eLanguages Newsletter May 2009
In this issue there is the opportunity to find a UK school to link with, new projects to join, and an update on our new photo gallery
So far this year, we have run four eLanguages workshops in England. We've been to Cornwall, Leeds, Derbyshire, and Leicester. Each workshop was an opportunity for teachers to come together and learn about eLanguages.
We are planning some more workshops over the course of the year, so keep an eye out for one near you. Contact the team for more information info@elanguages.org.
In Cornwall we met Matt Allcock, the deputy head teacher from St Ives Junior School. St Ives is a town located in the south west of England. Matt's school have started 5 fantastic interactive projects for the classroom, and they are looking for new partners. Would you like to join in? Click on the links to find out more. They are a friendly school and would be delighted to hear from you:
Work it out with "Mathematics" (ages 5-11)
Share your stories in "Creative Writing" and "World Book Day" (ages 5-11)
Think about your local plants & animals in "Do you live around here?" (ages 5-11)
What do you have in your playground? "Ready. Steady. Go!" (ages 5-11)
The work that St Ives have done is an excellent example of how you can use eLanguages to engage your pupils, and reach out to a new audience. If you would like to do something similar with your school, contact the team, and we will take you through the process step by step.
Write to us at info@elanguages.org.
Do you want to work with a UK school? Here are some new projects that are looking for members. To join the project, click on the link below, or just leave a message.
1. Language sharing resources
Judy Skelton in England has created an excellent project to allow teachers to exchange their own language resources. Do you have a language resource that you use, and would like to share?
• Have a look at some language sharing resources
• Share your own resource
• Join the project
2. Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow
The aim of this project is for pupils aged 11-16 from different countries, to share their perceptions of the environmental challenges facing us
• View the project
• Contribute by adding your own photograph on the theme of the environment
• To join in, send a message to the project owner
3. Rainforests project (ages 5-15)
A message from a UK teacher, Deb Sparks: “We're studying Rainforests this term and would like to share class work on this subject with other schools around the world”.
• Have a look at Posters and poems about rainforests
• I would like to join the project
4. Great personalities around the world (ages 10-16)
We would like to present and find out more about important personalities from our country and around the world. We would like to promote the image of those who took seriously the saying "Be the change you wish to see in the world".
• Fdind out about theGreat personalities around the world
• Send a message and Join the project
5. What are your hobbies? (ages 5-11)
Maura Laverty in England asks "We would like to share the things we do in our own time and find out what other children do in different countries". Are your pupils aged between 5 and 11? What are your hobbies and games? What do children do in other countries? Is it the same or different? Share your experience by joining the project below
• View "What are your hobbies?"
• Send a message and Join the project
6. Africa & 'The Lion King' (ages 5-7)
Reception Class at Pool Primary in Yorkshire, England would like to share and celebrate their work on the topic 'Africa and The Lion King'. We would like any countries interested to share their experiences of the African Savannah, the animals encountered there and the people of the Masai tribe.
• View "Africa and The Lion King"
• Can you contribute? Join the project by sending a message
7. Écoute - The Sound of my school (ages 5-11)
A French language project in which schools can swap the sounds of their schools. The aim is to swap recordings of pupils speaking French & English, and listen to what playtime, PE, and lessons sound like. For more information, follow the links below.
• View "Écoute - The Sound of my school"
• Do you want to join? send a hello message here
8. Making Movies (ages 8-14)
The aim of this project is to encourage young people to communicate across language barriers, using animation and movie making techniques
• Have a look at the project, and join in here
This is a question asked by Sabha Momani in the project "Five historical places in Jordan". It will begin by exploring the ancient city of Petra. Click the link below for some interesting facts and pictures.
Does your town have an interesting history? Would you like to share this with other schools on a shared project?
• Discover Petra on the project page Five historical places in Jordan
• What do you think? Send a message
• Got something to share? Upload your own PowerPoint
Gertrude Ngozi Chinegwundoh is a teacher in London. She also does voluntary work with schools in Nigeria, and has developed some close links through her work. Last year she had the idea to use her contacts in Nigeria to set up some school links back in London. Gertrude has used the eLanguages platform to give each partnership its own web space. She has also used a discussion forum to get the group thinking together, and swapping ideas. A great way to inspire the schools involved:
• Visit the project page here
Earlier this year, British Council, HSBC and DCSF hosted a conference at HSBC Headquarters London on “Educational Co-operation with China”. The event gathered speakers and participants involved in UK-China linking, and looked at how links could be developed across the curriculum. For an interesting glimpse into how some schools have managed their link take a look at the excellent presentations available on the conference page.
• Conference on educational co-operation with China
(Note, you need to be logged on to do this. Forgotten your eLanguages password? E-mail “forgotten password” to info@elanguages.org
If you work in a UK school or local authority and have links with China, have you considered using eLanguages to develop the partnerships online? Both schools could be given their own shared project sapce to upload and share work, and messages can be swapped via discussion forums. This can help if e-mailing has been a problem for you. The added benefit is that eLanguages is available in the Chinese language, making it very accessible to schools in China. If you want to find out more about how you could use eLanguages, we would be happy to talk you through this. Please contact the team at info@elanguages.org
One of the best things about an eLanguages project is the photo gallery. This can give an instant feel for the project, and there are some wonderful images that have been shared. Now it is even easier to see these. When you go to a picture gallery, there is the option to view the pictures as thumbnails. You can even view them as a slideshow.
You can control who has access to view your eLanguages project by setting the project ‘Permissions’.
To learn how to do this, see the help guide below.
To learn how to do this, see the help guide below.
You can find more help guides and resources on a range of topics in the eLanguages "Digital Toolbox"
