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Independent entry – Jamie Keddie Initiated in February 2008 by teacher Jamie Keddie, TEFLclips.com is a non-commercial project that aims to explore the possibilities that YouTube and other video sharing sites offer to language teachers and language learners. Through a series of articles and lesson plans which serve to demonstrate diverse principles of using video in the language classroom, TEFLclips.com has become a popular resource for practising teachers of English and other languages. The creation and uploading of original video content is now underway. This includes instructional videos and clips of classroom techniques for teachers, as well as self-help and language practice videos for learners. Judge's comments: “Some very engaging videos selected and varied useful lesson materials. An excellent resource to bring into the classroom”. ........................................................................................................................................
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Cambridge English Online – Adrian Illingworth Sound Choice is the first, free, computer-based quiz package designed specifically for blind and visually impaired learners of English as a foreign language, providing a more accessible and inclusive learning experience. Sound Choice enables schools, training organizations or individuals to make fun, interactive audio quizzes simply and quickly for both online and offline use across a wide range of subjects. A complete, user-friendly, authorable quiz package, Sound Choice includes built-in feedback, scoring and results. Users don’t need to worry about coding or design; all they need to do is record the questions and answers, then Sound Choice does the rest. Judge's comments: "I enjoyed making the quizzes very much. It was easy to add the sound files and choose the questions. A very useful resource, not just for visually-impaired learners. What it does is tremendous ... I am impressed with it". ........................................................................................................................................
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The Consultants – E – Gavin Dudeney EduNation is a set of three virtual islands in the virtual world Second Life, dedicated to education, training, distance and blended learning, and EFL & ESL teacher development. The project combines free teaching spaces for educators, free teaching tools, pedagogical and technical support, and development opportunities through free training seminars and structured courses. On EduNation, we also organise and host the free annual 'SLanguages' conference for educators interested in language teaching and teacher training in multi-user virtual environments. In 2008 the conference saw 24 hours of simultaneous talks by 22 speakers, with an audience of over 350 from 28 countries. Judge's comments: “It takes the latest technology and applies it to the needs of educators and learners in an accessible and sensible way”. ........................................................................................................................................
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Mary Glasgow Magazines – Sarah Johnson, Sarah Bromley, Peter Mahnke Magazines Plus is an online English environment where 11-18 year-old language learners can use English for real, meaningful communication. Students use social networking to chat with other learners of their age and can share opinions on news stories written at their language level of English. For over fifty years Mary Glasgow has published lively and engaging magazines for teenage language students. Magazines Plus brings their teen-focused language materials up to date for the twenty first century by making use of the collaborative and interactive capabilities of Web 2.0 to allow teenagers to use English for a real and rewarding purpose. Judge's comments: “I am particularly impressed with how the kids interact online. The general sense of the site is not about accurate use of language but using English just as a tool for young people to chat with each other”. ........................................................................................................................................
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Macmillan Education – Anna Cowper, Andy Roberts, Henry Emery, James Greenan In March 2008 the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) introduced legislation requiring all pilots and air traffic controllers working in international airspace to have a standard level of English. Designed to the ICAO descriptors, Aviation English presents language, vocabulary and communication skills around 12 non-routine aviation situations. It coaches students to react fluently, clearly, and, most importantly, intelligibly. The Student’s Book comes with a CD-ROM with unique computer animations, further practice and audio as an mp3 download, and the Macmillan English Dictionary Pronunciation CD-ROM. The Teacher’s Book provides thorough guidance for those less familiar with the aviation industry, and photocopiables. Judge's comments: “Well-structured and extremely well-written course for pilots and air traffic controllers. I liked how it was topic based with a language development section at the end of each unit”. ........................................................................................................................................
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Cambridge University Press – Maria Pylas, Caroline Nixon, Michael Tomlinson Are you looking for a fun, innovative way to teach English to young learners? Bring your classes to life with this fantastic new interactive DVD! Bursting with stimulating activities including songs, quizzes and classroom games, the DVD is fully supported by a Teacher’s Booklet with a wealth of ideas and extension activities. Designed for use with a DVD player, interactive whiteboard or computer and projector, the Kid’s Box DVD is the ideal way to reinforce target language in a fun and memorable way. Judge's comments: “This is an excellent resource for children’s teachers. Simple to navigate and with all the necessary elements for young learner classroom engagement”. ........................................................................................................................................
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BBC Learning English – Callum Robertson Pronunciation tips is a collection of free practical internet resources for students and teachers of English. There are videos, quizzes, audio and a range of activities that provide information and develop awareness of features of English pronunciation. The materials can be accessed online or downloaded for use at any time. The most recent addition is an authoritative video guide to pronouncing 44 individual sounds of English. It introduces the phonetic symbols representing the sounds, and demonstrates the production of each sound through modelled words. Each video offers the viewer a simultaneous double angle view of the production of English sounds. Judge's comments: “Dynamic and up-to-date environment and materials – very necessary in today’s business world. This is a great resource for the itinerant business teacher”. ........................................................................................................................................
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Pearson Education – Ian Wood, Jennifer Sagala, Nicola Ripley iTests.com offers online exam practice with a difference! Interactive tests for internationally-recognised English-as-a-foreign-language exams such as IELTS and Cambridge ESOL’s First Certificate in English can be taken on the site at any time and give automatic marks and feedback. Score charts record students’ progress helping them to diagnose areas of weakness, while the bite-size organisation of content allows them to efficiently remediate those specific weaknesses. iTests.com’s faithful reproduction of the official exam board test interface, navigation and marking criteria prepares students for the genuine level of the exam and the real test experience. Judge's comments: “This is a useful website which many students – and teachers – will be thankful to have… Having this resource online also makes it practical for today’s modern people”. ........................................................................................................................................
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Cambridge University Press – Chris Capper, Chris Willis, Brendan Wightman Professional English Online offers support and inspiration for Business English and ESP teachers. News and views: keep up-to-date with the world of professional English, hear what leading names have to say on a range of Business English/ESP topics and find in-depth articles on what really matters in professional English today. Practical help: find ready-to-use activities from ELT specialists and download extra resources to support our Business English/ESP titles, including worksheets, wordlists, lesson plans and more. Have your say: share your views on today’s Business English/ESP issues or enter our monthly competition to win free books. Judge's comments: “Dynamic and up-to-date environment and materials – very necessary in today’s business world. This is a great resource for the itinerant business teacher”. ........................................................................................................................................
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BBC Learning English – Catherine Chapman Face Up to Phrasals works within the fast-moving, fun, community-driven environment of Facebook to deliver meaningful opportunities for learners to improve their understanding and use of a range of everyday phrasal verbs. Week by week, an illustrated dialogue is built up line by line, as a photo album in the BBC Learning English Facebook area. Each episode contains a single phrasal verb: presented in context, the meaning, grammar and use of each phrasal verb is explored. Learners are able to not only practise using the phrasal verb but also participate in the 'Face Up...' community by posting comments about the language, characters and story. Judge's comments: “The use of the Facebook format as the basis of language teaching is highly original and the production quality is excellent”. ........................................................................................................................................
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Teachit (UK) Ltd – Siobhain Archer, Katie Green, Lucy Palmer Teachitworld.com offers online ELT resources created by teachers, who receive royalties for published work. Resources are free in PDF format and can be printed or displayed electronically, but for a small subscription members have access to editable versions. Teachitworld also provides interactive material, based on teaching needs, not technical know-how. Members can even make their own onscreen activities using our ‘Whizzy’ tools. Resources can be saved, organised and annotated within the ‘My Teachitworld’ filing system. Teachitworld’s libraries include an image bank and an audio library. We also publish weekly topical lessons to accompany selected pages from The Week magazine. Judge's comments: “This is a lovely site. Clearly organised and materials looked good and effective. They are bound to be a help to many teachers … would score highly on practicality and effectiveness”. ........................................................................................................................................
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Oxford University Press – Diana Lee No two words are exactly the same – this is the learner’s thesaurus that explains the difference. Each entry takes a group of two to twelve near-synonyms in frequency order, and shows the differences between them in terms of meaning, grammar, register and collocations. Each synonym is given its own definition and example sentences, with clear guidance on usage. 4000+ notes help learners choose between very close synonyms, selecting the best word for the context. The thesaurus covers 17,000+ words from written and spoken British and American English. The CD-ROM includes the complete thesaurus, exercises and Topic Maps. Judge's comments: “This is a very useful and practical thesaurus. I liked the Thesaurus trainer and the fact that it is accompanied by a CD ROM with activities”. ........................................................................................................................................
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