Friday 29 December 2006

Modern Foreign Language Seminars

Saturday
12:00
Wikimania, or using wikis to encourage spontaneous and accurate creative writing in MFL
Peter Morris: Senior Teacher & AST, Gordano School - The National Centre for Languages (CILT)

Wikimania invites pupils to contribute on a voluntary basis to a collaborative story writing exercise using a wiki that has been set up so that everybody in the class can read, write and edit. Pupils access the site when they wish, from home or from school, to edit and or continue the story. The teacher monitors the accuracy of the writing and guides improvement through targeted tips, labelled Tipp von PLM on the wiki pages.

Saturday

14:45
ICT … so what? - Using technology to enhance learning outcomes across all four language skills
Joe Dale: Lead Practitioner for The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust and French co-ordinator - ASSOCIATION FOR LANGUAGE LEARNING (ALL)

Freeware, self-authoring exercises, customisable templates, PowerPoint, podcasts and blogs! This practical session is designed to show how ICT can assist the learning and teaching of modern foreign languages by: practising reading and listening skills, extending speaking and writing activities, making spelling fun and reducing teacher preparation time

Saturday
10:30
Funky Flipcharts, Wicked Websites and Interesting Interactivity in MFL
Lesley Welsh, English Martyrs School & Sixth Form College, Hartlepool

Are you a primary or secondary MFL teacher seeking to make the most of the IT resources you have in your classroom? Come along and discover practical examples of how you can exploit a variety of websites, flipcharts and more to engage and motivate your pupils.

Saturday
13:00
Living Languages - Using ICT to Promote the Productive Skills in MFL
Chris Harte, Teaching Awards

A practical overview of ICT in the MFL classroom. The focus is on children producing high quality resources for their own e-portfolio and other children; including podcasts, videos and 3D games.

As a modern foreign languages teacher what would you hope to gain from attendance at any of these seminars? What resources do you use to embed ICT into the curriculum? Are there other aspects of teaching and learning this aspect of the curriculum, and the role ICT has to play, which could be covered within a future BETT seminar programme? As a subject, is MFL adequately covered at BETT? Please post your views to the wider BETT community.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

It looks like a great programme. Pity I won't be able to attend any of the sessions as I am otherwise engaged. Have a look at the ICT for Languages Teachers website, which covers a wide range of topics relating to the use of ICT in teaching and learning Modern Foreign Languages:
http://www.ict4lt.org
Many of the topics covered briefly at the ICT4LT site could be covered in future BETT sessions.

I have my personal wiki at:
http://grahamdavies.wikispaces.com

Martin Jack said...

Joe, Graham,

Thanks for your feedback which I hope will help inform the development of the seminar programmes for both BETT and the Education shows in 2008.

I've also added some further subject links down the right hand menu bar which include both the sites you mentioned.

Anonymous said...

I'm glad that MFL is so well served this year at BETT on Saturday, when I'll be there. I'd like to have had the opportunity, though, to attend Diana Strasser's Friday-only session on MFL graphics too as it's an interest of mine.

Saturday remains in the relative doldrums, though, as far as my other interest, SEN, is concerned. My website at http://www.specialeducationalneeds.com/ is largely dedicated to MFL and SEN. I would recommend two improvements.

First, extend the hours on Saturday at BETT from 10.00-4.00 to 10.00-6.00, so they are the same as on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Some of us travel a long way, at our own expense, during our own weekend, to be at BETT. I want the same opportunity as colleagues who can get away on weekdays, with all expenses paid.

Secondly, why can't BETT post at least summaries, and preferably full-text versions, of all the presentations on their website so those of us who can't attend every day can still benefit?

Anonymous said...

Sending this message for the second time, as my machine just "hung" last time when I clicked "publish your comment"...

I'm glad that MFL is so well served this year at BETT on Saturday, when I'll be there. I'd like to have had the opportunity, though, to attend Diana Strasser's Friday-only session on MFL graphics too as it's an interest of mine.

Saturday remains in the relative doldrums, though, as far as my other interest, SEN, is concerned. My website at http://www.specialeducationalneeds.com/ is largely dedicated to MFL and SEN. I would recommend two improvements.

First, extend the hours on Saturday at BETT from 10.00-4.00 to 10.00-6.00, so they are the same as on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Some of us travel a long way, at our own expense, during our own weekend, to be at BETT. I want the same opportunity as colleagues who can get away on weekdays, with all expenses paid.

Secondly, why can't BETT post at least summaries, and preferably full-text versions, of all the presentations on their website so those of us who can't attend every day can still benefit?