Fodey.com - Make your own newspaper

This site is a really nice one for encouraging your learners to write at home.  They can easily and for free create a newspaper story like the one below or little animations with wizards, squirrels, cats or ninjas - all good fun and very easy.  You don't have to sign up and when you have created your image, you can just download it and it's yours to do what you want with - how easy is that? 

Get them to write a story and send a copy to you by e-mail, or print them out and stick them up on the wall. 

Free website hosting - KompoZer

Here's an interesting tool if you or your learners are feeling a bit 'techie'.  This site allows you to create your own website for free. You just go to the site and download the software on there and Bob's your mother's brother!  My 12 year old son assures me that it works and it's really easy to use (they are using it at school to make websites). The only thing that I'd say is that a quick internet search showed me to this site which gives a guide on how to use it, and it says that this is great for experimental or small scale sites,but that you have limited publishing availability, so you have been duely warned!   It has a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) style template set up so that you can do what you want really easily (if you can use Word, you can use this).

 There are lots of ways that you could use this for a class - make one yourself for your learners with links to useful websites or upload homework, etc.  If you (and they!) are a bit more ambitious, you could get them to make their own - it's a great motivation to produce writing for an authentic purpose.
Good luck!

Happy Anniversary!

I've just realised that it's a year and a day since my first post on here, so it seemed almost obligatory to add another one!

The big thing that has happened this week is that I have launched my on-line course - it's been nearly a year of trialing different options, but I've finally come up with what I think is a good option for easy access and supported learning.  During the pilots, the most surprising thing that emerged was that the convenience of being able to access things in your own time seems to win hands down over the immediacy of a real-time class (on-line).  With this in mind, I've revamped it all and although you can still hear my dulcit tones talking you through the information, but in a recorded format that you can watch at will.  If you are interested, have a look at www.elt-training.com and follow the links to 'Try before you buy'. 

There are also free teacher development webinars on the site, too, a new one each month. January's is on Continuing Professional Development using ICT - check it out!

Thanks to all of you who have supported me over this first year - it's been a steep learning curve, but soooo interesting!