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Retired now, but still active in the resistance.


THE LINK TO ALL THAT WENT ON IN 2010-2011

THE LINK TO ALL THAT WENT ON IN 2009-2010

THE LINK TO ALL THAT WENT ON IN 2008-2009 (AND EVEN BEFORE THAT)

On this, the very last day of the merry month of May, it seems fitting to post the ultimate post -- at least for a while. Here are two reform-related posts: The first, "A Better Way to Teach? A Better Way to Learn?" features the wisdom of the great Roger Schank. The second is entitled "It's Time for a New Kind of High School."
 * MAY 31, 2012**

Larry Ferlazzo has just posted a wonderful update on the excellent English-language materials now available on "Voice of America". For motivated students, this is learning heaven.
 * MAY 26, 2012**

Good teachers can get rich: **Hurry!**
 * MAY 24, 2012**

Suggestions for the remainder of the year: ****
 * MAY 18, 2012**

Beginning on Monday and continuing through Thursday, you (and your CEFR Group) will be presenting and evaluating the other three groups. Please print this page of rubrics and complete one grid after each presentation you attend.
 * MAY 11, 2012**

Won't you please read "The Writing Life: The point of the long and winding sentence"? Couldn't we send a large segment of our students on a treasure hunt to find that 700-word sentence of Orhan Pamuk's?
 * MAY 5, 2012**

The weekend of May 26-27 brings an IATEFL conference organized by the Teacher Development and the Learning Technologies SIGs to Istanbul. Please see the official announcement, here.
 * APRIL 27, 2012**

The British Council shared this activity booklet,, which I, in turn, am sharing with you.
 * APRIL 26, 2012**

Also, they are offering a free webinar this evening. All you need to do is register.

Pencilled in on our schedule for this week are the CEFR-Chapter Group presentations; however, we need to postpone them. Not indefinitely, but until the week of May 7 = Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday (Chapters 5, 6, 7 and 9, respectively) beginning at 15:45.
 * APRIL 17, 2012**

**MARCH 29, 2012** Please benefit from [|this link]. Please share the link. I have it on good authority that for every book read, fifty million new brain connections are made.

**MARCH 28, 2012** Very short and very much to the point. Check it out, please.

**MARCH 22, 2012** It's time for an announcement of major import. It's time to get ready to change the time. On Sunday, March 25 in the wee hours of the morning DON'T FORGET TO MOVE YOUR CLOCKS AHEAD ONE HOUR.

**MARCH 21, 2012** Here's an interesting take on word frequency. Notice how differences in data collection/selection and analysis can produce varying results. And while we're on the topic, [|here's another of my favorites] -- if only for the elegant display. Note once again how the lists differ from one another.

Of course, words exist in contexts, so students would probably do best to learn common collocations based on frequently occurring words.

**MARCH 19, 2012** This year's annual IATEFL conference is taking place this week in Glasgow. And the British Council is providing interactive coverage here**.**

**MARCH 15, 2012** Once again it's Larry Ferlazzo to the rescue as he reminds us that March 22, just one week from today, is World Water Day and fills us to the brim with a plethora of links to some excellent resources. For example, the video entitled "Water Changes Everything" is one of those nearly perfect presentations in which the words and the visuals fully complement each other; it also contains some alarming statistics. Why not start a discussion about some or all of the links and how you plan to use them?

**MARCH 14, 2012** Here's the linkto a page all about TEDEducation -- the new YouTube Channel that shows talks by educators accompanied by those nifty animated videos. Take a look at the first twelve spot-on presentations; then start a discussion about your favorite or even nominate a colleague to give a talk.

**MARCH 12, 2012** Here is some information about a truly wonderful professional development opportunity:

Dear Teacher,

I would like to inform you about a Competition for a **__Professional Development Program in the USA__** called **//Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program (TEA)//** organized and sponsored and by the U.S. Department of State and IREX. **Deadline of applications is 30 Mar 2012.**

For details please visit @http://turkey.usembassy.gov/tea_program2012.html

Here is a short information about the program

The U.S. Department of State and IREX (the International Research & Exchanges Board) announce an open competition for a program that will bring outstanding secondary-level school teachers with 1 to 3 years experience to the U.S. for a professional development opportunity.

**PROGRAM OVERVIEW**

**__The Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program (TEA)__** will provide Turkish teachers with unique opportunities to develop expertise in teaching English, enhance their pedagogical skills, and increase their knowledge of the United States. The Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program (TEA) for Turkey is a component of the global TEA Program sponsored by The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State and implemented by IREX (International Research and Exchanges Board). In 2012, the TEA Program will bring over 200 teachers from more than 40 countries to the United States for professional development training. **20 English teachers from Turkey** **will be invited to participate in an intensive professional development program from __July 10-August 24, 2012 at a U.S. host university.__** TEA consists of academic seminars focusing on teaching methodologies, curriculum development, lesson planning, teaching strategies, and instructional technology training. The program will also work closely with U.S. teachers and students. Cultural enrichment, mentoring, and support will be provided to participants throughout the program. After returning home, teachers will be eligible to participate in a small grants program to request funds for essential teaching materials, follow-on training for other teachers, collaborative projects between their home schools and U.S. schools, and other activities that build on the exchange experience. **Deadline of applications is 30 Mar 12.**

**MARCH 9, 2012** The British Council is sponsoring a free workshop on Monday, March 26 at 18:00 entitled "Assessing Your Students' Writing." This is the link for more information and registration.

**MARCH 8, 2012** The following message arrived in my inbox today.

Dear Colleague, We are pleased to announce that Dr. Herbert Puchta, former President of IATEFL, will be giving a plenary presentation at TED Istanbul College at 11.40 on Sunday March 25th as part of the 5th International TED ELT Conference. The conference,entitled "Empowering the Learner: Linking Assessment to Learning" is a two day event taking place on March 24th and 25th. Please go to [] for details of the programme and registration. Herbert Puchta is a regular plenary speaker at international conferences and has given workshops and seminars all over the world. For more than two decades, he has carried out research into the practical application of findings from cognitive psychology to the teaching of English as a Foreign Language. Herbert has co-authored numerous course books and resource books including the new Cambridge series for primary schools, Super Minds. For more details of Dr Puchta's publications and other Cambridge University Press titles please contact your local Dünya Aktüel representative or the Cambridge office in Istanbul; e-mail:istanbul@cambridge.org tel: 0216 6811998 [|www.cambridge.org/elt]

**FEBRUARY 29, 2012** In the dead of winter it's nice to remember that even years leap when they are properly motivated.

Webquests -- once a hot topic and clearly due for a revival -- are defined here by Larry Ferlazzo (with __a lot__ of help from Bernie Dodge, who originated them). Examples abound, and certainly we can assign them if they meet our needs and we give credit to the creators; however, designing webquests for our own students can be more fun and will produce more focused outcomes.

**FEBRUARY 27, 2012** Here is a short video, the value of which is undoubtable. Please share it. media type="youtube" key="55_G66g02QU" height="315" width="560"

Some people dream of spending St. Patrick's Day (Saturday, March 17) in Ankara. Going to Yüce Koleji and attending their full-day English-language teaching conference or their half-day German-language teaching conference might make that special day even more special. Please consult the program:.
 * FEBRUARY 24, 2012**

Here is the link to an invitation to the February 25 (that's this Saturday) ELT conference at Aydin University**.**
 * FEBRUARY 22, 2012**
 * FEBRUARY 16, 2012**

More food for thought - and perhaps a cause for celebration if we can have similar classes. Here's the link to "The Most Audacious 'Class' I've Ever Seen." Please watch the video and read the commentary; you really don't want to miss this. My favorite paragraph? "Yeah, person up the front framing the context for the many, the crowd, the younglings. Classic //one-to-many// relationship that so often characterises schooling. If you spot rows of desks, you'll know immediately that's the frame. "Look to ME for your reality."   And here is a link to an article referencing a report on the current sad state of affairs in Turkey that gives (IMHO) some of the reasons we must engage our students and have th e m become fully involved in their own learning. Alfie Kohn -- a thinker who shares his thoughts in writing. Here are his recent thoughts about grading; surely we can share in this conversation.
 * FEBRUARY 14, 2012**

British Side sent out announcements today about courses, seminars, and conferences -- be sure to speak with your department head to see about enrolling. Here is their list of upcoming conferences: The latest newsletter from European Schoolnet reached me this morning. There are a great many very interesting projects underway.  I suggest that you subscribe to the monthly newsletter so that you will continue to be fully informed and continually inspired.
 * FEBRUARY 13, 2012**
 * FEBRUARY 10, 2012**

Here's an announcement of an upcoming conference -- and if you've never seen Carolyn Graham (or simply long to see her again), you shouldn't miss this chance.
 * FEBRUARY 9, 2012**

Here's the link to the summary of the draft report on English Language Proficiency Performance released earlier this week by the US Dept. of Education. You can download the full report from the site. Although not directly applicable to our conditions, this report, primarily concerned with analytic methodology, is meant to contribute to the establishment of standard levels of proficiency in academic English.
 * FEBRUARY 8, 2012**

Below you will see part of a message that I received this morning from Cambridge ESOL. I strongly suspect that they really meant to say "** HAVE A HAPPY AND HEALTHY BREAK **."
 * JANUARY 18, 2012**

This month we have selected a new set of words from the English Vocabulary Profile. Here is a list of words related to **health**. Thanks to David from England for suggesting this.
 * = A1 ||= feel ||=  ||= B1 ||= burn ||=   ||= B2 ||= faint ||
 * = A2 ||= catch ||=  ||= B1 ||= cough ||=   ||= B2 ||= itch ||
 * = A2 ||= hurt ||=  ||= B1 ||= injure ||=   ||= B2 ||= scratch ||
 * = A2 ||= look after ||=  ||= B1 ||= operate ||=   ||= B2 ||= strain ||
 * = A2 ||= take ||=  ||= B2 ||= collapse ||=   ||= B2 ||= sweat ||
 * = B1 ||= bleed ||=  ||= B2 ||= develop ||=   ||= B2 ||= medical ||

The Oxford vocabulary profiler is here. Check your texts for the 3000 most frequent words.
 * JANUARY 17, 2012**

Please watch the following video. What makes it (IMHO) a perfect presentation? (I.e., How do the components of the message add to our understanding of such a complex topic?) How close can our students/can we come to this ideal? And finally, who in our school community really needs to see this video? PLEASE COMMENT.
 * JANUARY 14, 2012**

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In my inbox today: From: Ahmet Gazi Ozel  Date: 2012/1/12 Subject: Conference To: Dear Colleagues,We cordially invite you to join us at Akdeniz University LanguageStudies Conference organized by Akdeniz University School of ForeignLanguages in cooperation with Friedrich-Alexander UniversitätErlangen-Nürnberg, Germany; University of Craiova Faculty of Letters,Department of British, American & German Studies; Burch UniversityDepartment of English Language & Literature, Bosnia and Herzegovinaand Children Research Center, Turkey. The conference will be held on the days of May 9-12, 2012. All accepted papers of the conference willbe published in Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciencesby ELSEVIER(www.elsevier.com) and will be indexed by Thomson Reuters’ ConferenceProceedings Citation Index (ISI Web of Science).Conference Website: @http://www.akdenizlsc.org/On behalf of Prof. Dr. Mustafa KınsızConference President
 * JANUARY 13, 2012**

I also received the January 2012 Teachers Newsletter from European Schoolnet (and please pass the information along to others who might be interested):

Time really does fly. Registration for the EVO courses that begin on Monday will close on Sunday. Do yourselves a great service by signing up for a FREE five-week course. Scroll down the page to view each session; then follow the link to register for the one that most appeals to you. This National Education Association report entitled "Transforming Teaching: Connecting Professional Responsibility with Student Learning" was produced by the Commission for Effective Teachers and Teaching, a select group of educators in the USA. Although clearly tied to the American context, this inspired and inspiring call to action is worth reading, in particular, the section on evaluation (pages 15 to 17). Let's start the new year right.
 * JANUARY 6, 2012**
 * DECEMBER 30, 2011**

Which skills will our students need for work? Researchers and soothsayers agree: Microsoft has a free and amazing collection of applications bundled as their //Learning Suite//. With it, anyone can, for example, create games, tell stories, create music, and explore the universe Please have a look at the contents and, if you see some potential uses (as you surely will), download individual components or the entire suite.
 * DECEMBER 17, 2011**
 * DECEMBER 16, 2011**

The dates and sessions for the Electronic Village Online (EVO) 2012 have been announced on this site. This event provides teachers with an excellent opportunity to learn online, at a distance, in a collegial group, and all at no cost.. You can choose among a wide variety of sessions, and the facilitators are the best in the world. Registration begins January 2, 2012.
 * DECEMBER 7, 2011**

Here is the link for Larry Ferlazzo's upcoming live webinar entitled "Student Motivation and Classroom Management," scheduled for Tuesday, December 13 (at 23:30 Istanbul time). These webinars are generally available afterwards in a recorded version for those who cannot attend. In fact, I have just begun viewing "Vocabulary at the Beginning: Vocabulary at the Center" by Amy Benjamin, and I highly recommend it to you. Completing a simple registration form is all it takes to gain access to these resources.
 * DECEMBER 5, 2011**

Do we do enough to expose our students to the range of visual stimuli available? [Could/Should we map out the ends of this range and then fill in everything in-between?] Do we do enough to exploit the visual as input for reception, interaction, and mediation activities? Is all this built into our program in a systematic way and valued appropriately? Please have a look at this blog post by David Deubelweiss entitled "Extensive Watching." Of course, we also need to plan for students to produce audio-visual materials to demonstrate their skills.
 * DECEMBER 3, 2011**

A few items today:
 * NOVEMBER 30, 2011**

=
5) Finally, here's a linkto a great informal Blackboard/Elluminate chat with some "Webhead elders" about professional development (be patient while the interface loads) AND a link to the K12 Online Conference (a MOOC that never ends?).=====

We would like each teacher who attends the Doğus ELT Conference this coming weekend to share the experıence wıth those of us who do not attend by writıng 6 to 10 sentences here.
 * NOVEMBER 23, 2011**

Check your plans for the coming weekend.
 * NOVEMBER 19, 2011**

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The IALLT Journal is online and open-access and is available to the worldwide public at @http://www.iallt.org/iallt_journal If you like what you read there, you might submit an article of your own for consideration.
 * NOVEMBER 15, 2011**

Aren't you longing to share what you've recently learned about reading? I thought so. Follow this link and add your voice to the discussion; your views might be selected to appear in the March 2012 issue of //Educational Leadership//.
 * NOVEMBER 11, 2011**

"Free monthly webinars start on November 5" -- thus screams the headline of Nicky Hockly's most recent blog post. They are organized by the Learning Technologies SIG of IATEFL, and more information is available here.
 * NOVEMBER 4, 2011**

More news from the British Council follows. It's somewhat short notice, but also an invaluable opportunity. Here's the link to the requirements. As we have discussed with you recently, British Council will take **Speaking Examiners** on board for Cambridge ESOL Young Learners, KET, PET and FCE. We would be content to have your teachers join our team as this is a means to further our level of cooperation and also let the teachers gain a deeper insight into the exams procedure and content; which would assist them in preparing their own students for CESOL examinations. The attached document specifies details regarding the requirements to become a Speaking Examiner for Cambridge ESOL examinations. We would appreciate if you could circle this e-mail among your native and non-native colleagues to see if any of your teachers are interested in becoming a member of our Speaking Examiners team. To initiate the recruitment process, those interested would need to e-mail their CV’s to ** zeynep.gencaga@britishcouncil.org.tr ** and ** inanc.cil@britishcouncil.org.tr ** with the subject ** REF: Speaking Examiner Recruitment ** **Please note that the deadline for applications is November 2nd Wednesday.**
 * OCTOBER 28, 2011**

This message from the British Council reached me today: [I'll have something else from the British Council for tomorrow.] The British Council would like to invite you to a special workshop given by Jane and Dave Willis on Task-based Learning with Young Learners from 5.30 to 7.00 on November 25, 2011 at the Point Hotel Taksim in Istanbul. [] This workshop is free and open to teachers of English in Turkey but has limited places. To confirm your place, please send an email to Mustafa Erturk atMustafa.Erturk@britishcouncil.org.tr
 * OCTOBER 27, 2011**

According to news reports, Daylight Saving Time will soon be taking a well earned rest, and Turkey is thus obligated to return to GMT+2 at 1 a.m. on Sunday, October 30 th. It's a little like time travel in that we all get to go back to midnight on the 29 th and can try to change the hour that was past but has just become future once again. Don't forget; you'll feel foolish if you do.
 * OCTOBER 26, 2011**

Here's a post about reading, "back by popular demand," but with a twist/hook/carrot: this post from July 2011 is by Larry Ferlazzo with links to articles about "Round Robin Reading," a truly bad instructional strategy. Since the rather long articles that he links to are essential reading, a pithy selection from "Small Group Reading Instruction" will serve as an appetizer. Each teacher needs to read this excerpt and, before or after reading all three articles, add to the discussion there by Friday, October 28. [to be continued...]
 * OCTOBER 22, 2011**

Below you will see a copy of the email I have just received from the British Council. They are offering ** a superb opportunity **. Benefit from it, please. **Trainer training workshop in Istanbul November 28-December 2, 2011**
 * OCTOBER 21, 2011**

**Call for experienced ELT trainers!** The British Council is recruiting**20 part-time trainers** to promote English products, conduct training workshops and deliver presentations in their regions and support BC online activities and events on the Teaching English website. We invite all interested teachers with relevant experience to complete the application form to take part in the trainer training workshop to be held inIstanbul from November 28 to December 2, 2011. Successful participantsin the workshop will become British Council ELT trainers and will represent our activities in Englishacross Turkey. **Trainers will be expected to:** **British Council undertakes to:** Please contact Raymond Kerr atraymond.kerr@britishcouncil.org.tr for an application form and return it byNovember 4, 2011. During the workshop you will learn about each British Council product for English, upgrade your trainer training skills, practice deliveringworkshopsandagree your training plans for the year.If you are selected for the trainer training course,__all expenses for the workshop will be covered by the British Council.__ **Criteria for selection:**
 * commit themselves to deliver teacher development workshops on behalf of the British Council from across Turkey from January 23 to January 27, 2011 and also from January 30 to February 3, 2012
 * deliver regular teacher development workshops and presentations promoting BC products in English (e.g. websites, training courses, etc.) at the events organised by themselves and at other ELT events held in their region. The events should be held at least once a month if not agreed otherwise andwill be free for teachers who attend
 * support the British Council Teaching English website by actively moderating the discussion on one of the assigned forums; writing blogs, identifying candidates for teacher feature and video lessons and other activities as agreed with the British Council
 * report every three months to the British Council on completed activities, feedback from the activities and suggestions on further improvements for face- to-face and online activities
 * support other relevant BC activities in English
 * suggest a replacement in advance in case of withdrawal or end of commitment period
 * provide training and promotion materials
 * provide certificates confirming the status of the trainers
 * organise yearly training and co-ordination meetings
 * pay25 GBP per hour for training. Meals, accommodation and travel expenses will be covered by the British Council
 * offer opportunities for professional development whenever possible
 * take every other effort to support and promote the trainers
 * **At least 6 years of English teaching experience**
 * **High level of English (C1/C2)**
 * **Previous teacher training experience (formal or informal)**
 * **Motivation and enthusiasm to become a BC trainer**
 * **Access to large numbers of teachers in your region**
 * **Availability of time and resources to conduct the activities within the terms of reference.**

**Raymond Kerr | Teacher Development Manager | ELT | Turkey | Wider Europe**T +90 (0)212 355 5610 | F +90 (0)212 355 5658 | BCTN: 8523 5610 Eraymond.kerr@britishcouncil.org.tr W__ [] __ ** Check out our websites **[|**Teaching English**]**, **[|**Learn English**]** and **[|**Learn English Kids**] Have you heard about //The Classroom//? It's a great online resource for teachers (and students) from VOA. Be sure to have a look at it. Two CEFR-Chapter teams have their members listed and two, unfortunately, do not. Here's the link to a very good and "local" article on e-portfolios; it's a great overview. Since portfolios are fundamental to a CEFR-based program such as ours, and since we'll be moving to an electronic format soon, this article is a good place to continue on from. The 11th METU International ELT Conference has been announced. Follow this link to learn all about it. The reporters for each of our four CEFR-Chapter groups are responsible for adding their respective group members to the teams ("Projects" within tvoDOTwikispaces) so that all your work can be shown. Important dates are also available from the reporters. Since no group members have as yet been added to any teams, please see the discussion on this main page. Instructions for a progress-check on November 14 along with special project pages for our four CEFR groups will appear on this wiki shortly. In the meantime, here's a link to an excellent (although dated) publication on important issues in assessment. On this day, as we celebrate Istanbul's Deliverance, news reaches us that WIDA, whose work has informed our curriculum planning in the past, has released the 2012 English Language Proficiency Standards for review.You can download grade levels of interest and participate in their surveys. On this, World Teachers' Day (who knew?), the British Council has very generously sent us their best wishes. In need of a project to join? Try iEARN! Regarding planning for specific outcomes (objectives, can-do statements, functions), here's a link to. Note how the standards (W 5.1 through W 5.10) are relatively specific, contain sub-points in many cases, and could clearly be goals for an academic year. If we assume that our EFL/ESL students in grades 7 to 9 have the requisite language skills to meet these goals, then bi-weekly outcomes could begin by specifiying topics and/or texts. Since our English program has a strong academic component and our students are university bound, this statement accompanying the Common Core Standards is especially useful in guiding us towards the broad purposes of language education.
 * OCTOBER 20, 2011**
 * OCTOBER 17, 2011**
 * OCTOBER 14, 2011**
 * OCTOBER 12. 2011**
 * OCTOBER 9, 2011**
 * OCTOBER 6, 2011**
 * OCTOBER 5, 2011**
 * OCTOBER 4, 2011**
 * OCTOBER 3, 2011**

If you want to know why October has always been my favorite month, watch the video below (from Monday onwards), explore the riches at this link, and stay tuned to the news next week. media type="custom" key="10654234"
 * SEPTEMBER 29, 2011**

So that we can streamline the permissions and other formalities for the English Vocabulary Profile -- and thus participate in the research in order to have access to the CEFR-leveled learner corpus -- it's best if every teacher identify some (or all) of the students in each of his/her classes ahead of time. Then, we can request formal permission only from the parents of those students. Please prepare a list by class and give it to your team leader by 16:00 on Friday. Happy European Day of Languages! On a semi-related note, next weekend log in to our Moodle as a 3rd grade teacher or student and improve your spelling with the Jing screencast spellcheck.
 * SEPTEMBER 27, 2011**
 * SEPTEMBER 26, 2011**

How could we not have our own EDL page? Perhaps I just can't find it. Anyway, have a look at this. Our theme this year is "Water," and I have put a link in the sidebar to a page on which we can exchange ideas about how to implement the theme. Please add your ideas. Here are links to two wonderful websites which we can use in and for our classes since they are also about two of the topics we voted for to be the theme of this academic year! Even if neither of the topics, i.e. //Human Rights// or //Water//, are voted for the most, I still think we might make use of these websites. The first one is http://www.youthforhumanrights.org/ which has very well-prepared videos and a wonderful short documentary on the subject and information on human rights geared toward the appreciation of mostly teenagers and the second one is http://water.org/ which is, again, a wonderful website and what is more important, a great project/organization co-founded by our beloved Matt Damon. I hope you find them useful and practical to use with students.
 * SEPTEMBER 24, 2011**
 * SEPTEMBER 19, 2011**
 * SEPTEMBER 18, 2011**

SEPTEMBER 17, 2011
Reporting on his death last month, today's New York Times online quotes Vito Perrone Sr., former director of teacher education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, humanist, and an active opponent of reliance on standardized testing, as having said:

“What if our children and young people learn to read and write but don’t like to and don’t?” he said. “What if they don’t read the newspapers and magazines, or can’t find beauty in a poem or love story? What if they don’t go as adults to artistic events, don’t listen to a broad range of music, aren’t optimistic about the world and their place in it, don’t notice the trees and the sunset, are indifferent to older citizens, don’t participate in politics or community life?”

SEPTEMBER 15, 2011
Motivation and language learning: a talk by an expert who's been there. This video (less than 10 minutes long) is as important for teachers as it is for students; after all, the one doing the learning is actually in charge, right?.

SEPTEMBER 14, 2011
If Wallwisher and Prezi had a child, Popplet could be it. And Popplet also produces mind maps! One reviewer commented that it would be a great place for a teacher to put the entire semester's syllabus online. [It might even turn out to be a required feature of our (forthcoming) electronic ELPs.] Fun, too.

SEPTEMBER 12, 2011
This message (c/o the British Council) entered my inbox this evening.

SEPTEMBER 9, 2011
First, a new web app with more than potential. The two links relate to the runoff poll below. Google wants to be your everything -- and presents the world with __What Do You Love?__

HUMAN RIGHTS WATER

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SEPTEMBER 8, 2011
Today I signed up for the online discussion mentioned below. I don't have many details yet; they're supposed to arrive next week. Still, I imagine that many of you will find the discussions interesting and useful.

A TESOL Online Discussion: Putting Research into Practice

Just one week away! Sign up to participate in the TESOL online discussion on Putting Research into Practice, Sept. 14 - Oct. 21. Don't miss an opportunity to share your questions, comments and resources on how you bring research into your classroom. Once you've signed up, TESOL will contact you the week of Sept. 12 with details on how to take full advantage of this online discussion. And the best part — this program is free for TESOL members and nonmembers. Questions? Please contact edprograms@tesol.org.

SEPTEMBER 6, 2011
Regarding the theme survey, here's an up-to-date update:

[September 7, 2011 All good things must end -- it seems that even when I get the QR code to work, my login is required on the survey site in order to see the results. So QR usage awaits another and better opportunity.]
 * Water ||  || 29.6% || 16 ||
 * Work & Play ||  || 22.2% || 12 ||
 * Urbanization ||  || 3.7% || 2 ||
 * Globalization ||  || 13.0% || 7 ||
 * **Human Rights** ||  || 31.5% || 17 ||

Below you'll find some news from ITI [Native speakers of English: If your "tefl training" was done online, then their ICELT is something that you clearly need.]

Latest news
**ITI BOAT PARTY** Friday 9th September 2011 board at 19.00. Contact Seden for details (0212) 283 64 66 **Cambridge Teaching Awards (CELTA / DELTA etc).** A presentation by Monica Poulter (Cambridge English) on Saturday 10th Sept. 2011 at 14.30. Order the new book by Tom Godfrey (founder & director of ITI) - [|Journeys in Teacher Training and Education] - published by //Lambert//. In September 2011, ITI will be hosting the [|Cambridge ESOL Teaching Awards Symposium] - a forum for centres to discuss **CELTA / DELTA / ICELT** e.t.c. Click the above link for programme details and to register online.

SEPTEMBER 5, 2011
It does a body good to see so many PLPs sending such strong messages of "learning intentions." Even the PLPs that are missing send a clear message.

On a lighter note, Şeyla might have voted 44 times in the themes survey, but at least she spread her votes around: three topics are tied for first place.

AUGUST 27, 2011
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AUGUST 26, 2011
Hurray for PLPs -- especially those that have already arrived! Hurray for those teachers whose PLPs have already arrived! İyi Bayramlar.

AUGUST 25, 2011
Love in Bloom = media type="custom" key="10276287"

AUGUST 24, 2011
One part of today's presentation has finally come: media type="custom" key="10276275"

If you wish to share your PLP (personal learning plan), you can post it here after you email it. (the missing link, so to speak: [] )

AUGUST 23, 2011
Fabulous and the CEFR Fanatics are the only groups whose work is up-to-date; moreover, they've actually done much more than the minimum. BRAVO. As for the other two groups, "where there's life there's hope," one supposes.

AUGUST 22, 2011
Ugur says : @http://smyface.com/CkD

Today's presentation:

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AUGUST 20, 2011
You have got to read this (short) report about research on children who lie. Such food for thought. Prevarication (confabulation?) rules.

**COOL NEW TOOL ALERT** : Forgive me (because I just couldn't resist). Try it yourself and see if you can manage not to play with it. (Forgive me also for not managing to get the embed code to work.)

**AUGUST 19, 2011** The presentation on outcomes that I gave today is.

AUGUST 18, 2011
Each sterling group now has its own page in this wiki; //viz//., @CEFR Fanatics, @Eurhythmics, @Fabulous (in every known language), and @Reyhan's Roses. The pages contain instructions for the reporter to complete an extraordinarily simple task __by the end of the day on Monday, August 22__. Your group's page is your temporary home. Let's continue thusly: we'll have an initial presentation from each group during our first week back after the semester break, //i.e.//, February 6 through 10 (day, time, and place to be announced). The final presentations, roughly 30 minutes each, to all the foreign language teachers will be scheduled for some time in the 2nd half of April.

AUGUST 17, 2011
Here's the link to today's combined presentation. Please search this wiki and our curriculum wiki for links to research on, reports about, and projects based on the CEFR. [|This] is one of the most recent and most useful, but there are many more.

AUGUST 15, 2011
So here we are again (or for the first time): WELCOME. And there's good news for English teachers. The British Side is looking for oral examiners for CambridgeESOL Exams. Training is provided to suitable candidates and there's extra money to be made. Put a feather in your cap. For more information, see this page.

AUGUST 13, 2011
Here is the "complete" schedule of "all" the activities happening in the weeks before classes begin. Please note the quotation marks: clearly lots more will be happening.

AUGUST 1, 2011
‍‍‍I never thought I would recommend a speech on education by Matt Damon. Please read it; don't bother with the computer-generated speech.‍‍‍

JULY 29, 2011
Here's our new page for a new academic year; use the links above to connect to the past.. AND, here's the tentative schedule for the weeks before classes officially begin. Although there are bound to be some changes, at least we'll all know what to be prepared for. It goes without saying that there's a break for Ramazan. AND, here's the link to the post by Larry Ferlazzo about Round Robin Reading, a very bad instructional strategy.

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