Sunday 19 August 2007

The Big Tagging Game


Looking at my del.icio.us network bookmarks the other day, I thought that Joe Dale was up to something.

All of the sudden, he had a long list of bookmarks referring to his blog. Good idea, I thought, they might come handy one day and they are eaasier to manage if they are all together in one place. Well, I thought, it must be the preparation for the impending Isle of Wight Conference 2007

Then I got the message from Lisa Stevens: I have been tagged!!

Joe’s idea is to start a meme called My del.icio.us online life where bloggers who are tagged can tag any posts that link back to their blog and bookmark them in del.icio.us so others with similar interests can subscribe to them and find out more about the extended communities their colleagues are part of.

Sorry Joe, but I decided to call this The Big Tagging Game in my title as calling it a “meme” was far too reminiscent of my lovely grand-mother (french joke-I know, not funny, lost in translation)

So I tagged some posts that link back to my blog and bookmarked them in my del.icio.us under the icpj tag so that others with similar interests can subscribe to them and find out about my various networks.

The rules of the Big Tagging Game are as follows:

1)Once you've been tagged, bookmark posts that link back to your blog or blogs in del.icio.us
2) Name the tag that you have used so others can access the links easily in a blog post
3) At the end of your post, tag 6 people and list their names, linking to them.
4) Leave a comment on their blog, letting them know they’ve been tagged.

The people I would like to tag are:

Chris Fuller

Hans Feldmeier

Joe Dale

Miss Simmonds

Ms Whatsit

Senora Weldon

Wednesday 1 August 2007

Promoting Languages through the European Day of Languages (EDL)

http://www.ecml.at/edl/default.asp

CILT has just announced that resources for the European Day of Languages 2007 are now available to order in their on-line shop via the CILT website.
Free resource packs contain two posters featuring two EDL characters and four sheets of stickers with 'hellos' in over 30 languages. More resources such as badges and T-shirts with five different designs can be also be bought from the site.

The EDL web pages (www.cilt.org.uk/edl) also include ideas and activities to help you celebrate on 26 September (www.cilt.org.uk/edl/activities.htm).
To order your EDL resources, go to www.cilt.org.uk/edl/resources.htm

CILT also dedicates a specific page to resources and useful links to promote languages.
http://www.cilt.org.uk/promoting/ (general promotion)

A number of language teachers associations worldwide also produce interesting resources to promote the study of foreign languages:

The MLA (US)

Founded in 1883, the Modern Language Association of America provides opportunities for its members to share their scholarly findings and teaching experiences with colleagues and to discuss trends in the academy. There are over 30 000 MLA members in 100 countries. The MLA hosts an annual convention and other meetings, works with related organizations, and also sustains a comprehensive publishing program aiming to strengthen the study and teaching of language and literature. It also publishes brochures and leaflets to make the case for languages.

http://www.mla.org/kol_brochure

Language Study In the Age of Globalization: The College-Level Experience

The brochure, Language Study In the Age of Globalization: The College-Level Experience, is directed primarily to college students. It argues that knowing other languages enriches students personal lives, expands their range of professional opportunities, and increases their power to act as citizens of the world. The brochure is intended for distribution by faculty members and departments, student advisors, and representatives of programs in international studies and study abroad.

Knowing Other Languages Brings Opportunities

The brochure, Knowing Other Languages Brings Opportunities, is directed primarily to high school students. It is intended for distribution by faculty members, advisers, and career officers in secondary schools.

The MLTAV (Australia)

The Modern Language Teachers' Association of Victoria, Australia (MLTAV Inc.) is a professional association for Languages teachers, and is the umbrella organisation for approximately twenty Single Language Associations (SLAs) in Victoria.
In cooperation with the SLAs and other partner organisations, MLTAV supports teachers and learners of Languages Other Than English (LOTE) throughout Victoria by providing services like CPD, student activities and consultancy. The MLTAV aims to encourage and promote the learning of Languages as an essential part of the school curriculum
http://www.mltav.asn.au/content/view/79/84/

Promotion brochures and links from New Zealand Association of Language Teachers (NZALT)

http://nzalt.org.nz/about/promotion.shtml

Why learn a foreign language?

http://www.omniglot.com/language/why.htm
http://www.vistawide.com/languages/why_languages.htm
http://www.spanish.bz/blog/2004/05/top-10-reasons-to-learn-spanish.htm
http://french.about.com/od/francophonie/a/whylearnfrench.htm

Other resources can be found in my del.icio.us under the “promotion” tag.