TESOL 2007, Seattle, WA, USA
EV Fair "Classic"
Presenter: Michael Krauss
Academic English Studies, Lewis & Clark College
Email: krauss@lclark.edu, Web: http://www.lclark.edu/~krauss/
Presenter: Bridget Gersten
English Language Officer, English Language Office for the Russian Federation
Email: gerstenbf@state.gov

Overview:

• Integrating the Internet into the Classroom materials are suitable for teacher self-study or for use with ESL students in the classroom.
• Two options for Web site use:
  • Take a 3-week online course for professional development, continuing education or graduate credit OR
  • Use the materials without registration or cost for any non-profit educational purpose.
• Course content is easily navigated via the Syllabus-at-a-Glance.
• Guided Discussion component is included if online class option is chosen: Asynchronously via Nicenet. (What is Nicenet?) Synchronously via Tapped In (What is Tapped In?)
• Additional Materials sections allow more advanced users to move well beyond the basics.
  
  

Background:

• Site was developed in 1998 for USIA to support online training of ESL/EFL teachers in central and eastern Europe.
• Course was adopted in 1999 by Lewis & Clark College and offered for professional development, continuing education or graduate credit.
• Course is offered 3 times/year to second language and "mainstream" teachers, both in the U.S. and abroad.
• 500+ teachers from 20+ countries have completed the course. Many more use materials free of charge for educational purposes. See the Scrapbook for comments by teachers.
  
  

Course Highlights:

Week 1 - Getting Started: Accessing, Organizing, and Understanding Web Resources

• Week 1 Day 1 - FAQ's about the course materials. Get familiar with Netiquette and Glossary of computer terms.
  
  
• Week 1 Day 2 - Access, register and participate in online discussions using Nicenet. (How to use Nicenet).
  
  
• Week 1 Day 3 - Access collections of Web resources, both for rich content and for discrete language skills. Learn about storing bookmarks online and about social bookmarking.
  
  
• Week 1 Day 4 - Demystify the Web: Study a framework for categorizing the Web into seven types of resources.
  
  
• Week 1 Day 5 - Examine Web-based activity formats and how to integrate them into the curriculum (Hotlists, Treasure Hunts, Subject Samplers and WebQuests).
  
  

Week 2 - Searching the Net, Evaluating Resources and Constructing Online Activities

• Week 2 Day 1 - Read the latest on search engines and search techniques. Complete Four NETS for Better Searching, hands-on activity to improve Google use.
  
  
• Week 2 Day 2 - Complete Scavenger Hunt: Trying Out Internet Search Tools, a fun and educational online activity that gives practice using several search engines
  
  
• Week 2 Day 3 - Learn to evaluate online materials using customized evaluation checklists. Apply those checklists to evaluate two very different sites on marijuana.
  
  
• Week 2 Day 4-5 - Utilize the Filamentality Web site to develop a Hotlist, Treasure Hunt, or Subject Sampler designed to meet the needs of your specific curriculum and students.

Week 3 - Developing Courses, Connecting Distant Students, Creating Advanced Materials

• Week 3 Day 1 - Examine four courses that make use of Web resources/activities: Diversity and Civil Rights, Computer Applications, Advanced Writing, and Earth Science.
  
  
• Week 3 Day 2 - Read, discuss and take a quiz to learn about structured activities that involve collaborating electronically among distant students.
  
  
• Week 3 Day 3 - Find an intriguing Web site that fits your curriculum and students; conjure up a task to be done/problem to be solved using the Web site as a resource; write guided questions and a final task that requires a tangible product/presentation, and you've created a Scenario.
  
  
• Week 3 Day 4-5 - Challenge yourself to develop a WebQuest, a true test of your creative abilities and knowledge of pedagogically sound Web-based teaching. Or take advantage of Quia, an educational Web tool with a very intuitive interface to create fun and useful online activities that support learning in any content area you choose.

A Sampling of Activities/Resources Included in the Integrating the Internet into the Classroom Web site.

• ESL Independent Study Lab - "One-stop shopping" with over 250 Web sites for ESL/EFL learners, categorized by English skill area and language ability. Also includes a collection of content-rich sites and sites for younger learners.
  
  
• Bernie Dodge's Four NETS for Better Searching - Designed to improve search techniques when using Google.
  
  
• Scavenger Hunt: Trying Out Internet Search Tools - Enjoyable and practical way to practice composing multi-term searches using several of the most popular search engines.
  
  
• Alan November's "The Web--Teaching Zack to Think" - A story about a student who believes everything he reads on the Web.
  
  
• How Trustworthy Are Internet Resources? - Lesson which requires the examination and rating of a variety of Web sites for trustworthiness. Explicit evaluation guidelines are provided. Here's a checklist to help students evaluate resources.
  
  
• Diversity and Civil Rights - A sample course for intermediate/advanced ESL/EFL students that heavily integrates Web resources.
  
  
• Joan Berger's Scenarios format provides students with Web sites and guided questions, which they use to solve engaging problems. Natural follow-up would be short written and oral reports.
  
  
• Filamentality Search - Find Hotlists, Treasure Hunts, Samplers and WebQuests to meet curriculum needs. Create and post WebQuests easily with Bernie Dodge's QuestGarden.

Created by: krauss@lclark.edu
Updated: 3/18/07