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By Sylvia Guinan
We very happy to share a recent event in which members of the Learning Technologies Special Interest Group participated.
Three of our members, Sylvia Guinan, Marisa Constantinides & Angelos Bollas, were invited to present at the LTSIG Social Media Symposium for the Virtual Round Table Web Conference which took place on 6-8 May 2016.
We are very happy to have had a special LTSIG strand at another online event!!!!
Sylvia Guinan, our website editor, spoke about about the blogosphere as a medium for redefining substance in education. Our LTSIG social media manager, Marisa Constantinides, as moderator of the renowned #ELTchat, talked about the power of Twitter for continuing professional development, and Angelos Bollas, who has done so much to champion the impetus of #ELTchat, spoke about Twitter as a learning tool for English language students.
Below you will find the recordings, presentations and summaries of the three talks that will give you reflective insights into the experiences of our speakers.
1) Using Twitter with EFL learners by Angelos Bollas
Twitter has certain characteristics that, if utilized appropriately, can make it a fantastic learning tool for English Language students. In this presentation, I will show some ways I have used Twitter with my learners in and out of class and how it enabled them to develop their linguistic performance. I will also show how teachers can adapt these activities for their own teaching context. Participants with no or little experience with Twitter are welcome to attend. Watch the recording here.
2) #ELTchat – hashtagged conversations and CPD through social networking by Marisa Constantinides
Every Wednesday at 19:00 p.m. GMT, a great number of ELT teachers from all over the world log into their Twitter account and for one hour they hold an online discussion (chat) on a topic they have selected.
#ELTchat is a hashtag which appears on all tweets in this online conversation, it’s searchable and anyone who ‘searches’ for it and uses it can converse with any other Twitter user following the same hashtag. It’s followed by hundreds of ELT teachers every week.
This short presentation will look at how hashtagged discussions such as #ELTchat can
– create a feeling of community online amongst ELT professionals
– disseminate information, publications and research which would otherwise remain obscure to the average teacher
– engage and inspire teachers by sharing materials and links
– encourage teachers to keep abreast of new publications and new technologies
– help teachers maintain their interest in their profession
– provide support and create important relationships and connections
The result of this is an expanded and strong Personal Learning Network (PLN) which can help teachers personally and professionally and keep them motivated and connected by maintaining their relationship with an ever expanding PLN through other Social Networks such as
• Linked In
• Google+
It can develop dialogues and disseminate blog posts and materials shared – thus becoming a tool tools for Continuous Professional Development which is free, autonomous, and self-directed. Watch the recording here
#ELTchat – hashtagged conversations and CPD through social networking from Marisa Constantinides
3) How The Blogosphere Adds Substance To Professional Development by Sylvia Guinan
The blogosphere is a community, a way of working, a way of sharing, and, ultimately, the cream of your social media learning pie. Whether you are sharing action research in the classroom, turning webinars into vlogs, or encouraging your students to use multi-media, the blog is your backdrop to all endeavours, experiments and reflections.
How does the blogosphere influence social media, personal learning networks, student autonomy and creativity. Watch the recording here.
How the blogosphere adds substance to professional development…. from Online Teacher, blogger, editor
You can find a host of other inspiring presentations from The virtual Round Table Conference here, with Plenary talks by Paul Driver, Russell Stannard and Nik Peachey.
From gaming to video to ebook publishing, there is much to explore in this full programme of events .
Choose presentations to learn from, enjoy, experiment with …..
…. and tweet or blog about …
Why not pay it forward?
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