TEXT-TO-SPEECH

If you are using your Mac, iPhone or iPad, and you want to train your listening and speaking skills, you can make it talk to you in different ways with it's built-in Text-to-Speech abilities. The easiest one is using the simple text editor TextEdit. Set the cursor to where you would like it to start, and from the Edit menu, select 'Speech', then 'Start Speaking'. You could also open system preferences and go into 'Speech setting' to switch it on. It needs fixing, but still comes in handy. Check out these external links for on-line services with virtual assistants : 

http://imtranslator.net/translate-and-speak/

http://www.oddcast.com/home/demos/tts/tts_example.php?sitepal

SOFTWARE FOR SPECIAL NEEDS EDUCATION

Here is our pick among the most promising educational websites on the Irish market. EdTech Educational Software provides a wide range of products for special needs education. A quick rundown on how to improve working memory in children and adults with attention deficit can be achieved having a go at Memory Flex Quest. 

ENGLISH, BABY!

Visit daily for free real conversations about popular culture. Downloadable lessons for iPod or MP4 player. You can chat with people from all over the world or join online forums to practise English while meeting international friends. Cool. Quizzes and vocabulary building lists provided.

LET'S SPEAK SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has just published a multilingual glossary on sustainable construction which contains the English, French, German and Spanish equivalences. Worth revising if you are interested in the subject.

GLOGSTER EDU,- 21st CENTURY MULTIMEDIA TOOL

Glogster EDU is a global education platform where educators and students can create glogs - online multimedia posters- with text, photos, videos, sounds, drawings, attachments and more. Now over 7,000,000 people use it across the world to keep their portfolios, presentations or bookmarks. It expands digital literacy and encourages creative learning. Check out glogs and tutorials in the net. And remember, the word glog was coined in 2007. 

SOUNDS, THE PRONUNCIATION APP

Excellent application by Macmillan, both available at Apple Store and Play Store, to help you study, practise and play with pronunciation. Interactive chart included. Premium version available. Clear your voice and have a shot.

SKYPE IN THE CLASSROOM

Check out this project created by Debating Europe to give students the opportunity to debate with fellow students from other European countries, and learn more about the work of the European Union. Register  through facebook to join the Skype lesson called: What does Europe mean to you?. Do you dare to set up your own lesson? Just let me know. I Would love to.

BRITISH COUNCIL ON iTUNES U

Visit the British Council on iTunes U. You can download or listen to a wide range of audio and video resources from LearnEnglish. Over 150 series of podcasts and videos providing insights into British culture, and listening materials  with free activities that you can do on your computer while you listen, or print out and do whenever you want. Food, sports, environment, jobs, there is a large number of topics available. Worth playing on your iPod, iPad or Mac. 

SPLENDID SPEAKING

A colleague of mine has just recommended this website to practise speaking skills for work or University, and learn new strategies for exams like, BULATS CAE, FCE, CPE, IELTS, TOEFL. You can download free vocabulary quizzes and student interviews, and watch free videos in YouTube.

BBC THE FLATMATES

The Flatmates is a weekly online soap opera for learners of English. If you are a teacher, the resources on the page will help you to exploit the series and its materials in the classroom (lesson plans, cartoon strips and worksheets)

BBC WORDMASTER

Check this game out to test your vocabulary skills. Three levels and thousands of words to practise. Use the clues if you're stuck, and remember to click listen for the right pronunciation. Great fun.

IATE, TERMINOLOGY FOR EUROPE

The IATE open web site is the EU's inter-institutional terminology database, and since 2004, it has been used in the EU institutions and agencies for the shared management of a variety of multilingual entries. Worth visiting. 

URBAN DICTIONARY

Contemporary American slang words and phrases. It includes favourites, word of the day or tv sections. You can write your own definitions.

EDUCATIONAL COMIC STRIP

To support innovation in learning you could use MakeBeliefscomix, which generates comic strips. Do you have any ideas for using it? It encourages writing and reading in a quick and fun way. Both for literacy and ESL.

TOOLS FOR MILLENNIAL LEARNERS

Engaging the newest generation of learners, age 18 to 30, implies a shift from a teacher driven classroom, to a student-driven one. Read Allen & Swindle (2007). Explore the wide range of educational cool tools as Wordle, Screencast-o-matic, Jing, Prezi or Glogster. They will boost your creativity and enhance your writings and presentations with powerful visuals. List your top five tools.

LINGUEE

Lovers of langauages, listen up: Linguee is a translation tool combining a dictionary and a search engine with wihch you can search through bilingual texts for words and expressions. Compared to other online dictionaries, it offers a great variety of contextual translation examples, its frequency and source. SPA, GER, FRE, POR.

OER COMMONS (OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES)

UNESCO claims that the universal access to quality education is key to the building of peace and intercultural dialogue. In 2002 they coined OER to mean teaching and learning materials freely available online. Willing to design resources on your own? Check out Richey & Klein (2007) for Design and Development research. Lane (2010), or Mulder (2011) for further reading.

PEFPI: PORTFOLIO EUROPEO PARA FUTUROS PROFESORES DE IDIOMAS

Circula por ahí un issuu con las subcategorías y los descriptores PEFPI , muy útil no sólo para los profesores que están iniciando su formación. Podéis consultar además la puesta al día del enfoque metodológico del Instituto Cervantes en esta materia. Refrescante.

EPOSTL2: PILOTING AND IMPLEMENTING THE EUROPEAN PORTFOLIO FOR STUDENTS TEACHERS OF LANGUAGES (2008-2011)

Piloting and implementing the European Portfolio for Student Teachers of Languages 

(EPOSTL 2) 2008-2011.

http://coordination.ecml.at/Portals/3/documents/AM1_EPOSTL2_ProjectDescription_ETem.pdf

Further reading: http://epostl2.ecml.at/