CALL_IS_VSL

Pingg is a nice way to invite people electronically to a do or send a thank you note. Would be good for adult students to learn some of the social conventions of Brit-American culture.

This will be a great help in learning how to use the LearnEnglishKids site with your students.

Another free screencast tool--no downloading. Lots of informative screencasts archived at the site also. Make instructional videos for your students, or engage them in a project to create instructional screencasts for their peers.

Very simple interface and good clear audio make this online app an easy way for students to practice speaking. Can be sent by email or posted on the Internet to a Website, or linked to from the Vocaroo site.

An interesting visual way to find images--each image found leads to a "swirl" of other related images, usually from the same site. Be aware of copyright issues when using images from the Internet.

"You've arrived at the most complete and current source of information about the WebQuest Model. Whether you're an education student new to the topic or an experienced teacher educator looking for materials, you'll find something here to meet your needs." Has links to teacher-created WebQuests, templates to creat WebQuests, Useful Resources, a Community to write to, etc.

"Second Life English is a free resource and open community for language learners and teachers in the virtual world of Second Life. Welcome! " Has a chatroll for a BB, and links to the official second life Website and SLURL

English for Child Care Language Skills for Parents and Providers This is by a friend and collegue in California and should be an ESP of interest. Free download.

The Learning with Computers group used several different cartoon makers and had their students create their own online film festival. Nice examples of how creative students can be with media on the Web.

Poetry Forge has online (Flash) tools for generating instant poetry, as well as a downloadable version of the tools to use on the desktop. It's really fun to add some words to a list and then have the poetry-maker pop up your new poem. Students can learn a lot about metaphorical language here.

Presentation Zen: The Video is a nice video on this TESOL member's YouTube channel. Garr Reynolds is an expert in design, so his advice is reall significant, and the language and use of media is good for high intermediate or higher level.

This is the actual tool for making a Google SearchStory. Its fun and easy and can give your students a new way of thinking about how they do searches for projects. Do forget to look at "a few useful tips" and the other help videos bookmarked here in Diigo.

"The internet catalogue for students, teachers, administrators & parents. Over 20,000 relevant links personally selected by an educator/author with over 30 years of experience. " So this site is organized by categories of tool, but is otherwise not reviewed; nor does it have suggestions for how to use any of these. Nonetheless, this site should give a teacher lots of tools and ideas. It includes sites with free and/or inexpensive supplies and equipment.

This is a self-paced course (44 pages) that would be an absolute must for an online instructor, who could then pass on the word to students: How do you use copyright fairly, how do you protect your own intellectual property and use other's? This presentation from UC Irvine explains all.

"Facebook isn't just a great way for you to find old friends or learn about what's happening this weekend, it is also an incredible learning tool. Teachers can utilize Facebook for class projects, for enhancing communication, and for engaging students in a manner that might not be entirely possible in traditional classroom settings. Read on to learn how you can be using Facebook in your classroom, no matter if you are a professor, student, working online, or showing up in person for class."

"Wikis are an exceptionally useful tool for getting students more involved in curriculum. They're often appealing and fun for students to use, while at the same time ideal for encouraging participation, collaboration, and interaction. Read on to see how you can put wikis to work in your classroom." Suggestions include Resource Creation, e.g., for presentations, math problems, glossary, study guides; Student Participation, e.g., for exam review, portfolios, peer editing; Group Projects, e.g., organizing ideas, tracking progjects, showing participation; Student Interaction, e.g., for collecting data, discussion of a book, creating and authoring a group story; for the Classroom, e.g., creating a FAQ, a calendar, sharing class news; Community, e.g., writing a local history or nature guide, a place for parents to see their children's work; and generally as a hub or Website, or to track progress.

Use this tool to outline/brainstorm an informational essay (a 3-part academic essay). Great for practicing the formal essay and adaptable to almost all levels.

Reasons why graduating students need e-portfolios. The blog also has a series of articles on evaluating e-portfolios, links to examples, how to developed a networked school, etc.

"The Google Docs collection provides a streamlined, collaborative solution to writing papers, organizing presentations and putting together spreadsheets and reports. But besides the basic features, there are lots of little tricks and hacks you can use to make your Google Docs experience even more productive. Here are 100 great tips for using the documents, presentations and spreadsheets in Google Docs."

"ESLville is a totally free site dedicated to providing teachers with downloadable lesson plans & handouts for teachers and students. All of the files here are made exclusively for this site, while others can be submitted by teachers like YOU! Simply go to our file archive and start downloading! No registration required! Why is ESLville so fast, simple, and convenient to use? Because sometimes, a teacher needs a lesson plan on-the-go: not just any plan, but a good one. That's what ESLville is here for: for you! The ESL instructor."