English Language Teaching Workshop
Russia, April 16-30, 2008

I. Survey of Participants to Determine Presentation Agenda

II. Online v. Offline Use of Resources (Brief How-to's)

III. Pedagogical Framework: Teach S.M.A.R.T.

• Synthesis of language and thinking skills
• Motivating content and meaningful communication
• Appropriate for culture, age and language ability of students
• Relevant to curriculum and students' lives
• Tangible product with evaluation and feedback

IV. A Sampling of Computer/Internet Activities and Resources

A. Word Processing, Database, Spreadsheet, Graphics

Examples:

1. Word Processing: Flyerplain - Flyerfancy; Candy sale jumble - Candy sale key

2. Database: Social Club d.b - Social Club Assign; Whales; Writing: Analysis paragraph

3. Spreadsheet: Club budget; Writing: Explain key points in budget

4. Graphics: Create images/stimulate writing

Resources:

1. Word Processing Activities - Bradin

2. Basic Computer Skills Curriculum - Schachterle

3. Collection of copyright free images - Krauss

Your turn! - Images as Writing Prompts - Down South | Down Under (See McKenzie article)

Teachers:
1) What questions would you ask students to help them think/analyze/discuss?
2) What language forms/functions would you introduce?
3) Ideas for expansion activities? Use technology?

B. Email, Text or Audio Asynchronous Discussions, Chat

Examples:

1. Email: Sending/receiving Attachments - Group Problem Solving: Short Duration (What's My Number?); Medium Duration(Wolf, Duck, Corn); Long Duration(Coy Bank)

2. Email: Forwarding Mail (Chain Story); Resulting Student Work

3. Text Discussion: Interactive Journals (Nicenet)

4. Audio Discussion: Chinswing; VoiceThread (Voice annotation of photos and video)

5. Chat: WebHeads in Action (Tapped In)

Resources:

1. Email Resources at OELP Online English Language Center - Opp-Beckman

2. All Puzzles.net - Includes brain teasers, riddles, puzzles and more
Or try Kathy Schrock's BrainBoosters - Categories include: Categorization, Lateral Thinking, Logic Number and Math Play, Reasoning, Spatial Awareness, and Word and Letter Play

3. Problem Solving Across the Curriculum, John F. Beaver, ISTE, 1994

4. The Use of Chat in ESL/EFL - Almeida d'Eça

Your turn! - Group Problem Solving - Your choice: Short Duration (What's My Number?); Medium Duration(Wolf, Duck, Corn); Long Duration(Coy Bank) (John F. Beaver)

Teachers:
1) What thinking skills would students need to use to solve this problem?
2) What language forms/functions would you introduce?
3) Would a graphic organizer help students solve the problem?
4) Ideas for expansion activities?
5) Pros and cons for using a computer to do this activity?

C. English Skills Practice

Examples:

1. Listening: English Language Listening Lab Online

2. Reading: How Stuff Works - Sample Article: How TV Works (entire article) (How TV Works: Amazing Things About Brain Reassembly 1 and 2)

3. Writing: Pizzaz - Sample Activity: Diamond Poems; Student Sample of Diamond Poems

4. Grammar: ESL Blues - Sample Activity: Adjectives: -ed, -ing

5. Integrated Skills (Breaking News English) (Ex. Fisherman Hero)

Resources:

1. ESL Independent Study Lab - Krauss

2. OELP Online English Language Center (Language Learning Resources) - Opp Beckman

3. Instructions for creating a blog at www.blogger.com

Your turn! - Diamond Poem - Miniature Earth (Video | Text) - (See McKenzie article)

Teachers:
1) Collectively, write a Diamond Poem about Miniature Earth.
2) What thinking skills would students use to complete this activity?
3) What language forms/functions would you introduce?
4) Ideas for expansion activities?
5) Pros and cons for using a computer to do this activity?

D. Web-based Activity Formats (Hotlists, Subject Samplers, Treasure Hunts, WebQuests)

Examples:

1. Hotlist: Medical English by Kevin McCaughey, former English Language Fellow in Russia

2. Subject Sampler: Facing Facts: Prejudice by Michael Krauss

3. Treasure Hunt: A Word Designed in a Designed World by Kseniya Sloutskaya, Russi

4. WebQuest: A Right to Die by Elena Ilyicheva, Russia

Resources:

1. Filamentality; Filamentality Tour; Filamentality Search Page

2. Web 'n Flow (updated/more powerful than Filamentality) - Tom March; Example using all 6 activity formats: School Safety

3. WebQuest Page - Bernie Dodge; QuestGarden - Dodge

Your turn! - Subject Sampler - Facing Facts: Prejudice

Teachers:
1) Examine the Sampler activities.
2) Share impressions in small groups.
4) Complete graphic organizer showing characteristics of sampler items.
5) Rank sampler items, most serious to least serious prejudice.
6) Brainstorm suggestions to reduce prejudice and discrimination.

E. Computer/Internet-based Projects

Examples:

1. Creating Collaborative Multimedia Web Pages: Culture Capsules

2. Creating Web Guides to Novels: Hatchet

3. PowerPoint Projects: Campus Visits (Counseling Center)

4. Inter-classroom Projects (Example): Global Grocery List Project

Resources:

1. PBWiki.com - Easiest free Web page creation

2. SlideShare.net - Share PowerPoint slideshows on the Internet

3. Curriculum-Based Telecollaboration: Using Activity Structures to Design Student Projects - Harris

4. The Global Schoolhouse

Your turn! - Culture Capsules

Teachers:
1) Brainstorm Culture Capsule topics that could be done in your classroom.
2) Brainstorm the criteria for evaluating an oral report based on a Culture Capsule.
3) See the PBL checklist maker. (English|Spanish). Sample oral report checklist.

 F. Creating Class Web Pages, Interactive Games, Quizzes, Puzzles, Surveys

Examples:

1. Overview of Quia (PowerPoint Presentation)

2. Shared Activities Page - Use any of these free of charge.

3. Quia Creations - A Student Project - Student Examples: Home Page; Challenge Board; Survey

Resources:

1. Quia

2. More Web-based Tools - Krauss

Your turn! - Quia (Survey)

Teachers:
1) Brainstorm topics about which your students would want to create a survey.
2) What are some question types they might use? (See Quia sample survey)
3) What could students do with the statistics they collect?
4) What language forms would you need to practice?
5) How could students use the information they collect in a real-world project?
6) Pros and cons for using a computer to do this activity?

 G. WOW sites - enrichments and multimedia-dense content that will WOW your students

Examples:

1. Flash Mind Reader

2. Optical Illusions

3. Froguts

4. Columbia River in Danger

5. Imagination Voyages

Resources:

1. ESL Independent Study Lab: Fun & Games section - Krauss

2. Content-rich Web sites - Krauss

Your turn! - Develop a lesson.

Teachers:
1) Choose one of the multimedia-dense sites above.
2) Develop a set of activities that would: encourage group collaboration, challenge students' thinking skills, provide practice with useful/appropriate language forms, have an outcome that is practical in the real world, provide feedback to students on their language and content learning.

V.Additional Resources

A. Introduction to the Internet | Exploiting World Wide Web Resources Online and Offline - Davies (Ed.)

B. Ideas for the One Computer Classroom - Opp-Beckman

C. Integrating the Internet into the Classroom - Krauss (don't need to enroll to use materials)

D. Teaching S.M.A.R.T. with the Web - Krauss

E. The Educator's Reference Desk (Integrating Technology Section)