As we open our new calendars (for those of us who love paper calendars) to start 2019, we begin to think about what the new year has in store and maybe some of us dabble in making New Year’s Resolutions. But what if there was a way to not only reach some of our own goals, but also build a stronger community? This year, that’s an achievable endeavor. TESL Ontario has many ways for us to get involved with our community, connect with peers, and check off some professional goals. Continue reading
Boost your instruction with Free TESOL courses
Since 2001, the Electronic Village Online (EVO) has offered free, online courses starting in mid-January and finishing in mid-February. Facilitators and organizers volunteer their time and expertise to contribute to our profession. Participants learn through lecture, activities and peer discussions on relevant TESOL topics. Course facilitators and participants share fresh perspectives from their diverse experience and expertise. Continue reading
If you’re a Twitter user, join the next #CdnELTchat on Tuesday, November 27th. Below is a recap of the November 4th chat from the #CdnELTchat moderators.
What does it mean for learners to be autonomous and accountable? How do you teach students to take responsibility of their own learning? What roles does metacognition play in learner autonomy? These are some of the questions that a group of educators tackled on November 6th. Bonnie Jean Nicholas (@EALStories) and Jennifer Chow (@jennifermchow) moderated a #CdnELTchat to explore this topic.
Thank-you so much to the enthusiastic participants Continue reading
In Six Tools To Enhance Video Learning, I posted about using online video in the classroom more efficiently and possibly creatively. Since then a new education technology development tool, H5P, has emerged. I have been working on a variety of projects with H5P and feel that it is important for educational developers to consider adopting it as a means for enhancing online video learning events.
HTML 5 Packager, better known as H5P, is a free tool that allows you to create custom learning objects with online video. H5P’s Interactive Video feature allows developers to overlay resources and interactive features over a video itself. This optimizes the learners’ video viewing area. Until now, interactivity with the video occurred under the video, on the play back bar, or as a fly out menu to the left or the right of the video. Overlain interactivity on a video makes the end-user’s experience intuitive. Items such as comments, true/false questions or links to further information can be strategically positioned over the video and timed to focus attention to specific parts of the video screen. Continue reading
If you’re a Twitter user, read on to learn how you can join the next #CdnELTchat. Below is a recap of the October 23rd chat from the #CdnELTchat moderators.
Being able to use learning strategies and study skills can empower students to become independent learners. What learning strategies and study skills do English language learners need to support their language learning journey? Bonnie Jean Nicholas (@EALStories) and Jennifer Chow (@jennifermchow) moderated a #CdnELTchat to explore this topic. Continue reading
I tend to write my conference reflections as soon as possible after the conference for obvious reasons. (Obvious = getting old and forgetting stuff quickly) I promised myself that this conference I would self-indulge, go only to the workshops that light my fire. Since the time I had to actually attend workshops was minimal (I was doing other things for the conference), I wanted to make that time count.
I attended no PBLA workshops. Continue reading
If you’re a Twitter user, read on to learn all about how you can join the next #CdnELTchat which takes place tomorrow, November 6th. Below is a recap of last month’s chat from the #CdnELTchat moderators.
In our personal lives, we use YouTube playlists, Facebook feeds, pins on Pinterest, Instagram feeds, saved tweets on Twitter etc. to save and share videos, news, images and information. With the increase of accessible information and resources online, what can educators and students do to curate content effectively? Bonnie Jean Nicholas (@EALStories) and Jennifer Chow (@jennifermchow) moderated a #CdnELTchat on “Content Curation” to explore this topic.
For the last 20 years, TESL Ontario has held technology workshops at the annual conference to introduce and provide conference attendees with the opportunity to learn from the many individuals who utilize technology in the classroom. Over the years, the interest has grown along with the opportunities to use technology from computers to tablets to smart phones. Most of our students have one or several of these devices. The use of these devices Continue reading
This year at the TESL ON conference, Deborah Healey, TESOL International Association, will be one of our Keynote Speakers. The following blog post was written by Deborah. Here she gives you a taste of what she will be sharing at the conference.
Gamification in Education: Hype or Useful Teacher Tool? This is a question that I’ve been asking for the past few years, as I’ve tried gamifying some of my classes. Most teachers (myself included) have long used games in the English language classroom and in teacher training to encourage motivation and add a fun factor to learning. Some teachers have been able to use game-based learning, where a game sets the context for learning. Continue reading
Calling all Twitter enthusiasts. Have you followed the BC TEAL’s twitter chats? If not read on to learn all about how you can join the next chat: happening October 9th. Below is a note from the #CdnELTchat moderators.
Thank-you to everyone who joined moderators, Svetlana Lupasco (@StanzaSL) and Bonnie Jean Nicholas (@EALStories) for the first #CdnELTchat of the fall term. Continue reading