Reflections on #ililc2 25-26 February 2012

Well it's finished but not over. This year's ICT and Languages conference #ililc2 at Southampton University was as successful as last year with a wide scope of attendees from as close as Southampton to as far as Ethiopia.

Key note speakers Joe Dale and José Picardo set the scene for using social media in education and how Mr Michale Gove seems to be finally tuning in to the educational benefits of technology, whilst workshop speakers (including Annalise Adam, Wendy Adeniji, Alex Blagona, Vanessa Burns, Joe Dale, Catherine Elliott, Stuart Gorse, Esther Hardman, Isabelle Jones, Helen Myers, Carole Nicoll, Juliet Park, Bertram Richter, Jo Rhys-Jones, Amanda Salt, Clare Seccombe, Lisa Stevens, Jenny Turner, and Sara Vaughan) provided a wide range of information, activities, ideas and inspiration to enhance current practice and take us forward. Not to mention the infamous Show and Tell event Sat evening which had delegates and bar staff alike in stitches on various occasions.

More updates here soon along with my session presentations from "Using ICT to enhance Teaching and Learning in MFL" and "Flashmeeting for Easy Videoconferencing" (both available on my SlideShare profile page until I can sort out an "embed glitch" here on the blog). All resources will also be found on the Languages South East website shortly.

For now, here are some wonderful pictures of teachers in action at the Show and Tell as @elvisrunner demonstrated her "Human Dominoes" game for language learning:

ICT and Languages Conference 25-26th February

With memories still alive from ILILC 2011, it's not long now till the ICT and Languages conference which is taking place on 25-26th February 2012 at Southampton University.

A range of speakers are taking part with well known ICT consultant Joe Dale and Education Consultant José Picardo booked as Key Note speakers for the event. A show and tell event is planned for the Saturday evening which, if anything like last year, will prove to be a fabulously inspiring, encouraging and fun way to network. Quoted as "Quality CPD on a budget" book now on theLanuages South East website.

Slidecasting

Finally, finally (!!) I am getting around to merging the sound files from my sessions at the ICT Links into Languages conference with the PowerPoint slideshows that accompanied them. At first glance the slidecasting process on http://www.slideshare.net/ seems horrendously complicated. However, once you have a play and get into the flow (play audio, work out where the end of the first slide is, move the marker there, click on the next slide - repeat process...) it is really simple. Proving once again that taking the time to become familiar with an online tool takes the uncertainty away and facilitates future use. Here are my presentations.

ICT Links into Languages Conference 12-13 Feb 2011

A second fabulous day at the ICT Links into Languages conference at Southampton University. My brain is full, ideas are refreshed, and my motivation is renewed. Everyone was such fun and it was great to be around such inspirational practitioners, some of which I had met for the first time and some I was meeting again after previous conferences or videoconferences. My Flashmeeting for Easy Videoconferencing session went well (thank you to Joe Dale - without your prompting I wouldn't have had the guts to try such a risky adventure!), and the delegates were both attentive and ready to input their ideas. I also have a BIG thank you to make to @josepicardo who patiently sat the otherside of the videoconference link, helping out with the demonstrating of various FM tools on his Sunday. I have uploaded the presentation to authorSTREAM ready for download for reference. It will also be on the Links into Languages conference page with all other presentations from the conference over the weekend.

Well done to Zena Hilton, Joe Dale, Sara Vaughn and all of the Links into Languages team that organised the whole event.

I'm tired now, updating my twitter list of contacts and thinking of the path ahead...

Flashmeeting for easy videoconferencing ililc

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Thank you again for leaving positive feedback:

ICT Links into Languages Conference 12-13th Feb 2011

What a fantastic first day at the ICT Links into Languages conference. It has been wonderful catching up with MFL Twitterati friends and getting to know new ones behind those avatars. I encourage anyone at the conference who is not already a member of Twitter to join up and begin networking. It has done nothing but enhance my ICT knowledge and confidence to try out new things.

There have been a range of sessions today which have all gone really well and have received good feedback (see Twitter feed #ililc for details). My session entitled "Using ICT to Enhance Teaching and Learning in MFL" went well and the audience was a kind one given the tired brains! Thank you for listening so intently and for your positive feedback. The PowerPoint from the session is saved on authorSTREAM where I have made it available for download for those that requested it if the above stream doesn't work. It has been an honour to speak alongside such esteemed and knowledgeable colleagues. I look forward to tomorrow for more!

E Hardman Using Ict In Mfl To Enhance T&L

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Thank you also for the kind feedback that I received after the session:

ICT Links into Languages Conference, 12-13th February

Fancy some professional development on using ICT in MFL teaching and learning?

The ICT Links into Languages conference 12-13th February 2011 is being at Southampton University, Avenue Campus. With a range of speakers across the two days, plenaries by Joe Dale and Rachel Hawkes and a chance to contribute to Show and Tell events there is a lot to gain from attending! I'll be providing two sessions: "Flashmeeting for easy videoconferencing" and "Using ICT to enhance teaching and learning in MFL", and I'm very much looking forward to it. For more information or to book follow this link. Scholarships are available.

ICT in MFL Presentation

On the 22nd February 2010 I delivered a presentation to the whole school teaching staff re our developments in the use of of ICT in MFL. The idea was to share our ideas across the school and to inspire the use of web 2.0 tools in education to address the knowledge that will be coming up from primary levels of education in years to come (if not indeed now). Here is the presentation - spot the members of staff dotted along various slides...

ICT in MFL 2009-10 - INSET Presentation

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Symposium Language Laboratory

We are using the Symposium Language Laboratory suite at school. I've just recently delivered a practical workshop on using Symposium for teaching MFL at the SSAT SE Regional Language College's Network Meeting. I focused on it's practical use in a series of language learning activities as opposed to just looking at the technology itself. I also provided notes on how to successfully mananage a language laboratory lesson, looking at the things that you need to consider which are specific to managing pupils and teaching in language laboratories as opposed to normal classrooms. I received 100% "excellent" feedback from the delegates which made it worth while. Check out the Activa website for our case study at Weald of Kent Grammar School

Personalised Learning Networks

There is a whole new world out there. I've just joined Twitter and discovered a whole new universe of contacts. Investigating joining a teacher network. Take a look at Joe Dale's write up of the twitter world. Contains some good links and information for productive use. I'll add more here when I've had time to get to grips with it.

Follow my twitter upates on the right hand menu...

Interesting Twitter Articles:
Tools to Keep Your Twits Organised
Thirty Ways to Use Twitter in the Classroom

Easi-speak

I'm experimenting with inputting sound files into a PowerPoint document which I understand need to be WAV files. Easi-Speak microphones are easy to use in the classroom and fun for the pupils, however they seem to automatically save in MP3. Instructions say toggling between MP3 and WAV is possible but I've experiemented with no joy. If anyone has had any success let me know.

Update 13/05/09
Success! We have successfully changed MP3 files to .wav files via CDex software (thanks goes to my ICT department at school!). We then discovered how to add these onto clip art within the PowerPoint so that the sound file still works once sent outside of our network. We did this by right clicking on the clip art, selecting "Action Settings" and then browsed for the sound file...

Easi speak microphones have proved to be easy and effective ways of recording in a classroom with the ability to charge the microphone in the USB port whilst setting up the class. Once an opportune moment in the lesson has been found and recording has been completed, immediate play back is possible, again via the USB port which means that pupils can self analyse and record again quickly in order to correct their language as necessary. I love using them at the moment and hope to order more!