Overview of the Course

The Building Teaching Skills Through the Interactive Web courses are designed to:

Model innovative online teaching practices for ELTs.
Improve understanding of and actively engage in the analysis and systematic adoption of innovative materials and tools for ELT.
Offer opportunities for EFL educators to observe and analyze real-world application of such new materials and practices.
Provide ELTs with support and problem-solving mechanisms as they implement new materials and practices in their teaching.
Act as a train-the-trainers model so that participating ELTs can move forward after the course with concrete dissemination plans.

Learning Objectives

Participants in the course will develop a formal plan for incorporating technology into their teaching or class preparation in at least one new way and share their ideas with the group.

Participants in the course will practice with search tools, skill-building websites, project-based learning, and online teacher resources, then explain how they could use or adapt these for their own purposes.

Participants in the course will learn about writing behavior-based learning objectives, learning styles, learner autonomy, teaching large classes, the one-computer classroom, and a variety of assessment techniques, then explain how they could apply or adapt these concepts to meet their own needs.

Expectations

Participants in the course will read at least one of the assigned readings, think about how the readings apply to their own situation, and share their reflections with the group (and mentioning some of the ideas of others in their posting, as appropriate) at least once per week.

Respect, mutual help, and enthusiasm for learning will be cornerstones of all interactions, whether teacher-participant or participant-participant. Each week, ELT participants will complete the following activities and tasks. All materials and tools will be freely available at no cost to participants.

Beginning Week 1: Readings on language teaching methods (pedagogy) and practices; active experimentation with and reflection on the use of e-learning tools (e.g. email, asynchronous discussions, course management systems, etc.); weekly tasks related to the readings and tools.
Beginning Week 2: Weekly post on a personal blog, sharing what you did, what you learned, and how you will apply the information in your teaching. This will form the basis for the final project that will be due at the end of the course.
Beginning Week 3: Work toward a final project.
All Weeks: Analytical and reflective discussions and tasks related to the above.
All Weeks: Work in step-by-step with UO AEI instructor guidance to implement teaching projects in your workplace.

Assessment

Grading will be based on the following:

Discussions: 10 points per week (up to 5 points for each of 2 posts) - 20% overall
Blog posts: 5 points per week (8 points for your blog + 2 points for comments on another person's blog) - 20% overall
Tasks: 5 points per task - 20% overall
Project Tasks: 10 points per task - 20% overall
Project Report: 50 points - 20% overall

To pass the course, you need to participate in at least 70% of the discussions, post on your blog at least 70% of the time, and complete the project report with at least a score of 70.

Weekly Topics

Following is a week-by-week list of assignments. This schedule is subject to change, based on course discussions and the interests of class participants.

Orientation - Week 1- Week 2 - Week 3 - Week 4 - Week 5 - Week 6 - Week 7 - Week 8 - Week 9 - Week 10

Orientation Week (6-10 January): Getting Started, Setting Personal Learning Objectives and Goals

The first week of the course, we will get started - getting to know each other, engaging in planning and processes, and developing a weekly rhythm for working through the topics.

Introduction to the course
Setting ground rules for discussions
Doing a needs analysis related to teaching and technology
Looking at rubrics for self-evaluating discussion board posts
Discussion: Self-introductions; ground rules for discussions; rubrics for posting

Learning Objectives for This Week

Participants will log into Nicenet and share information about themselves with each other, starting to create a learning community.
Participants will collaborate in setting ground rules for discussions and rubrics for self-evaluating discussion board posts.
Participants will fill out a needs analysis survey to help ensure that the course topics are appropriate.

Readings	Weekly Assignments
Readings are required! Go carefully through them and use them to help form a basis for your postings in the weekly discussions. Ground rules for discussions (Word document) Online discussions - comparing rubrics (PDF file) Needs analysis - please check your email for the link. Additional Resources: Assessment Guides and Rubrics for Language Classes: Rubrics Resources	Discussion After reading the assigned material, go to Nicenet, log in, and participate in this week's topics. Participants registered for this course should have information about logging into Nicenet from your email. If you are registered and do not have Nicenet login information, let Deborah or Sandra know. Task Fill out the course survey. You should have the link in an email message- contact Deborah or Sandra if you need the link.

Readings

Weekly Assignments

Readings are required! Go carefully through them and use them to help form a basis for your postings in the weekly discussions.

Ground rules for discussions (Word document)
Online discussions - comparing rubrics (PDF file)
Needs analysis - please check your email for the link.

Additional Resources:

Assessment Guides and Rubrics for Language Classes: Rubrics Resources

Discussion

After reading the assigned material, go to Nicenet, log in, and participate in this week's topics.

Participants registered for this course should have information about logging into Nicenet from your email. If you are registered and do not have Nicenet login information, let Deborah or Sandra know.

Task

Fill out the course survey. You should have the link in an email message- contact Deborah or Sandra if you need the link.

Week 1 (11-17 January): Creating an Academic Blog

Learning Objectives for This Week

Task: Participants will create a blog on www.blogger.com using the instructions in Blogger how-to and share the URL with the group.
Having created a blog on Blogger, participants will write about what they have done and what they learned in the course so far In at least one published post on their blog.

Readings	Weekly Assignments
Readings are required! Go carefully through them and use them to help form a basis for your postings in the weekly discussions. Blogs Blogger how-to (PDF to download) Blogging for ELT http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/blogging-elt Guidelines for Discussion and Rubrics - download and print this document to use as a reference when you post on Nicenet. Additional Resources: Weblogs for Use with ESL Classes - an introduction to blogs and what you can do with them http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Campbell-Weblogs.html Sample blogs Teaching ESL to Adults (simplest): http://www.esl-tutor.com/ ESL Class Blog (simple:) http://dvmunca.blogspot.com/ Creating Online Content - Larry Ferlazzo's blog (advanced): http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2008/02/09/the-best-ways-for-students-and-anyone-else-to-create-online-content-easily-quickly-painlessly/ Deborah's reflective blog http://deborah-teachingonline.blogspot.com/ Sample blogs from last term's participants on the Blog page for this course	Discussion Read about Blogging for ELT and look at some sample blogs. How could you use a blog? What elements do you think you could use in a class blog? Share your comments on Nicenet. Make sure you read and reference other people's ideas as well. Download and refer to the Guidelines for Discussions and Rubrics in all of your Nicenet posts. Task Blogging - create a blog on Blogger. Create your own blog at www.blogger.com, following the instructions on the handout. For your first blog post, describe what you learned while creating the blog and your reflection on using a blog for class. You need to post at least once on your blog each week, describing what you think about the things you are learning in the course. This will be your weekly report. See more information on the Blog Page. Please share the URL for your blog with the group on Nicenet so we can all learn from each other! Feel free to share your thoughts about creating your blog on Nicenet, as well.

Readings

Weekly Assignments

Readings are required! Go carefully through them and use them to help form a basis for your postings in the weekly discussions.

Blogs Blogger how-to (PDF to download)
Blogging for ELT http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/blogging-elt
Guidelines for Discussion and Rubrics - download and print this document to use as a reference when you post on Nicenet.

Additional Resources:

Weblogs for Use with ESL Classes - an introduction to blogs and what you can do with them
http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Campbell-Weblogs.html

Sample blogs
Teaching ESL to Adults (simplest): http://www.esl-tutor.com/
ESL Class Blog (simple:) http://dvmunca.blogspot.com/
Creating Online Content - Larry Ferlazzo's blog (advanced): http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2008/02/09/the-best-ways-for-students-and-anyone-else-to-create-online-content-easily-quickly-painlessly/
Deborah's reflective blog
http://deborah-teachingonline.blogspot.com/
Sample blogs from last term's participants on the Blog page for this course

Discussion

Read about Blogging for ELT and look at some sample blogs. How could you use a blog? What elements do you think you could use in a class blog? Share your comments on Nicenet. Make sure you read and reference other people's ideas as well.

Download and refer to the Guidelines for Discussions and Rubrics in all of your Nicenet posts.

Task

Blogging - create a blog on Blogger.

Create your own blog at www.blogger.com, following the instructions on the handout. For your first blog post, describe what you learned while creating the blog and your reflection on using a blog for class.

You need to post at least once on your blog each week, describing what you think about the things you are learning in the course. This will be your weekly report. See more information on the Blog Page.

Please share the URL for your blog with the group on Nicenet so we can all learn from each other! Feel free to share your thoughts about creating your blog on Nicenet, as well.

Return to top

Week 2 (18-24 January): The ABCD Learning Objectives Framework and Effective Web Searches

Learning Objectives for This Week

Discussion - web searching: After reviewing different search engines, participants in this course will analyze the search engines in terms of use in their own classes and share their advantages and disadvantages in at least one post on Nicenet that includes the web page (with URL), the search term, and their recommendation about the search engine.
Task - ABCD model for behavioral objectives: After reading about the ABCD model, participants will share a behavioral objective for a class they teach, using the ABCD model, in at least one post on Nicenet.
Blog: Participants in the course (Audience) will share their reflections on what they did and what they learned this week and comment on another person's post (Behavior) in at least one post on their own blog and one comment (Degree). This is an objective each week.
Project Task 1
Participants in this course (Audience) will analyze the students in one course (Condition) and describe them (Behavior) in at least one post on Nicenet (Degree).

Readings Readings are required! Go carefully through them and use them to help form a basis for your postings in the weekly discussions.	Weekly Assignments We have four this week: a discussion, a task, and a course task that you will do on Nicenet, and your reflective post on your blog (plus a comment on someone else's blog).
Learning Objectives For the rest of this course, we will be talking about and using behavioral learning objectives, following the ABCD model. Even if you are familiar with another model, please use this one so we are all speaking the same language, as it were. "How to Write Clear Objectives" from Pennsylvania State University's Teaching and Learning office gives the basic overview of the ABCD model that we will be using: http://ets.tlt.psu.edu/learningdesign/objectives/writingobjectives/ An online slide show takes a look at using the ABCD model with achieving an information technology goal. You may find this very helpful as you plan your project for this course (adding a technology component to improve your teaching): http://www.slideshare.net/ashleytan/writing-specific-instructionallearning-objectives-presentation "Classifying Objectives" from the Innovative Technology Center at the University of Tennessee is a revised Bloom's Taxonomy. Make sure you think about writing learning objectives that address a range of skills on the hierarchy, as well as being observable. http://edtech.tennessee.edu/~bobannon/classifications.html Web searching Google may not be the best choice for all searches. Take a look at http://www.noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/information/5locate/adviceengine.html for some other options. Web searching tech tip-June 2009. This gives some basic but essential guidelines for creating better searches http://www.uoregon.edu/~dhealey/techtips/june2009.html Additional Resources: Web searching Twurdy ("Too Wordy") -this search engine reports readability, so you can choose how difficult a text to use with your students http://www.twurdy.com/search.php Digital Bloom's Taxonomy Bloom's Taxonomy Blooms Digitally http://www.techlearning.com/PrintableArticle.aspx?id=8670 Taxonomy for the digital domain (Word document)	Discussion: Web searching Look at Noodletools' Finding the Best Search for your Information Needs You can also look at the Web Searching Tech Tip for ideas about techniques for searching. Try some of the search engines or portals to see which ones work best for academic searches and for information for your class. Try something that is NOT Google, then post a comment in the appropriate discussion on Nicenet about 1) which search site you used, 2) what you searched for, and 3) whether or not you would recommend this search site. Please make sure you refer to the Guidelines for Discussions and Rubrics in all of your Nicenet posts. If you see a red underline as you are typing in Nicenet, please check the spelling of that word. Task: ABCD Objective In one or more Nicenet posts, describe one of the classes that you teach (this can be the same class as in your Project Task or a different class). Please share a learning objective, done in the ABCD style (Audience-Behavior-Condition-Degree), for that class. This objective should be something you would share with students. Look carefully at your objective and the objectives that others share. Do they describe behavior that you expect from students? Would students understand the objective? How does your objective fit with those that others are describing? Project Task 1: Describe your class as it is now Think about a class that would benefit from making a technology-inspired change. This can be the same class that you described in the Weekly Task or a different class. In the appropriate discussion on Nicenet, describe your students and class setting. Make sure you discuss the technology you and your students have access to now, both in and outside of school. In later project tasks, you will talk about your plans - see the Project Page for more information about the overall project. Blog: Weekly Reflection You need to put at least one reflective post on your blog each week, describing what you did, what you learned,and how you might apply it in your teaching. This should be a personal account of how you will use what you are learning - a reflection, not a lecture. Also, post at least one comment on another person's blog. You can see the list of blogs on our course wiki. Contact Deborah or Sandra if you do not have the address of the course wiki. See more information on the Blog Page.

Readings

Readings are required! Go carefully through them and use them to help form a basis for your postings in the weekly discussions.

Weekly Assignments

We have four this week: a discussion, a task, and a course task that you will do on Nicenet, and your reflective post on your blog (plus a comment on someone else's blog).

Learning Objectives

For the rest of this course, we will be talking about and using behavioral learning objectives, following the ABCD model. Even if you are familiar with another model, please use this one so we are all speaking the same language, as it were.

"How to Write Clear Objectives" from Pennsylvania State University's Teaching and Learning office gives the basic overview of the ABCD model that we will be using:
http://ets.tlt.psu.edu/learningdesign/objectives/writingobjectives/
An online slide show takes a look at using the ABCD model with achieving an information technology goal. You may find this very helpful as you plan your project for this course (adding a technology component to improve your teaching): http://www.slideshare.net/ashleytan/writing-specific-instructionallearning-objectives-presentation
"Classifying Objectives" from the Innovative Technology Center at the University of Tennessee is a revised Bloom's Taxonomy. Make sure you think about writing learning objectives that address a range of skills on the hierarchy, as well as being observable.
http://edtech.tennessee.edu/~bobannon/classifications.html

Web searching

Google may not be the best choice for all searches. Take a look at http://www.noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/information/5locate/adviceengine.html for some other options.
Web searching tech tip-June 2009. This gives some basic but essential guidelines for creating better searches
http://www.uoregon.edu/~dhealey/techtips/june2009.html

Additional Resources:

Web searching

Twurdy ("Too Wordy") -this search engine reports readability, so you can choose how difficult a text to use with your students
http://www.twurdy.com/search.php

Digital Bloom's Taxonomy

Bloom's Taxonomy Blooms Digitally http://www.techlearning.com/PrintableArticle.aspx?id=8670
Taxonomy for the digital domain (Word document)

Discussion: Web searching

Look at Noodletools' Finding the Best Search for your Information Needs

You can also look at the Web Searching Tech Tip for ideas about techniques for searching. Try some of the search engines or portals to see which ones work best for academic searches and for information for your class.

Try something that is NOT Google, then post a comment in the appropriate discussion on Nicenet about
1) which search site you used,
2) what you searched for, and
3) whether or not you would recommend this search site.

Please make sure you refer to the Guidelines for Discussions and Rubrics in all of your Nicenet posts. If you see a red underline as you are typing in Nicenet, please check the spelling of that word.

Task: ABCD Objective

In one or more Nicenet posts, describe one of the classes that you teach (this can be the same class as in your Project Task or a different class). Please share a learning objective, done in the ABCD style (Audience-Behavior-Condition-Degree), for that class. This objective should be something you would share with students.

Look carefully at your objective and the objectives that others share. Do they describe behavior that you expect from students? Would students understand the objective? How does your objective fit with those that others are describing?

Project Task 1: Describe your class as it is now

Think about a class that would benefit from making a technology-inspired change. This can be the same class that you described in the Weekly Task or a different class. In the appropriate discussion on Nicenet, describe your students and class setting. Make sure you discuss the technology you and your students have access to now, both in and outside of school. In later project tasks, you will talk about your plans - see the Project Page for more information about the overall project.

Blog: Weekly Reflection

You need to put at least one reflective post on your blog each week, describing what you did, what you learned,and how you might apply it in your teaching. This should be a personal account of how you will use what you are learning - a reflection, not a lecture. Also, post at least one comment on another person's blog. You can see the list of blogs on our course wiki. Contact Deborah or Sandra if you do not have the address of the course wiki.

See more information on the Blog Page.

Return to top

Week 3 (25-31 January): Skill-building Websites for Oral/Aural Skills and Saving Bookmarks with Delicious

Learning Objectives for This Week

Using technology in teaching
After reading about using technology in teaching (Condition), participants in this course (Audience) will explain how they might use technology to improve their students' aural/oral skills (Behavior) in at least one post on Nicenet (Degree).
Aural/oral skill-building websites
Participants in this course (Audience), after reviewing at least two different speaking, listening, and/or pronunciation web sites in terms of use in their classes (Condition), will share comments about the sites, including the target audience, skill(s) enhanced, and an overall recommendation (Behavior) in at least one post on Nicenet that includes the URL for the web pages (Degree).
Blog: Participants in the course (Audience) will share their reflections on what they did and what they learned this week related to aural/oral skill-building and Delicious and comment on another person's post (Behavior) in at least one post on their own blog and one comment (Degree).
Task: Using Delicious.com to store useful links
Participants in this course (Audience), after reading the instructions about using Delicious.com (Condition), will create and begin to use their own Delicious site, and share the URL of their site (Behavior) including at least three links with appropriate tags (category descriptions) (Degree).

Readings Readings are required! Go carefully through them and use them to help form a basis for your postings in the weekly discussions.	Weekly Assignments We have four this week: a discussion, a task, and a course task that you will do on Nicenet, and your reflective post on your blog (plus a comment on someone else's blog).
Task: Delicious.com Social Bookmarking Using Delicious: Use this to help you create your own Delicious page http://www.uoregon.edu/~dhealey/techtips/sept2009.html Teaching aural/oral skills Best Practices in Technology and Language Teaching (PDF file)- read about listening and speaking in this; you don't need to read the whole thing Developing Listening Skills with Authentic Materials (Word .doc file) http://www.elthillside.com/up/files/article4.doc Speaking lesson plans (teacher resource) Speaking lesson plans at One Stop English Conversation lesson plans at esl.about.com Communicative lesson plans at ESL-galaxy.com Websites to explore Listening (student resource) Randall's Cyber Listening Lab: http://www.esl-lab.com/ This is one of the few websites that includes pre-, during, and post- activities. It's organized by topic and level. Pronunciation Pronunciation links (student and teacher resources) http://www.uoregon.edu/~dhealey/138/pronlinks.html Pronunciation Tips from the BBC - exercises, videos, quizzes http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/pron/ Additional Resources: Listening RealEnglish video - advanced; multiple dialects http://www.real-english.com/reo/1/unit1.html Pronunciation Thought groups (video) http://nadeen-grammar.blogspot.com/2009/04/thought-groups-part-1.html Best Sites to Practice Speaking English (Larry Ferlazzo) - high use of tech http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2008/03/17/the-best-sites-to-practice-speaking-english/ The Pedagogy-Technology Interface in Computer-Assisted Language Learning (academic article) http://lands.let.kun.nl/literature/neri.2002.3.pdf	Discussion: Aural/oral skill-building Sueanne Parker from the University of Oregon's American English Institute will be our guest moderator this week. 1. Read one of the articles about CALL for listening, speaking, or pronunciation skills, and take a quick look at some of the lesson plans. Remember that technology can be used by the teacher in preparing as well as used with students in the class. Explain how technology could be helpful in improving your students' aural/oral skills. 2. Look at two or more of the skill-building websites with an eye to what would work for you in your class. Please share with the group a) which website you used, and which specific activity/web page. Please include the title of the page and the URL. b) what English level/age of students could best use this site, and what skills it enhances c) your overall recommendation about the site. Make sure you add the ones you like to your Delicious page! Do make sure you refer to the Guidelines for Discussions and Rubrics in all of your Nicenet posts. If you see a red underline as you are typing in Nicenet, please check the spelling of that word. Task: Create a Delicious page Create your own page on Delicious.com and save at least 3 bookmarks. Share the URL of your page here with the group. It will look something like http://www.delicious.com/healeyd (that's my page) Blog: Weekly Reflection You need to put at least one reflective post on your blog each week, describing what you did, what you learned,and how you might apply it in your teaching. This should be a personal account of how you will use what you are learning - a reflection, not a lecture. Also, post at least one comment on another person's blog. You can see the list of blogs on our course wiki. Contact Deborah or Sandra if you do not have the address of the course wiki. See more information on the Blog Page.

Readings

Readings are required! Go carefully through them and use them to help form a basis for your postings in the weekly discussions.

Weekly Assignments

We have four this week: a discussion, a task, and a course task that you will do on Nicenet, and your reflective post on your blog (plus a comment on someone else's blog).

Task: Delicious.com Social Bookmarking

Using Delicious: Use this to help you create your own Delicious page
http://www.uoregon.edu/~dhealey/techtips/sept2009.html

Teaching aural/oral skills

Best Practices in Technology and Language Teaching (PDF file)- read about listening and speaking in this; you don't need to read the whole thing

Developing Listening Skills with Authentic Materials (Word .doc file)
http://www.elthillside.com/up/files/article4.doc

Speaking lesson plans (teacher resource)

Speaking lesson plans at One Stop English

Conversation lesson plans at esl.about.com

Communicative lesson plans at ESL-galaxy.com

Websites to explore

Listening (student resource)

Randall's Cyber Listening Lab: http://www.esl-lab.com/
This is one of the few websites that includes pre-, during, and post- activities. It's organized by topic and level.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation links (student and teacher resources)
http://www.uoregon.edu/~dhealey/138/pronlinks.html

Pronunciation Tips from the BBC - exercises, videos, quizzes
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/pron/

Additional Resources:

Listening RealEnglish video - advanced; multiple dialects
http://www.real-english.com/reo/1/unit1.html
Pronunciation Thought groups (video)
http://nadeen-grammar.blogspot.com/2009/04/thought-groups-part-1.html
Best Sites to Practice Speaking English (Larry Ferlazzo) - high use of tech
http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2008/03/17/the-best-sites-to-practice-speaking-english/
The Pedagogy-Technology Interface in Computer-Assisted Language Learning (academic article)
http://lands.let.kun.nl/literature/neri.2002.3.pdf

Discussion: Aural/oral skill-building

Sueanne Parker from the University of Oregon's American English Institute will be our guest moderator this week.

1. Read one of the articles about CALL for listening, speaking, or pronunciation skills, and take a quick look at some of the lesson plans. Remember that technology can be used by the teacher in preparing as well as used with students in the class. Explain how technology could be helpful in improving your students' aural/oral skills.

2. Look at two or more of the skill-building websites with an eye to what would work for you in your class. Please share with the group

a) which website you used, and which specific activity/web page. Please include the title of the page and the URL.

b) what English level/age of students could best use this site, and what skills it enhances

c) your overall recommendation about the site.

Make sure you add the ones you like to your Delicious page!

Do make sure you refer to the Guidelines for Discussions and Rubrics in all of your Nicenet posts. If you see a red underline as you are typing in Nicenet, please check the spelling of that word.

Task: Create a Delicious page

Create your own page on Delicious.com and save at least 3 bookmarks. Share the URL of your page here with the group. It will look something like
http://www.delicious.com/healeyd
(that's my page)

Blog: Weekly Reflection

See more information on the Blog Page.

Return to top

Week 4 (1-7 February): Skill-building Websites for Reading/Writing Skills and Technology-enhanced Lesson Plans

Learning Objectives for This Week

Reading/writing skill-building websites
Participants in this course (Audience), after reviewing at least two different reading and/or writing web sites in terms of use in their classes (Condition), will share comments about the sites, including the target audience, skill(s) enhanced, and an overall recommendation (Behavior) in at least one post on Nicenet that includes the URL for the web pages (Degree).
Blog: Participants in the course (Audience) will share their reflections on what they did and what they learned this week related to reading/writing skill building and technology-enhanced lesson plans and comment on another person's post (Behavior) in at least one post on their own blog and one comment (Degree).
Task: Preparing a technology-enhanced lesson plan
After reading about technology-enhanced lesson plans (Condition), participants (Audience) will create a technology-enhanced lesson plan and explain how it is similar to or different from the regular lesson plan format that they use (Behavior) in at least one post on Nicenet (Degree).
Project Task 2
Participants in this course (Audience) will reflect on at least one course (Condition) and describe the issues that technology might be able to help with (Behavior) in at least one post on Nicenet (Degree).

Readings Readings are required! Go carefully through them and use them to help form a basis for your postings in the weekly discussions.	Weekly Assignments We have four this week: a discussion, a task, Project Task 2, and your reflective post on your blog (plus a comment on someone else's blog).
Technology-enhanced lesson plans "Lesson plans" from the Innovative Technology Center at the University of Tennessee: http://edtech.tennessee.edu/~bobannon/lesson_plan.html Lesson Plan with Technology Template (Word .doc file) Articles about using CALL in writing and reading activities Using the Internet in ESL Writing Instruction (2000) http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Krajka-WritingUsingNet.html A nice overview of ways to use CALL in writing. Some of the links may not work. Three Extensive Reading Activities for ESL/EFL Students Using E-books (2004) http://iteslj.org/Lessons/Liang-ExtensiveReading.html This includes links to sources for e-books. Some of the links may not work. Websites to explore Reading/vocabulary Breaking News English http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/ This also has some listening activities Multi-skill websites Lauri's ESL Website - grammar, vocabulary, listening exercises. The Flash ones are especially interesting. http://fog.ccsf.edu/~lfried/ ESL Independent Study Lab - Michael Krauss http://www.lclark.edu/~krauss/toppicks/toppicks.html Activities for Students (be selective about what you choose) http://a4esl.org/ Many Interesting Things for ESL Students http://www.manythings.org/ Additional Resources: E-mailing to Improve EFL Learners' Reading and Writing Abilities: Taiwan Experience (1999) http://iteslj.org/Articles/Liao-Emailing.html Using Technology to Assist in Vocabulary Acquisition and Reading Comprehension (2007) http://iteslj.org/Articles/Constantinescu-Vocabulary.html	Discussion: Reading/writing skill-building Read some of the articles about ways to use computers to enhance ways to teach reading and writing. We have several multi-skill websites on our list this week. Find two or more specific web pages that would work for you in your class. Include the specific web address (URL) of the page, the title of the page, the target students, why you think it will work, and why you think it will be useful. What is an ABCD objective that you could create to go with this page? Make sure you save good sites on your Delicious.com page! Optional discussion: Lesson planning Read about lesson plans from the University of Tennessee. You may also have a lesson plan format that you have used before. Download the lesson plan template with technology from the class website. How is a technology-enhanced lesson plan, such as one using the lesson plan template, similar to or different from a regular lesson plan? What more do you need to think about when you use technology? Do refer to the Guidelines for Discussions and Rubrics in all of your Nicenet posts. If you see a red underline as you are typing in Nicenet, please check the spelling of that word. Task: Create a technology-enhanced lesson plan Read about lesson plans from the University of Tennessee. Please share with the group a technology-enhanced lesson plan, using the template that you downloaded from the website. Make sure that it is clear who the target students are and the skills being addressed. Project Task 2: Describe some issues Thinking about the class and students that you described in Week 2, now write about some issues that technology might help with. Briefly describe the class and students so that readers will have the necessary context. The issues could be student-oriented ones related to motivation, group work, class discussions, etc. or teacher-related issues such as finding and organizing material, tracking student progress, etc. This should be leading to a NEW use of technology for you, not something that you are doing now. You don't need to think about solutions this week, just about issues. Blog: Weekly Reflection Add a reflective post on your blog, describing what you did, what you learned, and how you might apply it in your teaching. This should be a personal account of how you will use what you are learning - a reflection, not a lecture. Also, post at least one comment on another person's blog. You can see the list of blogs on our course wiki. Contact Deborah or Sandra if you do not have the address of the course wiki. See more information on the Blog Page.

Readings

Readings are required! Go carefully through them and use them to help form a basis for your postings in the weekly discussions.

Weekly Assignments

We have four this week: a discussion, a task, Project Task 2, and your reflective post on your blog (plus a comment on someone else's blog).

Technology-enhanced lesson plans

"Lesson plans" from the Innovative Technology Center at the University of Tennessee:
http://edtech.tennessee.edu/~bobannon/lesson_plan.html
Lesson Plan with Technology Template (Word .doc file)

Articles about using CALL in writing and reading activities

Using the Internet in ESL Writing Instruction (2000)
http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Krajka-WritingUsingNet.html
A nice overview of ways to use CALL in writing. Some of the links may not work.
Three Extensive Reading Activities for ESL/EFL Students Using E-books (2004)
http://iteslj.org/Lessons/Liang-ExtensiveReading.html
This includes links to sources for e-books. Some of the links may not work.

Websites to explore

Reading/vocabulary

Breaking News English
http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/
This also has some listening activities

Multi-skill websites

Lauri's ESL Website - grammar, vocabulary, listening exercises. The Flash ones are especially interesting.
http://fog.ccsf.edu/~lfried/
ESL Independent Study Lab - Michael Krauss
http://www.lclark.edu/~krauss/toppicks/toppicks.html
Activities for Students (be selective about what you choose)
http://a4esl.org/
Many Interesting Things for ESL Students
http://www.manythings.org/

Additional Resources:

E-mailing to Improve EFL Learners' Reading and Writing Abilities: Taiwan Experience (1999)
http://iteslj.org/Articles/Liao-Emailing.html
Using Technology to Assist in Vocabulary Acquisition and Reading Comprehension (2007)
http://iteslj.org/Articles/Constantinescu-Vocabulary.html

Discussion: Reading/writing skill-building

Read some of the articles about ways to use computers to enhance ways to teach reading and writing. We have several multi-skill websites on our list this week. Find two or more specific web pages that would work for you in your class. Include the specific web address (URL) of the page, the title of the page, the target students, why you think it will work, and why you think it will be useful. What is an ABCD objective that you could create to go with this page?

Make sure you save good sites on your Delicious.com page!

Optional discussion: Lesson planning
Read about lesson plans from the University of Tennessee. You may also have a lesson plan format that you have used before. Download the lesson plan template with technology from the class website. How is a technology-enhanced lesson plan, such as one using the lesson plan template, similar to or different from a regular lesson plan? What more do you need to think about when you use technology?

Do refer to the Guidelines for Discussions and Rubrics in all of your Nicenet posts. If you see a red underline as you are typing in Nicenet, please check the spelling of that word.

Task: Create a technology-enhanced lesson plan

Read about lesson plans from the University of Tennessee. Please share with the group a technology-enhanced lesson plan, using the template that you downloaded from the website. Make sure that it is clear who the target students are and the skills being addressed.

Project Task 2: Describe some issues

Thinking about the class and students that you described in Week 2, now write about some issues that technology might help with. Briefly describe the class and students so that readers will have the necessary context. The issues could be student-oriented ones related to motivation, group work, class discussions, etc. or teacher-related issues such as finding and organizing material, tracking student progress, etc. This should be leading to a NEW use of technology for you, not something that you are doing now. You don't need to think about solutions this week, just about issues.

Blog: Weekly Reflection

Add a reflective post on your blog, describing what you did, what you learned, and how you might apply it in your teaching. This should be a personal account of how you will use what you are learning - a reflection, not a lecture. Also, post at least one comment on another person's blog. You can see the list of blogs on our course wiki. Contact Deborah or Sandra if you do not have the address of the course wiki.

See more information on the Blog Page.

Return to top

Week 5 (8-14 February): Project-based Learning and WebQuests

Learning Objectives for This Week

Project-based learning and WebQuests
After reading about project-based learning (PBL)and WebQuests (Condition), participants (Audience) will describe how PBL could affect student motivation and behavior in class (Behavior) in at least one post on Nicenet and comment on it in their blog (Degree).
Blog: Participants in the course (Audience) will share their reflections on what they did and what they learned this week related to PBL and WebQuests and comment on another person's post (Behavior) in at least one post on their own blog and one comment (Degree).
Task: Project-based learning and WebQuests
After reading about project-based learning (PBL) and WebQuests and viewing some examples (Condition), participants in this course (Audience) will share a project-based learning lesson plan or the outline of a WebQuest for one or more of their classes, including why the students will benefit - students work can be in class or outside of class (Behavior) - in at least one post on Nicenet and comment on it in their blog (Degree).
Project Task 3
Participants in this course (Audience) will consider the issues and possible technology tools (Condition) and describe a technology-related change that they will implement to address one or more of the issues (Behavior). This should be something that they did not do in their classes before taking this course (Degree).

Readings Readings are required! Go carefully through them and use them to help form a basis for your postings in the weekly discussions.	Weekly Assignments We have four this week: a discussion, a task, and a course task that you will do on Nicenet, and your reflective post on your blog (plus a comment on someone else's blog).
Project-based Learning (PBL) Focus on Basics: Less Teaching and More Learning" by Susan Gaer gives some background information about project-based learning: http://www.ncsall.net/?id=385 The "Student Projects Sampler," also by Susan Gaer, provides a number of examples of webquest-style project-based learning: http://susangaer.com/studentprojects/ WebQuests About WebQuests - a brief introduction. This also explains non-web WebQuests that you can use offline. http://www.zunal.com/part1.php WebQuest Page - the original. Read the background information (http://www.webquest.org/index-resources.php), and search for examples that fit what you do at http://www.webquest.org/search/index.php Additional Resources A project-based learning activity about project-based learning - a good how-to, step-by-step approach: http://www.sun-associates.com/lynn/pbl/pbl.html Essential parts of a WebQuest http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/webquests/index_sub3.html This page includes some video clips of teachers talking about WebQuests (you can read transcripts if you can't see the video). You can continue to the Demonstration section, where you can view more videos of teachers who use WebQuests or read the transcripts. Internet Treasure Hunts - A Treasure of an Activity for Students Learning English. This is an older version of a WebQuest. http://iteslj.org/Lessons/Brown-TreasureHunts.html	Discussion: Project-based learning Read about project-based learning and WebQuests. Note that you can create a paper and pencil webquest, too. How could project-based learning (including WebQuests) help your students become more autonomous learners? How could it change the teacher-student relationship in a class in general? Do make sure you refer to the Guidelines for Discussions and Rubrics in all of your Nicenet posts. If you see a red underline as you are typing in Nicenet, please check the spelling of that word. Task: Create a technology-enhanced project or WebQuest After reading about project-based learning and WebQuests, think of a similar project or a WebQuest you might do with your class. (You can find PBL examples at http://susangaer.com/studentprojects/ and search for WebQuest examples at http://www.webquest.org/search/index.php). Share a project-based learning lesson or the outline for a WebQuest that might work in one of your classes, including the target students, topic, objectives (in ABCD format), and why you think this would work. Extra credit: Create a WebQuest on Zunal or QuestGarden with all the elements, at least briefly sketched out for extra credit. This could even become something you expand for your Course Project. Share the URL for your WebQuest. Project Task 3: Describe a potential change Describe a technology-related change that you will implement to help with one or more of the issues you mentioned before. This should be something that you are not doing now. Respond to at least one other person's ideas with helpful suggestions. Blog: Weekly Reflection Please create one reflective post on your blog each week, describing what you did, what you learned, and how you might apply it in your teaching. This should be a personal account of how you will use what you are learning - a reflection, not a lecture. Also, post at least one comment on another person's blog. You can see the list of blogs on our course wiki. Contact Deborah or Sandra if you do not have the address of the course wiki. See more information on the Blog Page.

Readings

Readings are required! Go carefully through them and use them to help form a basis for your postings in the weekly discussions.

Weekly Assignments

We have four this week: a discussion, a task, and a course task that you will do on Nicenet, and your reflective post on your blog (plus a comment on someone else's blog).

Project-based Learning (PBL)

Focus on Basics: Less Teaching and More Learning" by Susan Gaer gives some background information about project-based learning:
http://www.ncsall.net/?id=385
The "Student Projects Sampler," also by Susan Gaer, provides a number of examples of webquest-style project-based learning:
http://susangaer.com/studentprojects/

WebQuests

About WebQuests - a brief introduction. This also explains non-web WebQuests that you can use offline.
http://www.zunal.com/part1.php
WebQuest Page - the original. Read the background information (http://www.webquest.org/index-resources.php), and search for examples that fit what you do at http://www.webquest.org/search/index.php

Additional Resources

A project-based learning activity about project-based learning - a good how-to, step-by-step approach:
http://www.sun-associates.com/lynn/pbl/pbl.html
Essential parts of a WebQuest
http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/webquests/index_sub3.html
This page includes some video clips of teachers talking about WebQuests (you can read transcripts if you can't see the video). You can continue to the Demonstration section, where you can view more videos of teachers who use WebQuests or read the transcripts.
Internet Treasure Hunts - A Treasure of an Activity for Students Learning English. This is an older version of a WebQuest.
http://iteslj.org/Lessons/Brown-TreasureHunts.html

Discussion: Project-based learning

Read about project-based learning and WebQuests. Note that you can create a paper and pencil webquest, too. How could project-based learning (including WebQuests) help your students become more autonomous learners? How could it change the teacher-student relationship in a class in general?

Do make sure you refer to the Guidelines for Discussions and Rubrics in all of your Nicenet posts. If you see a red underline as you are typing in Nicenet, please check the spelling of that word.

Task: Create a technology-enhanced project or WebQuest

After reading about project-based learning and WebQuests, think of a similar project or a WebQuest you might do with your class. (You can find PBL examples at http://susangaer.com/studentprojects/ and search for WebQuest examples at http://www.webquest.org/search/index.php). Share a project-based learning lesson or the outline for a WebQuest that might work in one of your classes, including the target students, topic, objectives (in ABCD format), and why you think this would work.

Extra credit: Create a WebQuest on Zunal or QuestGarden with all the elements, at least briefly sketched out for extra credit. This could even become something you expand for your Course Project. Share the URL for your WebQuest.

Project Task 3: Describe a potential change

Describe a technology-related change that you will implement to help with one or more of the issues you mentioned before. This should be something that you are not doing now. Respond to at least one other person's ideas with helpful suggestions.

Blog: Weekly Reflection

Please create one reflective post on your blog each week, describing what you did, what you learned, and how you might apply it in your teaching. This should be a personal account of how you will use what you are learning - a reflection, not a lecture. Also, post at least one comment on another person's blog. You can see the list of blogs on our course wiki. Contact Deborah or Sandra if you do not have the address of the course wiki.

See more information on the Blog Page.

Return to top

Week 6 (15-21 February): Rubrics, Alternative Assessment, and Learning Styles

Learning Objectives for This Week

Learning styles
After reading about learning styles and technology tools for multiple intelligences (Condition), participants (Audience) will share a specific example of how they could use technology to address different learning styles in one of their classes (for preparation, in class or for students to use outside of class) (Behavior) in at least one post on Nicenet and comment on it in their blog (Degree).
Blog: Participants in the course (Audience) will share their reflections on what they did and what they learned this week related to rubrics, alterative assessment, and/or learning styles and comment on another person's post (Behavior) in at least one post on their own blog and one comment (Degree).
Task: Creating a rubric or alternative assessment tool
After reading about rubrics and alternative assessment and viewing some examples (Condition), participants in this course (Audience) will share a rubric or alternative assessment tool for a lesson (Behavior) in at least one post on Nicenet and comment on it in their blog (Degree).
Project Task 4
Participants in this course (Audience) will use the information in Project Task 3 (Condition)to begin to implement a technology-related change in their classes, keeping a log to record what was done and what happened, and describe what they are doing (Behavior) in at least one post on Nicenet or in their blog (Degree).

Readings Readings are required! Go carefully through them and use them to help form a basis for your postings in the weekly discussions.	Weekly Assignments We have four this week: a discussion, a task, and a course task that you will do on Nicenet, and your reflective post on your blog (plus a comment on someone else's blog).
Learning Styles/Multiple Intelligences Tech tools that support multiple intelligences: http://eduscapes.com/tap/topic68.htm Understanding different learning styles is an important part of effective teaching, with and without technology. While there are a number of different ways of exploring learning styles, this article from Richard Felder explores the impact of different learning styles on classroom performance: http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSdir/styles.htm Alternative Assessment Enhancing Learning by Engaging Students, from Rick Finnan and Donna Shaw - these techniques are forms of alternative assessment. Think about how you could add a ConcepTest or QuickWrite to a PowerPoint show (PDF document). Rubrics and PBL assessment tools - web project rubrics and more: http://www.globalschoolnet.org/Web/pbl/plan/assres.htm Additional Resources Learning styles Learning styles assessment chart http://www.chaminade.org/INSPIRE/learnstl.htm More on learning styles from Richard Felder http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Learning_Styles.html Using learning styles to adapt technology for higher education - from Equity and excellence in Higher Education: http://iod.unh.edu/EE/articles/learning-styles.html A longer scholarly article that also compares different learning style inventories: Student Learning Styles and Their Implications for Teaching http://www.crlt.umich.edu/publinks/CRLT_no10.pdf Sailing the 5 C's with Learning Strategies (recommended by guest moderator George Scholz): http://www.nclrc.org/sailing/ Assessment Rubric Tutorial http://health.usf.edu/publichealth/eta/Rubric_Tutorial/default.htm Rubric-creation tool- RubiStar. Sign in to save your rubrics. http://rubistar.4teachers.org/ Alternative Assessment and Second Language Study: What and Why? by Charles R. Hancock (CAL Digest - 1994) http://www.cal.org./resources/digest/hancoc01.html Background on formative assessment (select pp 2-7 for focused reading) http://www.caslt.org/pdf/Background_Formative_Assessment.pdf	Discussion: Learning styles and alternative assessment 1. Technology can help provide a range of learning styles in the classroom. Share your ideas about ways that you could use technology to address a variety of learning styles in your classes. What do you think would work best? Remember that using technology can mean finding material online to bring into class as well as using technology in class. 2. Read Enhancing Learning by Engaging Students. How could you use technology tools to enable some of these techniques? For example, think about small group discussions => online discussion, creating concept maps with mind mapping software, and adding Minute Papers to your PowerPoint shows. Would these or other techniques work for you? Task: Create a rubric Create a rubric or alternative assessment tool that you might use in a class. Include information about the class and students so that we can understand the context. Share your rubric on our wiki in the Participant Files area. Project Task 4: Begin to implement the change Begin to implement your technology-related change this week.You do not need to post anything on Nicenet related to what you are doing, but it would be a good topic for your blog post this week. Your draft report is due March 8, and the final report is due March 15. Blog: Weekly Reflection Please create one reflective post on your blog each week, describing what you did, what you learned, and how you might apply it in your teaching. This should be a personal account of how you will use what you are learning - a reflection, not a lecture. Also, post at least one comment on another person's blog. You can see the list of blogs on our course wiki. Contact Deborah or Sandra if you do not have the address of the course wiki. See more information on the Blog Page.

Readings

Readings are required! Go carefully through them and use them to help form a basis for your postings in the weekly discussions.

Weekly Assignments

We have four this week: a discussion, a task, and a course task that you will do on Nicenet, and your reflective post on your blog (plus a comment on someone else's blog).

Learning Styles/Multiple Intelligences

Tech tools that support multiple intelligences:
http://eduscapes.com/tap/topic68.htm
Understanding different learning styles is an important part of effective teaching, with and without technology.
While there are a number of different ways of exploring learning styles, this article from Richard Felder explores the impact of different learning styles on classroom performance:
http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSdir/styles.htm

Alternative Assessment

Enhancing Learning by Engaging Students, from Rick Finnan and Donna Shaw - these techniques are forms of alternative assessment. Think about how you could add a ConcepTest or QuickWrite to a PowerPoint show (PDF document).
Rubrics and PBL assessment tools - web project rubrics and more:
http://www.globalschoolnet.org/Web/pbl/plan/assres.htm

Additional Resources

Learning styles

Learning styles assessment chart
http://www.chaminade.org/INSPIRE/learnstl.htm
More on learning styles from Richard Felder
http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Learning_Styles.html
Using learning styles to adapt technology for higher education - from Equity and excellence in Higher Education:
http://iod.unh.edu/EE/articles/learning-styles.html
A longer scholarly article that also compares different learning style inventories: Student Learning Styles and Their Implications for Teaching
http://www.crlt.umich.edu/publinks/CRLT_no10.pdf
Sailing the 5 C's with Learning Strategies (recommended by guest moderator George Scholz): http://www.nclrc.org/sailing/

Assessment

Rubric Tutorial
http://health.usf.edu/publichealth/eta/Rubric_Tutorial/default.htm
Rubric-creation tool- RubiStar. Sign in to save your rubrics.
http://rubistar.4teachers.org/
Alternative Assessment and Second Language Study: What and Why? by Charles R. Hancock (CAL Digest - 1994)
http://www.cal.org./resources/digest/hancoc01.html
Background on formative assessment (select pp 2-7 for focused reading)
http://www.caslt.org/pdf/Background_Formative_Assessment.pdf

Discussion: Learning styles and alternative assessment

1. Technology can help provide a range of learning styles in the classroom. Share your ideas about ways that you could use technology to address a variety of learning styles in your classes. What do you think would work best? Remember that using technology can mean finding material online to bring into class as well as using technology in class.

2. Read Enhancing Learning by Engaging Students. How could you use technology tools to enable some of these techniques? For example, think about small group discussions => online discussion, creating concept maps with mind mapping software, and adding Minute Papers to your PowerPoint shows. Would these or other techniques work for you?

Task: Create a rubric

Create a rubric or alternative assessment tool that you might use in a class. Include information about the class and students so that we can understand the context. Share your rubric on our wiki in the Participant Files area.

Project Task 4: Begin to implement the change

Begin to implement your technology-related change this week.You do not need to post anything on Nicenet related to what you are doing, but it would be a good topic for your blog post this week. Your draft report is due March 8, and the final report is due March 15.

Blog: Weekly Reflection

See more information on the Blog Page.

Return to top

Week 7 (22-28 February): Creating Student-centered Large Classes and Interactive PowerPoint

Learning Objectives for This Week

Technology tools for creating student-centered large classes
After reading about examples of different student-centered, interactive large classes (Condition), participants (Audience) will share ideas about what techniques might be useful in their own settings to create a student-centered environment (Behavior) in at least one post on Nicenet and comment on it in their blog (Degree).
Blog: Participants in the course (Audience) will share their reflections on what they did and what they learned this week related to technology aids in large classes and/or interactive PowerPoint and comment on another person's post (Behavior) in at least one post on their own blog and one comment (Degree).
Task: Creating an INTERACTIVE PowerPoint document
After reading about ways to create active learning lessons while using PowerPoint and viewing some examples (Condition), participants in this course (Audience) will create and share an example of interactive use of PowerPoint (Behavior) on the course wiki and comment on it in their blog (Degree).

Readings Readings are required! Go carefully through them and use them to help form a basis for your postings in the weekly discussions. Please post at least once in both topic forums and in the Task forum.	Weekly Assignments We have four this week: a discussion, a task, and a course task that you will do on Nicenet, and your reflective post on your blog (plus a comment on someone else's blog).
Teaching Large Classes - Technology Aids (read at least 2) Using Technology in Teaching Large Classes from the University of Oregon's Teaching Effectiveness Program - especially note the section on enriching discussions with technology Teaching Large Classes: Engaging students in large classes - take a look especially at the technology section Personalizing Language Learning in Large Classes from ITESL-J Interactive PowerPoint (read at least 2) Best Practices in Presenting with PowerPoint - from the UO's Teaching Effectiveness Program (PDF file) You Can Create Interactive PowerPoint Presentations (Word file) Interactive PowerPoint - sample with interactive elements. Make sure you look at this in edit mode so that you can see the notes associated with the screens (PPT file + Word doc - download both into the same folder) Additional Resources Large Classes Interactive Lectures: A Summary of 36 Formats - brief descriptions of a variety of techniques to add spice and interactivity to a class. What could technology add? Teaching Strategies for Large English Classes - suggestions from China. Where else could technology have been used to help? (PDF file) How to Give Interactive Lectures. This has several links. Look at the Feedback link in particular for some ideas about involving students during the lecture. http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/interactive/howto.html This YouTube video shows the Think-Pair-Share and ConcepTests techniques in a lecture hall (physics content) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQra4baNwP8 Interactive PowerPoint Top 10 Slide Tips - basic information about making a better presentation http://www.garrreynolds.com/Presentation/slides.html Advanced - creating PPT for students to use on their own Creating an Interactive PowerPoint Lesson for the Classroom YouTube video showing how to create interactive PowerPoint: Making a Jeopardy game Using PowerPoint to Make an Interactive Story http://www.microsoft.com/education/story.mspx	Discussion: 1. You can use many of the same techniques to do a better job of teaching small classes as well as large classes. Look at "Teaching Large Classes" and "Using Technology in Teaching Large Classes." Think about project-based learning, WebQuests, and some of the ideas in "Personalizing Language Learning in Large Classes" to help in your response. What techniques and technology could you use for your classes, and especially if you teach large classes? 2. PowerPoint is very commonly used in teaching, but it is rarely used interactively. Watching the screen is not interactivity. Read "Best Practices in Presenting with PowerPoint" and "New Ways of Using PowerPoint" from the UO's Teaching Effectiveness Program to find ways to turn a lecture into an interactive experience for students. The sample PowerPoint may also help you in your response. What could you do in your classes with PowerPoint AND be more student-centered and interactive? (Think about what students can do with PowerPoint, for example.) Task: Create an INTERACTIVE PowerPoint show Create a short PowerPoint slide show that includes 1-3 interactive elements. These may include a ConcepTest, QuickWrite, hyperlinks/jumps to other sections of the PPT show based on student responses, blank slides to shift attention, etc. You could even try to make your own Jeopardy game or interactive story, using information from the optional readings. Describe what you did on Nicenet, and post your work on our wiki in the PowerPoint files section. Project Task 4, continued: Suggest a partner for peer review Continue to implement your technology-related change this week. You will need to have a partner for peer-review. Use this discussion thread to ask for a partner or suggest someone as a partner. Sandra and Deborah will assign partners if you do not have a specific suggestion. Your draft report is due March 8, and the final report is due March 15. Blog: Weekly Reflection Please create one reflective post on your blog each week, describing what you did, what you learned, and how you might apply it in your teaching. This should be a personal account of how you will use what you are learning - a reflection, not a lecture. Also, post at least one comment on another person's blog. You can see the list of blogs on our course wiki. Contact Deborah or Sandra if you do not have the address of the course wiki. See more information on the Blog Page.

Readings

Readings are required! Go carefully through them and use them to help form a basis for your postings in the weekly discussions. Please post at least once in both topic forums and in the Task forum.

Weekly Assignments

We have four this week: a discussion, a task, and a course task that you will do on Nicenet, and your reflective post on your blog (plus a comment on someone else's blog).

Teaching Large Classes - Technology Aids (read at least 2)

Using Technology in Teaching Large Classes from the University of Oregon's Teaching Effectiveness Program - especially note the section on enriching discussions with technology
Teaching Large Classes: Engaging students in large classes - take a look especially at the technology section
Personalizing Language Learning in Large Classes from ITESL-J

Interactive PowerPoint (read at least 2)

Best Practices in Presenting with PowerPoint - from the UO's Teaching Effectiveness Program (PDF file)
You Can Create Interactive PowerPoint Presentations (Word file)
Interactive PowerPoint - sample with interactive elements. Make sure you look at this in edit mode so that you can see the notes associated with the screens (PPT file + Word doc - download both into the same folder)

Additional Resources

Large Classes

Interactive Lectures: A Summary of 36 Formats - brief descriptions of a variety of techniques to add spice and interactivity to a class. What could technology add?
Teaching Strategies for Large English Classes - suggestions from China. Where else could technology have been used to help? (PDF file)
How to Give Interactive Lectures. This has several links. Look at the Feedback link in particular for some ideas about involving students during the lecture. http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/interactive/howto.html
This YouTube video shows the Think-Pair-Share and ConcepTests techniques in a lecture hall (physics content) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQra4baNwP8

Interactive PowerPoint

Top 10 Slide Tips - basic information about making a better presentation http://www.garrreynolds.com/Presentation/slides.html

Advanced - creating PPT for students to use on their own
Creating an Interactive PowerPoint Lesson for the Classroom
YouTube video showing how to create interactive PowerPoint: Making a Jeopardy game
Using PowerPoint to Make an Interactive Story http://www.microsoft.com/education/story.mspx

Discussion:

1. You can use many of the same techniques to do a better job of teaching small classes as well as large classes. Look at "Teaching Large Classes" and "Using Technology in Teaching Large Classes." Think about project-based learning, WebQuests, and some of the ideas in "Personalizing Language Learning in Large Classes" to help in your response. What techniques and technology could you use for your classes, and especially if you teach large classes?

2. PowerPoint is very commonly used in teaching, but it is rarely used interactively. Watching the screen is not interactivity. Read "Best Practices in Presenting with PowerPoint" and "New Ways of Using PowerPoint" from the UO's Teaching Effectiveness Program to find ways to turn a lecture into an interactive experience for students. The sample PowerPoint may also help you in your response. What could you do in your classes with PowerPoint AND be more student-centered and interactive? (Think about what students can do with PowerPoint, for example.)

Task: Create an INTERACTIVE PowerPoint show

Create a short PowerPoint slide show that includes 1-3 interactive elements. These may include a ConcepTest, QuickWrite, hyperlinks/jumps to other sections of the PPT show based on student responses, blank slides to shift attention, etc. You could even try to make your own Jeopardy game or interactive story, using information from the optional readings. Describe what you did on Nicenet, and post your work on our wiki in the PowerPoint files section.

Project Task 4, continued: Suggest a partner for peer review

Continue to implement your technology-related change this week. You will need to have a partner for peer-review. Use this discussion thread to ask for a partner or suggest someone as a partner. Sandra and Deborah will assign partners if you do not have a specific suggestion.
Your draft report is due March 8, and the final report is due March 15.

Blog: Weekly Reflection

See more information on the Blog Page.

Return to top

Week 8 (1-7 March): Learner Autonomy and the One-computer Classroom

Learning Objectives for This Week

Learner autonomy
After reading about learner autonomy and reflecting on what they do in their own classes (Condition), participants (Audience) will share specific ideas about what they currently do and what else they could do to encourage greater learner autonomy in their classes (Behavior) in at least one post on Nicenet and possibly in a lesson plan(Degree).
Blog: Participants in the course (Audience) will share their reflections on what they did and what they learned this week related to learner autonomy and/or the one-computer classroom \and comment on another person's post (Behavior) in at least one post on their own blog and one comment (Degree).
Task: After reading about the one-computer classroom (Condition), participants in this course (Audience) will create a lesson plan for a one-computer classroom (Behavior) in at least one post on Nicenet that includes behavioral objectives (Degree).

Project Task 5
Participants (Audience) will reflect on what happened (Condition) and write about it in a draft report to share with their partner(s) (Behavior); the report will follow the Project Report template (Degree).

Readings Readings are required! Go carefully through them and use them to help form a basis for your postings in the weekly discussions. Please post at least once in both topic forums and in the Task forum.	Weekly Assignments We have four this week: a discussion, a task, and a course task that you will do on Nicenet, and your reflective post on your blog (plus a comment on someone else's blog).
Learner autonomy What Is Learner Autonomy and How Can It Be Fostered? by Dimitrios Thanasoulas looks at an essential component of a self-access center: a self-directed learner. http://iteslj.org/Articles/Thanasoulas-Autonomy.html Learner Autonomy: Bird-in-the-hand or Bird-in-the-bush? Samuel Sheu looks at the difficulties in encouraging learner autonomy in Taiwan's highly constrained educational system http://coyote.miyazaki-mu.ac.jp/learnerdev/LLE/8.1/sheuE.html One-computer classroom ESL Activities for the One Computer Classroom (S.Gaer): Word-Processing Ideas: http://www.susangaer.com/sgaer/onecomputer/wordprocessing.html Internet ideas: http://www.susangaer.com/sgaer/onecomputer/internet.html Strategies and applications for the one-computer classroom http://www.lburkhart.com/elem/strat.htm A list of ideas with a US school focus, but most ideas are relevant to any setting. Additional Resources Interconnections: Learner Autonomy Teacher Autonomy http://coyote.miyazaki-mu.ac.jp/learnerdev/LLE/8.1/smithE.html 101 Activities for the One-Computer Classroom - lots of links to look through http://www2.drury.edu/dswadley/101/ Microsoft Word and PowerPoint in the Classroom - some hints for more effective use of these applications, with Insert Comments, Track Changes, AutoSummarize, templates and clip art. http://www.deborahhealey.com/techtips/may2009.html Creating a Computer Lab/Learning Center - some suggestions for getting started. You can start small with a teacher resource room and go from there. http://www.eltexpert.com/complab/index.html Self-access: A Framework for Diversity by Michael Rodden and Michelle Parrington gives some reasons for setting up a self access center, as well as some tips for saving money while creating your self-access center. http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/self-access-a-framework-diversity	Discussion: Read about learner autonomy (Thanasoulas, Sheu, Interconnections). Effective self-directed learning starts with learner autonomy. What could you do to encourage greater autonomy in students, with and without technology. Task: Create a sample lesson for a one-computer classroom Most people don't have a computer lab all to themselves, and many do not have a lab in their school at all. A one-computer classroom is a way to start. Read about activities for the one-computer classroom and some strategies and applications. Create a sample lesson for a one-computer classroom to share. Make sure you include the behavior objective (ABCD format) and why technology will make the lesson more effective. Project Task 5: First draft and peer review - due March 7 Write the first (draft) version of your project report, using the Project Report Template. Share your draft project report with your partners by email, with a cc to Deborah and Sandra. Offer comments on your partner's draft, using the project checklist as a guide. Your draft report is due March 8, and the final report is due March 14. Blog: Weekly Reflection Please create one reflective post on your blog each week, describing what you did, what you learned, and how you might apply it in your teaching. This should be a personal account of how you will use what you are learning - a reflection, not a lecture. Also, post at least one comment on another person's blog. You can see the list of blogs on our course wiki. Contact Deborah or Sandra if you do not have the address of the course wiki. See more information on the Blog Page.

Readings

Readings are required! Go carefully through them and use them to help form a basis for your postings in the weekly discussions. Please post at least once in both topic forums and in the Task forum.

Weekly Assignments

We have four this week: a discussion, a task, and a course task that you will do on Nicenet, and your reflective post on your blog (plus a comment on someone else's blog).

Learner autonomy

What Is Learner Autonomy and How Can It Be Fostered? by Dimitrios Thanasoulas looks at an essential component of a self-access center: a self-directed learner. http://iteslj.org/Articles/Thanasoulas-Autonomy.html
Learner Autonomy: Bird-in-the-hand or Bird-in-the-bush? Samuel Sheu looks at the difficulties in encouraging learner autonomy in Taiwan's highly constrained educational system http://coyote.miyazaki-mu.ac.jp/learnerdev/LLE/8.1/sheuE.html

One-computer classroom

ESL Activities for the One Computer Classroom (S.Gaer): Word-Processing Ideas: http://www.susangaer.com/sgaer/onecomputer/wordprocessing.html
Internet ideas: http://www.susangaer.com/sgaer/onecomputer/internet.html
Strategies and applications for the one-computer classroom http://www.lburkhart.com/elem/strat.htm A list of ideas with a US school focus, but most ideas are relevant to any setting.

Additional Resources

Interconnections: Learner Autonomy Teacher Autonomy http://coyote.miyazaki-mu.ac.jp/learnerdev/LLE/8.1/smithE.html
101 Activities for the One-Computer Classroom - lots of links to look through http://www2.drury.edu/dswadley/101/
Microsoft Word and PowerPoint in the Classroom - some hints for more effective use of these applications, with Insert Comments, Track Changes, AutoSummarize, templates and clip art. http://www.deborahhealey.com/techtips/may2009.html
Creating a Computer Lab/Learning Center - some suggestions for getting started. You can start small with a teacher resource room and go from there. http://www.eltexpert.com/complab/index.html
Self-access: A Framework for Diversity by Michael Rodden and Michelle Parrington gives some reasons for setting up a self access center, as well as some tips for saving money while creating your self-access center. http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/self-access-a-framework-diversity

Discussion:

Read about learner autonomy (Thanasoulas, Sheu, Interconnections). Effective self-directed learning starts with learner autonomy. What could you do to encourage greater autonomy in students, with and without technology.

Task: Create a sample lesson for a one-computer classroom

Most people don't have a computer lab all to themselves, and many do not have a lab in their school at all. A one-computer classroom is a way to start. Read about activities for the one-computer classroom and some strategies and applications. Create a sample lesson for a one-computer classroom to share. Make sure you include the behavior objective (ABCD format) and why technology will make the lesson more effective.

Project Task 5: First draft and peer review - due March 7

Write the first (draft) version of your project report, using the Project Report Template. Share your draft project report with your partners by email, with a cc to Deborah and Sandra. Offer comments on your partner's draft, using the project checklist as a guide.
Your draft report is due March 8, and the final report is due March 14.

Blog: Weekly Reflection

See more information on the Blog Page.

Return to top

Week 9 (8-14 March): Teacher Resources Online

Learning Objectives for This Week

Teacher resources -exercise generators
After exploring the different teacher resources on the course website (Condition), participants (Audience) will share specific ideas about what they might use (Behavior) in at least one post on Nicenet (Degree).
Blog: Participants in the course (Audience) will share their reflections on what they did and what they learned this week related to teacher resources online and comment on another person's post (Behavior) in at least one post on their own blog and one comment (Degree).
Task: Create a template for a handout, exercise, or a class site
After exploring different sites with templates and exercises and reading about creating a class site (Condition), participants in this course (Audience) will create a handout, exercise, or class site and share what they have created (Behavior) on the course wiki (if a handout or exercise) and in at least one post on Nicenet (Degree).
Project Task 5
Participants (Audience) will read their partner's comments on their draft report Condition) and revise their report as needed, paying attention to the rubric (Behavior); the report will follow the Project Report template (Degree).
Project Report [March 14th]
Participants (Audience) will use the information from their partners (Condition) and create a final version of their Project Report (Behavior); the report will follow the Project Report template (Degree).

Readings Readings are required! Go carefully through them and use them to help form a basis for your postings in the weekly discussions. Please post at least once in both topic forums and in the Task forum.	Weekly Assignments We have four this week: a discussion, a task, and a course task that you will do on Nicenet, and your reflective post on your blog (plus a comment on someone else's blog).
Create a class site Choose any of the following tools. Start by thinking about what you might want to do with the site, then select the most appropriate tool for that purpose. For class discussion, it would be Nicenet. If you want learners to post their own comments, then Blogger is good. If you want to share sites and files with students and have them share with each other, then Google Sites is best. Create a Nicenet class for one of your courses (Word .doc file to download) Create a class blog on Blogger: log into www.blogger.com, (make sure you log in first!) then click on Create a Blog. Create a class wiki on Google Sites: log into sites.google.com with your Blogger username and password, then click on Create New Site. This is the most complicated of the three tools. You will need to click on Edit Page, then Save Page to make changes to each of the pages. Make exercises online to print out Tools for educators - word search, bingo, crossword puzzles, and board games: http://www.toolsforeducators.com/ Personal Educational Press - flash cards, bingo games, matching, multiple choice exercises to print out: http://www.educationalpress.org/index.asp Easy Test Maker (paper tests): http://www.easytestmaker.com/default.aspx Make exercises to use online or offline on a computer or to print out Hot Potatoes - download this program at http://hotpot.uvic.ca/ to use it on your computer. It's easy to use and lets you create matching, cloze, scrambled sentence, and multiple choice exercises and crossword puzzles. You can get help online or download this how-to PDF. See some interesting exercises at http://eolf.univ-fcomte.fr/index.php?page=technically-interesting-hot-potatoes-pages Xword Puzzle Generator - create crosswords to save and use on a computer or print out: http://www.edict.com.hk/xword/generator/ Make exercises online to use online: Web Poster Wizard - free website for teachers and students to use as part of a course. It uses a very plain format, but it's very easy to create something with text, one graphic, and links on each of 4 pages: http://wizard.4teachers.org/ SMILE- a variety of web-based activity generators. Requires a free registration http://clear.msu.edu/teaching/online/mimea/smile/v2/index.php	Discussion: Online tools for enhancing learning After exploring some of the different tools and exercises for this week, share your ideas about how using these might change the way you teach and/or the way that your students learn. How could using these tools promote learner autonomy? What are the constraints that would make it difficult to use these tools, and how will you overcome them? Task: Create an online course site or an exercise to use online or offline Create something that will be useful for your teaching. Use one or more of the sites on our course website to create an exercise, test, flash cards, or other tool. Share with the group: a) What tool you used (please list the website) and what you created b) How you will use it in your teaching - please be specific c) The type of students who would use it c) How you will encourage learner autonomy with this tool d) If it's an online class or exercise, please share the URL; otherwise, post your creation on the class wiki in the Teacher Tools section.You can get up to 5 extra credit points for creating a new class site and at least one good exercise. Project Task 6: Final Project- due March 14 Using your partner's comments to help you improve your draft, write the final version of your project report. Make sure you use the Project Report Template. Self-evaluate with the Project Rubric and the Project Checklist (they are also on the Projects page). Post your final version on the wiki in Participant Final Projects. Please email your Project Checklist to Deborah and Sandra. The final report is due March 14 at 11:59pm Oregon time. Blog: Weekly Reflection For your blog post this week, give an overview of what you read and tried, how you will integrate what you have learned in this class into your teaching, and how you will continue to learn about technology after the course is over. Course Evaluations Please fill out a course evaluation. The surveys will close on March 22nd. You will get the password in your email; let Sandra or Deborah know if you don't receive the password, and we will email it to you again.

Readings

Readings are required! Go carefully through them and use them to help form a basis for your postings in the weekly discussions. Please post at least once in both topic forums and in the Task forum.

Weekly Assignments

We have four this week: a discussion, a task, and a course task that you will do on Nicenet, and your reflective post on your blog (plus a comment on someone else's blog).

Create a class site

Choose any of the following tools. Start by thinking about what you might want to do with the site, then select the most appropriate tool for that purpose. For class discussion, it would be Nicenet. If you want learners to post their own comments, then Blogger is good. If you want to share sites and files with students and have them share with each other, then Google Sites is best.

Create a Nicenet class for one of your courses (Word .doc file to download)
Create a class blog on Blogger: log into www.blogger.com, (make sure you log in first!) then click on Create a Blog.
Create a class wiki on Google Sites: log into sites.google.com with your Blogger username and password, then click on Create New Site. This is the most complicated of the three tools. You will need to click on Edit Page, then Save Page to make changes to each of the pages.

Make exercises online to print out

Tools for educators - word search, bingo, crossword puzzles, and board games: http://www.toolsforeducators.com/
Personal Educational Press - flash cards, bingo games, matching, multiple choice exercises to print out: http://www.educationalpress.org/index.asp
Easy Test Maker (paper tests): http://www.easytestmaker.com/default.aspx

Make exercises to use online or offline on a computer or to print out

Hot Potatoes - download this program at http://hotpot.uvic.ca/ to use it on your computer. It's easy to use and lets you create matching, cloze, scrambled sentence, and multiple choice exercises and crossword puzzles. You can get help online or download this how-to PDF.
See some interesting exercises at http://eolf.univ-fcomte.fr/index.php?page=technically-interesting-hot-potatoes-pages
Xword Puzzle Generator - create crosswords to save and use on a computer or print out: http://www.edict.com.hk/xword/generator/

Make exercises online to use online:

Web Poster Wizard - free website for teachers and students to use as part of a course. It uses a very plain format, but it's very easy to create something with text, one graphic, and links on each of 4 pages: http://wizard.4teachers.org/
SMILE- a variety of web-based activity generators. Requires a free registration http://clear.msu.edu/teaching/online/mimea/smile/v2/index.php

Discussion: Online tools for enhancing learning

After exploring some of the different tools and exercises for this week, share your ideas about how using these might change the way you teach and/or the way that your students learn. How could using these tools promote learner autonomy? What are the constraints that would make it difficult to use these tools, and how will you overcome them?

Task: Create an online course site or an exercise to use online or offline

Create something that will be useful for your teaching. Use one or more of the sites on our course website to create an exercise, test, flash cards, or other tool. Share with the group:

a) What tool you used (please list the website) and what you created

b) How you will use it in your teaching - please be specific

c) The type of students who would use it

c) How you will encourage learner autonomy with this tool

d) If it's an online class or exercise, please share the URL; otherwise, post your creation on the class wiki in the Teacher Tools section.You can get up to 5 extra credit points for creating a new class site and at least one good exercise.

Project Task 6: Final Project- due March 14

Using your partner's comments to help you improve your draft, write the final version of your project report. Make sure you use the Project Report Template. Self-evaluate with the Project Rubric and the Project Checklist (they are also on the Projects page). Post your final version on the wiki in Participant Final Projects. Please email your Project Checklist to Deborah and Sandra.

The final report is due March 14 at 11:59pm Oregon time.

Blog: Weekly Reflection

For your blog post this week, give an overview of what you read and tried, how you will integrate what you have learned in this class into your teaching, and how you will continue to learn about technology after the course is over.

Course Evaluations

Please fill out a course evaluation. The surveys will close on March 22nd. You will get the password in your email; let Sandra or Deborah know if you don't receive the password, and we will email it to you again.

Return to top

Week 10 (15-19 March): Wrap-up

Learning Objectives for This Week (Note: this week ends on Friday, March 19th)

Recap/Overview
After reflecting on what they have tried and learned during the previous weeks in the course (Condition), participants (Audience) will share specific ideas about what topics worked well (Behavior) in at least one post on Nicenet (Degree).
Blog: Participants in the course (Audience) will share their reflections on what they did and what they learned throughout the course and comment on another person's post (Behavior) in at least one post on their own blog and one comment (Degree).
Task: Self-evaluation with the LoTI framework
After reading about Levels of Technology Integration (LoTI) (Condition), participants (Audience) will describe their L0TI level (Behavior) in at least one post on Nicenet (Degree).
Project Report [March 14th]
Participants (Audience) will use the information from their partners (Condition) and create a final version of their Project Report (Behavior); the report will follow the Project Report template (Degree).

Readings Readings are required! Go carefully through them and use them to help form a basis for your postings in the weekly discussions.	Weekly Assignments We have three this week: a discussion, a task, and your final reflective post on your blog (plus a comment on someone else's blog). Note that this week ends on Friday, March 19th.
Feel free to go back to a previous week and read something that you didn't have time to read before. Task:How are you integrating technology into your teaching? LoTI (Levels of Technology Integration): Digital Age Framework offers a way to evaluate how technology is being integrated into the classroom. http://www.loticonnection.com/lotilevels.html Additional Resources: A couple of good reads... Larry Ferlazzo's Best of Series - many, many interesting links http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/about/my-best-of-series/ The Seven Principles: Technology as Lever - specific recommendations for improving teaching with technology use http://polaris.umuc.edu/~cschwebe/gsmt800/7principles.htm	Discussion: Overview of the course What topics were most successful? Most useful for you? Which, if any, do you think were not relevant to what you do or will do? Task: Levels of Technology Integration Read the LoTI framework (http://www.loticonnection.com/lotilevels.html) and use it to assess your level of technology integration. Think about where you are now and where you would like to be in a year. Share your thoughts with your colleagues on Nicenet. Be sure to include ideas about how you will get to where you want to be in the future, and comment on other people's ideas. Blog: Final Reflection For your final blog post, please share one piece of advice - something that you have learned during this course. Course Evaluation Please fill out the course evaluation - it will close on March 22nd. Contact Deborah or Sandra if you haven't received the link in your email.

Readings

Readings are required! Go carefully through them and use them to help form a basis for your postings in the weekly discussions.

Weekly Assignments

We have three this week: a discussion, a task, and your final reflective post on your blog (plus a comment on someone else's blog).

Note that this week ends on Friday, March 19th.

Feel free to go back to a previous week and read something that you didn't have time to read before.
Task:How are you integrating technology into your teaching? LoTI (Levels of Technology Integration): Digital Age Framework offers a way to evaluate how technology is being integrated into the classroom. http://www.loticonnection.com/lotilevels.html

Additional Resources:

A couple of good reads...

Larry Ferlazzo's Best of Series - many, many interesting links
http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/about/my-best-of-series/
The Seven Principles: Technology as Lever - specific recommendations for improving teaching with technology use http://polaris.umuc.edu/~cschwebe/gsmt800/7principles.htm

Discussion: Overview of the course

What topics were most successful? Most useful for you? Which, if any, do you think were not relevant to what you do or will do?

Task: Levels of Technology Integration

Read the LoTI framework (http://www.loticonnection.com/lotilevels.html) and use it to assess your level of technology integration. Think about where you are now and where you would like to be in a year. Share your thoughts with your colleagues on Nicenet. Be sure to include ideas about how you will get to where you want to be in the future, and comment on other people's ideas.

Blog: Final Reflection

For your final blog post, please share one piece of advice - something that you have learned during this course.

Course Evaluation

Please fill out the course evaluation - it will close on March 22nd. Contact Deborah or Sandra if you haven't received the link in your email.

Return to top

Project

Starting in Week 2, you will begin work on a project. The full project will be due on March 14. Go to the Projects web page for more information.

Course Evaluation

We want your ideas about what worked well and what could be improved about the course. Please fill out the online evaluation form at the end of the course- it's easy and anonymous. It is especially helpful to have your written comments explaining what you think. The web link and password will be sent to you via email in Week 8. Course evaluations will close on March 22nd.

End of Term

Participants must submit all final assignments by 14 March 2010.

UO AEI instructors will complete grades, certificates, and reports by 24 March 2010.

All participants who successfully pass the course--with 70% or higher completion of assignments (see details above)--will receive certificates of completion. Certificates will be priority mailed to the US Embassy, Public Affairs Section or English Language Office in your region and then distributed locally. Please allow a minimum of 4-6 weeks for receipt of certificates as efforts may be impeded due to unforeseen local events and irregularities in local delivery systems.