CALL_IS_VSL

An amazing compilation of links to resources in teaching foreign languages and ESOL, including web page translators, dictionaries, and collaborative sites where students and FL teachers can connect.

Link to other blogs that discuss ways to use Facebook--from Kindergarten to college.

If you are wondering what 3D is and how to use it, this is the article: "Timme observed benefits for all types of students. Those who tended to be disruptive or inattentive during traditional instruction were so enamored they uttered nary a peep. Those with limited English proficiency suddenly had a visual that helped them grasp concepts where mere words had failed. Gifted kids were making so many new connections and asking such provocative questions that the lessons often mined territory far beyond what Timme and her teachers had anticipated."

"Create a newspaper, ninja text, a clapper board, wizard text, talking squirrels, talking flowers, a cigarette packet, talking tomatoes, talking cats, talking owls" - Fun projects for younger learners or teens, with fairly simple interface. The final project can be downloaded and images placed on your own website or blog.

List for special instances and deals with copyright issues as well.: "I'd lay odds that most people, including myself, just use Google Image Search when they need to find an image. However, there might be instances when you want to use another tool - perhaps you're a language teacher searching for just the right clip art or photography to illustrate a verb, maybe you have very young students and are concerned about what they might find on Google, possibly you're particularly teaching about copyright issues, or you want your students to easily connect an image to a writing exercise and have them send an E-Card."

This may be very useful as a way to show your students both the limitations of software/computer use, and how a summary might proceed.

This page contains the cognate highlighter, where you can paste in any English text to highlight. Good for English-speaking foreign-language learners also.

Another site that might be useful for making eportfolios. This page has tutorials, directions for many of its features.

Collaborative storytelling beginning with excellent pictures from which children can develop stories. Share, read, and print.

"HP Teacher Experience Exchange, is a free site providing teacher discussion forums, lesson plans and many other teacher resources. Learn more."

Podcats are updated every couple of days. Created by Jeff McQuillan. Topics are mainly American-oriented, and each podcast includes a "Learning Guide.l"

A nice article about how to create a Twitter worthy of a professional. One might use Twitter as an e-portfolio, for example.

It really is a must-have. Do not miss "A 10-year-old's guide" to how to use FB. It's a gem. Does anyone know how to remove a picture from the profile (not just hide it)? I'm hoping FB dies quietly in the next 2 years. Like MySpace.

This is one of a long series of "pocket culture" snapshots of peoples of the world. This site would be great for students, both for learning about other cultures, and for participating in a project about their own region. Places and topics are listed, as well as blogs about culture.

Guess the most common words in English. Nice little activity that might work with groups or a class Interactive Whiteboard. Also shows you the order of frequency. Based on Oxford English Dictionary. Rec. by Russell Stannard.

This site is commercial, but it has lots of interesting ideas on ways the readers theater can help students with reading, listening, and speaking.

This great blog entry has a good description of free tools and their advantages and drawbacks. BTW, Jing is highly recommended and used by Russell Stannard.

Create a meeting room where comments by participants can be seen as a feed, put up into your own presentation, etc., so that distance participants can be interactive. Save feeds to see them later, and use them with students to make instant comments on an assigned subjectas the basis for discussion. Linked to Twitter.

Put in lists of words and Website creates sound files for them. You can also put in a description or translation of your words to practice them. Also creates tests on them. Uses several major languages.

If you are a fan of grammar, this site is for you. Hundreds of online lessons for further practice.