Avenue - LearnIT2teach Podcasts

As today’s educator knows, Learning technology doesn’t stand still. In the past 25 years we’ve seen the Internet, and social media transform daily life and we are all experiencing the downstream effects on adult education. As demonstrated by his work on the TESOL Technology Standards, Dr. Greg Kessler is keenly aware of technology’s impact on language education. Through his teaching at Ohio Univer...

This spotlight on a teacher episode focuses on Agnes Kucharska, who teaches Literacy and CLB 1 for a LINC program in Hamilton Ontario. Agnes was nominated as an exemplary teacher by her LearnIT2teach project mentor. The LearnIT2teach team often gets asked what the learner courseware can do for lower level learners. Agnes describes what she’s doing with blended learning. Agnes started using the lea...

This is the first in a new series of podcasts where we focus on one LINC teacher making exemplary use of learning technology. Bonnie Sibley teaches for Abbotsford Community Services in the Lower Mainland in BC. Bonnie has been teaching ESL for ten years and has been “…loving it and growing ever since.” Bonnie has completed all four stages of the LearnIT2teach teacher training. She’s created her ow...

In Part Two of her conversation with Jim Edgar, Marijke Geurts discusses using PBLA in her context, and its benefits and challenges. Marijke concludes by offering some advice to other LINC teachers who may be required to use PBLA in a blended context

Marijke Geurts is an instructor at the YMCA of Greater Saint John, New Brunswick. She is implementing Portfolio-based Language Assessment (PBLA) in a LINC program through a format that blends face-to-face and online delivery using the LINC courseware (edulinc.org). Marijke’s teaching context is not a typical LINC program. She meets her students in class for half of her contact time and she assigns...

Child care, transportation, cold winters and work shifts are some of the challenges learners face in getting to LINC classes in rural Saskatchewan. To make it easier to participate in LINC, Carleton Trail College in south central Saskatchewan has piloted a delivery model where face to face study in a classroom is combined with online studies at home, or in the workplace. The result for immigrants...

Jen Artan is another in our series of LINC professionals putting blended learning to work. Her class of 12 newcomers in London, Ontario are studying semi-independently in a specialized class organized around face-to-face learning, on-the-job training and independent online study. Jen has applied the LINC courseware and the Moodle learning management system to create an online environment accessibl...

Mirella Mosca teaches LINC at COSTI in the greater Toronto area. She has completed her Stage 4 course and is submitting the course she created on education for TESL Ontario's Margaret Pidlaski Award contest (advertised on Tutela). She prepared this short video as part of her submission. The video paints a nice picture of what a teacher can do with blended learning and how learners responded to it.

Mavis describes how her community college LINC program now implements the LINC online courseware and a blended learning approach in all classes. She describes what impact blended learning is having on the learners, teachers and the entire program. Learners now have more flexible options for learning and communicating. She tells how the key changes came about and profiles the 'leading actors'. In c...

Language teachers and program administrators who want to make the move to LINC blended learning begin with an important question: how do I get there from here? Pamela Manson and her colleagues at Algonquin College have made the big move. In this podcast Pamela describes how she became involved in LearnIT2teach and how that's paying off for her teaching, her learners & her LINC program. 8 minut...

In the build up to TESL Ontario 2013, we are focussing lots of attention on practitioners. What are the classroom benefits of blended learning? What does it take to get it going? In this podcast, you'll listen to Svetlana Lupasco describe her approach to ESL Literacy, the role technology plays in her teaching, and the courseware she has created for her classes. Svetlana also gives us a sneak previ...

Jim Edgar continues his conversation with Ken Beatty, a CALL professor at Anaheim University. Jim asks Professor Beatty to summarize an inspiring conference presentation he had given at TESL Canada. The topic was 'The Unexpected Next'. In his summary, Professor Beatty lists six emerging language technologies. and their application to language teaching and learning. These are really six key techniq...

In this final section, Vance describes the importance of teachers modelling technological innovation to other teachers. Vance also gives some technology tips. Vance also underlines the need for teachers to be playful and exploratory with new technology.

Vance speaks to the importance of community of practice when teachers want to innovate and apply new learning technologies. As the father of Webheads and Webheads in Action, Vance has demonstrated that his approach to online community building works.

Vance Stevens,a pioneer in computer-assisted language learning since the 70's, and Rob McBride, LearnIT2teach Project, in conversation in March 2012 at TESOL Philadelphia. Vance has taught TESL extensively at the university level in the USA and the Middle East. Thousands of TESL professionals know him as the originator and the animator of Webheads, a community of practice for instructors wanting t...

This podcast was recorded at the TESL Canada 2012 Conference shortly after the official launch of Tutela.ca, Citizenship and Immigration Canada's national repository for settlement language training. The podcast features Pascal St-Jean, one of the site administrators and core developers. Pascal provides a brief history of Tutela, an overview of what the site offers, strategies being used to build...

In this episode, Dr. Ken Beatty provides insights into the benefits of using technology from both the teachers' and learners' perspectives. Dr. Beatty makes practical suggestions, and he offers advice to the many teachers who would like to do more with educational technologies, but say they don't have time to learn them. Dr. Beatty is a Professor of Computer-assisted Language Learning at Anaheim U...

Teachers can act as 'change agents' by leading efforts to integrate CALL in their program. But this can be a dangerous path if you become known as the techie teacher, and then are relied on for technical support. Teachers in that position should be rewarded by administrators, but they should also try to teach skills to other teachers and students. Teachers need to know a little technology 'first a...

Technology skills for teachers are becoming more and more in demand. Building your tech skills enhances your marketability. Teachers learn best from each other. Teachers collaborating to learn new skills is a real plus. Hiring a teacher with tech skills can improve a program as she can be a model for others. A program might start the process of change and innovation with a specific project to meet...

Dr. Phil Hubbard is the third computer assisted language learning expert we met with at TESOL Philadelphia in March 2012. He is a senior lecturer in Linguistics at Stanford University and a widely published and admired expert in the role technology plays in language teaching. As well, Phil was one of the principal authors of the TESOL Technology Standards. This is the first of a three part intervi...

Dr. Greg Kessler is Associate Professor of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in the Department of Linguistics and Director of the Language Resource Center at Ohio University. He teaches CALL teacher preparation and research methods courses. His research addresses CALL teacher preparation, teacher and student language use in collaborative constructivist language learning, the role of stude...

In the second part of a conversation with Rob McBride, Deborah Healey explains how teachers can easily integrate technology into their practice. Tools as accessible as word processing or simple photo editing programs can be new and powerful avenues for language experience. The new ways we can do things are very empowering for teachers and learners. The Internet is a powerful medium for finding use...

Deborah Healey is a senior instructor at the University of Oregon and a CALL educator with an international reputation for thoughtful and incisive work. This seven minute podcast is part one of a two part conversation with Deborah. In conversation with LearnIT2teach team member Rob McBride at TESOL Philadelphia 2012, she explains why teachers have a responsibility to engage their learners with tec...

In conversation with LearnIT2Teach team member John Allan, Professor John Sivell of Brock University gives general guidance and useful tips on teaching reading using online and other resources. Professor Sivell answers questions regarding selecting and adapting materials and improvising extensions using material sourced online. Wikis and other collaborative tools can play a very useful role in dev...

In this eight minute conversation with LearnIT2teach Communications Manager Rob McBride, Carolyn Cohen describes the origins of the framework project and the need for more specialized TESL skills that has emerged. Carolyn also describes the challenges of consulting the Ontario field and reviewing training to shortlist programs that qualify as TESL training rather than service professional developm...