WEBINAR ALERT!! Pearson ELT Jennifer Ledbedev of Youtube February 14, 2013!!

5 Tried and True Tips for Teaching Grammar

Thursday, 14 February 2013, 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM (GMT) Dublin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, London

Learn five basic tips for achieving a successful presentation of any grammar point. Attendees will also have the opportunity to discuss various challenges in teaching grammar and exchange strategies for overcoming those difficulties.

Jennifer Ledbedev Jennifer Lebedev has taught English as a foreign and second language since 1996. She has been working online as an instructor and content creator since 2007. Her Pearson-sponsored blog won the 2010 EDDIE Award in the category of ESL Website Blog. As JenniferESL on YouTube, she has gained over one hundred thousand subscribers worldwide, and in 2011 her channel was recognized in YouTube's "On the Rise" contest. Jennifer has presented at TESOL independently and by invitation. She is a co-author of the Vocabulary Power series and contributed materials to New Password. Click the link below to register! Best, #mr.ford http://mt204.sabameeting.com/main/Customers/pearson/Registrar/NewRegistration.jsp?event_id=00000002798ffb013c079f17670079b2&source=

APP ALERT!! SimpleMind free mind mapping

     Mind mapping is an essential in any paragraph planning.  SimpleMind free mind mapping is the easiest and most reliable of free mind maps available in Google Play.  Use different colors, borders, and lines to create a very effective brainstorming tool. With easy cut and paste, edit, and sharing options (paid version), this app makes mapping easy to do on your personal mobile device.

Best,
#mr.ford 

A Black Single Mom Abroad by Rakysha Raysor

 

 

As a single mom, I get so many surprised looks when I tell people that I taught English in Spain last year and I actually brought my  two children along with me. As soon as they hear about my experience I always get the same two questions:

 

First, why would I leave a pretty stable life to do something like this? It was the right time in my life, my kids were at a great age(11 and 9) and I had a career that I could come back to, so I decided to go for it.  However, I think the most important deciding factor was that we all really wanted it. I have always wanted to live abroad and my kids were up for the adventure.

 

Secondly, how did I do it?. To start, I simply Googled “single mom teaching English abroad” and went from there. I had to weed  through a lot dead-ends and roadblocks but I just kept going. I finally found a program through the Ministry of Education in Spain that didn't restrict bringing children along. However,  they didn't provide any additional assistance for bringing children and I had to do all the visa paperwork,  register my kids in school  and find housing myself, so it was a lot of work. Also, I had to have all of my custody papers and agreements in order, that is a dealbreaker, you can't get a visa without it.

 

Despite all the challenges, I can say without a doubt, it was worth it. I loved teaching and working with the kids there. It was an amazing life changing experience.  We traveled all over Europe and got to see life from a different point of view. My kids got to see firsthand that different doesn't equal wrong, for that alone, I would do it again in minute.

 

To any parents who are interested in teaching abroad, having kids does not mean the end of your dream; if anything bringing them a long will only enhance it. Don't be discouraged by the logistics. If it's something you're passionate about, go for it!

 

 

 

TEFL Scams

    

     If you've been in the TEFL game long enough, chances are you've either been scammed or ran across a scam at least once in your career. Truth is, scams for TEFL are just as common as with anyother online industry. 

    So how do you know if your dream job is a scam or not? Well, first of all, if it sounds to good to be true it probably is.  I once had a job offer in England to privately teach an engineer and his family in exchange for free housing, a NICE salary, and a car of my own to drive.  I was so hungry for work, I didn't think things through clearly and almost lost $1,200 in a scam had it not been for my loving cousin who checked the resources of my offer.  Remember, if it sounds to good to be true than it most definatley is.

    Second, if a possible employee asks for any kinds of money up front beware!  Many scamsters will ask for money during your interview process. For me, after sending copies of my passport, visa, and a contract reimbursement document, my interviewer asked for $1,200 that would be given back to me upon arrival to prove to the governemnt that I would not be a 'burden' on it's society if I became jobless.  Remember, you are going there to make money, NOT give it away.


     Thirdly, never trust an employer who only contacts you solely via email.  Some scammers are very shy when confornting their scammees that they refuse to speak via phone.   If you can't even hear a voice, why would you trust them with your financial well being?

    Do your homework on the company and check their website, or Google them.  A great source of  reliable information for legit TEFL companies is available at Daves ESL Cafe. Also, Craigslist is a good source for international jobs, but beware that there are several scam artists lurking in it's corners as well.  Jobs usually posted on Craigslist are for teachers already in that country who already have a working class visa.  Jobs on Craigslist usually don't do visa sponsprships of any kind. I hope this helps.

Best,
#mr.ford

APP ALERT!! Verbal Reasoning Questions

    

 

 

     It seems like everytime I share a newly discovered app with one particular student of mine, she grows tired of it within a week because she either finds the content too easy or she just gets bored of it all together.  With this in mind, I decided to search Google Play for any kind of reasoning apps and came across a few good ones, but one in particular stood out; Verbal Reasoning Questions. VRQ seeks to improve problem solving skills by focusing on logical reasoning questions, because learning ESL is more than just vocabulary flashcards and grammar apps.  Verbal Reasoning Questions puts into test what a student has already or should have already learned in grammar before entering more intermediate levels of ESL.  This app is appropriate for ESL learner levels 4 and up based on its content.

 

     With 15 catergories of Englsih grammar to cover, this app has it all, including; Spotting Errors, Completing Statements, Idioms and Phrases, Spelling, Sentence Correction, Change of Voice (Active to Passive), and Antonyms. I mean, I like this app so much I actually rated it in Google Play!

 

     The only real downsides to this app other than the annoying adds are, one; you do not have the option  to actually choose the correct answer on your phone or tablet. You have to just guess it aloud or write it down.  This kind of takes a little fun out the app.  And two;  if played on your smartphone, you have to scroll up the entire side of your phone to view all the questions because of the large font. So, this is definately better on your tablet.

 

  I personally like the Ordering of Words catergory the best because too often my students ask me a question in the form of a declarative. This helps them see what I am talking about when I correct them in class.  Downlaod and share!

 

Best,

#mr.ford

 



Do you have to speak another language to teach EFL?

      One of the first questions people ask me when I tell them I used to teach EFL is, "So like, do you have to speak any other languages to teach that?" To be honest, I asked myself  the same question when I left for Shanghai, China on New Year's Day back in 2009.  It's a valid question. The awnser is no. I don't speak any other language than English.  To be totally honest, if you do decide to teach abroad, your employers prefer you not to speak the native language in the classroom. Not only that, but the entire interview is in English. Often times youwill  speak better English than your employer.   Along with that, most of your fellow Americans,  international peers and  native coworkers will have a GREAT handle on speaking English.To be blunt, the fact that you American will put you in a higher pay and social bracket of the natives you will teach.  But rest assure that being able to speak another langauge is a BIG plus for you in explaing things to your students to make certain they understand what is being spoken to them. The only handi cap is that the teacher may sometimes rely almost completely on her second language to teach their class because they feel that now they are better connected to the students.   Speaking the right foreign language will also help you navigate through shops, bars, taxis, and police stations (been there a couple of times).

     So how can you get away with teaching students and adults al foreign language when you can't communicate in any other than your own? The truth is that English is the largest language in the world. 90% of all computer programs in in English before translated into a foreign language. English is the 2nd most spoken language on earth, only behind China because it has 3 billion people.  In a large number of countries and continents, EFL is a means out of poverty and into a business market.  In China, students learn Englsih for an hour in school and spend three to four hours after school at a private English Learning Center you may be teaching at.  Since Communism in China recognizes no religion, the people have not a reason to take a day off of work and send thier children to up to nine hours a weekend at the learning center you may be employed at.  All that is to say that a lot of foreign countries are investing in English as a Foreign Language. So to work in EFL or ESL, you need not speak another language. I hope this helps out.


Best,
#mr.ford

APP ALERT!! Hangman Free for Android

     EVERYONE has played hangman in school. It is one of the firsts school games we played in kindergarten, next to duck duck goose.  Do you remember the enthusiasm that shot through your body as your rasied your hand to guess the next letter?  The sounds of, "Ew, ew, ew, ew, pick me, pick me," rang supreme in the classroom.

    Colorful and basic, why ruin a classic?  Some apps have gone as far as having a real noose around the man's neck, but this one doesn't.  It has a TOEFL section that is sure to be a hit with ESL Learners studying for the TOEFL.  Download the app today in Google Play and share it with  others.

Best,
#mr.ford

APP ALERT!! PDF to Speech

     I downloaded this app yesterday because it sinks with your gmail account in seconds so all your documents on Google Drive are ready to be listened to.

     It doesn't do abbreviations very well and like all speech to pdf apps,  it trips over difficult words.  I would not strongly suggest it for ESL students, but I would for ESL teachers because our ears are naturally trained to listen for mistakes in grammar. The read along as it goes ability is really great.  So it's a great tool for editing students' essays in the car, on the bus, or on a break between classes.  Yes, it's not perfect, but it's FREE and it does what it says.  Download it yourself from Google Play and share.

Best,
#mr.ford

APP ALERT!! iEbonics Slang Dictionary

      For ESL educators, the subject of slang can indeed be a touchy one, 'fo sho.'  Students seem to not want American idioms and slang so much as they want to learn  "black people slang." So when they come to #mr.ford and ask me to hook then up with a little slang, I tell them, "Sure my nizzles, I got ya'll fo shizzles."

     At first glance, this app can present itself in an offensive manner as the cover boasts an unkept brother with horrible grammar teaching a class of white students, but I firmly believe that is for marketing purposes. Surely, ebonics is looked down upon by many African American intellectuals and scholars of English alike. But the old sambo like rationling of misspelled words that at one time was emberassing to black people has now become the language of choice for social media and text; especially in a younger and more social media active generation.  Hip Hop is taking over in Asia, South Africa, the Middle East, and all of Europe. Names like Eminem, Tupac, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, and 50 Cent are most common amongst my incoming students. And all over the world, Ebonics is  becoming more and more popular in texts, merchandise, TV, video, and everday talk.

     The app doesn't have a stop button and this thing is PAINTED with too many adds.  But the terms and definitions are perhaps the most accurate I've seen as of today. I'm not certain yet as to whether or not you are allowed to add terms and definitions, but the developer claims to update the dictionary twice a month. Download it yourself today and see what you think and share.

Best,
#mr.ford

    

DiGix 7-inch Tablet for $100 at RADIO SHACK

DiGix 7-inch Tablet for $100 at RADIO SHACK





    So I went to get my haircut a week ago and my barber told me there would be a thirty minute wait. I decided to wander around the mall and see if there were an early X-mas specials laying around. I wandered into the LAST place on earth I ever thought I would go in a public mall...RadioShack.  As I looked at some of the smartphones, I asked the saleswoman if she had any tablets.  She was totally clueless to what a tablet is (who hires these people?).  We walked over to the check out counter and I noticed a kindle fire and a few other tablets in the glass display case.  Scanning the prices, I noticed there was a tablet for $99.  Now, if you know anything about #mr.ford, you know I am very...frugal when it comes to money and technology, but $100 for a 7-inch tablet? I had to see if it was real. I purchased the thing and took it home with me! 

 

    I really do a lot of work from my smartphone and latop, so I really wasn't sure if  I needed  a tablet at all at first. But for a hundred dollars, why not, eh?  And compared to the already super low priced Nexus 7 tablet, this was a steal.   I'm not big (right now) on storage and all that other technical jargon. Just give me something that does what it says.  I was able to download all my free and paid apps via Google Play and they worked fine. There is no dual sided camera, but I'm cool with that. The screen is smooth and the entire tablet fits in my pants' pocket.  I will admit that the return to screen button is a little loud when you push it, but other than that this is a KILLER buy for an ESL educator.  On a side note, since I have been using my new tablet, I will admit, my phone screen does look a lot smaller now.  Check below for all that technical jargon you might want to examine before you buy.

 

Best,

#mr.ford

 

 

 

DiGix



www.digixmedia.com 

 



 

 

Detail

model number Tab-730 Marketing Spec. Processor ALL WINNER A10 Cortex A8 1.2G CPU Mhz Cortex A8 1.2G Display 7''Capacitive touch panel (800x480) OS Android 4.0 Nand Flash 4G-32G RAM 512M-1G Micro SD Card up to 32G Front Camera 0.3 Mega Pixel Back Camera NO 3G NO GPS support BLUE TOOTH NO Wireless Wireless Lan 802.11 b/g/n Mini-HDMI Yes Accelerometer G-sensor I/O Port Micro SD Slot, ,Earphone Jack,Mini USB(OTG) ,Mini-HDMI Battery and power 3.7 v 3000MAH ,Watch Video 3 hours Dimension 198mmx126mmx10.5mm Audio Playback MP3/WMA/WAV/AAC/AAC+ Video Playback AVI（H.264、DIVX、DIVX、XVID）, rm，rmvb， MKV（H.264、DIVX、DIVX、XVID），WMV，MOV，MP4（.H.264、MPEG、DIVX、XVID），DAT（VCD），VOB（DVD），PMP,MPEG，.MPG,， FLV（H.263，H.264），ASF ，TS， TP，3GP，MPG WEIGHT 　 Accessories USB Charger Yes USB Cable Yes Leather sheath Yes (Option) Stylus Yes (Option) earphone Yes (Option) User Manual Yes Warranty Card Yes Function and preload APP Browser Yes VIDEO PLAYER Yes Music Player Yes Camera Yes email Yes Kindle for Android Yes Calculator Yes WIFI SETTING Yes Settings Yes qiuickpic Yes APK Manager Yes Amazone Market Yes Alarm clock Yes CALENDAR Yes Documents to Go Yes Facebook Yes Adobe Reader Yes YouTube Yes skype Yes Twitter Yes 1 MOBILE Yes 1MOBILE GAME Yes Netflix Yes Download Yes Google Search Yes Google Player Yes