How Might I Use ePals?

ePals would be a great collaboration tool for getting my students connected with other students around the world. The starting point for further communication would be the commonality forged by the project their work on the same project as the students from another country. I am looking forward to using this tool with my middle school students.

ePaLs Brings Classrooms Together

ePaLs may well be the Internet's largest global community of connected classrooms, as it declares on its website www.epals.com. It offers you the opportunity to "safely connect, collaborate and learn using our leading protected email and blog solutions for schools and districts."

Signing up for ePals is free. Among other things, you can:

• choose from several focus areas
• read about the current projects
• search for participating classrooms
• read forums appropriate to your interests

There is plenty of information on how to get started, how to use translations, and how to do just about everything related to the site!

So take a peak, and find a pal!

3 Ways--Count 'Em!-- to Use Blogs in Teaching

These are just three of many, many ways to use blogs in teaching. Keep in mind that you should try to address all probable audiences to your blog, like students, parents, other teachers...maybe even administrators!

1. I always like to make the parents of my students aware of opportunities in the community for them to share with their children an experience that pertains to the language the child is learning. This could be anything from an Art exhibit to a trip to the Zoo to see animals from that part of the world. Therefore, I will use my blog to advertise such events and to create links to the sites offering such opportunities.

2. Supplemental materials that I may not have time to present in class can easily be listed on a blog sidebar.

3. A sidebar section of my blog can be dedicated to presenting perhaps a weekly thought-provoking statement or image that invites readers to respond to it.

Welcome

Welcome to Polyglots Blog. This is the first time I've looked into blogging, let alone created my own blog! Here's what happens when one is given an assignment to grow!

I hope this will be a place to explore ideas related to language teaching and learning. I would also like it to be a place for sharing interesting bits we come across in dealing with different languages and cultures.

For example, yesterday I came across a clever turn of words accompanied by interesting choices in music in a song by Nellie McKay--an artist of whom I had not previously heard. [Did I mention I'm a stickler for grammar?!] Check her out on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gO11WcWFLow&feature=related . Incidently, all you polyglots, they are looking for people to volunteer as translators...so if you've got the time to take the challenge, check out http://www.ted.com/ and do something good!

Thanks for coming. Hope to have you here again.