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Second Life Viewer 2: Linden Lab launched its new Viewer
2 in February 2010. The new viewer includes a feature that
teachers have long been waiting for, namely the ability to display
a live Web page on any surface in Second Life, for example on a large
screen, on the faces of a cube, or even on a sphere. The Web page
then behaves as it would in a normal browser: links are clickable,
pages can be scrolled, and it is possible to log on to Ning,
Twitter, Flickr,
etc. Collaborative writing tasks using tools such as Etherpad
are possible, and YouTube
videos and Teachers
TV videos can also be displayed. See Section
14.2.1, Module 1.5, which is dedicated to the virtual world of
Second Life. It is the most rapidly growing section of the
ICT4LT site.
The ICT4LT site and its associated blog have been mentioned as as
example of good practice at the website of SAEL
(Sites d'Accompagnement pour les Enseignants de Langues), an EC-funded
project that aims to facilitate the implementation of language policy
recommendations with a view to improving the quality of language teaching
in Europe. The project seeks to achieve this by promoting the creation
of online support websites for language teachers to help keep them
up-to-date with innovative approaches, resources and other information.
See the ICT4LT
blog (25 January 2010).
A Virtual Worlds Special Interest Group (VW SIG), managed
jointly by EUROCALL
and CALICO was
launched at the EUROCALL
2009 Conference in Spain. Here is the URL of the new VW SIG
Ning:
http://virtualworldssig.ning.com
There are two other new EUROCALL SIG Nings:
EUROCALL Computer Mediated Communication SIG:
http://cmcsig.ning.com
EUROCALL Teacher Education SIG: http://eurocallteachereducation.ning.com
Graham Davies took part in an online panel discussion, shared with
Ton Koenraad, Vance Stevens and Duane Sider (President, Rosetta Stone),
on the theme "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to
repeat it" (George Santayana 1863-1952), The Life of Reason,
Volume 1, 1905), 13 November:
http://virtual-round-table.ning.com/events/virtual-panel-discussion-those
A recording of this event is available here:
https://admin.emea.acrobat.com/_a789908106/p63251182/
Teachers TV makes it easy for you to embed their videos into
your blog, wiki or website by using the free Teachers TV Player:
http://static.teachers.tv/shared/files/help/Teachers%20TV%20Player.pdf
We have added a Teachers TV Player to the following
sections of the ICT4LT site:
The ICT4LT blog
The ICT4LT blog can be found at:
http://ictforlanguageteachers.blogspot.com
Recent topics include:
... and many more, dating back to February 2007
See also Section 12, Module
1.5, where you will find information on numerous discussion lists,
blogs, wikis and social networking sites relating to language learning
and teaching.
If you wish to send the Editor of the ICT4LT
site feedback or ask specific questions relating to ICT and language
learning and teaching, use our online Feedback
Form.
The ICT4LT project
team
The original ICT4LT project
team (1999-2000) consisted of eight individuals based in the following
institutions:
- Thames
Valley University, UK: Hamid Momtahan, responsible for project
coordination, and Graham Davies, website editor-in-chief.
- University
of Venice, Italy: Roberto Dolci, responsible for the Italian
version of the website - which is no longer updated.
- University
of Jyväskylä, Finland: Peppi Taalas, responsible for
the Finnish and Swedish versions of the website - which are no longer
updated.
- University
of Hull, UK: June Thompson, responsible for needs analysis and
dissemination in the higher education sector. Fred Riley, responsible
for the original website design. The University of Hull hosts the
ICT4LT website.
- CILT,
UK: Eric Brown and Paul Davey, responsible for needs analysis
and dissemination in the secondary education sector (11-18) and
for printed publications.
The team has now been disbanded, but the English-language
version of the ICT4LT website is still updated on a regular basis
by Graham
Davies.
The main aim of the ICT4LT project was to provide
Web-based training materials in ICT for teachers of Modern Foreign Languages.
It was also planned to develop the materials into an accredited online
course, but funding ran out before this aim could be achieved. The materials
are, however, still valid as a free resource for teachers and teacher
trainers. If you are looking for an accredited course
in ICT and language learning and teaching, you may find what you need
here: Courses.
Review these interesting education
articles about online courses.
The project was built upon a number of national
and EC-funded projects which the partners had successfully completed,
in particular the New Technologies Sub-Group of the Thematic Network
Project (TNP1) in the Area of Languages, which was initiated by the
European Language Council: http://www.celelc.org
Two members of the ICT4LT project team, Peppi
Taalas and Graham Davies, were participants in the EC-funded TALLENT
project, coordinated by Angela Chambers, University of Limerick: http://www.solki.jyu.fi/tallent
The ICT4LT website materials have been developed
by practising language teachers with many years of experience in using
a wide range of technological aids in language teaching. The approach
is pedagogy-driven, and the emphasis is on language teaching
methodologies that can be implemented successfully with the
aid of new technologies. The modules include references to new teaching
concepts and methodologies that have emerged from new technologies.
See the ICT4LT blog (December 2009): Technology
v. pedagogy - lest we forget...
Only one purely "technical"
module is included: Module 1.2. This was
in response to the large number of enquiries we received about the
essential hardware and software required for a CALL environment.
The main target audience of the ICT4LT website
is language teachers already in service, although parts of the website
are suitable for teachers undergoing initial training and for teachers
following short intensive courses. The ICT4LT website materials are
also relevant to other occupations concerned with languages and communication.
It must be emphasised that
ICT4LT is not an introductory course in Information and Communications
Technology. Such courses are already available, e.g.
- The European Computer
Driving Licence (ECDL):
http://www.bcs.org/server.php?show=nav.5829
- The ECDL for Education, which is designed
specifically to help teachers, support staff and ICT coordinators
develop practical computing skills for teaching and learning in
the classroom and leads to an internationally recognised level of
certification:
http://www.educatorsecdl.com
It is expected that visitors
to the ICT4LT website already have qualifications that include a foreign
language and a basic knowledge of ICT, i.e. including:
- the basics of Windows XP or higher
- word-processing
- using a Web browser
- using email software
ICT "can do" lists
A downloadable Word document containing
a set of "can do" lists is available if you click here:
ICT_Can_Do_Lists.
The document is designed for:
Questionnaire
When we initiated this project we designed a Questionnaire
for visitors to the website to help them to analyse their own situation
and their ICT training needs. The questionnaire is still available
here: Questionnaire.
We are no longer gathering data about visitors to the ICT4LT website,
but the questionnaire may help you identify your training needs. We
are still interested in your views on the site.
Site visits: requests
for pages
The ICT4LT site consistently receives
over 1000 page requests per day. A peak number of requests was reached
in March 2007, an average of 1756 per day. The average daily figure
for February 2010 was 1406.
Order of popularity of ICT4LT Web pages,
February 2010
These are our Web pages
in order of popularity, i.e. according to the number downloads in
the last complete month. The no. 1 position of Module 1.2 is misleading,
however, as it is picked up mainly by search engines and people interested
in ICT rather than by language teachers.
- Module 1.2: Introduction to computer hardware and software
- Module 1.5: Introduction
to the Internet
- General
guidelines on copyright
- Glossary of ICT terminology
- Module 2.2: Introduction to multimedia CALL
- Module
1.4: Introduction to CALL
- Module
2.4: Using concordance programs in the Modern Foreign Languages
classroom
- Module 1.1: Introduction to new technologies
- Resource
Centre
- Module 4.1 Computer aided assessment (CAA) and language learning
- Module 1.3: Using word-processing and presentation software in
the Modern Foreign Languages classroom
- Module 2.3: Exploiting WWW resources online and offline
- Module 3.4: Corpus linguistics
- Module 2.5: Introduction to CALL authoring programs
- Module 3.1: Managing a multimedia language centre
- Module 3.5: Human Language Technologies
- Module 3.3: Creating a WWW site
- Module 2.1: Integrating ICT into language teaching
- Module 3.2: CALL software design and implementation
See the Contents page for links to
all the above modules and resources:
- Philippe Delcloque's
History of CALL 2710 downloads
- ICT4LT
software and website evaluation forms 627 downloads
- ICT4LT
"can do" lists: check your ICT skills 392 downloads
- Graham Davies's Introduction
to Second Life 291 downloads
- How effective
is the use of ICT in language learning and teaching? 150 downloads
How do people find the ICT4LT site?
Mainly by using Google, but a number of other
sites regularly refer visitors to us. These are the top five sites
that refer visitors to the ICT4LT site:
- The
ICT4LT Blog
- Wikipedia
Article on CALL
- Thames
Valley University
- Claire
Bradin's CALL Website
- Graham
Davies's Favourite Websites
C
The above table shows only unique visitors. There are many more repeat
visits.
Several people have written to us asking how
they should present bibliographical references to the ICT4LT site.
Hard-and-fast conventions regarding the bibliographical referencing
of Web pages are only slowly emerging. This is what we recommend:
1. If you refer to the English-language version
of the ICT4LT website in general you should reference it thus:
Davies G. (ed.) (2008) Information and Communications
Technology for Language Teachers (ICT4LT), Slough, Thames Valley
University [Online]. Available from: http://www.ict4lt.org
[Accessed DD Month YYYY].
2. If you refer to a particular module at the
ICT4LT website, e.g. Module 1.5, you should reference it thus:
Walker R., Hewer S. & Davies G. (2008) Introduction
to the Internet. Module 1.5 in Davies G. (ed.) Information and
Communications Technology for Language Teachers (ICT4LT), Slough,
Thames Valley University [Online]. Available from: http://www.ict4lt.org/en/en_mod1-5.htm
[Accessed DD Month YYYY].
The publication date of the printed versions
of Modules 1.1 to 1.5 was 1999. Modules 2.1 to 3.5 were published
in their printed versions in 2000. Module 4.1 has not been printed.
The Web version of every module is updated at least once a month.
If you are citing the Web version of the ICT4LT
site look for the revision date and information regarding copyright
and bibliographical referencing at the bottom of each page. See our
Copyright notice.
The ICT4LT website contains numerous links
to external websites containing information that we consider relevant
to ICT and language learning and teaching. Some of the external sites
are managed by educational institutions and some are managed by commercial
enterprises. We make every effort to check that the links to external
sites function correctly and we also check that the contents of the
sites to which we make the links are appropriate to the aims of the
ICT4LT project, but we cannot ultimately be held responsible for the
contents of external websites. We will remove immediately any links
to sites that are found to contain inappropriate or offensive material
or to sites that appear to be in breach of copyright. If you are a
website owner that does not wish a link to your site to be made, please
contact us and we will remove the link.
If you wish to send us feedback on any aspect
of the ICT4LT website, use our online Feedback
Form or visit the ICT4LT blog at:
http://ictforlanguageteachers.blogspot.com
The Feedback Form and a link to the ICT4LT
blog can be found at the bottom of every page at the ICT4LT site.
If you download or print a copy of any material
from the ICT4LT site, please pay due respect to copyright. See our
General guidelines on copyright.
Please cite this Web
page as:
Davies G. (2009) ICT4LT Homepage. In Davies G. (ed.) Information
and Communications Technology for Language Teachers (ICT4LT),
Slough, Thames Valley University [Online]. Available from:
http://www.ict4lt.org/en/en_home.htm
[Accessed DD Month YYYY].
Document last updated 9 March 2010. This
page is maintained by Graham Davies.
© ICT4LT Project
2010 under a Creative
Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 UK, England
& Wales Licence.
The ICT4LT homepage was designed by
Graham Sedgwick at Electric Easel: http://www.electriceasel.co.uk
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