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Thank you, Penny Ur!
Now that you have seen the webinar and / or read the paper above, please post below in comments (below the Events table, scroll down):
- your thoughts on Penny Ur’s ideas and—more importantly—
- tips or activities of your own that you or colleagues have tried and know they work well.
Hopefully this will lead to a pool of ideas
for using Zoom that will benefit all members of ETAI!
Calendar of events 2020-2021
Join us for another year of Professional Development throughout the year—Gmul Plan details here.Please note: Online conferences scheduled at this time may be changed to geographic locations as the pandemic situation allows. Also, geographic locations planned for the future may change to online conference, if the situation requires.
| Event | Date & Time | Location | Details / Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoom for English Teaching Penny Ur—Member Only Event | Mon October 19, 2020 18:00–19:30 | Zoom | Page |
| Usage of English in East & West Jerusalem: Implications for Language Teacher Education with Julia Schlam Salman | Thur November 19, 2020 18:00–19:00 | Zoom | Registration Link |
| From Curriculum 2020 to the Classroom: Webinars | Mon December 21, 2020 | Zoom | Program and Zoom Links |
| Teacher Training & Development: Rethinking Teacher Education | Mon February 8, 2021 16:00–19:30 | Zoom | Register |
| From Curriculum 2020 to the Classroom: Workshops | Wed February 17, 2021 | Zoom to Opening Session | Program and Zoom Links |
| National Online Students Event | Tue March 2, 2021 14:00–16:00 | Zoom | Recordings |
| Spring Conference | Tues March 23, 2021 09:45–14:15 | Zoom | Program with Zoom Links |
| Teacher Training & Development SIG: Teacher Training Initiatives: What We Can LearnTeacher Training Initiatives: What We Can Learn | Mon July 5, 2021 09:45–15:00 | Zoom | Program --------- Registration |
| Summer Conference | July 6 & 7, 2021 In Collaboration with Mofet Event July 5 | Zoom | |
| Back to School Conference 2021 | Aug 24, 2021 | Eshkol Pais, Ort B'Maale, Tiberius | Program and Registration Information |
So, what are your thoughts? How have you used Zoom?
I used Zoom for teaching English well before the pandemic – with adult students of mine in Moscow. Since the pandemic, I have now adapted it for elementary school use and even though we have moved back to schools, I still teach four sections of third grade using Zoom while at school ( I am barred from teaching more than four sections in person.). In third grade, the class uses the sole computer microphone plus the classroom projector. It makes it easy for the kids to hear but not always easy for the teacher to hear.
Other ideas.
1)Movement activities are easy to do on line whether Simon Says, or acting out songs (ESL Kids Stuff type of parade or activity songs).
2)Timed activities for oral response help children to focus and not wander off. ( In these , the students think of their answers to a question – What do you like to eat? Answer – I like to eat…..and a timed goal is set in advance – 30 seconds. Then the class can see if they reach the goal.
3) Listening to and reading of books – with questions about rhyming words, identification of letter sounds and blends sounds.
One of the things I have learned from the process is to be incredibly flexible. Because the technology is still relatively young and even the internet is not always stable, there have been days where classroom microphones and/or cameras are not working or working intermittently(If Zoom or the internet stops working at all right in the middle of the lesson, there is not much to do unless one can call in asynchronous activities for the class to complete with their homeroom teacher). Being able to call upon a myriad of activities to meet the situation can make a teacher’s life much easier while not sacrificing curricular goals.
But I think the key to great Zoom teaching is captivating students and ensuring their interest.