Welcome to my blog!

This blog attempts to keep up to date with CALL (Computer Assissted Language Learning) theories and PD opportunities.

Please let me know what you liked and or didn't like. I look forward to reading your comments!

Showing posts with label teaching online. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teaching online. Show all posts

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Larry Ferlazzo's Blog


Larry Ferlazzo is a published educator who has won numerous awards for his blog. His blog is about education - in his title he says it is for teaching ELL, ESL and EFL, but the resources could be used in a variety of classes.

He posts links to a number of diverse websites everyday, which he gives a short summary blurb about what it is and how it could be useful. As well as websites, he posts articles, lesson plans, current events, etc. For example, the day the volcano activated in Iceland, he had links to the news that could be used in a classroom. Since the erruption, he has updated those links and organized them as the volcano continues to be of importance in world news. He has an archive of all his posts. The site also has an English Website section with numerous lesson plan exercises, videos and original productions that start at a beginning ESL level and continue to the advanced. One area also links to other websites that are oganized by themes such as shopping, animals, garden, etc. Topics covered also include other school subjects.

Larry's blog is a fountain of educational knowledge. Some days it's almost too much, but you know his materials are current and updated as he goes. He has a search function on his blog, which is quite general, so you would need to look around to find what you might be looking for. Otherwise he has quite an organized site through active, working links. Just be sure to check out which country you've been linked to, so you are aware of the potential cultural effects, and so your computer can handle the downloading requirements before you get too excited about an activity - do your due diligence. About his original videos in ESL section, they are meant for youth and young adults, but there are other activities that are ageless. The homepage of the blog is quite texty, so the instructor would need to give students embedded links to activities. I might sound negative, but I do think Larry's blog is a valuable CALL resource.

Larry's link is http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/

Larry Ferlazzo on "Future of Education" LIVE this Wednesday!

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Larry, see blog posting above, is going to be a guest on a live session on Future of Education at 5:00 PM Pacific Time. It will go for an hour. It’s a free event using the Elluminate system so people can ask questions and share in real time using text or audio.

Future for Education is a Ning created by Steven Hargadon. It is a site with an interview series where the community is devoted to providing an opportunity for those who care about education to share their voices and ideas with others. It's a place for discussion on the important topic of: Charting the Course of Teaching and Learning in a Networked World.

The Future of Education is linked to a larger community blog called Classroom 2.0, which Steve also created. Live sessions in this community are opportunities to gather with other members of the community in real-time events, complete with audio, chat, desktop sharing, and sometimes even video. You are invited to join them for their weekly Saturday show with co-hosts Peggy George, Kim Caise and Lorna Costantini!

Classroom 2.0's website is: http://live.classroom20.com

Larry Ferfazzo's website with RSS feed is: http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org