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March 2009 Volume 2, Number 6

In This Issue Dear colleagues:

Web Pages Welcome to your monthly reminder of all the options you have for using the
computer in the classroom—our sixth scintillating compendium of CALL materials
Purchases for this academic year.

Tips and All websites are working at press time—but remember, the Internet waits for no
Tricks man.

No need to save this document to find the websites—they will be available


New Software
permanently from the department’s CALL page, courtesy of Susan Curtis. See
“EFL-CALL Resources Website,” on the College’s Intranet home page. Or click the
About Us
link here.
Submissions
Older newsletters are also stored on SharePoint here. CALL committee minutes are
here.

Remember that this newsletter is an internal document. If you want to forward it


Links
to friends outside the college, please delete any references to passwords exclusive to
college faculty.
Server 9 - EFL
--Steve Roney
CALL
Resources
Web Pages
Ed
Technology Shahi: On this site, you type in a word, and up pops a
(TLC) definition from Wiktionary—plus related images from Flickr.
The result: an extensive online visual dictionary.
Templates & http://blachan.com/shahi/
Tools (TLC) --Rebecca Hatherley

CNA-Q Custom Sign Generator: Writing really can be fun—


Library when you introduce your students to this page full
of signs you can create on the web with your own
CNA-Q IT text. Some work, some don’t; some are not fit for
Tutorials classroom use. Pre-screen, and use the direct link to
the particular sign. It can also be useful for creating
Abdulmanan class materials. Check out, for example, the menu generator. You can even
Nur’s Staff upload your own photographs to turn them into signs.
Training Page http://www.customsigngenerator.com/
--Rebecca Hatherley
Rebecca
Hatherley’s SlideShare: As well as a place to find canned PowerPoints that might be
CALL Wiki
useful in class, and to post your own for easy
access wherever there's a computer, it also
serves as a gallery of what can be done (and
often, shouldn't be done) with PowerPoint.
http://www.slideshare.net/
--John Allan

Here, as an example, is one of SlideShare’s offerings: some PowerPoint tips:


http://www.slideshare.net/thecroaker/death-by-powerpoint

Old Radio World: Looking for some


interesting listening exercises? Consider the
copyright-free resources here. They are also
relatively culturally safe.
http://www.oldradioworld.com/

The Voices of History collection is worth special mention:


http://www.oldradioworld.com/shows/Voices_of_History.php

Debatewise: If you want to use debating in class, or


are working with your students on expressing
opinions, or on summarizing important points, this
debate site can be a good resource. Students can
read both sides of ongoing debates, enter their
own arguments or debating points, and vote for the side they agree with. For
high-level students only.
http://debatewise.com/

Songsterr: This site is designed for tyro guitarists; but it


can be a boon for English teachers. Exploit your
students’ interest in pop music by having them learn
and sing the words to English songs. Sonsterr will
provide the musical background, karaoke-style.
http://www.songsterr.com/

Lyrics.com: find the lyrics you need for the exercise


here—often along with a video performance by the
original artist.
http://www.lyrics.com/

Want to create WebQuests for your


students? This page offers standard
templates to make it easier. Good for a
reading activity.
http://webquest.sdsu.edu/LessonTemplate.html

Here are two collections of WebQuests already created for


ESL:
http://iteslj.org/links/ESL/Treasure_Hunts/
http://sookmyung.ac.kr/~heyoung/presentation/treasure.htm
Forvo: “All the words in the world.
Pronounced.” Of obvious value for learning
correct English pronunciation. Often includes
both US and UK forms.
http://forvo.com/

Purchases

We’d like you to have your own say on what CALL resources the college
purchases. To that end, we have put our reviews of packages currently under
consideration on SharePoint here. Please have a look. Or click on the title in
the list below, to view the publisher’s own web page:

Content Generator

InspireData

Voicethread

Oxford Picture Dictionary

Quia Web

Interested in any of them? Then go to our online survey here, and let us
know. Would you use these? Do you have a better idea? Or another
recommendation you’d like to make to the committee?

Tips and Tricks

The Teaching and Learning Centre forwards these useful links, excerpted from their
permanent web page:

Templates: Where to Find ‘em, How to Use ‘em

MS Office Templates - Education


Quizzes, attendance sheets, reports, graph paper, notes, flashcards etc. in MS
Word and PowerPoint.
MS Excel Templates - Gradebooks
Make record keeping and grade calculations easy.

MS Office Templates - Calendars


Type the year in the search box to limit choices. Many formats available.

Vertex42: Create Your Own Calendar


Easy calendar creation in Excel.

Work Sheets and Templates


TechLearning links to already-created templates and online rubric and
document generators.

Solving the Rubrics Cube

Tutorial: Authentic Assessment Toolbox


Merlot classics.

Rubric Creation and Information


From Teacher Vision.

Kathy Schrock's Guide to Assessment & Rubrics


Discovery Education.

Rubric Machine
Lean and mean. Landmark project.

RubiStar
Rubrics for project-based learning.
--Cheri MacLeod

New Software

The library is always adding something new to its CALL repertoire. Here’s the
latest, and possibly the greatest:

Schoolhouse Technologies Vocabulary Workshop Factory: if


you like EdHelper, you’ll love the Workshop Factory.
Enter your list of vocabulary and definitions once, and
generate twenty-two different worksheets.
Unfortunately, the program requires installation, and
you’ll currently need to ask IT to do it for you.
Available from the library’s web portal here. Click on “Online databases”
from the “Quick Links” list on the right.
--Pat Sutherland

About Us
CALL stands for Computer-Aided Language Learning. We on the CALL committee
have a mandate from the department to aid and abet you in using educational
technology in your classroom. We currently comprise two committees: software
evaluation and materials development. If you are interested, we would be delighted
to have you join us in this cause.

Current Members:
Steve Roney (chair)
John Allan (chair, materials development)
Douglas Culbert
Susan Curtis
Scott Dagilis
Darlene Liutkus
Cheri MacLeod (TLC liaison)
Scott Webber
Rebecca Hatherley (Academics liaison)
Dan Rieb
Larissa Conley
Linda Earl
Alan Vallely
Shairon Burton
Eleanor Kenny (ex officio)
Jack Rigg (ILC liaison)

Submissions

 Please If you have a tech tip to share, or know of an interesting and


consider the relevant website, please send it along to Stephen.Roney@cna-
qatar.edu.qa for inclusion in a future
environment issue.
before
printing this A big thanks to those who contributed to this issue:
newsletter.
Cheri MacLeod, Rebecca Hatherley, John Allan, Pat Sutherland, Steve Roney.

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