ELTWeekly Issue#4, Worldwide ELT news

The English language is going to the dogs – The Japan Times

On Friday nights, I teach private English lessons to five people and three dogs. The dogs are good students: They are very quiet and never bark or interrupt. They always come to class well-groomed, wearing smart looking T-shirts and dresses. Absenteeism is rare, with just one absence due to a veterinary visit.

For the most part, the dogs sleep right through class, making it similar to teaching high-school students. The only difference is that they are blissfully sleeping in the arms of their owners. All the dogs are small and fit conveniently into the crooks of their owners’ arms. But since this makes it difficult for the owners to write anything down, I wonder why they don’t use baby slings.

Read more here: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20090103td.html

(LC) SCHOOLS: Enhancing lessons with technology – nstOnline

TEACHERS can enhance students’ learning experience in the classroom by integrating technology into lessons.

However, many may feel unprepared to do so or even support students who incorporate it into their schoolwork.

Intel Corp has been training teachers to use technology in the classroom successfully under its Intel Teach programme.

In this course, teachers learn from their peers about incorporating technology into lesson plans with a focus on developing students’ thinking skills.

Read more here: http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Sunday/Advanced/2442282/Article/index_html

Taoyuan County hosts ‘English-language villages’ – Taiwan News

The latest craze to hit Taiwan’s elementary schools is learning English by staying at a “language village”- a formula originating in South Korea.Taoyuan County is the host of Taiwan’s first three English villages, where fifth-graders get the chance to practice their English in a real-life context, as if they were really sightseeing and shopping overseas.

Read more here: http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=824901?=eng_news

Language games — English And otherwise — sharpen the tongue – JCOnline

Believe me, I’d rather be playing Call of Duty: World at War than My Word Coach, because in the online version of “World at War,” I just earned my level-65 general stripes, and that means I finally get to burn up Nazis with a flamethrower. Fire!

But I’ve written enough about “World at War” lately, and not enough about Wii and DS teaching games like My Word Coach, which is a nice break from virtual death, and it delivers exactly what the title promises.

Read more here: http://www.jconline.com/article/20090101/COLUMNISTS21/901010304

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