Using Wikis For Instructor Development

In my 2 previous features, I've looked at how to practise a wiki together with how to role them amongst EFL students. In this posting I'd similar to await at a dyad of technical aspects, how to embed video inward the wiki together with how to add together hyperlinks, together with how nosotros tin sack role them for instructor development.

Let's start amongst the technical bit. Here are 2 video tutorials. The starting fourth dimension shows how nosotros tin sack embed videos into a How to practise a wiki

Using wikis amongst EFL students

To convey a closer await at WetPaint together with practise your ain wiki become to: http://www.wetpaint.com/

Create Your Ain Social Network Seven Steps

Social networking is i of the fundamental concepts that is driving Web 2.0 these days. With the opportunities social networks offering for collaboration as well as communication, this is sure something nosotros every bit educators should hold upwards thinking nearly beingness involved in.


In this tutorial I'd similar to exhibit you lot how to do your ain social network on Ning, simply past times next 7 steps. I've published these every bit a downloadable PDF alongside hide shots, then that you lot tin impress them upwards as well as follow them / percentage them.

• 7 steps to creating a social network>> (944k pdf)
  

Perhaps though, to a greater extent than importantly it's worth thinking nearly some of the issues, as well as pros as well as cons surrounding the utilisation of social networks.

Some advantages of creating your ain network.

• Control over the content
  You tin brand sure nobody posts anything inappropriate or irrelevant.
  
• Control of who joins as well as the powerfulness to block or ban people
  You tin protect your members, ban anyone who doesn't bear or simply bound membership to people you lot desire to invite.
• Increased reach
  You tin increase the accomplish of your F2F activities as well as acquire to a greater extent than people involved inwards the collaborative / collective evolution of your project.
  
• Good for your personal / career development
  You tin larn a lot through beingness an administrator as well as develop some useful skills as well as knowledge.
  

Things to consider earlier you lot launch your network

• Closed (just people you lot invite) or Open (anyone who wants to join)
  I would advise starting off alongside simply people you lot invite start to encounter how things receive got off. Deciding to brand the network opened upwards could receive got a lot of consideration as well as demand much to a greater extent than 'policing' moderation from you.
  
• Do you lot receive got the fourth dimension to deal the network?
  This is ever a fundamental interrogation for teachers. Keeping the network active as well as upwards to appointment is going to receive got time. If you lot don't receive got the fourth dimension / resources to set into it, best non to start.
  
• Do you lot receive got or tin you lot detect content to input to the network?
  Content is withal the original motivation for teachers / students to acquire involved, fifty-fifty if it's simply every bit stimulation for communication / collaborative work, you lot demand to receive got something to offering as well as your members are going to demand to 'get something' from visiting your network, or they won't hold upwards coming back.
  
• How / Will you lot hold upwards able to rear collaboration betwixt the members?
  Bit similar the betoken above. Just providing a network isn't going to do collaboration. Ning is simply a platform, you lot receive got to render reasons, tasks, activities for members to collaborate on, or it simply won't happen.
  
• What functionality (groups, forums, video as well as photograph sharing) do you lot desire to brand available?
  Providing all of these on Ning is easy, but don't render anything you lot can't use. If you lot render the powerfulness to percentage photos / videos, brand sure you lot receive got something to percentage as well as reasons for sharing those things. You'll too demand to recollect nearly who tin percentage add together as well as create. Are you lot going to proceed consummate command or percentage it alongside your members?
  
• Will you lot desire to include advertising or enquire it to hold upwards removed?
  If you lot are using Ning for educational purposes you lot tin contact them as well as enquire for advertising to hold upwards removed. You tin too pay for a Ning platform as well as generate some coin from the advertising yourself. I wouldn't recommend this every bit the amount may good non justify what you lot receive got to set upwards alongside from the advertisers. It's too amend to acquire the advertising removed earlier you lot invite people to join, every bit some of the links tin hold upwards inappropriate.
  
• What data volition you lot desire members to add together when joining?
  You tin determine what data members demand to submit when they bring together as well as determine who sees the information. You detect out a lot nearly them this way, but people tin hold upwards set off past times having to give away their information, then it could hold upwards best simply to allow them decide.
  
• How long volition you lot desire to proceed the network live? (limited menstruation or indefinitely)
  If you lot exclusively intend to utilisation the network for a specific fourth dimension express projection it mightiness hold upwards goodness to brand this clear to your members, then they proceed records of anything they develop inside the network. Then when the projection ends you lot tin delete it alongside a clear conscience as well as proceed the spider web tidy.

Looking at other networks
Before you lot start your ain social network it's a goodness thought to receive got a await circular at what others are doing. You mightiness acquire some goodness ideas, encounter some potential pitfalls you lot desire to avoid, or fifty-fifty determine someone already has your expanse covered as well as simply determine to bring together them instead of recreating the wheel. Here a 4 networks for teachers that are good worth checking out.

• Mexico English linguistic communication Teachers' Alliance
  http://metamexico.ning.com/
• Teachers helping teachers
  http://teachershelpingteachers.ning.com/
• EFL Classroom 2.0
  http://eflclassroom.ning.com/
• Classroom 2.0
  http://www.classroom20.com/

Evaluation criteria
Deciding whether you lot desire to bring together or recommend a network tin hold upwards a tricky process, but every bit I've been looking closed to for ones I desire to hold upwards component subdivision of I've built upwards a listing of criteria that I detect quite useful to receive got inwards the dorsum of my mind.

• What features / functionality does the network offer? (Groups forums etc.)
  If there's no interaction, is it worth beingness a component subdivision of this network?
  
• Are the groups / forums active alongside a number of members exchanging information?
  Just because it has them doesn't hateful they are beingness used. Have a await as well as brand sure at that spot is something at that spot to larn as well as somebody at that spot to larn with.
  
• Are these features beingness used? (If the network offers the utilisation of photograph or video sharing is this beingness used?)
  This is a goodness house to await to encounter what members are actually sharing. Is at that spot original content or is it all grabbed from YouTube / Flickr?
  
• Can you lot detect out when the network was concluding active?
  Some networks are withal online, but receive got died. Either the members or creator has lost interest. No betoken joining an inactive network.
  
• How many members does it have?
  Open networks that exclusively receive got a minor number of members, may hold upwards less worthwhile. Most networks demand a critical volume to proceed them moving, unless the members are really committed.
  
• Are whatsoever of the members’ photographs inappropriate?
  Many people bring together networks to describe traffic to their / unsuitable sites. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 quick await at their avatar icon could good give you lot a clue to which these are.
  
• Check out some of the fellow member profiles. Does the profile reveal the member’s electronic mail address or other personal information that you lot wouldn't desire to share?
  Make sure that the network isn't forcing you lot to reveal to a greater extent than data than you lot would experience happy with.
  
• Are at that spot whatsoever ‘Google Ads’ on the site? Are these suitable or potentially offensive?
  Especially when recommending networks to others, it's goodness to banking enterprise tally this first.
  
• Is at that spot whatsoever interesting content on the site?
  Again, I withal believe that content is king. Content + collaboration = learning! No content, don't join.
  
• Who is behind the network?
  Always wise to know who you lot are dealing alongside as well as sharing your data / cognition with. Is it a grouping of similar minded individuals, or a faceless companionship alongside dubious motivations?
  

Why do your ain network for teachers?
Some suggestions:

• To back upwards item dispersed groups doing specific projects / preparation courses
  
• To tape as well as percentage examples of exercise as well as expertise specific to their context
• To aid prepare as well as develop teachers inwards the utilisation of ICT / Learning Technology

Why do your ain network for students?
Some suggestions:

• Class enquiry projects – do a network for your students based closed to a item subject that they demand to research.
• Inter-class projection – do a network for sharing data alongside students inwards some other schoolhouse / country.
• Create a fan site alongside your students dedicated to a item celebrity they like.
• Create a site to inform visitors nearly Kingdom of Morocco / your town or city, your civilization etc.
• Create an online classroom as well as add together links to materials, activities as well as tasks the students should do.
• Create a network to showcase students piece of job as well as proceed inwards contact alongside as well as involve parents.

Important

• You should non utilisation Ning alongside students below the historic menstruation of 13.
• Always protect your members’ privacy as well as brand sure their electronic mail isn’t displayed as well as they don’t percentage addresses or telephone numbers alongside people.

Well if later on all this you lot are withal interested inwards creating your ain network, hither are the 7 steps again:

• 7 steps to creating a social network>> (944k pdf)

I've created i myself for a preparation course of report for teachers that I'm involved with. Personally I've works life it actually valuable then far.
For to a greater extent than opinions as well as to detect out nearly choice platforms, watch Larry Ferlazzo's blog post on Social Networks for the Classroom

Good luck alongside your networking as well as delight do utilisation the comments below to percentage your experience of using social networks.

Best

Nik Peachey

Creating An Online Periodical For Cpd

The importance of careful idea together with reflection on what nosotros create every minute both teachers together with learners tin non move overestimated inward price of the learning procedure together with retaining data inward a vogue that nosotros tin truly usage it together with become inward purpose of our sense together with practice.

A Complete EFL Teacher Training Course Online

Using wikis for instructor development

Create your ain social network vii steps

Three Views of the Future of English linguistic communication Language Teaching

Teachers' Stories

ELT classroom videos

Social Networks together with the Web 2.0 Revolution: Part 2

Create your ain social network vii steps

Creating an Online Classroom

What are you lot Wanted for?

Best

Nik Perachey

10 Instructor Evolution Describe Of Piece Of Employment For Spider Web 2.0 Tools

Over the concluding duet of months I've been busy travelling circular a flake together with doing around aspect upwards to aspect upwards grooming together with workshops. As business office of the materials for these workshops I created a lay out of tasks for teachers which I promise volition assistance develop their mightiness to role technology scientific discipline together with to evaluate together with attain materials using spider web based tools. I've attain upwards one's heed immediately to percentage those tasks together with thence anyone who wants to role them to prepare other teachers or to develop their ain skills tin accept payoff of together with brand skilful role of them.

100 + Online activities for EFL ESL learners

Social Networks together with the Web 2.0 Revolution: Part 2

Create your ain social network vii steps

Web 2.0 Tools for EFL together with ESL Teachers

Best

Nik Peachey

A Tick Listing Of 21St Century Digital Skills For Teachers

I've but been brainstorming digital skills that I believe are required past times teachers inwards the 21st Century. So far I've come upwardly up amongst 45 of them.

What's hitting for me most this is:

• few of these skills volition bring been taught to anyone who trained every bit a instructor longer than v years ago.
• few of these skills are existence taught to teachers preparation now.
• the 21st century instructor needs to hold upwardly a pretty amazingly skilled professional.

Please await through the listing together with tick on the ones you lot believe you lot have.

Teachers Digital Skills Tick List

Teachers' digital skills tick list

I'd too hold upwardly rattling interested inwards whatever comments most whatever you lot mean value I've missed or that you lot mean value don't belong there.

Related links:

• Online Video: What does it bring to offering teachers together with learners?
• Using wikis for instructor development
• 10 Teacher Development Task for Web 2.0 Tools
• Creating a personal homepage
• Social Networks together with the Web 2.0 Revolution: Part 2
• Create your ain social network seven steps
• 120 + Online Activities for Students

Best

Nik Peachey

5 Tasks To Instruct Yourself To Instruct Alongside Technology

Some months agone I had a conception to write a majority of tasks to acquire teachers using technology. As amongst too then many of my plans too ideas, fourth dimension too circumstances over took me too I never got farther than the kickoff fifteen tasks. When I went dorsum to produce roughly to a greater extent than I noticed that I was taking too then long doing these that roughly had gone out of date, too then to endeavour to acquire roughly live from the tasks I've decided to revise them too start publishing them hither too then anyone tin rank notice download them too live them either to produce instructor preparation or to develop their ain mightiness to live technology.

100 + Online activities for EFL ESL learners

Social Networks too the Web 2.0 Revolution: Part 2

Create your ain social network seven steps

Web 2.0 Tools for EFL too ESL Teachers

10 Teacher Development Task for Web 2.0 Tools

Best

Nik Peachey

3 To A Greater Extent Than Tasks To Learn Yourself To Learn Amongst Technology

At the cease of 2010 I published the source five tasks inwards a series to assistance instructor larn how to role technology scientific discipline alongside their students. Now I would similar to add together three to a greater extent than tasks to that collection. The source few tasks are all quite uncomplicated to lay the order down run as well as drib dead teachers started. As the serial progresses I promise to drib dead along to to a greater extent than adventurous tasks. Please experience costless to role these tasks yourself or to portion or role them for instructor training.

Task 6: Creating a video review activeness
In this draw of piece of employment you’ll larn how to practise a cinema trailer review activeness using cinema trailers from YouTube as well as an online honour board called Wallwisher. Here’s an event to await at earlier you lot start: 5 Tasks to Teach Yourself to Teach alongside

Using Online Sticky Noticeboards

Cropping YouTube Videos to Create

Tutorial: Using Videos from

100 + Online activities for EFL ESL learners

Social Networks as well as the Web 2.0 Revolution: Part 2

Create your ain social network vii steps

Web 2.0 Tools for EFL as well as ESL Teachers

10 Teacher Development Task for Web 2.0 Tools

Best

Nik Peachey

10 Tech Tools For Instructor Preparation Courses

Over the summertime I was running a issue of 2 calendar week ICT inwards linguistic communication teaching courses for teachers from to a greater extent than or less the world. The courses were utilisation of the Bell summertime campus at Homerton College Cambridge. This was the initiative off fourth dimension inwards a spell I had been asked to instruct such long courses as well as i thought it was a non bad chance to consider if I could fundamentally alter the agency the teachers related to technology, non precisely inwards the classroom equally a tool for teaching learners, but equally a tool inside their everyday working practice.

As sub goals I laid out to run the course of educational activity alongside absolutely no paper. That meant no photocopied handouts as well as no newspaper based banker's complaint taking from trainees. I wanted to force these teachers to the betoken where they could operate totally inwards the digital medium as well as where newspaper became totally unnecessary.

I also wanted to utilisation a cast of loop input (using the engineering scientific discipline to instruct the technology) thus that teachers were learning close the technologies they could utilisation alongside students past times truly using them for themselves.

I would similar to add together that this course of educational activity took house inwards a reckoner room alongside 1 Internet connected reckoner per teacher.

What follows below is a brief outline of the tools I used to attain this as well as how I used each tool.

TodaysMeet

TodaysMeet
This was my key communication tool. It allows me to create an minute chatroom which I tin utilisation equally a backchannel thus that students tin communicate alongside each other past times text as well as contribute to the session or precisely socialise spell I'm talking. More importantly though, it enables me to portion links to websites as well as digital document without having to acquire students to re-create complex URLs into their spider web browser address bar. I but glue the URL into the chat as well as when they acquire the message they click on the link as well as the URL opens inwards a novel tab inwards their spider web browser. I tin also utilisation it equally a variety of audience response organisation to acquire opinions from the whole degree as well as to permit them to type inwards questions that I tin address later.

• Here's a quick video showing how it works: TodaysMeet

Penzu

Penzu
Penzu is a rattling unproblematic spider web based somebody magazine tool that I've been using for some fourth dimension now. In this course of educational activity I asked teachers to utilisation it instead of taking newspaper based notes. Penzu is truly quite minimalist as well as it looks precisely similar a sail of paper, but it stores as well as appointment stamps each magazine entry as well as this makes it quite slow to discovery notes over again from whatever reckoner equally it is 'cloud based'. So this became ane of the 2 criterion tabs I asked the teachers to constantly maintain opened upwards on their spider web browser. That agency they could easily switch betwixt banker's complaint taking as well as investigating links as well as socialising alongside the class.

• Here's a quick video showing how it works: Penzu

280Slides

280Slides
In house of PowerPoint as well as Keynote I used 280Slides to fix as well as deliver the presentations I included inwards the course. 280Slides is truly unproblematic to use, stores the presentations online as well as creates a link as well as embed code thus when I'm finished presenting I tin straight off portion the link alongside my grouping either past times embedding it into a site or passing the URL through TodaysMeet.

• Here's a quick video showing how it works: 280Slides

Delicious
During the course of educational activity I shared a lot of links to background reading materials, useful follow upwards websites as well as blogs etc. The links were passed through TodaysMeet, but to brand certain these links weren't lost I got the teachers on the course of educational activity to create their ain Delicious accounts to tag as well as shop all the links thus they could discovery them afterward on whatever computer. I also taught them how to add together the bookmarking plug inwards to their browser tool bar. This truly helped equally it meant they could but click on it as well as tag as well as relieve everything alongside precisely a duet of clicks.

• Here's a link to: My Delicious Bookmarks

SimplyBox

SimplyBox
Using Delicious for bookmarking articles etc was great, but for the Web 2.0 type learning tools I was introducing I wanted something to a greater extent than visual equally a reminder, thus I used SimplyBox. This is a unproblematic to utilisation tool which uses boxes inwards house of folders as well as enables you lot to view an icon from the site equally a link dorsum to it, rather than a title. The other non bad payoff of this tool is that you lot tin portion boxes as well as operate on them collaboratively as well as anyone accessing the box tin acquire out notes on each of the tools. I introduced this tool close halfway through the course of educational activity past times putting links to all the tools nosotros had used inwards ane box, as well as using this equally a revision task, I got the teachers to acquire out teaching suggestions as well as notes close how to utilisation each tool as well as what its strengths were on each of the bookmarks.

• Here's a quick video showing how it works: SimplyBox
• Here's an event box alongside my collection of: Vocabulary Tools

Posterous
I used Posterous equally my basic publishing tool for the teachers to construct blended learning materials on, you lot tin acquire started precisely past times sending an e-mail alongside your weblog content inwards the trunk of the e-mail as well as whatever images, videos or good equally attachments. Very few of them had done whatever blogging previous to the course of educational activity thus this was a truly unproblematic tool to acquire started on as well as it handles all kinds of media such equally video, documents as well as embedded objects truly well. So equally they were edifice examples of online learning they were also creating their ain e-portfolio.

• Here's a quick video showing how it works: Posterous

Jing
Jing was some other of the inwardness tools for the course. Initially I got teachers to utilisation it to view as well as annotate images of websites thus that they could create detailed footstep past times footstep notes of how to utilisation diverse spider web tools. They as well as thus dragged the images into documents as well as uploaded these to their Posterous weblog which formatted them into spider web based documents using Scribd. As the course of educational activity progressed I moved the teachers on from making text as well as icon based instructions to using Jing to brand as well as upload video based screencasts of the websites. They could as well as thus bookmark these alongside delicious as well as afterward utilisation them to demonstrate their students how the websites worked, or they could add together the link to their Posterous weblog which would automatically embed the video into the weblog page.

• Here's an event of a document uploaded to Posterous: Example
• You tin download Jing gratuitous from here

Wiggio

Wiggio
Towards the destination of the course of educational activity I introduced the Wiggio VLE to the teachers. Wiggio is a rattling versatile as well as quick to create online surroundings which has a rich multifariousness of communication tools. Using this platform has enabled me to cast working groups from the courses thus that they tin remain inwards impact alongside each other as well as me after the course of educational activity as well as tumble out to portion links, videos, documents as well as to a greater extent than importantly ideas. This is a non bad tool for edifice dynamic courses as well as adds much to a greater extent than social interaction than something similar Moodle.

• Here's a quick video showing how it works: Wiggio

Tricider
I used Tricider equally my needs analysis tool at the start as well as my activeness enquiry tool during the course. It's a rattling unproblematic to use, but rattling versatile polling tool. You precisely create a query as well as add together some options as well as thus portion it alongside the people you lot desire answers from. The non bad affair is that they tin add together extra options as well as add together diverse pros as well as cons of each pick equally good equally voting on the ones they like. This makes the whole procedure of polling much to a greater extent than open, social as well as interactive.
Here's a quick video showing how it works: Tricider

Firefox
Last but non to the lowest degree is the Firefox browser. I utilisation this equally a replacement for Internet Explorer. I discovery Firefox to live on fast reliable as well as consistent as well as peculiarly when working alongside Web 2.0 type tools it gives me rattling few problems. I tin state none of this close IE which I oftentimes destination upwards cursing whenever I induce got to utilisation it inwards a grooming environment.
You tin download Firefox from here

So, using this combination of tools I managed to deliver the consummate course of educational activity without using newspaper banker's complaint books or photocopying whatever materials, as well as I experience at the destination of it my trainees were the amend for it equally they had spent a calendar week challenging their ingrained written report habits as well as taking a footstep towards working inwards the variety of digital world
their students volition in all likelihood live on negotiating inwards their future. Most of all though they had a guide chances to truly utilisation the tools inwards much the same agency that their students volition as well as to brand as well as overcome the kinds of mistakes they volition induce got to bargain alongside students inwards class.

I promise you lot induce got establish something interesting hither as well as this article makes you lot cry upwards a footling to a greater extent than close how you lot deliver instructor grooming inwards full general equally the utilisation of these tools isn't precisely restricted to tech training. They could live on integrated into the delivery of whatever linguistic communication or instructor grooming course of educational activity as well as to some extent I experience that until tech tools are integrated into mainstream instructor grooming nosotros aren't going to acquire the character as well as quantity of digitally literate teachers that nosotros demand to truly supply a 21st century learning surroundings for our students.

Related links:

• 3 Tools for Exploiting the Wifi During Presentations
• Crowdsourcing Knowledge alongside Students
• Create a Video Q&A Booth
• So Ask Me a Question
• Create Video Questionnaires
• Creating Social Polls as well as Questionnaires Using Urtak
• Pros as well as Cons equally Web Based Research Tasks

Best

Nik Peachey