Webheads in Action: Community formation online and its role in language learning

Writing for Webheads is an ongoing 'experiment in world friendship through online language learning' whose participants have been meeting weekly online since 1998. During that time, Webheads have experimented with numerous synchronous and web-based multimedia communications formats, and presented at several live and online conference venues. Webheads in Action is for anyone interested in interacting online with this established community of ESL learners and facilitators in the course of participating in TESOL EV Online 2002. Participants meet for 8 weeks between January and March 2002 to help each other learn about forming and maintaining robust online communities. We will demonstrate and explore use of the latest synchronous and non-synchronous communications technologies, including video and voice, while showing delegates around the Webheads community in tours guided by community members who can appear online for the occasion. 

A weekly syllabus/activity list can be found at http://www.vancestevens.com/papers/evonline2002/webheads.htm and includes: Overview and organization of the course --Use of Yahoo Groups in the model Webheads courses; Setting up and managing our Yahoo Group for evonline2002_webheads; The tools for synchronous communications (listed at http://www.vancestevens.com/papers/evonline2002/webheads.htm); Tapped In -- Getting familiar with the environment; Becoming a member, getting an office; Meeting other evonline2002_webheads members there; What you can do with Yahoo Messenger -- Finding buddies online; Chatting with other evonline2002_webheads members; Activating voice; View Vance's web cam, broadcast yours if you have one; Some other interesting synchronous chat tools -- Wimba voice discussion board; GroupBoard; Community formation -- Carving out your niche in cyberspace; Setting up your own web page; Faces in the community -- Manipulating Images; e.g. making thumbnails; Linking the faces to community member web pages; Issues in e-moderation and chaos navigation -- Principled discussion of optimal degree of control; The concept of Intuitive Chaos Navigation; Wrap-up.

Ways to Use Video in the Language Classroom

Based on the Video IS Strand at Salt Lake City, this on-line course will offer the opportunity to discuss issues in the development of appropriate video activities for language classrooms. It is targeted to teachers who would like to use excerpts of films and TV programs in their classes, both beginners and those who have used video but would like to expand their repertoire.

Video has been shown to be a motivating tool for practicing all sorts of language activities involving linguistic input as well as output.  However, teachers may be reluctant to use video because they do not know where and how to start.  This primer course aims to show teachers the “why” and well as the “how” so that they can start choosing videos and developing activities appropriate for their own students.

Topics include Pros and cons of using video; Choosing a video (features to look for); How can video be exploited in classes; Using TV; Using films; Developing activities; Issues in using DVDs.

Managing NS-NNS teachers of English: Maintaining equality in the workplace

This EV Online session is for NS-NNS teachers of English abroad and school administrators (university, college, high school, English kindergarten/language schools).  We can find a lot of articles that deal with NS-NNS teachers- but most of them are only concerned with the quality of teaching, in terms of methodology and approach. The session will raise an issue that affects both the teachers (NS and NNS) and  school administrators (university level, language schools, English kindergartens, etc). The differences between a NS and NNS teacher of English do not only lie in their physical appearances, nor on their manner of speech or pronunciation. But these very obvious differences give way to a much deeper problem that creates a gap between the two.  For example, in Asia, the pay scheme for NS and NNS is entirely different. The topic is very sensitive in nature as it delves into the psychological and emotional aspects of the teachers as individuals. But that is what Human Resource Management is all about- managing people. When a teacher thinks and feels that she or he is being rewarded less compared to her/his colleagues are getting, her/his work performance will ultimately be affected by this psychological imbalance. And when this happens, the school as a business enterprise suffers the consequences of employing unhappy and unsatisfied teachers. There are teachers who love their profession despite the pay, but money is factor that cannot be totally ignored.

Weekly topics include Presentation of the topic and practical evaluation of theories; On the recruitment, hiring and training of NNS-NS teachers: Policies and practices of schools in your country; Teachers' pay and benefits: does discrimination really exists? How do we sense de-motivation the workplace: Questions for evaluation, Can we really eliminate inequality without affecting profitability: Your school as a business enterprise; Deeply rooted in the society: Is the problem much deeper than we thought? NNS teachers of English: Aiming to make a difference. Is there hope? What now? A wrap-up of events.

Using the Internet in teaching ESL composition

This session is for all teachers of ESOL who use, or would like to use the Internet in the teaching of composition.  Our group will consider different models in the use of the Internet for teaching composition to ESL learners.  We will look at the use of listservs,  e-mail exchanges, on-line databases, web pages,  laboratory software like Daedalus, and integrated Internet courseware shells like WebCT and Blackboard.

Each unit will consist of a brief introduction to these topics, with some hyperlinks to web sites,  some suggested activities,  and an invitation to contribute to a discussion board with personal experiences and questions: Unit One: Using e-mail and listservs in the classroom; Unit Two: Using library databases on-line to find reference sources; Unit Three: Using and evaluating web pages as support for writing assignments; Unit Four: Using laboratory software in teaching composition; Unit Five: Using integrated software programs like WebCT and Blackboard; on-line distance learning in teaching composition.