I cannot provide you with a very big amount of links this week, since I have shot my bolt already in my latest post. However, there are some things I still want to mention:

• Oatmeal comics – I am still thinking of a way to include these comics into a good lesson. Maby you have an idea?
• IFS Marburg – This facility is located in Marburg and offers the service to search for literature on foreign language teaching for you. You just have to ask them what you want!
• Some funny twitter comics
• A WebQuest about WebQuests – An explanation of Web Quests
• 4teachers – A website that can help yo prepare lessons.

In the first session of the seminar “New Media in Foreign Language Education” which I am attending this winter term (2009/10), we were ought to create a 45-minute teaching session for the 9th grade. The task was to imagine we were a teacher sitting in the staff room who has a free period and is asked by the headmaster to create a cover lesson in 20 minutes. The only good thing is, that the lesson will take place in a computer lab and it’s possible to include new media.

The only support our teacher gave us, was to use the website www.eslpodcards.com. There you click on the “podcards archive” and you can choose an English-speaking country, for example the United States, England, Australia, Ireland etc. Afterwards you will be provided with several topics regarding this country, for instance a particular region of the country or a famous person coming from this place. The front page of every podcard informs you about its content, the level (high or low) and the duration of the mp3-file.

The podcards are structured similarly. First, there is a short mp3-file on the subject, for example on Barack Obama’s biography, then there is a worksheet (for example Obama worksheet) with several questions on the topic, including the mp3-file which can be heard during answering the questions and a transcript of the mp3-file. Additionally you can download a pdf-file which includes the questions of the workhseets and a fill-in-the-blank text (example Obama pdf) and a crossword (example Obama crossword) which also includes the mp3-file in order to listen to it while answering the questions.

At the beginning I was totally overstrained. I thought it is impossible to create a (good) 45-minute teaching session in 20 minutes, but later I realized that it is very helpful to have a website like www.eslpodcards.com where teachers provide other teachers with their teaching material.

My created 45-minute lesson for the 9th grade looks as follows:

Topic: United States (Los Angeles/ Marilyn Monroe)

1) Preparation (take seat, turn on computer) + form groups (every row of tables=one group, for example 5 rows=5 groups) → 5 minutes

2) Visit website www.eslpodcards.com, find podcard on Los Angeles and open mp3-file → 5 minutes

3) Task 1: Listen to the mp3-file once and take notes →5 minutes

4) Task 2: Open the pdf-file and read activity 3, if there are any vocabulary questions, ask your group → 10 minutes

5) Task 3: Listen to the mp3 again and fill in the gaps → 5 minutes

6) Task 4: Compare your results with your group and afterwards with the rest of the class → 10 minutes

7) Explain homework (for example another podcard)

If there is no pressure of time, you can of course create a more challenging or diversified teaching session with the aid of www.eslpodcards.com but if you are in a situation like described above, I would recommend the website to you because it helps you to develop a different teaching session in a short time. [1]

Although I have reached my quota of FYP projects (2009) - here is my list from the last 2 years:

Manuals for Teachers

Motivation

How can teachers motivate students?

1. Set a personal example with your own language behavior.
2. Create a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere in the classroom, reduce anxiety.
3. Present language tasks thoughtfully and carefully.
4. Develop a friendly relationship with learners.
5. Increase the second language self-confidence of the learner.
6. Make classes lively and interesting.
7. Promote learner autonomy.
8. Personalize the learning process.
9. Increase each learner’s goal-orientation.
10. Familiarize learners with the culture attached to the language being learnt.

Starting an Informal Conversation

• Listen (to this).
• Listen up.
• Get a load of this.
• Get this.

Starting an Informal Conversation

• Guess what?
• Guess what I just found out.
• Have you heard the latest?
• Did you hear the news?

Starting a More Formal Conversation

• Can I talk to you?
• Do you have a minute?
• Let’s sit down and talk.
• May I have a word with you?

Showing You are Listening

• Right.
• Uh-huh.
• I see.
• OK.

Encouraging the Other Person to Keep Talking

• Yes. Keep going.
• Yes. Go on.
• And?

When the Other Person is Repetitious

• So you just said.
• I get the point already.
• I know already.
• I think we’ve covered that already.

Sample dialogs

Dialog 1: (between 2 friends)

Pury: Guess what?

Hety: What?

Pury: I’m getting married next month.

Hety: Congratulations! Who’s the lucky guy?

Dialog 2: (between 2 coworkers)

Ken: Hey, did you hear the news?

Joe: No. What news?

Ken: Tom has got the sack. (*to get the sack = to get fired)

Dialog 3: (between a boss and his employee)

Boss: Den, do you have a minute?

Deden: Yes.

Boss: Let’s sit down and talk.

Deden: Sure.

Dialog 4: (between a boss and his employee)

Deden: Mrs. Indri. Do you have a minute?

Boss: Yes.

Deden: May I have a word with you?

Boss: Sure. Come in, sit down.

Opening the meeting

• Opening in Arabic invocation for Opening the Majlis, syahadat and shalawat
• All Praise is for Allah SWT, the Rabb of all mankind and all that exist, who has sent down abundant blessing upon His Slaves.
• May the Peace and blessing of Allah SWT be upon our prophet, the seal of all messengers, Muhammad SAW, his family, Companions and those who follow him till the Day of Judgement – Ameen.
• Let’s Opening our meeting by saying basmallah and Al Fateehah together.
• Today we are going to discuss 1. …, 2. …
• The rundown of our event would be like

Expressing opinion

• In my opinion …
• According to ….. (not mentioning yourself) – the previous meeting
• If I may have a word …
• I think …
• I guess
• In my point of view …
• Based on …

Showing Total Agreement

Absolutely.

• Exactly.
• Indeed!
• That’s for sure.
• You’re right.
• I totally agree with you.
• I agree with you a hundred percent.
• I couldn’t agree with you more.
• Can’t argue with that.
• Couldn’t have said it better.
• We see eye to eye on this. (idiom) (Meaning: we agree totally on this)

Showing Partial Agreement

• You may be right.
• Well, perhaps (you’re right).
• You might have a point there.

Showing Mild Disagreement

• It may be so, but …
• I’m not sure if I agree with you totally there.

Showing Strong Disagreement

• I’m afraid I disagree with you.
• I’m afraid I can’t agree with you.
• I couldn’t disagree (with you) more.
• I disagree completely.
• You’ve got that wrong. (informal)
• You’re dead wrong. (informal)

When You Are Misunderstood

• That’s not what I meant.
• That’s not what I said.
• I didn’t mean that.
• I didn’t say that.
• You’ve got me wrong.
• I didn’t mean to give you that impression.

When You Want an Explanation

• What exactly are you trying to say?
• What do you mean to tell me?
• What’s your point?
• I didn’t get that.

Closing the meeting

• Alhamdulillahhirabbil ‘alameen. Thank you for your active participation in this meeting.
• Lets close the meeting by saying Istighfar 3 times together, Al-Ashr and The expiation of assembly-Kaffaratul Majlis.
• Ya Allah I seek refuge in You and I seek Your forgiveness for what I know not.

I have taken part in SAS training which provided by SEAMEO SEAMOLEC . This program is followed by English teachers of SMK in Indonesia. This training which held at February 9 to 14 2009 discussed about ICT. The teachers are supposed to apply IT as e learning tools after they finished this program. The teachers learn more to operate the computer and apply some software such as Hot Potatoes to create an attractive teaching material for their students. They also practice how to create blog and use it as teaching media. I am very lucky that can enjoy this program.