The Languages Update Autumn 2006 from The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust includes an interview with Ewan McIntosh, recently appointed New Technologies Research Practitioner at Learning and Teaching Scotland. In the article, Envoie-moi un texto!, Ewan describes the importance of using emerging technologies such as blogging, podcasting, wikis and gaming to engage young language learners.
"My job is to show that new technologies do raise engagement and motivation in students and to help teachers adapt their teaching to accommodate new internet or mobile technology tools in the classroom."
I'll be introducing Ewan for his session Mr McIntosh goes to school at The SSAT Annual Languages Conference 2006 in Liverpool on 11th October as well as running my own workshop on using PowerPoint for whole class teaching the day before. My session is provisionally titled The wonderful thing about triggers is triggers are wonderful things as it explores the potential of the revolutionary, yet little known feature of PowerPoint 2002/03 the trigger. A draft programme of the event can be downloaded from here.
The Languages Update Autumn 2006 also formally introduces the new Languages Lead Practitioners for 2006-7 who are joining the existing LPs to form an impressive team of fourteen. You can read about their background details and brief biographies as well as see the photos that were taken during the LP induction day at Stamford Bridge in June.
In my biography, I am described as a 'prolific blogger' and readers are advised to 'watch out' for my blogs (which was nice). I'm even quoted describing my views on the role of technology on language learning. See what you think of this:
"ICT is a powerful and multipurpose tool which pupils find engaging and motivating. Technology can allow creative language teachers to enhance traditional good practice by incorporating multimedia and interactive resources into their lessons. Standards can be raised by catering more effectively to individual learning styles and encouraging more pupils to want to continue studying languages at key stage 4 and beyond."
The Languages Update Autumn 2006 can be downloaded from here
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