ESL Library.com now has Podcasts!

ESL-Library is a website resource for ESL instructors that I have been using since at least 2005. It has lesson plans with a short pre-task warm up and reading, speaking, listening and writing activities(the main focus of the lesson will preclude which skill is used most. You do have to pay for this site, but you can see sample lessons before you pay. The site has evolved over the years, and continually updates the materials, for example, the Chinese New Year lesson is kept current with the correct animal year listed. The site has lessons for beginner, intermediate and high intermediate students. Instructors with low beginners could use the plethora of flashcards that accompany the lessons. Lessons include famous people, places and things, holidays, grammar stories, grammar lessons, idioms etc.

The latest development has been the addition of a blog link in the form of an RSS feed that makes short podcasts available to everyone for free(at the moment)once a week. You can use these in your class if the level is right for your students, or you could dirrect students to them. There are discussion starter lesson plan questions that go along with each podcast. You can access the podcasts by clicking on the "Free Audio Padcasts added every week!".

In terms of this site providing professional development, since March 2010, when the podcasts started, this site blogger, has also been providing links and information about PD opportunities, other tips of the trade and links to other good blogs and websites such as Larry Ferlazzo - Websites of the Day for Teaching ELL, ESL, EFL, Lindsay Clandfield - Six Things, Alex Case - TEFL Tastic, Shelly Terrell - Teacher Reboot Camp, One Stop English - Blogs

ESL Library with it's new blog is a positive demonstration of how online resources can change over time. PD for ESL instructors can be found on this site and blog. New teachers can learn lesson planning tips, and more experienced teachers can maybe get some new materials and pictures(not age specific, great for adults) to freshen up their repetoir. The addition of information about other PD opportunities in the form of conferences and ideas for teaching etc. makes this a great site for all ESL professionals.