmerman outlined the essential characteristics of an effective teacher of vocabulary. She said that an effective vocabulary teacher explains and defines words clearly and succinctly, provides valuable feedback, and prepares learners to use a variety of word learning strategies. Zimmerman suggested that when asked about a word by a student, a teacher should first determine the context in which the word is used, and think beyond just the definition, taking time to explain why the word is used a certain way. However, she cautioned teachers against sharing everything they know about a particular word, as this has a tendency to confuse students more than help them. When discussing the idea of providing valuable feedback, Zimmerman suggested that teachers start by talking about something that students are doing right, and then moving on from there to discuss areas where improvement can be made. She also talked about how teachers should prepare learners to use different word learning strategies. One
Zimmerman then went on to talk about different ways teachers could help students practice meanings and collocations. She talked about a “word
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strategy she suggested is a table in which students write a word, and then keep track of their progress with that specific word. The word happy was again used: Word: happy I have never seen the word. I have seen the word, but am not sure what it means.
I understand the word when I see it in a sentence.
2.
Start with a small set of cards, maybe 15 or 20, and then increase the number as the learning gets easier. He recommended not using more than 50 cards, simply because it is hard to keep that many cards together and go through all the cards in one sitting.
3.
Leave some time between each review of the cards. Start by reviewing them once for the first time, and then reviewing them again a few minutes later. Then review them again maybe an hour later, and then a day later, and then a week later, and then a couple of weeks later. This spacing leads to more permanent learning of the words.
4.
Nation expressly mentioned that having words that are related, or with similar spellings, in the same set of cards will confuse more than help learning. For example, days of the week should not be learned together. This also applies to words that are in the same general category, like things in the kitchen, or parts of the body.
5.
Saying the word aloud, while reading it from the card helps the word to enter long term memory and increases the effectiveness of the learning.
6.
It is important to keep changing the order of the words as well, so that the words are not learned in a certain order, leading students to associate certain words in the pack with other, unrelated words.
7.
In some cases, it might be useful to include collocates of the word to be learned, or common phrases which use the word.
I have tried to use the word, but am not sure if I am using it correctly. I use the word with confidence in either speaking or writing.
As students become more familiar with the specific word, they tick off their progress. She also mentioned the importance of being selective when choosing a dictionary for students to use. After a lunch break, Nation, who is based at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, spoke about the role of direct vocabulary teaching in English language classes. He discussed the debate between teachers who believe in the benefits of directly teaching vocabulary words to students, and those who feel that students should learn vocabulary in a more indirect method, through intensive amounts of input. He quoted recent research that shows that students retain the words learned, and can learn words faster through the direct method rather than the indirect method. Nation then discussed different methods of direct vocabulary teaching, giving particular emphasis to the use of flashcards. He pointed out that flashcards should be seen as one of the first steps to learning a word because, “There is more to knowing a word than knowing its translation.” Nation stated, however, that knowing the meaning or translation of a word is an excellent place to begin, and that by using flashcards, this process is quickened, thus helping students to learn vocabulary more effectively. He offered suggestions for using flashcards: 1.
Nation also discussed the “keyword technique” for learning words. This method of vocabulary learning involves associating a first-language keyword which sounds like the foreign word to be learned. This process involves 4 parts:
Write the word to be learned on one side of the card, and its translation or meaning on the other side. Having the words on opposite sides of the card forces the student to attempt to retrieve the word from memory, and each time this is done, the connection between the word and its meaning is strengthened.
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2
The foreign word
First language keyword which sounds like the foreign word
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Mental image of the meaning of the keyword and the foreign word
4 Meaning of the foreign word
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that most phrases in this group are so infrequent in English that teachers should not spend time specifically teaching them. Students at a more advanced level, however, may benefit from help in choosing and using an idiom dictionary.
For example, if a Korean-speaking learner wants to remember the meaning of apple (1), he or she can think of the Korean word appo (2) which means sick. The learner then might think of an image of the apple keeping someone from getting sick: “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” (3), and attach the meaning of apple to the form apple (4). The first-language keyword does not need to sound exactly like the foreign word for this technique to work, said Nation. It is usually enough if the beginnings of the words are similar. Nation also talked about learning multi-word units (MWUs). Nation classified MWUs into three main categories: core idioms, figuratives, and literals. A core idiom is a phrase in which the meaning of the individual words in the phrase does not contribute to the overall meaning of the unit, and the mental image created by the phrase does not relate to its literal meaning (for example, pull my leg). He stressed
Figuratives are similar to idioms, in that the meanings of the individual words do not contribute to the overall meaning of the phrase. However, the mental image of a figurative provides a clue as to its meaning, such as, kill two birds with one stone. We can see the meaning of the phrase, even if we are not specifically talking about birds and stones. Other examples of figuratives include as good as gold, and just what the doctor ordered. The last category is literals, which are phrases that are not core idioms or figuratives. Nation suggests that literals can be learned through fluency practice, meaning-focused input and output, and languagefocused learning.
Join the Conversation at the TESOL Online Discussion! Win a Free TESOL, Inc. Membership or Voucher Towards a Book! Jane Hoelker
Are you beginning a new job after several years at your one institution and want to brush up on the latest trends in the field? Are you a recent graduate starting in a program for young learners and want to talk with experienced teachers on key issues before entering your classroom? Are you a program administrator searching for approaches to inspire your dedicated and often overworked staff? Whatever your situation, you will find information and friendly support at the latest online program on the TESOL, Inc. website. Click the heading, “Education,” and join the TESOL Online Discussion.
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Key Trends in the Profession Two online discussions have been held so far and more are planned. From November through March, 2010, a new online discussion, open to members and nonmembers, will begin on “Key Trends in the Profession.” This discussion is part of the TESOL Stimulus Plan (TESOL, Inc.’s response to the global economic crisis); active discussion participants with multiple postings will be entered in a drawing. Five people will receive a complimentary 1-year membership or a membership renewal. Thirty people will receive a $20 voucher toward the purchase of TESOL books.
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and open to both TESOL members as well as nonmembers, can be accessed at the site. This online discussion attracted 78 participants from around the globe. Some discussion threads were initiated by participants and facilitators and some emerged naturally throughout the duration of the discussion. Some key issues that were identified during the discussion were as follows:
Applying the New TESOL Technology Standards for Teachers and Learners The most recent discussion, “Applying the New TESOL Technology Standards for Teachers and Learners,” was held between February and June 2009. Links under this discussion connect the participant to the TESOL, Inc. Standards Standing Committee and describe the cost, the activities and responsibilities, the qualifications of committee members, the members who can be contacted by email, and the latest standards standing committee documents. These documents include the policies and procedures, the proposal form for standards projects, and the application form for those interested in serving on this committee. A link is also provided for those who wish to purchase the TESOL Technology Standards Framework in PDF. The bookmarked PDF online document is linked with the table of contents, references, and URLs. This user-friendly document allows readers to peruse either of its two major sections: "Technology Standards for Language Learners" and "Technology Standards for Language Teachers." Specific pedagogy for English language teaching is provided for all standards. The standards can be applied to a range of English proficiency levels and, as TESOL strives to become increasingly global, a wide range of English language teaching and learning settings around the world. The research base for the standards as well as vignettes situating standards in various teaching and learning contexts are provided. An expanded volume will be released in the near future, which contains multiple vignettes covering a wider range of settings such as young learners, teens, adults, EFL, ESL, intensive English programs, adult workplace English, English for Specific Purposes (academic and professional), onecomputer classrooms, class-lab and fully online.
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What effect does literacy in the L1 have on learning the L2?
What does a child need to learn to be orally proficient in contrast to an adult?
What effect does limited autonomy over curricula have on teacher decisions in the classroom in different parts of the world?
Do textbooks free the teacher to experiment with methods or do textbooks enslave both the teacher and the learners to a rigid program?
How much training in technology should teacher training programs include today?
What do the students (identified as “digital natives”) expect the teachers (identified as “digital immigrants”) to do technologically in the classroom and what do they expect to do themselves?
Whatever topic may interest you, there are valuable insights to be found at the TESOL Online Discussion website. Such insights may then go on to inspire your teaching practice as well as put you in contact with a community of fellow practitioners, there to support you in your English language classroom.
NOW AVAILABLE TESOL Arabia Publications Fundamentals of Assessment, 2nd edition
The initial discussion, held from October 15 to December 5, 2008, “Successes and Challenges in Meeting the Needs of Young Learners,” launched the Online Discussion project. A comprehensive summary of that discussion, supported by four facilitators of diverse backgrounds and experiences
At what age should language instruction begin for young learners?
Conclusion
Successes and Challenges in Meeting the Needs of Young Learners
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mashael2@hotmail.com
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FLA in Armenia Christine Coombe, Testing and Evaluation SIG Co-Chair
In May 2009, TAE SIG co-chairs journeyed to Yerevan, Armenia to conduct a series of “Fundamentals of Language Assessment” workshops. The program of workshops was organized by Dr Hossein Farhady, ELT Department Chair of the American University of Armenia (AUA). During the four-day program, we conducted several sessions for English language teachers in Yerevan at AUA as well as at Acharyan University. A special session was open to all Armenian English Language Teachers’ Association (AELTA) members.
All in all, this FLA was one of the best as it included valuable professional development as well as provided us with the opportunity to interact with university students who were actually studying language assessment. Many thanks to Dr Farhady and his students for making this FLA an enjoyable one! We would also like to thank Educational Testing Services for providing us with funding for the 4th year in a row in order to conduct these valuable professional development events.
TAE SIG Chairs with AUA students and faculty. At Victory Monument in Vanadzor.
A unique feature of this FLA was the participation of student organizers, all of whom were enrolled in Dr Farhady’s language assessment course. During the sessions, they took care of all logistics, attended the sessions and then made sure all participants got to experience Armenian culture by arranging visits to such places as Echmiadzin, Geghard and Khor Virap monasteries and to the Victory Monument in Vanadzor.
Need Funding? Apply now for a TESOL Arabia PD Course, Travel or Research Grant!
In addition, a one-day event was held in the town of Vanadzor, a two-hour drive through the mountains from Yerevan. This event was hosted by the European Regional Language Academy.
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TESOL Arabia Research Grant (TARG) Guidelines 1. Overview
3. Eligibility
TESOL Arabia provides limited financial support to fund small-scale research projects conducted by active TESOL Arabia members who are engaged in research on issues and concerns pertinent to the TESOL Arabia membership. The goal of these grants is to generate new knowledge about English teaching and learning in the Arabian Gulf. The grant is administered by the TESOL Arabia Research Grant Committee which is composed of the Publications Coordinator, who acts as the Committee Chair, the Vice-President, the Proposals Chair, and three ordinary members of TESOL Arabia in good standing appointed at the discretion of the Chair. This Committee will field all applications, but reserves the right to send a proposal out for external review.
All current members of TESOL Arabia who have been members of TESOL Arabia for at least one full calendar year are eligible to apply for funding. Current members of TESOL Arabia who have been members for less than one full calendar year are not eligible to apply for funding. Members may apply jointly or as individuals.
4. Applying for a Research Grant i.
Applicants are requested to submit an application in full, following the format below. This should be sent to the Chair of the TARG Committee.
ii.
Research Grant Proposal Format:
2. Current Limitations and Constraints Given funding limitations, the following constraints are necessary: i. Financial support available through the TAR Grant will in many cases be modest and partial in terms of the full costs of the proposed activity. TESOL Arabia expects that the applicants will apply for other funding and use some of their own resources. This enables the allocated resources to benefit more members.
ii. There is no absolute entitlement to available funds in any given year, and when the funds are depleted, no further applications will be accepted. iii. Applicants may only be funded for one TAR Grant per budget year. The budget year runs from October 1-September 30.
iv.. No TAR Grant shall exceed 5000 AED per year.
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A cover page, which includes: Title of project Name/s and affiliation/s of applicant/s Email, phone, fax and mailing address of applicant/s Project summary (200 to 250 words) Detailed proposal (5 pages maximum), which includes: Statement of the research issue or problem Brief theoretical background Research methodology Timetable Plans for dissemination of results (names of journals, conferences, etc.) Select bibliography (2 pages maximum; not included in 5 page limit) Researcher bio(s) Detailed budget and rationale for all items (2 pages maximum) Allowable expenses: personnel, transportation, communication, supplies, etc.)
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iv.
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Unallowable expenses: equipment (i.e., laptop, software), travel to conferences Applicants must supply information about all other funds they are receiving as well as report previous TESOL Arabia grants received. Applicants must state their TESOL Arabia membership number, and describe their service to TESOL Arabia. Current curriculum vitae All of the above should be pasted into one document and sent as an e-mail attachment to the Publications Coordinator. Applications should only be submitted in the budget year in which the research will be conducted. The budget year runs from October 1-September 30. Incomplete documentation will not be considered. The deadline for applications is January 1, 2010.
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The relevance of the research for which money is requested to TESOL Arabia Preference is given to projects that have clear and direct implications for policy and decision makers involving English language teaching, learning and assessment practices in the Arabian Gulf. Whether the applicant/s has/have previously received money from TESOL Arabia in the form of a PDC Grant, a Travel Grant (In) or a Travel Grant (Out) The applicant's/s’ service to TESOL Arabia Preference is given to projects that can be completed in less than one year. TA reserves the right not to grant funds based on the quantity and quality of proposals received.
In all cases, decisions made by the Committee are final and no correspondence regarding decisions reached will be entered into.
6. Responsibilities of the Grantee/s Grantees will have to
5. Criteria for Awarding the Research Grant
i. Submit six month progress reports to the TARG Committee Chair ii. Submit a feature article for Perspectives in the fiscal year.
Funding is evaluated and awards granted based on the following factors:
The TESOL Arabia Professional Development Course Grant Sandra Oddy, Member-at-Large
TESOL Arabia believes that learning is a continuous and never-ending process. It is something we, as professionals, should engage in throughout our lives. To help our members realise this goal, TESOL Arabia has a Professional Development (PD) Course Grant so that members in good standing can receive some financial help with courses of study they wish to follow.
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Courses come in various shapes and forms. They include, for example, studying for a master’s or doctorate degree over a period of several years, or attending TESOL Arabia Pre-Conference Professional Development courses which happen in just one day. No matter how short or long your course is, you may be eligible for a TESOL Arabia PD Course Grant to help you pay for it!
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TESOL Arabia looks at various elements when considering PD Course Grants. One of the most important factors is the applicant’s service to the organisation. In other words, what have you as a member contributed to TESOL Arabia? The more service a member has given to TESOL Arabia, the better the chance of the application being successful.
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This is by no means an exhaustive list and I am certain that you will be able to think of many more creative ways of helping our organisation.
So what kind of things can you do to “serve” TESOL Arabia? Well, how about these examples: i.
ii. iii.
iv.
v.
In the 2008-2009 academic year, TESOL Arabia awarded three PD Course Grants:
Doing a presentation/workshop for your local Chapter or SIG. If you are willing to do this, get in touch with your Area or SIG Rep to discuss matters. Presenting at the Annual International TESOL Arabia Conference. Becoming a reviewer of the books we are sent for review in Perspectives. If you are interested in this, contact Melanie Gobert and Rebecca Woll, our Perspectives editors for more information. Writing a feature article for Perspectives. If you are studying for an MA, this might fit in very well with the modules you are studying for that. Again, contact the Perspectives editors for more detailed information. Offering to become part of the Chapter committee, or if not the committee, a volunteer to help with such things as publicising events, contacting people, setting up
venues, writing or organising the Chapter newsletter, and/or writing reports of Chapter events for the website. Volunteering to help with the TESOL Arabia book drive for your area. Again contact details are on the website.
Abdelbasset Jeddi received AED 2,000 for his MA thesis, entitled Explicit Teaching of L2 Vocabulary Through Technology; Ismail Fayed received AED 1,250 for the component of his MA, Developing Researcher Competences; Justin Shewell received AED 500 to attend the TESOL Arabia Pre-conference Professional Development Course Vocabulary Acquisition and Teaching. Congratulations to our three grant recipients! You can read a report about Justin's course in this edition of Perspectives. If you would like to apply for a TESOL Arabia PD Course Grant, nothing could be simpler. Just go to the TESOL Arabia website at http://tesolarabia.org and fill in the application form on-line.
BOOK NOW FOR TESOL ARABIA’S 2010: Pre-Conference Professional Development Courses Approaches to Teacher Research in Language Classrooms - Presented by David Nunan & Kathleen M. Bailey From Motivation Theory to Motivated Practice - Presented by Peter MacIntyre & Flavia Vieira Certificate Courses From Classroom to Boardroom: Developing Teacher Education & Management Skills From Playroom to Classroom: Teaching Young Learners http://www.tesolarabia.org/conference/registration/online.php
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English for Specific Purposes (ESP) SIG Report Saad Rabia TESOL Arabia's ESP Special Interest Group offers an interactive environment that provides opportunities for professional development and for the exchange of ideas among ESP and ELT practitioners in the UAE.
accordance with our principles, and practices that will link up with the growing needs of the learning community.
With new ESP SIG Co-chairs, Saad Rabia, Fathi Bin Mohamed and Naamat Saadi Hezber, our group’s activities for the current academic year will aim at providing a forum for ESP practitioners to share what we have in common and to provide support and encouragement to all those setting out on the ESP road. Completing our new line-up is our new Secretary/Treasurer Ahmad Awad. We hope this year will witness an expansion in the number of professionals who are willing to make a contribution to our group’s activities.We aim to achieve our objectives through workshops and miniconferences where member-initiated projects and initiatives take the lead.These activities will focus on achieving the following goals: N
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Helping and supporting instructors, program administrators, and other members who are interested in ESP.
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Fostering the sharing of ideas, expertise, and specialized curricula among ESP practitioners.
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Building connections among interested professionals for the purpose of networking, group learning, identification of challenges and endeavoring to improve practices.
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Promoting models of excellence in ESP professionals and fostering good research and professional development.
We look forward to working with all of you in the coming year as we replace the long-term outgoing SIG coordinator Mabel Lalou. Please feel free to email me at esptesolarabia@gmail.com.
Promoting effective ESP training in
Information Technology (IT) SIG Report Will Moore Saturday, November 14, under the auspices of the Dubai Chapter and the Testing and Evaluating SIG.The plan is to have participants create a “Never Get Lost” reading.
This year, the IT SIG has a new secretary, Kabir MacDow, and Mark Brown is our treasurer once again. We are privileged to welcome Kabir to the team and equally pleased that Mark will be continuing to offer his most valued services to our SIG.
On Saturday, December 14, the IT SIG will jointly host a morning of workshop sessions with the Sharjah Chapter. One of those workshop sessions will focus on “How to Use, Assess & Evaluate ‘Never Get Lost’ Readings.” The aim here is to get
The IT SIG plans to focus on a reading technology program this year – along with other technologies, of course.There is an initial presentation in Dubai on Volume 16
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teachers and students to build a strong component of an oral portfolio, and learn how to assess and evaluate those readings. It is our belief that oral work is seriously under-represented in the assessment and evaluation field here in the UAE.
of their proposal to dreigo.will@gmail.com. What are Instructional Technologies? Well, a few hundred years ago, books were a new technology, and twenty years ago computers were considered a new technology. While today, the array of new technologies is vast indeed. But, do not feel you must only present on new technologies. Why not revisit an old one, with a new twist? Or a new one with an old twist?
On Saturday, February 13, a similar set of workshops will be available in Ras Al Khaimah and again in Madinat Zayed on Saturday, April 17. The SIG will finish up the year with two more presentations in Fujairah on Saturday, May 8 and 22.
Whatever you decide to do, we hope that you will get involved in the IT SIG “game” as a player, and not only a spectator. Hope to see you at the workshops!
Anyone wishing to present on Instructional Technology topics is invited to submit a brief outline
Learner Independence (LI)SIG Report Phil Cozens
The LI SIG would like to welcome everyone back. We hope that you feel refreshed after the summer break, were able use Ramadan effectively and enjoyed the Eid holiday. Now that Heather Baba has moved on to become the new SIG Coordinator, the lineup this year will be Phil Cozens and Jeff Knowling from the Petroleum Institute, Virginia Robson from HCT in Fujairah and Amr El Zarka, a Teacher Development Specialist with Madares Al Ghad (MAG). While we haven’t, as of yet, fully defined our different roles, it has been decided that Amr will be acting, primarily, as our liaison with the school system, as we are hoping to focus a little more on this area rather than on the tertiary level. This, of course, does not mean that we will forget tertiary institutes, and we are hoping to be able to hold an ILC Coordinators’ Forum this year, as well as some ILC visits. Building on the feedback we received from our Research Morning in April, we are hoping to repeat this in conjunction with the Abu Dhabi Chapter. Our website, http://ilearn.20m.com, and our Moodle, http://www.learnerindependence.info, are both resources which are available for members to use and to suggest content.
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Our objectives, however, have not changed and are as follows:
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To facilitate networking amongst ILC practitioners
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To support the establishment and upgrading of ILCs
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To encourage the development of innovative approaches and materials for IL
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To explore how new technologies can be employed to promote independent learning
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To support colleagues around the world who are studying by distance learning
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To support and participate in research projects in this field
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At the same time, we hope to find ways to help those within the school system to bring the concept of Learner Autonomy and Independence into their classrooms. Another initiative that we are hoping to start is with students specifically working on B.Ed. courses. Thus far, we have set up a separate Moodle http://learner1.ninehub.com/ where these students can test ideas for online or technology-based activities without worrying that they will go wrong. The site will also include information on useful open source and other free tools.
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presentation on their ideas. This very closely follows a suggestion put forward by Mark Algren in his plenary at the Asia TEFL Conference in Bangkok. "Professional development goes beyond the terms ‘training’ and ‘learning skills,’” he said. “It includes a definition covering formal and informal means of helping teachers not only to learn new skills, but also to develop new insight in the pedagogies and their own practices, and to explore a new or advanced understanding of contents and resources, and the use of technology to support inquiry-based learning.”
Another idea that has been posited is having teachers identify a problem which trainee teachers can then attempt to solve. Afterwards, a teacher and trainee would work together to put forward a
We are hoping to be able to live up to his expectations.
Testing and Evaluation (TAE) SIG Report Christine Coombe and Peter Davidson
TAE SIG start up plans for the 2009-10 academic year are well underway. We will kick off the year with the much-anticipated 2nd edition of the Fundamentals of Language Assessment: A Practical Guide for Teachers. Edited by Christine Coombe, Peter Davidson and Dwight Lloyd, this volume features articles by a mix of international experts including Hossein Farhady, J.D. Brown, Steve Stoynoff, and John Read, as well as locally-based assessment specialists Christine Coombe, Peter Davidson, Lisa Barlow, Mashael Al Hamly, Wayne Jones, and Atta Gebril. This 270- page volume is divided into 5 parts: Key Principles in Language Testing, Assessing the Four Skills, Assessing Language, Additional Assessments, and Appendices which include an annotated bibliography and a glossary of testing terms.
Ahmad Al-Issa from the American University of Sharjah, Ramin Akbari from Tarbiat Modares University in Iran and Deena Boraie from the American University of Cairo. Throughout the year we have organized and run several “Fundamentals of Language Assessment Conferences” both in the UAE and abroad. In this issue of Perspectives we provide you with an account of the FLA which was conducted in Armenia in May 2009. Our next FLAs are scheduled to take place in Bangladesh (Date TBD) and Guatemala (January 2010). We are able to organize these FLAs with the help of a TOEFL Board Grant from Educational Testing Services. For a schedule of TAE SIG events and FLA conferences to be held in the UAE, consult the TESOL Arabia website http://tesolarabia.org.
Our first major event of the year is the 13th Annual Current Trends in English Language Testing Conference (CTELT), to be held at Dubai Men’s College on November 18-20, 2009. The theme of CTELT 13 is “Teacher Development in Language Assessment.” Confirmed plenary speakers include Christa Hansen from Georgetown University, Volume 16
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We look forward to another great year in which we plan to widen the scope of the training and professional development we provide. If you would like a TAE SIG representative to come and speak at your institution, do not hesitate to get in touch with us.
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Leadership and Management (LM) SIG Christine Coombe & Phil Quirke At a recently held Teacher Leadership Academy (TLA) in May 2009, funded by the US Department of State, Middle East Partnership Initiative program and organized by Christine Coombe and Lisa Barlow, over 300 local English language teachers took part. The response to this event was overwhelming and it became apparent that there was keen interest for a second follow up event as well as more specialized training in certain areas that were targeted at the TLA.
Professional Development Opportunities We Propose to Offer: Conferences: N One-day TLA in collaboration with RAK Area Rep N Two-day follow up Teacher Leadership Academy N Public speaking half-day event featuring Mark Hunter, the 2009 World Champion of Public Speaking, on November 20, 2009 during CTELT Conference
During the event we invited TESOL Arabia members who had an interest in starting a SIG that focused on leadership and management issues to sign a petition. Eighty-five teachers signed our petition and, at the TESOL Arabia Executive Council’s recently held retreat, a proposal was put forth and subsequently approved to found a new Leadership and Management SIG .
Online Course: N
A follow-up online course in leadership issues is set to launch in early 2010 as a part of the 1st annual TLA
Workshops: Topics to be covered include personnel management, motivation and decision-making, managing conflict, doing research, getting published, time management and strategic planning.
Aims of the LM SIG: N
To raise awareness among the ELT profession and in particular the TESOL Arabia membership of leadership and management issues. N To contribute to the development of good management practices within ELT in the Gulf. N To provide a forum for the discussion of leadership and management issues that affect our profession. N To provide opportunities for, and information about, relevant leadership and management training.
Publications: The LM SIG plans to put together an edited volume on leadership and management issues in the Gulf.
Proposed Schedule of Events: Event
LM SIG Committee: Christine Coombe & Phil Quirke, Co-chairs Craig Ivory, Events
Date
Venue
Teacher Leadership Event Oct. 31, 2009
RAK
Public Speaking Event Nov. 20, 2009 from Featuring Mark Hunter, 2:00 to 6:00 pm 2009 WC of Public Speaking
Dubai Men’s College in conjunction with CTELT Conference
Leadership/Management Early 2010 Online Course
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2nd Annual Teacher Leadership Academy
Dubai Men’s College
May 20-21, 2010
Steve Allison, Treasurer For more information on this new SIG, please contact Christine Coombe at christine.coombe@hct.ac.ae.
Hilal Onat, Secretary
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TESOL Arabia Special Interest Groups ESP SIG Chair
ESP SIG Co-Chairs Saad Rabia General Manager SPT (Saad for Professional Training) 02 644 0339 (office) esptesolarabia@gmail.com
Fathi Bin Mohamed ADNOC Technical Institute 02 602 2832 (office) fmohamed3@adnoc.ae
Naamat Saadi Hezber ILC (Independent Learning Center) Director of ILC 04 289 4150 (office) naamat99@hotmail.com
Leadership and Management SIG Co-Chairs Christine Coombe Dubai Men’s College Higher Colleges of Technology PO Box 15825, Dubai, UAE 050 619 4796 (mobile) christine.coombe@hct.ac.ae christinecoombe@hotmail.com
Dr. Phil Quirke Madinat Zayed & Ruwais Colleges Higher Colleges of Technology 050 813 3148 (mobile) pquirke@hct.ac.ae
Learner Independence SIG Team c/o Phil Cozens Petroleum Institute PO Box 2533, Abu Dhabi, UAE E-mail: tailearn@yahoo.com Website: http://ilearn.20m.com Independent Learning Forum: http://groups.google.com/group/ilearn2 Distance Learning Support: http://groups.google.com/group/distancelearningissues Distance Learning Wiki: http://tailearn.pbworks.com/ Study Skills Wiki: http://ilearnstudyskills.pbworks.com/ E-newsletter: http://ilearn.20m.com/newsletter/index.htm Moodle: http://learnerindependence.info Facebook Group: Learner Autonomy and iLearn
Virginia Robson
Jeff Knowling
Amr El Zarka
Phil Cozens
Testing, Assessment, & Evaluation SIG Co-Chairs Christine Coombe Dubai Men’s College Higher Colleges of Technology PO Box 15825, Dubai, UAE 050 619 4796 (mobile) christine.coombe@hct.ac.ae christinecoombe@hotmail.com
Peter Davidson Zayed University PO Box 19282 Dubai, UAE 04 402 1387 (off) 050 843 8782 (mobile) peter.davidson@zu.ac.ae
Young Learners SIG Chair
Information Technology SIG Chair
Micheline Habib P.O. Box 108137 Abu Dhabi, UAE 050 303 7404 (mobile) mikaellahab@yahoo.com
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Will Moore Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) P.O. Box 90472 Al Ain, UAE 050 334 3657 (mobile) dreigo.will@gmail.com
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Eastern Region Chapter Report Yurii Vedrashko
I hope all participants of TA Eastern Region Chapter events had a refreshing summer vacation. Now you may be thinking of having more PD events, activities and networking opportunities. It’s an honor for me to organize them for you this academic year and to represent this Chapter, along with your professional interests, to other TESOL Arabia chapters. I have started my second year in Fujairah as an English instructor at the HCT / Fujairah Women’s College. Regarding my professional interests, I am keen on the uses of online Course Management Systems, such as Blackboard Vista and Moodle, valid, systematic and transparent L2 assessment, and different aspects of curricular innovations. Therefore, I look forward to sharing my experience in those areas at upcoming events and learning new things from other enthusiasts of language education. I would like to express my appreciation of the high standard that my predecessors, Abdelbasset Jedi and Nejib Ali, set as co-representatives of
Abdelbasset Jedi
the Eastern Region Chapter.They demonstrated a long-term commitment to TESOL Arabia’s cause with their continuous efforts in maintaining a high TESOL Arabia membership rate and by organizing a great many PD events for English teachers in the Eastern Region for many years. Furthermore, I am grateful to Abdelbasset and Najib for boosting my morale as I was trying to fill their shoes. I hope you will share my wishes of good luck to them in advancing their careers in language education and SLA research. Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to call for new presentations, professional exchange workshops and other kinds of PD events. If you would like to present or give a workshop at an event over this academic year or if you have workshop requests/ideas for new events, please email me at yvedrashko@hct.ac.ae.
Nejib Ali
The schedules have not been set yet, so please check TESOL Arabia’s website at www.tesolarabia.org for dates of upcoming chapter events.
Ras Al Khaimah Chapter Report Anna Bailey
expertise to future events, or to the RAK Report, our newsletter. This newsletter is sent out to members and colleagues in RAK. It is filled with information and articles designed to keep you up to date on issues and activities in the field. We are always looking for contributors from RAK, the UAE or abroad! It is available online at the TESOL Arabia website: http://tesolarabia.org/chapters/rak
Welcome to the 2009 – 2010 academic year! We hope it is a fulfilling and successful year for you and your students. The RAK Chapter is looking forward to an active year. We hope to see the return of members who have been with us for many years, as well as new members at events scheduled throughout the academic year. Please consider contributing your ideas, energy and
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Special thanks go out to Darcy Harris, who was editor of the RAK Report from January 2006. We will miss her great contribution to the RAK Chapter of TESOL Arabia and to the RAK community. We would like to take this opportunity to welcome Christine Jones as the new editor of the RAK Report. She can be contacted at cjones@hct.ac.ae.
The 2009 – 2010 RAK Chapter Committee has been formed and the following members are volunteering their time: N N N N
Anna Bailey (Representative) Jerilyn Lang (Treasurer) Robin Manson (Secretary) Christine Jones (Editor, RAK Report)
We sincerely hope to see you at our events.
Ras Al Khaimah Chapter
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS for 2009 – 2010 MONTH
DATE
ACTIVITY
VENUE
October 2009
Saturday 31 October 9:00 – 1:00
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Workshops organized by: RAK Chapter N Leadership SIG
RAK Men’s College
November 2009
Monday 23 November 4:00 – 6:00
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Workshop organized by: RAK Chapter
RAK Men’s College
February 2010
Saturday 13 February 9:00 – 1:00
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Workshops organized by: RAK Chapter N IT SIG
RAK Men’s College
April 2010
Saturday 10 April 9:00 – 1:00
Workshops organized by: N RAK Chapter N Learner Independence SIG
RAK Men’s College
May 2010
Tuesday 4 May 4:00 – 6:00
Workshop organized by: RAK Chapter
RAK Men’s College
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For more information on TESOL Arabia Chapter Events, see our calendar at http://tesolarabia.org
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TESOL Arabia Chapter Representatives Abu Dhabi Representative Ahmed Saadawi IAT PreCORE Program Khalifa University of Science, Technology & Research (KUSTAR) PO Box 127733, Abu Dhabi, UAE 02 444 3763 (office), 02 444 5143 (fax) 050 771-7255 (mobile) a_saadawi@yahoo.com
Al Ain Representative Mokhtar Trabelsi Ministry of Education and Youth PO Box 1245, Al Ain, UAE 03 751 2662 (res) 050 563 0238 (mobile) noorkha97@hotmail.com
Sharjah Representative Mona El Samaty University of Sharjah College of Arts English Department P. O. Box 27272, Sharjah, UAE 06 505 3349 (office) monaelsamaty@gmail.com
Dubai Representative Rehab Rejab Institute of Applied Technology PO Box 124354 Dubai, United Arab Emirates 050 637 5957 (mobile) rehabrajab@yahoo.com
RAK Representative Anna Bailey Ras Al Khaimah Women’s College Higher Colleges of Technology PO Box 4792, Ras Al Khaimah, UAE 07 202 5230 (office) anna.bailey@hct.ac.ae, rakrep@yahoo.co.uk
Acting Eastern Region Representative Yurii Vedrashko Fujairah Women's College Higher Colleges of Technology PO Box 1626, Fujairah,UAE 050 193 9805 (mobile) yvedrashko@hct.ac.ae
Western Region Representative Mohammad Azaza Zayed Al-Khair Model School PO Box 57657, Zayed Town, UAE 02 884 4453 (office), 02 884 4478 (fax ), 050 780 3988 (mobile) amelki22@yahoo.com
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TESOL Arabia Membership Application 2009-2010 Please complete this application form and follow the directions for payment on the reverse. Please note that membership fees are not refundable. TESOL Arabia Secretariat, I C & E, PO Box 29884, Dubai, United Arab Emirates Fax: +971 4 3355141 Tel: +971 4 3372718 Email: tesolarabia@icedxb.com Please check one: G
175 UAE Dirhams
regular* - for applicants residing within the GCC countries**
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135 UAE Dirhams
for primary & secondary school teachers residing within the GCC countries
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135 UAE Dirhams
for full-time students (with letter of confirmation from college or university) residing within the GCC countries
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250 UAE Dirhams
for international membership (all members residing outside the GCC)
All information given in this form will remain confidential and is solely for the use of TESOL Arabia. First Name: ________________________ Last Name:
________________________________
Postal address: __________________________________________________________________ Postal address: __________________________________________________________________ City __________________________________________________________________________ Country ______________________________________________________________________ Is the above your place of work, or your personal address? (please circle)
Work
Personal
Email: _________________________________________________________________________ Email addresses will be used to contact you about many TESOL Arabia matters. Please ensure your address is correct. Your address will also be added to the TESOL Arabia Internet announcement list to receive announcements unless you tick here. I Contact Tel: ________________________________ Fax: ______________________________ Name of place of work: ___________________________________________________________ (i.e. name of school, company, college, university etc.)
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TESOL Arabia Special Interest Groups – please circle up to TWO SIGs of your choice: English for Specific Purposes Instructional Technology Leadership and Management Learner Independence Literature Testing, Assessment, Young Learners and Evaluation TESOL Arabia Branches – UAE residents please circle the branch you want to contact you: Abu Dhabi Al Ain Dubai Fujairah + East Coast Ras Al Khaimah Sharjah
Western Region
METHODS OF PAYMENT G G
The fee payable is the one applicable at the time we receive your application for membership. We can only process your membership once your application has been received. All payments must be in UAE dirhams.
G
CASH, CHEQUE, BANK DRAFT
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G
CASH must be paid in UAE dirhams in person at I C & E’s offices in Dubai. Room 413 Sultan Business Centre (Next to Lamcy Plaza) Dubai
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ONLINE payments are now possible via our website. Please go to http://tesolarabia.org for full details.
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DIRECT DEPOSITS should be deposited in UAE dirhams only to: G G G G
Mashreq Bank, Park Place Branch, Dubai, UAE Account number: 0994710846 Account name: International Conferences & Exhibitions LLC Swift code: BOMLAEAD
The original deposit slip (usually pink in colour) must be sent with the membership application form to IC&E at the address on the form. G
CHEQUES or BANK DRAFTS must be in UAE dirhams made payable to:
“International Conferences & Exhibitions LLC” The cheque or draft should be sent to IC&E at the address on the form with the membership application form. G
Upon payment, an official TESOL Arabia receipt and Membership Card will be posted to you.
If you do not receive a RECEIPT within two weeks of applying, please contact us at: TESOL Arabia, IC&E, P.O. Box 29884, Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 3372718, Fax +971 4 3355141, Email: tesolarabia@icedxb.com
Notes: * ‘Regular’ membership is for people employed at the government system post-secondary education level or the private sector equivalent, or are otherwise outside the recognised primary or secondary schooling system. Decisions made by the Membership Secretary regarding categories of membership are final. **Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates
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Guidelines for Contributors
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Guidelines for Contributors Perspectives. Please contact Dr. Atta Gebril, the Reviews Editor, at AttaG@uaeu.ac.ae.
General Editorial Policies TESOL Arabia Perspectives is the official publication of TESOL Arabia, designed to meet the organization’s professional objectives by publishing articles that discuss the teaching and learning of English as an additional language at all levels and with a particular focus on the region (the Gulf, Middle East, North Africa and South Asia). TESOL Arabia Perspectives invites previously unpublished manuscripts that address the diverse topics that make up our profession, including, but not limited to, methodology, pedagogy, curriculum and materials development, assessment, classroom inquiry and research, teacher education and language and culture.
Emerging Technologies This section will document short articles of about 5001000 words that provide overviews of educational technologies, their utilities and incorporation into practice. This could include software, hardware, and web-based resources.
Networking This section will feature conference and country reports. Reports will range between 250-1000 words. Conference reports should provide the readers with a good overview of the conference in question as well as some personal insights of how it impacted the author. Country reports can provide a glimpse of professional activities, concerns and projects in the Photos with captions must accompany the submission.
Submission Categories & Guidelines Feature Articles Features should generally be between 2000-3000 words in length, and address educational issues (theory leading to practice) relevant to the membership. The articles can document a critical survey of a particular aspect of the field, detail and analyze pedagogical issues, describe and discuss research findings, or highlight contextual factors and their implications for educational practice. All submissions should be thought through, organized, and clearly written. APA style format will be strictly adhered to regarding referencing. Submissions must be in Times New Roman, font size 12, double spaced. Submissions not meeting APA standards will not be reviewed. Every feature article will go through a review process where the reviewers consider how well it: I I
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Reader’s Response Reader’s Response gives the readers a forum to respond to articles published in previous issues. Responses should focus on the content of an article and provide reasoned feedback. Responses should be between 500 – 1000 words.
Lesson Ideas Do you have a great lesson idea or an activity that others should know about? Lesson Ideas offers teachers the opportunity to share their activities in context. Submissions should be between 500-1000 words and detail the activity as well as provide a context for usage.
discusses issues that seek to inform practice; contributes to the knowledge base for teaching and teacher education in general, and in the region in particular; addresses educational issues and needs of ELT in the region; identifies an educational research agenda.
Photographs and other images In order to avoid poor quality images, please submit the largest size and best resolution images you have. This should be at least 300 dpi and saved as a tiff, eps, or jpeg (in order of preference). Headshots and brief bios including the author's current professional affiliation must accompany all submissions.
Reviews
Send your submissions to:
Reviews should evaluate any recent textbook, resource book, CD/DVD and audio or video title. Reviews should be 500–1000 words in length and evaluate materials for their approach, content, appropriateness, adaptability, and relevancy. A list of materials received for review will be made available periodically in
Melanie Gobert & Rebecca Woll TESOL Arabia Perspectives Co-editors Melanie.gobert@hct.ac.ae Rebecca.woll@hct.ac.ae
TESOL Arabia Perspectives is published three times a year: November, January and June
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Executive Council
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TESOL Arabia Executive Council President
Vice President
Josephine “Jo” Kennedy Abu Dhabi Men's College (HCT) PO Box 25035 Abu Dhabi, UAE 02 404 8312 (office), 02 681 0026 (res) 050 317 7062 (mobile) josephine.kennedy@hct.ac.ae
Sufian Abu Rmaileh UAE University - UGRU PO Box 17172 Al Ain, UAE 03 706 4562 (res) 050 713 1803 (mobile) sabu-rmaileh@uaeu.ac.ae
Executive Secretary
Executive Treasurer
James McDonald Academic Bridge Program Zayed University Dubai, UAE 04 402 1371 (office) james.mcdonald@zu.ac.ae
Sufian Abu Rmaileh UAE University - UGRU PO Box 17172 Al Ain, UAE 03 706 4562 (res) 050 713 1803 (mobile) sabu-rmaileh@uaeu.ac.ae
Membership Secretary / Past President
Conference Treasurer
Les Kirkham c/o Al Ain Women’s College Higher College of Technology PO Box 17258, Al Ain, UAE leskirkham@gmail.com
Beth Wiens Zayed University PO Box 19282, Dubai, UAE 04 402 1350 (office) 04 402 1003 (fax) 050 4620566 (mobile) beth.wiens@zu.ac.ae
Conference Co-Chair
Member at Large
Josephine “Jo” Kennedy Abu Dhabi Men's College (HCT) PO Box 25035 Abu Dhabi, UAE 02 404 8312 (office), 02 681 0026 (res) 050 317 7062 (mobile) josephine.kennedy@hct.ac.ae
Sandra Oddy Al Ain Women's College Higher Colleges of Technology P.O. Box 17258 Al Ain, UAE 03 709 5319 (office) Sandra.Oddy@hct.ac.ae
Co-Editors - Perspectives Rebecca Woll Abu Dhabi Men's College Higher Colleges of Technology P.O. Box 25035 Abu Dhabi, UAE rwoll@hct.ac.ae
Melanie Gobert Abu Dhabi Men's College-CERT Higher Colleges of Technology P.O. Box 25035 Abu Dhabi, UAE mgobert@hct.ac.ae
Acting SIG Coordinator
Conference Proceedings Editor / Conference Co-Chair
Heather Maria Baba Abu Dhabi Men's College Higher Colleges of Technology P.O. Box 25035 Abu Dhabi, UAE tasigscoord@yahoo.co.uk
Mashael Al-Hamly mashael2@hotmail.com
Publications Coordinator
Web Master
Mashael Al-Hamly mashael2@hotmail.com
Justin Shewell UAE University P.O. Box 17172 Al Ain, UAE 03 713 4465 (office) 03 767 2665 (fax) webmaster@tesolarabia.org
Volume 16
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No. 3
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November 2009
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TESOL Arabia Perspectives
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www.tesolarabia.org