| 1.Title: Becoming a Webhead (BaW):
A hands-on workshop on how to use Web communication tools for language
teaching and learning.
2. Description: Webheads in Action is a four-year-old
community of practice of language teachers worldwide, coordinated
by Vance Stevens. We explore Web communication tools and share the
best ways of using them in our teaching practices, engage with students
in virtual classes, collaborate on projects, and participate in
conferences as audience and presenters. This collaboration takes
place online, as we are all geographically apart. Would you like
to become one of us?
3. Objectives
In the course of the 6 weeks, participants will learn collaboratively
and hands on to:
- use various synchronous and asynchronous web tools for learning
and teaching EFL/ESL,
- interact through e-mail, text chat, voice chat, voice e-mail,
and distribution lists, among others,
- reflect on ways of applying those tools to their teaching, either
online or face to face, and,
- create web pages and blogs, online worksheets, surveys, interactive
exercises and rubrics related to their own contexts.
Weekly chats will be held to discuss content and pre-defined topics,
build rapport and create a sense of community.
Some former BaW participants, now active members of Webheads in
Action, will co-moderate weeks 3, 4 and 5 of our session.
Much of the content derived from the discussions will be made available
through Web pages created during the six weeks, which will be kept
online for future reference.
Towards the end of the session participants will be invited to
join the Webheads in Action (WiA) community of practice.
4. Target audience: ESL/EFL teachers interested
in using communication tools in their teaching, be it exclusively
online or blended into face-to-face teaching. Having an e-mail account,
familiarity with word processors and Internet access are all that’s
required.
5. Weekly content
Week 1 - Getting
acquainted with Yahoo Groups. Introductions. Exploratory Survey.
Participants will get acquainted with the Yahoo Groups platform,
introduce themselves to the group and complete a survey about their
experience in the use of Web tools. At the end of the week, and
as an introduction to week 2, we will take a tour of Tapped In.
Guest presenter: BJ Berquist
Week 2 - Text
and voice synchronous communication tools: Tapped In, Yahoo Messenger
and Skype in Worldbridges.
Participants will have the opportunity to chat with other Webheads
through different synchronous media such as Tapped In, Yahoo Messenger
and Worldbridges. During these chats, they will learn how to use
the many powerful features of each of these environments and also
create their own virtual office at Tapped In, where they can later
meet with students and colleagues. Voice chat and webcam-enhanced
chat will be introduced in Yahoo Messenger and Skype in Worldbridges.
Audacity, a free online tool to record audio files, will be introduced
for those wishing to try recording voice sessions. It will also
be a good time to introduce a volunteer system for "peer help":
participants holding online hours for other participants.
Guest presenters: Michael Coghlan, Jeff Lebow and
Dave Cormier
Week 3 - Building
an online presence: Blogs, podcasting and Web pages.
Participants will be introduced to blogs and podcasting, and will
use different web blog providers (Blogger, Bravenet, LiveJournal)
to start their own blogs. Web page creation and basic HTML will
be introduced if participants show an interest.
Guest presenters: Bee Dieu and Graham Stanley
Week 4 - Virtual
classrooms and voice email.
Participants will explore the Alado and Elluminate virtual classrooms,
as well as user-friendly tools for sending voice messages (HandyBits
and SitePal).
Guest presenter: Jonathan Finkelstein
Week 5 - Developing
class materials: online surveys and worksheets, and interactive
exercise creators.
Participants will have the opportunity to create materials for their
classes using different online exercise creators.
Guest presenter: Isabel Perez
Week 6 - Blended
learning. Wrap-up: conclusions and evaluation. Graduating as a Webhead
in Action.
After a panel discussion on "blended learning", participants
will share reflections and arrive at the main conclusions about
these online Web communication tools and their role in language
learning. To wrap up these six weeks, there will be a "Graduation
Ceremony" chat during which participants will be invited to
join the "Webheads in Action" community.
Panel: Aiden Yeh, Buthaina Al-Othman and Rita Zeinstejer
There will be weekly recommended readings for discussion and reflection.
Moderators
Dafne Gonzalez dygonza@yahoo.com
Teresa Almeida d’Eça tmvaz@mail.telepac.pt
6. Communication tools to be used
Session Web page http://dafnegonzalez.com/baw-06
Becoming a Webhead YG http://groups.yahoo.com/group/baw-06/
BaW-06 blog http://baw.blogs.friendster.com/becoming_a_webhead_2006_b/
BaW-06 wiki http://baw-06.pbwiki.com
BaW-06 map http://www.risingconcepts.com/frapper/baw2006
BaW-06 forum http://assembly.nerdworld.com/assembly.asp?Assembly=baw-06assembly
Alado http://www.alado.net
Audacity http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
HandyBits (voice mail) http://www.handybits.com
iTunes (to download podcasts) http://www.apple.com/itunes/overview/
Learning Times http://www.learningtimes.org
pbWiki (wiki) http://pbwiki.com
SitePal (voice mail) http://www.oddcast.com/sitepal2/
Skype (Peer to peer voice service) http://www.skype.com/
Tapped In http://www.tappedin.org/
Worldbridges http://www.worldbridges.com
Yahoo http://www.yahoo.com
Yahoo Groups http://groups.yahoo.com/
Yahoo Messenger http://messenger.yahoo.com/
Wimba Voice mail: http://www.wimba.com/tools/vmail/index.php
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