Languages of the World (Wide Web)

From the Google Research Blog:

"The web is vast and infinite. Its pages link together in a complex network, containing remarkable structures and patterns. Some of the clearest patterns relate to language." Posted by Daniel Ford and Josh Batson here.

This blog article includes an amazing graphic showing connections between languages!

New Offer: German/Spanish language tuition for the whole family!

Are you living in or near Bristol?
Have you ever been on holiday and thought "It would be great if we could all speak a bit of the lingo?"
Would you prefer to learn Spanish or German in the comfort of your own home amongst your own family?
Would you like to learn something new together as a family, being able to support each other and learn from one another?
Are you interested in learning through a games based-approach that doesn't require lots of reading and writing?

Then just contact me at volker.green@gmail.com to discuss how we can make it happen.
You'll get a competitive deal as one lesson's fee will cover the whole family! Also, you won't need babysitters or childminders and you won't have to travel!

MFL resources created by teachers for teachers

Check out this website for affordable and useful resources:

http://zigzageducation.co.uk

UK Linguistics Olympiad 2012 - something for your G&T students?!

This message came through from RoutesintoLanguages NorthEast (routesne@newcastle.ac.uk):

UKLinguistics Olympiad 2012

Looking for something to do with your Gifted and Talented? Want to show that languages are fun? Then why not consider entering your school in the UK Linguistics Olympiad. It's a competition for 11-18 students, in which they have to solve linguistic data problems. It doesn’t rely on knowledge of a language but trying to find patterns in the data. Similar competitions happen in a number of other countries, though it's only recently that they've taken place in English-speaking countries.

We have 2 rounds of competition in the UK and then select a team to represent the UK at the International competition. Round 1 is taken in schools any time week commencing 6th Feb 2012 and students can be entered at either foundation, intermediate or advanced level. Round 2 will be held at a UK university in late March. If you want to find out more about UKLO, enter your school for the 2012 competition or just register an interest, please visit our website (www.uklo.org).

On behalf of the UKLO organising committee."

E-Learning NOW! e-paper launched

Check out "E-Learning NOW!"
This paper is created daily by peper.li by trawling twitter and facebook pages for my own tweets, tweets from people I follow and public tweets with certain educational tags:

Calling all MFL graduates - PGCE courses with bursaries at Bristol Uni!

A message from my friend Helen:

The University of Bristol still has places on its Modern Languages PGCE Programme! £6000 bursary available for linguists and excellent employment prospects. Contact helen.aberdeen@bristol.ac.uk for more details.

Thank you!

eSchoolNews: How current brain research can improve education

eSchoolNews just published this article summarizing findings from an interesting report:

In this report, you’ll discover how the brain reacts to:
■Visual learning and memory training
■Physical activity
■Arts and Language Arts
■Gaming
■New techniques for students with disabilities
■Early childhood education

You'll have to sign in (it's free!) to read it all.

Enjoy!

Learning by rote a very useful and needed skill in the digital age

I've just come across this interesting article on the BBC website: "Memory and Method: In praise of learning by rote" - check it out here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-13333117 !

Character Education for the Digital Age (quote from Jason Ohler)

I just read the article that @NikPeachey tweeted about and I just love this paragraph:

If we want to pursue a future that celebrates success not only in terms of abundance but also in terms of humanity, we must help our digital kids balance the individual empowerment of digital technology use with a sense of personal, community, and global responsibility. School is an excellent place to help kids become capable digital citizens who use technology not only effectively and creatively, but also responsibly and wisely. But we can only do that if we help them live one life, not two.

from: http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/feb11/vol68/num05/Character-Education-for-the-Digital-Age.aspx

#ililc Links into Languages ICT conference a huge success!

I've just come back from a truly inspiring conference in Southampton organised by @Joedale and the South East Links into Languages team.

I have uploaded my pics from the conference here on Picasa and will write about some of the things I learnt in the next few days.
Watch this space!

Vol

ker

Bing Maps for Teachers - a very interesting 3minute video

Bing Maps has really got a lot to offer for teaching and learning, especially the Map Apps section on the US version of the site - I know, why only there?
Anyway, I pointed out the Today's Front Pages Map App a few days ago but there's so much more! Just check out the video and then visit www.bing.com/maps to explore more for yourself - you won't regret spending that time playing around with it!

Skype now offers group video calling!

Now you can do video conferencing through Skype5.1!

Free tool for recording screen instructions as a video

Microsoft Research Community Clips

Record what you’re doing onscreen with this free Microsoft tool: http://www.officelabs.com/projects/communityclips/Pages/Default.aspx

Create a video on How to use a specific software feature or How to write a formal letter in Spanish or How to search effectively for information on Bing or Google with a Spanish search engine.
A video guide will be more accessible than reading lengthy instructions with screenshots! Check it out - it's really easy to use - although you've got to have a good script ready to make sure you don't hesitate and get confused about what to do next!

Dr Ertzberger's Microsoft Office Games collection

Check out this collection of free games templates in MS PowerPoint, Excel and Word:
Jeff Ertzberger Microsoft Office Games PowerPoint Games
There are many more available on the premium site and a single license comes with the pdf e-book "A teacher's guide to customizing games for any curriculum" which costs £17.99 at the moment. Well worth it! Just check out the list of video tutorials on YouTube

Enjoy! Volker

Bing Maps Apps - news headlines around the world!

What a find! Just go to the US version of Bing Maps , the Microsoft search engine, and click on the Apps button at the bottom. Select "Today's Front Pages" and then hover anywhere in the world to see read what's in the newspapers around the world! Amazing stuff!

Create an online interactive noticeboard in minutes

Here's a great FREE tool to support AfL and inclusive discussions about learning online.
www.wallwisher.com
This is a perfect tool for discussions about learning itself or the content. It can be used for plenaries, brainstorming, surveying opinions and could also serve as a homework forum for example where students post their problems and others can post their solutions or advice.
You can add links to online resources such as video, images, audio and websites to extend your argument or support.
The posts can be easily organised into groups (e.g. arguments for and against) by moving them about on the screen.
Try it out - it's so simple and yet so effective!

Here's how I like my mackerel!

Mackerel is an excellent oily fish that takes nothing but a minutes on a BBQ to cook to perfection! That's especially nice when you caught them yourself an hour before on a lovely mackerel fishing trip in Lyme Regis!
I've recently also used the technique of wrapping each fish in damp newspaper before I put it on the BBQ - when the paper is dry and starts to singe, take it off and the fish are ready!
I've also collected mussels on the rocks of the beach and put them on - add some fresh, crusty bread and a glass of wine: delicious!

Join HFW's FishFight!

I have never felt so dumbfounded than when I saw HFW's first Fishfight programme, watching as so many perfectly good fish are discarded into the sea because the quota says NO! Nonsensical rules that lead to the unnecessary killing of unbelievable amounts of excellent food when there's so much hunger in the world!
Join Hugh's fishfight, make it your own by buying accordingly and lobbying your MPs, asking your chip shop and cafe owners so demand changes supply in a positive way!

Welcome back and a happy new year

Well, I hope you've all had a good Christmas break and had a good start to the new year! I have been very busy writing web content on using all sorts of ICT to support assessment and have found lots of new resources that I will be sharing with you. I've found some new or re-freshed Microsoft tools, some free some come as part of the Office package and lots of free web 2.0 tools.
I'll be sharing these as I get to it over the next few weeks.

Have a successful, happy, hea;thy and peaceful new e-year!

Volker