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Please find below shortlisted entries for the Innovation Awards 2007:
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Help your students improve their exam performance by recommending the Longman Exams Dictionary. This is the only dictionary written specifically to help advanced students, with 212,000 words, phrases and meanings. It helps students expand and vary their vocabulary, improve their essay writing skills and is the only dictionary to include the Academic Wordlist. The Writing Handbook in the centre of the dictionary helps students improve their academic writing skills. The Topic Activator helps students learn vocabulary for key exam topics such as the environment, computers and the media. The Essay Activator helps them improve and vary their vocabulary for essay writing and includes examples from academic texts. The Longman Exams Coach on CD-ROM provides an innovative exam practice tool that goes far beyond any other dictionary CD-ROM and offers over 35 hours of interactive exam practice – including over 3 hours of listening practice – for FCE, CAE, TOEIC® and TOEFL®. ---------------------------------------------------------- 
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The Consultants-E ‘ICT in the Classroom’ online course aims to provide teachers with practical, hands-on experience of how to start using ICT (Information and Communications Technology) in their own teaching. The course looks at a range of useful technology-related skills and tools which are immediately applicable in the classroom. The course runs entirely online in Moodle, over a period of 10 weeks (total 50 hours). Participants learn to use current ICT tools, such as social bookmarking, blogs, WebQuests, text and audio chat, wikis, and podcasting. The course is hands-on, and directly related to classroom practice - participants produce and share short plans to use these ICT tools with their own classes, throughout the course. We have already successfully trained participants from over 15 countries on three previous iterations of this course –asked whether they would recommend this course to colleagues, all of our past participants say yes! ----------------------------------------------------------
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Language on the Go for people on the Go! Gapfillers is an innovative way of delivering language content using the latest technology carried in your pocket or on your PC! - Vocabulary delivered daily via sms
- 5 minute grammar quizzes every weekday
- RSS feeds to alert users to the latest additions
- Blogs and wikis to engage users in adding content to the site
- Podcasts to carry the learning away
- A common room to ‘chat’ or join an online forum
- Option to send writing for marking via email
The site aims to make language practice as easy and immediate as possible. From an invaluable 10 to 15 minutes ‘language fix’ daily for those who simply haven’t the time to access banks of material to engage learners in effective, in-depth learning. The site provides learners with the opportunity to take their language to another level and join a truly international network! ----------------------------------------------------------
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English Language Teaching for Primary Sector via Video Conferencing (VC) for Universities in Palestinian Territories’ was a highly successful teacher-training project delivered in 2005 from Britain to universities in Palestine: Al Quds Open University, Birzeit University and An Najah University. It was an academic collaboration between British ELT specialists and fellow Palestinian practitioners. British ELT experts prepared specific teacher-training input that was broadcast via VC in eight monthly sessions. The video-conferencing module reached traditionally disadvantaged learners and, on a low value-for-money budget, empowered Year-3 Palestinian English Philology students who – upon graduation - will be better equipped to cope with the challenges of primary ELT teaching. The course also provided both British and Palestinian tutors not only with new transferable skills, but also meaningful continuous professional development. ----------------------------------------------------------
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Lippy and Messy ABC is an innovative 26-part TV series for children, which teaches English along with the letters of the alphabet. The eponymous heroes, a mischievous boy-clown Messy and a talkative girl-clown Lippy go through amusing adventures (each episode is 4 minutes long) and each time they learn new words, a new letter of the alphabet and at least one original song. They interact with a third character, Wizzy (The Wizard of Words), who conjures up situations and contexts to explain new language. While children see Lippy & Messy as entertainment, parents appreciate it as attractive language education. The series is available on DVD, accompanied by an illustrated song book, stickers, a colouring book and guidelines for teachers and parents. Created at Bell Krakow for Polish Public Television (TVP) Lippy & Messy ABC is performed by native speakers and is entirely in English. Lippy & Messy ABC is one in a series of four, the others being: Lippy & Messy, Lippy and Messy: Do-Be-Do and Lippy & Messy: Go-Go-Go |
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Seminar Skills 2: Discussions is an interactive CD-ROM designed to help international students improve their academic discussion skills. The material is based around high-quality digital video recordings of university seminar discussions from a variety of university departments. There are extracts from lively discussions and debates in the humanities and social sciences, as well as from problem solving seminars in the sciences. This is the ideal resource to help students build their confidence and prepare themselves for the realities of academic seminars. Navigating through the material has been made as easy as possible, and the CD contains hundreds of varied exercises to help students learn and practise the kinds of language functions, vocabulary and communicative skills they will need. We have also made sure to provide students with transcripts of all the clips, as well as a cross-referencing dictionary and plenty of useful and informative feedback on the listening tasks. |
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Language Plants are colourful, grammatical materials. They take the best bits of Mind Maps, collocation and grammar boxes, and incorporate syntax structure. Language plants are both beautiful and useful - a lovely alliance. Imagine a tree, its branches, composed of words, spreading out. You're imagining a language plant. And now they're interactive! This CD, Language Gardening, uses language plants extensively. It is fully interactive, with a myriad of different activities, suitable for all ages. There are 4 levels, from post-beginner to upper-intermediate, and over 120 hours of teaching material. Each lesson focuses on a syntax structure. Listen to a poem, then complete a drag and drop gapfill, like a jigsaw puzzle made of language; colour words; become involved with the language; even make your own plants. ----------------------------------------------------------
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Splendid Speaking is an online self-study course for advanced learners of English that teaches speaking skills and easy-to-remember communication strategies for real-life speaking situations. Two volumes (“Introductions and Small Talk” and “Powerful Presentations”) explore twelve key strategies used by effective speakers, making it ideal for adults in work or study, as well as candidates for CAE, CPE, BEC Higher and IELTS. Learners of English are often frustrated by the lack of opportunity to practise their speaking skills. The Splendid Speaking website provides a chance to listen to podcasts of learners doing speaking tasks, and join a community of learners wishing to practise their speaking skills using low-cost internet telephony systems. Praises: - "excellent preparation for the speaking exam" (Vucosava, Portugal)
- “a remarkable opportunity to become more fluent and confident in English" (Daniela, Brazil)
- “taking advantage of Skype is a brilliant and innovative idea" (Ekaterina, Bulgaria)
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Intelligent Business is a three-level business English course written in conjunction with The Economist magazine. It features a range of components that give teachers the flexibility to create business English programmes tailored to their students’ needs, whether they need to “Learn Business” or “Do Business”. The “Learn Business” component comprises the topic based coursebook which provides an introduction to key business concepts using authentic materials from The Economist. It is ideal for students who are learning business English, but don’t have an extensive knowledge of the business world. The “Do Business” component is made up of a Skills Book and interactive CD-ROM. It is a shorter course that provides intensive training in key business skills for students who are in work, or have a knowledge of business. The CD-ROM includes a range of materials for self-study, including video. Both components can be used together to provide a more extensive course.
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Blockbuster is a dynamic, modern, four-level series for teenage learners of English. Based on the latest methodology, the series utilizes a multi-dimensional approach to language learning. The course takes as its basic premise that any foreign language course should ultimately lead towards effective communication in all its forms. As a result the structure of the material places great emphasis on the practical application of the language to be learned. In doing so, it adheres to the principles of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Each level consists of a Student’s Book, Teacher’s Manual, Workbook and Grammar Book, Class & Student’s CDs, Test Booklet, My Language Portfolio, Board Games/Posters, CD ROM and website resources providing multiple learning opportunities. As commented by one of the many teachers using it: “Kids seem to love it…behave better in class as they are not bored…the material is GREAT! It explains itself, it’s really varied…"
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The Cambridge Grammar of English is a major new reference grammar for any serious learner or user of the English language. Using ground-breaking language research, it offers clear explanations of spoken and written English based on real everyday usage. The accompanying CD-ROM makes the book even more accessible with: - the whole book in handy, searchable format;
- audio recordings of all example sentences and utterances from the book;
- links to Cambridge Dictionaries Online for instant definitions of new vocabulary.
Praises: - ‘…the most significant book to be published in this field for a very long time… in a word exceptional.’
Roger Hunt, International House Journal - ‘This new grammar of English is so welcome and so liberating… it’s a stepping stone towards creating more self-aware, confident and precise users of English.’
Geoff Barton, Times Educational Supplement - ‘…a benchmark’ for future publications of this kind.’
J. A. Foley, RELC Journal
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Footprints for Early Years has been specially designed by teachers for young language learners, using the power of the interactive whiteboard. Its wide appeal means it can be used for EFL or in mainstream education.
Young children love the fun and excitement of Footprints. Inspiring multimedia activities bring the thirty learning themes to life in stages, progressing from introduction through to production. Colourful images and lively animations, along with voting, music and audio – all help actively engage the learners.
Everything you need to teach is together, embedded in flipcharts, whole group activities, worksheets, audio, games and animations – and it can all be operated by teachers and learners alike.
Praises: - ‘The children really like these materials. They think they are playing - I know they are learning.’
Roger Carter, Rosjoskolan School, Stockholm, Sweden - ‘Activities are colourful and varied – really encourage the children to get involved.’
Anthony Smith, Sunderland High Junior School, UK
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