When you get home from a conference like IATEFL, it is hard to find the time or recover full-spirit to write posts that truly reflect what we’ve experienced and the highlights of the ELT world. This time, I took the risk to simply tweet what I found relevant. From the tweets, I can now visualize […]
I’ve been a fan of thinglink for a while, and sometimes I just take it for granted that there are many educators out there who haven’t come across it or don’t really know what it does. It is a powerful free app that turns images into interactive spaces for learning. Besides being an mlearning powerhouse, […]
This week I observed a class that made me realize how simple changes can impact on how students interact, learn and do things. The teacher told me about all her challenges with the group, teens that come to English classes just after their regular school hours – sometimes even without eating lunch. She mentioned her […]
Please, don’t get me wrong. In a blog post I wrote about the trap of asking too many questions in the classroom, I make a point in avoiding the many questions we ask, mainly to our teens. However, I know that many educators are now questioning it because, in fact, inquiries in the classroom can […]
Lately, I’ve been following with interest the discussions on coding and how it can help our learners to develop new competencies, critical thinking, collaboration, and, mainly, a culture of trial and error in which failure is seen as a step towards success. I really wish my kids’ school had this vision…However, it doesn’t seem that […]
According to Paul Gee, there are 13 learning principles that we can pick from games, divided in 3 main categories: >>EMPOWERED LEARNERS – Agent/co-design principle: what you do matters, it affects the game – Customization of the experience for the learner; good games allow you to solve problems in different ways; they invite the gamer […]
There has been great backchanneling on the 10th Education Fast Forward Conference. If you are interested in education, what is happening around and its future, don’t miss the latest posts and resources the educational community is sharing on Twitter, Facebook, blogs, G+ . Look for the hashtag #EFF10 #eff10 Tweets EFF10 on Facebook
I had the pleasure to be in Goiânia for a talk sponsored by Richmond to talk to local teachers about the trends in Ed Tech. It was a very pleasant morning with a group of motivated and interested educators. Here’s the presentation: Ed Tech Hot Topics in ELT from Carla Arena As I pointed out […]
Conferences are made of connections, gatherings, new acquaintances. The BrazTESOL International Conference in João Pessoa was no different, except that it was totally different for me. The premises of the Bilingual School Cidade Viva were amazing, with great infrastructure for an international event. The people working there had a special vibe, very solicitous always, and […]
As an educator and teacher trainer, I always suffer from FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). I’m sure we all do in a way or the other, when we say how fast our kids grow, how short time is compared to all we have to do, how much we have to learn with so much on […]
The art of presenting is one that challenges us, educators. We are always finding ways to refine our skills, not only to make the classroom experience a more significant one, but also to share what we do and learn with others. One year ago exactly I wrote a post, Manifesto for Conference Presenters after attending […]
I could be here focusing on the interesting ideas that I learned from presenters in the TESOL Conference 2014, but having the snapshots, quick notes I took during some sessions, might give you the chance to come across interesting references, links and people that will inspire you. Some topics that caught my attention: Many Intersections […]
From Social to Learning from Carla Arena Besides the mLearning colloquium TESOL Interstection Session (EFL-IS/CALL-IS), “Experiences Integrating Mobile Learning in Language Classrooms Around the Globe”, I’ve had the great satisfaction to be part of a colloquium on Social Networking in ELT in which we had the chance to highlight uses and the history of social networking […]
TESOL 2014: From Mobile to Learning from Carla Arena My presentation in TESOL 2014 was part of a great multicultural colloquium about mlearning contexts around the world. Even in such different contexts, such as in the US, India and Japan, there’s still so much in common, mainly in terms of iPad rollout programs and infrastructure […]
I’ve just come across this wonderful resource for any educator trying to meaningfully use iPads in the classroom or planning to do so. What I loved about the site is that though it is run by the REMC Association of Michigan, it is Creative Commons licensed and it can be used as a training program […]
I’ve been following with interest some conference hashtags on Twitter. One that has caught my attention and directed to wonderful resources and conversations was #lfl2014 In one of the live blogging posts with her Storify embedded in it, Kate Wilson digs into a handful of insightful views and diverse opportunities to explore the possibilities of […]
You may have come across online photo editors, but this one is super cool intuitive, very user-friendly, really. Give it a try . What I love about Pixlr besides all its fun features, photo edition and enhancements, it has an app for android and iOS devices. Whether is on your computer or in your […]
I have an aunt, tia Mercês, who is incredible passionate and knowledgeable about everything art-design-related. She is all for building local communities of artisans to make their lives a decent one that goes much beyond survival. She wants to empower people through their skills, traditions and passions. Yesterday, she sent me some some stunning […]
I’ve been following at a distance but with close interest the movement around rhizomatic learning and more recently what Dave Cormier and the gang have been up to in the MOOC #rhizome14 . I just wish my day had so many hours… No matter the fact that I haven’t been able to join the group, […]
Soon, we will have another BrazTESOL Brasilia seminar for the local educational community. The main topic of our seminar is “Teaching in a Brave New World”, which entices me to connect it to what I’ve been talking about in my presentations, the need for us, teachers, to explore new digital possibilities in the classroom without […]