Using ICT in support of language teaching and learning

The European Centre for Modern Languages is launching a series of 48 national training and consultancy workshops . The workshops which are hosted in member states offer a wide range of European expertise in language education and are adapted to the concrete needs and specific contexts within individual countries. This year represents the highest ever number of events organised according to this format by the ECML and reflects the increasing popularity of the Centre’s training and consultancy activities.

25 of the events will take place within the framework of the “Innovative methodologies and assessment in language learning” cooperation action between the ECML and the European Commission. These activities, covering member states of the ECML and the European Union, focus on Relating language curricula, tests and examinations to the Common European Framework of Reference (RELANG), Supporting Multilingual Classrooms and Use of ICT in support of language teaching and learning

The other 23 events targeting the member states of the ECML focus on the following areas: Action research communities, CLIL and beyond – pluriliteracies, Language for work, Language of schooling in subject learning, Plurilingual and intercultural approaches (CARAP/FREPA), The ROADMAP – a self-assessment tool to foster school development, Setting up learning environments where modern languages flourish.

The events combine professional input from the ECML and expertise in the member state to initiate quality developments – the workshops can assist in change processes in language education at local, regional and national levels. The first of the events, a RELANG workshop, will take place at the Lithuanian National Agency for Education in Vilnius on 7-9 March.

A series of national workshops will take place within the “Innovative methodologies and assessment in language learning” cooperation action between the ECML and the European Commission. The RELANG, Supporting Multilingual Classrooms and ICT-REV workshops will be hosted in the following countries:

RELANG: Albania, Armenia, Czech Republic, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Portugal and Romania. For more details on workshop dates and venues, please visit the RELANG event page. RELANG focuses on relating foreign/second language curricula, tests and examinations to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Supporting Multilingual Classrooms: Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, Ireland, Lithuania, Montenegro, Portugal, Serbia, Slovak Republic and Sweden. For more details on workshop dates and venues, please visit the Supporting Multilingual Classrooms event page. Supporting Multilingual Classrooms focuses on the linguistic integration of migrant learners in schools across Europe.

ICT-REV: Armenia, Croatia, Cyprus, Germany and Poland. For more details on workshop dates and venues, please visit the ICT-REV event page. ICT-REV promotes a pedagogically-based use of ICT tools and open resources in support of quality language teaching and learning, including online and blended learning settings.

The ECML offers its member states European expertise in language education adapted to the concrete needs and specific contexts within individual countries.

On 26 January 2023, seven training and consultancy (TaC) teams exchanged their experience in the field of:

• Action research communities,
• CLIL and beyond – pluriliteracies,
• Language for work,
• Language of schooling in subject learning,
• Plurilingual and intercultural approaches (CARAP/FREPA),
• The ROADMAP - a self-assessment tool to foster school development,
• Setting up learning environments where modern languages flourish (online presentation),

focusing on highlights, challenges and learning opportunities, and conclusions for 2023 activities.

The network meeting with the local organisers from Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Slovak Republic and Slovenia took place on 27 January. The participants got an overview of the TaC offers and their benefits from previous experience, national contexts and needs, and the ECML support provided. Individual meetings took place for local organisers with the TaC teams to discuss the organisation and arrangements of their national events planned this year.

In 2023 the ECML will conduct 23 training events in 17 member states:

Action research communities (ARC):	Luxembourg, Montenegro, Norway
Language for work (LfW):	Luxembourg
Plurilingual and intercultural approaches (FREPA):	Greece, Malta, Serbia, Slovak Republic
Supporting the language(s) of schooling (ROADMAP):	France, Germany, Poland
CLIL and beyond:	Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, NorthMacedonia, Poland
Language of schooling in subject learning (LiS):	Malta, Slovenia, Belgium
Setting up learning environments where modern languages flourish (EOL):	Armenia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece

 

In addition, up to 25 workshops will be organised in ECML and EU member states through the Centre’s cooperation action with the European Commission – these will be announced shortly.

 

• More information on the ECML training and consultancy offer

Photo gallery

        

   

 

 

 

The European Centre for Modern Languages of the Council of Europe together with the European Commission are launching a new round of workshops within the joint action on Innovative methodologies and assessment in language learning focusing on the following initiatives:

• RELANG – Relating language curricula, tests and examinations to the Common European Framework of Reference

• Supporting Multilingual Classrooms

• ICT-REV – Using ICT in support of language teaching and learning

The activities are scheduled to take place between end of February and mid-December 2023, the three initiatives offering up to 23 national workshops during this period.

The call is open to current European Union member states and the additional member states of the ECML until 6 January 2023.

For further information, please contact Adelina Rosca (adelina.rosca@ecml.at), the ECML-EU cooperation agreement coordinator.

 

Date: 17-18 November 2022
Venue: Herman Teirlinck building of the Flemish authorities, Brussels, Belgium
Local organiser: Fauve Van den Berghe
ECML experts: Joseph Hopkins and Jackie Robbins, Spain
Participants: 26 language teachers of secondary education, teacher trainers and pedagogical counsellors for secondary education

The ECML’s workshop offers valuable tips & tricks on the Use of ICT in support of language teaching and learning. Knowing the inventory of ICT tools and open educational resources of ECML is a must for every teacher (educator) in the field of language education. Particularly beneficial is that the ECML constantly updates the inventory, so it is never outdated with old or dead links. Existing tools that change their policy and no longer offer useful free educational options are deleted from the list. A simple search tool allows the user to find the digital tools that best serve the goals he or she has in mind for a class.

The added value of this hands-on workshop is that different ICT tools are actually being tried out in small groups of participants through the creation of new digital language content. By doing so, participants discover – with the professional guidance and support of experienced ECML trainers – what are the do’s and don’ts and which are the conditions for making effective digital learning take place.

Fauve Van den Berghe

• More information about the ECML training and consultancy for member States “Use of ICT in support of language learning and teaching – ICT-REV”

 

Flemish version

Deze ECML-workshop biedt waardevolle tips & tricks voor het gebruik van digitale leermiddelen in een taalles. De inventory of ICT tools and open educational resources of ECML is een must-know voor elke beginnende of ervaren leraar of teacher-trainer werkzaam binnen talenonderwijs. Bijzonder handig is dat ECML de inventaris permanent screent en updatet, waardoor oude of niet-werkende links tijdig verwijderd worden en de lijst steeds actueel blijft. Bestaande ICT-tools die hun beleid veranderen en hun gratis educatieve opties na verloop van tijd beperken, worden uit de lijst verwijderd. Via een eenvoudige zoekfunctie kan de gebruiker digitale tools vinden die het best beantwoorden aan de doelstellingen die hij voor een les in gedachten heeft.

De toegevoegde waarde van de praktijkgerichte workshop is dat verschillende ICT-tools daadwerkelijk worden uitgeprobeerd in kleine groepen van deelnemers die samen nieuwe digitale content creëren voor een taalles. Hierdoor ontdekken de deelnemers – onder de professionele begeleiding van ervaren ECML-trainers – wat do's en don'ts zijn bij het vormgeven van digitale inhoud en wat de voorwaarden zijn om effectief digitaal taal-leren te laten plaatsvinden.

Fauve Van den Berghe

 

 

 

Date and venue of the event: 14-15 October 2022, Podgorica, Montenegro
Local organiser: Marija Mijušković, Faculty of Philology, University of Montenegro
ECML experts: Martina Emke, Germany; Ursula Stickler, United Kingdom
Participants: 22 foreign languages (English, Italian, German) from primary and secondary schools and university teachers from the Faculty of Philology of the University of Montenegro

Montenegrin foreign language teachers, who were participants of the ICT-REV workshop, learnt how to individualise teaching and training modules using available ICT tools and open educational resources for language teaching. They became more aware of their needs in terms of continuing professional development. They were shown ways of pursuing this development individually and via the initiation of local or regional clusters of multipliers.

After the workshop we had in Montenegro, our teachers can now use the training activities, materials and other resources. The teachers learned that effectively blending pedagogical principles with technology is crucial for creating successful language learning activities. With this workshop, the trainers raised awareness of the needs of language teachers and teacher trainers. This workshop greatly impacted the participants, who understood the seminar’s role in their professional development and its impact on their students’ general knowledge and digital skills. The need for professional development and the integration of pedagogy and technology use will increase the digital literacy of language teachers. The participants are now ready to support their colleagues in raising awareness of the importance of integrating pedagogy and technology. 

We warmly recommend and encourage all language teachers, teacher trainers and language policymakers to participate in this useful workshop. The ECML moderators prepared the event very carefully, delivering information in an extremely sound, logical and pedagogical way, exchanging ideas, thoughts and opinions with the participants with clarity and purpose.

Marija Mijušković

• More information about the ECML training and consultancy for member States “Use of ICT in support of language learning and teaching - ICT-REV”

 

Montenegrin version

Integracija tehnologije, digitalnih alata i resursa u nastavi stranih jezika u Crnoj Gori

Nastavnici stranih jezika iz Crne Gore, koji su bili učesnici ICT-REV radionice, naučili su kako da koriste module nastave koristeći dostupne ICT alate i resurse za nastavu stranog jezika. Postali su svjesniji svojih potreba u pogledu kontinuiranog stručnog usavršavanja.

Nakon radionice koju smo imali u Crnoj Gori, naši nastavnici sada mogu koristiti aktivnosti, materijale i resurse sa kojima su upoznati na obuci. Naučili su da je kombinovanje pedagoških principa sa tehnologijom ključno za kreiranje savremenijih i naprednijih aktivnosti koje su neophodne u nastavi stranih jezika. Ovom radionicom treneri su podigli svijest o potrebama nastavnika jezika i trenera za nastavnike. Potreba za profesionalnim razvojem i integracijom pedagogije i tehnologije uz upotrebu ICT alata povećaće digitalnu pismenost nastavnika jezika. Učesnici su sada spremni da u podižu svijest o važnosti integracije pedagogije i tehnologije i dijele saznanja sa svojim kolegama.

Toplo preporučujemo i podstičemo sve nastavnike jezika, trenere za nastavnike i kreatore jezičke politike da pohađaju ovu radionicu. ECML moderatori su veoma pažljivo pripremili događaj, pružajući informacije na logičan i pedagoški način i razmjenjujući ideje sa učesnicima jasno i svrsishodno.

Marija Mijušković

(Please click on the picture below to see the photo gallery.)

Date: 21st -22 June 2022
Venue: Riga Teika Secondary School, Aizkraukles Street 14, Riga, Latvia
Local organisation: Inga Linde, Latvian Association of Teachers of English (LATE)
ECML experts: Joseph Hopkins, Spain and Sarah Heiser, United Kingdom
Participants: 21 participants - 1 Spanish as a foreign language teacher; 20 English as a foreign language teachers from all regions of Latvia.
From all the participants – 2 were curriculum developers at a national level, 2 – test developers at a national level, 7 – regional methodological board leaders, 4 – teacher trainers and 1 pre-service teacher, University of Latvia student.

 

The ECML workshop “Using ICT in support of language teaching and learning” was held in cooperation with the Latvian Association of Teachers of English (LATE) on 21 -22 June 2022 in Latvia. The workshop was conducted by the ECML experts, Sarah Heiser (UK) and Joseph Hopkins (Spain), and the 21 project participants, the majority of whom were teacher trainers and EFL methodological board leaders from all over Latvia, actively participated in the event.

The workshop provided invaluable insight into the ECML’s resources and there was a great balance between  theory and practice during the event. Project participants praised the ECML experts’ professionalism work and said that the knowledge and skills gained during the course were very useful and applicable for teachers in Latvia. The participants worked out a set of activities on implementing ICT in language teaching and learning that could be adapted to the needs of Latvian EFL teachers.

The project activities encouraged the teachers to develop a cooperation network, and they will participate in follow-up workshops and  present the activities developed during the ICT-REV workshop at the LATE 30^th Anniversary Conference on 17-18 August 2022.

Inga Linde, LATE President

• More information about the ECML training and consultancy for member States “Use of ICT in support of language learning and teaching - ICT-REV”

​*****

Latvian version

Sadarbībā ar Latvijas Angļu valodas skolotāju asociāciju (LAVSA), 2022. gada 21.-22. jūnijā Latvijā notika Eiropas Modernā valodu centra (EMVC) projekts "IKT izmantošana valodu mācīšanas un mācīšanās atbalstam". Semināru vadīja EMVC eksperti Sāra Heizere (Sarah Heiser, Apvienotā Karaliste) un Džozefs Hopkins (Joseph Hopkins, Spānija), un tajā aktīvi piedalījās 21 projekta dalībnieks, no kuriem lielākā daļa ir skolotāji - tālākizglītotāji un valodu metodisko jomu koordinatori no Latvijas.

EMVC seminārs sniedza nenovērtējamu ieskatu EMVC resursos, un pasākuma laikā tika panākts lielisks līdzsvars starp teoriju un praksi. Projekta dalībnieki atzinīgi novērtē EMVC ekspertu profesionalitāti un darbu un atzīst, ka kursa laikā iegūtās zināšanas un prasmes ir ļoti noderīgas un pielietojamas. Dalībnieki ir izstrādājuši materiālu kopumu par IKT izmantošanu valodu mācīšanas un mācīšanās atbalstam, ko var pielāgot valodu skolotāju vajadzībām.

Projekta aktivitātes rosināja skolotājus izveidot sadarbības tīklu, un skolotāji piedalīsies turpmākajos semināros, kā arī  prezentēs projekta laikā izstrādātās aktivitātes Latvijas Angļu valodas skolotāju asociācijas 30. jubilejas konferencē 2022. gada 17.-18. augustā.

Inga Linde, Latvijas Angļu valodas skolotāju asociācijas prezidente

Date: 9 and 10 June 2022
Venue: Foundation Tempus, Belgrade, Serbia
Local organiser: Milena Kostić, Foundation Tempus
ECML experts: Sarah Heiser and Uschi Stickler
Participants: 18 

 

The European Centre for Modern Languages of the Council of Europe and the Foundation Tempus organised an onsite workshop entitled “Use of ICT in support of language teaching and learning (ICT-REV)” on 9 and 10 June 2022.

The participants were foreign language teachers at different educational levels who teach the foreign languages offered within the formal education system in Serbia. The participants were introduced to the ICT tools and open educational resources which can be found here. They exchanged ideas on using them in teaching and integrating them into language learning based on sound pedagogical principles. The participants have developed practical skills which can help them in the professional context. They were introduced to other similar projects and initiatives of the ECML which can open new possibilities for professional development and advancement.

The workshop enabled the participants to discuss topics relevant to their work both with the ECML experts and with their colleagues from other schools and institutions in Serbia. They recognised the applicability of the tools presented in their own professional practice and appreciated the opportunity for getting new ideas and exchanging experiences.

The more detailed information about the project “Use of ICT in support of language teaching and learning” which inspired this workshop, is available on the European Centre for Modern Languages website.

The photos from the workshop are available here.

Milena Kostić

• More information about the ECML training and consultancy for member States "Use of ICT in support of language learning and teaching - ICT-REV"

 

Serbian version

Европски центар за живе језике Савета Европе и Фондација Темпус организовали су 9. и 10. јуна 2022. године радионицу Употреба ИКТ као подршка настави и учењу језика (енгл. Use of ICT in support of language teaching and learning (ICT-REV)).

Учесници на радионици били су наставници страних језика који се у оквиру формалног образовања у Србији уче као први и други страни језик на различитим образовним нивоима.

Они су се упознали за ИКТ алатима и ресурсима у отвореном приступу који се налазе овде, размењивали идеје о томе како да их примене у настави и интегришу у учење језика тако да почивају на адекватним педагошким принципима. Учесници су развили практичне вештине које им могу помоћи у професионалном контексту. Упознали су се са осталим сличним пројектима и иницијативама Центра који им могу отворити нове могућности у погледу професионалног развоја и усавршавања.

Радионица је учесницима обезбедила простор за дискусију о темама важним за њихов рад, како са стручњацима Европског центра за живе језике тако и са колегама из других установа у Србији. Учесници су препознали могућности примене представљених алата у сопственој пракси, а нарочито вредним су сматрали пружену прилику за стицање нових идеја и размену искустава.

Детаљније информације о иницијативи Употреба ИКТ као подршка настави и учењу језика, из којег је потекла ова радионица, доступне су на веб-сајту Европског центра за живе језике.

Овде можете погледати фотографије са радионице.

Milena Kostić

Photo credit: Foundation Tempus, Belgrade

Date, venue, format: 2-3 December 2021, face to face event in Nicosia, Cyprus
Local organiser: Maria Iacovidou, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth of Cyprus
ECML experts: Jackie Robbins, Spain; Pauline Ernest, Spain
Participants: 20 foreign language teachers (mainly English language teachers + Spanish and Russian language teachers), heads of departments, teacher trainers, advisors from both secondary and primary education

 

A number of language teachers in Cyprus from all sectors had the opportunity to participate in the ICT-REV workshop “Using ICT in support of language teaching and learning” so as to include more ICT tools in the teaching, learning and assessment process.

In this two-day workshop the participants were introduced to a number of digital tools and then designed activities according to the trainers’ instructions. The activities were designed to encourage participation and engage learning in the classroom, subsequently enhancing all four skills. Of course, all of this was done in a pedagogically sound way. An  collaborative workspace online was created where teachers could share ideas and good practices and gain new insights into language teaching and learning.

The ECML language experts, Jackie Robbins and Pauline Ernest, who led the workshops offered practical tips for both face to face and distance learning scenarios. The atmosphere during the workshop was positive and quite lively, especially during group work where experiences were shared. All participating teachers commented favourably about both trainers, saying that they were extremely efficient, highly competent and thoroughly professional.

It was a very useful workshop which should be followed up on.

Maria Iacovidou, local organiser of the event

 

• More information about the ECML training and consultancy for member States "Use of ICT in support of language learning and teaching - ICT-REV"

 

Local organiser of the ECML training and consultancy event: Christine Borg
ECML experts: Aline Germain-Rutherford, Canada, Martina Emke, Germany, Ursula Stickler, United Kingdom
Participants: 22 foreign language teachers and heads of department for languages in secondary schools from the three sectors in Malta: state, church and independent; teacher trainers; with a wide spectrum of languages taught in Malta: Italian, French, German, Spanish and Arabic.

Language teachers in Malta had the opportunity to participate in a series of online sessions to include more ICT tools in the teaching and learning process. The sessions were spread over five days for a total of 15  hours in which the participants followed tasks to integrate digital tools in the language classroom. Tasks included the use of online resources and how they can be used to motivate students to participate in class and to improve their abilities in the four language skills. They ranged from ice-breaking activities to means of online collaboration in which teachers could help students both in the receptive and productive skills.  A collaborative space was created online where teachers could share ideas and good practices and gain new insights on language teaching and learning. The event was facilitated by ECML language experts who led the workshops during three synchronous sessions who offered practical tips for both face-to-face and distance learning scenarios. Group work among the participants, creation of tasks and sharing of experiences were held during the remaining two asynchronous sessions.

Christine Borg

• More information about the ECML training and consultancy for member States "Use of ICT in support of language learning and teaching - ICT-REV"

With Europe still in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us are currently obliged to teach fully online. For a lot of language teachers this is a completely new and unfamiliar situation, seemingly with plenty of potential pitfalls.

To offer assistance in this challenging area, we are hosting an online workshop, drawing on the extensive experience and work of the European Centre for Modern Languages’ project ICT-REV: Use of ICT in support of language teaching and learning.

The workshop will begin by focusing on teachers’ needs in technology dependent teaching and providing examples of how technology can be used to promote interaction in online language teaching.

Participants will then be able to explore the ICT-REV Inventory of ICT tools and to reflect on how specific applications can be used to bring added value to online language teaching and learning.

The webinar will be interactive and is specifically aimed at helping teachers who are currently obliged to teach fully online as a result of the current situation.

The workshop is open to teachers of all languages and will be offered separately in English, French and German on the following dates/times:

• In English: Wednesday, May 6: 17:00-19:00 CET
• In French: Friday, May 8: 17:00-19:00 CET
• In German: Monday, May 11: 17:00-19:00 CET

If you would like to participate, please register at the following address at least three days before the session you would like to attend, so that you can take part in a short pre-workshop activity.   

For any questions regarding registration please contact: barbara.zibret@ecml.at. Make sure to indicate “ICT-REV workshop” and the date you would like to attend in the subject line of your message.

Venue: Democritus University of Thrace, Komotini, Greece
Local organiser: Pagona Kioutsouki, Education Coordinator for German of the Regional Centre for Educational Planning (PE.K.E.S.) of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace
ECML coordinator team: Aline Germain Rutherford, Canada; Pauline Ernest and Jackie Robbins, Spain
Participants: 30 foreign languages teachers of English, French and German language at the primary or secondary sector

*****

In Thrace, on the border of Europe with Asia, in one of the most deprived areas of Greece and Europe away from the major urban centres, where there are offered training opportunities to develop and to upgrade critical skills, the ECML workshop, offered by the ICT-REV project team, was an amazing experience for us. We took part in a rich and fascinating workshop which has created a fertile ground for building connection and trust among our primary and secondary language teachers and developing our computer skills.

The team of the three experts are experienced workshop leaders with a great understanding of what individuals and groups need and how to adapt their workshop on this. It was a very well-presented workshop with an excellent balance of information, practice and interaction among the participants. We took away not only tools that we can apply in our teaching, but we also learnt the way to design useful activities considering the parameters which help us to create and to enhance learning scenarios.

There is an urgent need in our area for further training at all levels.

Pagona Kioutsouki, local coordinator

• More information about the ECML training and consultancy offer for member states is available here

 

GREEK VERSION

Στην ακριτική Θράκη, στα σύνορα της Ευρώπης με την Ασία, σε μια από τις πιο υποβαθμισμένες περιοχές της Ελλάδος και της Ευρώπης μακριά από  τα μεγάλα αστικά κέντρα όπου υπάρχουν και προσφέρονται ευκαιρίες κατάρτισης για αναβάθμιση κρίσιμων δεξιοτήτων, το επιμορφωτικό εργαστήριο ECML, που διοργάνωσε  η ομάδα έργων ICT-REV, ήταν μια εκπληκτική εμπειρία για εμάς. Το  πλούσιο και συναρπαστικό εργαστήριο δημιούργησε ένα εύφορο έδαφος για την οικοδόμηση σύνδεσης και εμπιστοσύνης των καθηγητών πρωτοβάθμιας και δευτεροβάθμιας γλώσσας και την ανάπτυξη των δεξιοτήτων μας στον τομέα της πληροφορικής. Η ομάδα των τριών εμπειρογνωμόνων είναι έμπειρες  επιμορφώτριες, που μπορούν και ανιχνεύουν τις ανάγκες και τις πραγματικές συνθήκες εργασιών των συμμετεχόντων και προσαρμόζουν το εργαστήριο τους σε αυτές. Ήταν ένα πολύ καλά οργανωμένο  εργαστήριο με εξαιρετική ισορροπία πληροφόρησης, πρακτικής και αλληλεπίδρασης μεταξύ των συμμετεχόντων. Ενημερωθήκαμε,  όχι μόνο για εργαλεία που μπορούμε να εφαρμόσουμε στη διδασκαλία μας, αλλά μάθαμε επίσης τον τρόπο σχεδιασμού χρήσιμων δραστηριοτήτων, λαμβάνοντας υπόψη τις παραμέτρους που μας βοηθούν να δημιουργήσουμε και να βελτιώσουμε τα σενάρια μάθησης.

Υπάρχει πολύ μεγάλη ανάγκη στην περιοχή μας για περαιτέρω επιμορφώσεις σε όλα τα επίπεδα. 

• Για περισσότερες πληροφορίες σχετικά για τις δυνατότητες επιμόρφωσης και συμβοούλευσης που προσφέρονται στα κράτη μέλη ακολουθείστε τον σύνδεσμο εδώ. 

Παγόνα Κιουτσούκη, συντονίστρια

 

 

 

 

  

 

Date and venue of the event: 18-19 September 2019 at the Institut National des Langues Luxembourg (INL)
Local organiser: Jean-Marc Putz, Institut National des Langues Luxembourg (INL)
ECML ICT-REV trainers: Aline Germain-Rutherford, Canada; Sarah Heiser and Ursula Stickler, United Kingdom
Participants: 16 language teachers

 

We were  privileged to have been given the opportunity to welcome ICT-REV team of the ECML in the early autumn of 2019. With their pragmatic and humanizing approach to the use of technology in the classroom, they were able to motivate the participants to embrace the possibilities of ICT supported teaching. They also managed to allay the fears of many teachers worried that the integration of  ICT in the classroom would lead to teaching becoming an automated, impersonal, and homogenized process. Their enthusiasm has sparked an exchange of best practices at the INL, which in turn has narrowed the gap between digital natives, and digital immigrants, and reinforced the collaboration between different generations of teachers.

The INL is now looking to implement Blended learning into its course offer and has successfully managed to integrate tablets and interactive boards into its classroom practice. With  their international expertise the ICT-REV team has shown us what is done in this field all around the world and has encouraged the emulation of best practices.

Jean-Marc Putz, INL, local organiser of the event

 

• More information about the ECML training and consultancy offer for member states "Using ICT in support of language teaching and learning" is available here

  

  

 

 

 

 

 

 


 



 

Date: 28-29 November 2019
Venue: Stockholm School of transportation and mechanics, in Kungens Kurva, Sweden
Local organiser: Sfx, Swedish for professionals in Stockholm Region and Municipality of Järfälla
ECML experts: Jackie Robbins, Pauline Ernest, Joseph Hopkins
Participants: 21 language teachers in adult education, L2 teachers, pedagogues for special needs (adults), personnel from the Swedish National Agency for Education

 

Applying for, and organising, a local workshop with experts working for ECML has many advantages. First of all, the choice of workshops available is exciting, relevant and very useful for teachers of L2 or foreign languages at different levels in primary or secondary school, or in adult education. The procedure of applying was not very complicated and good support was provided by the Swedish representative to ECML, Eva Engdell. Once the application was approved the communication regarding arrangements started. Two out of three local organisers joined the preparatory meeting at ECML in Graz. The meeting was very satisfying with ample opportunity to express ideas and suggestions on how to carry out the workshop and to discuss the level of previous knowledge of the envisaged participants.

When the team of workshop leaders arrived in Stockholm there was already a good connection established and it felt almost like three friends coming to town.

Jackie, Joe and Pauline moderated two extraordinary days. At the same time inspiring, enjoyable it was brimming with new and useful methods and techniques for participants to take home to their schools.

We highly recommend everyone to take a close look at the range of consultancy and trainings offered by ECML, and to take the opportunity to organise a local workshop. It is extremely rewarding to share the process of gaining new knowledge and insights with colleagues, all lead and guided by the international professionals of ECML.

• More information about the ECML training and consultancy offer “ICT-REV – Using ICT in support of language teaching and learning”

*****

 

[Swedish]

Att ansöka om att få organisera en workshop med experter från ECML har så många fördelar.
Till att börja med så finns det ett spännande och relevant utbud att välja bland. Mycket intressant och matnyttigt för lärare som undervisar i t.ex. svenska som andraspråk eller främmande språk på olika nivåer i grundskola eller gymnasium. 
Dessutom är ansökningsprocessen enkel och tydlig att följa och vi fick bra stöd från Sveriges representant Eva Engdell.

När vi fick vår ansökan godkänd så inledde vi kommunikation kring arrangemanget med representanterna för ECML som finns på plats i Graz, Österrike. Även då fick vi fint stöd och hjälp med upplägget. 

Två av de tre lokala arrangörerna reste till Graz och träffade några av de workshopledare som senare skulle komma till Stockholm och hålla i själva workshopen för lärare på plats i Stockholm. Det var ett mycket bra planeringsmöte då vi fick uttrycka önskemål och idéer kring upplägget och diskutera kring vilka förkunskaper våra tänkta inbjudna gäster kunde tänkas ha.

Fram till själva workshopen fick vi via e-post och Skype både tips och råd kring detaljer i finplaneringen av arrangemanget.
När de tre workshop-ledarna slutligen kom till Stockholm för att genomföra kursen under två dagar så hade vi etablerat god kontakt och de kändes som att tre vänner kom till stan. 

Jackie, Pauline och Joe höll i två fantastiska dagar. Så inspirerande och roligt och samtidigt fullmatat med nya och viktiga kunskaper för alla workshopdeltagarna. 

Vi rekommenderar alla att titta närmare på ECML:s utbud och att verkligen ta chansen att ordna en lokal workshop för sig och sina kollegor. Det ger så mycket att få nya kunskaper och nya insikter tillsammans med kollegor och de internationella proffsen från ECML."

 

Local organisation: Hanne Wacher Kjærgaard and Ana Kanareva-Dimitrovska, The Danish National Centre for Foreign Languages, Aarhus University

ECML trainers: Martina Emke, Germany; Sarah Heiser and Ursula Stickler, United Kingdom

Participants: 25 language teachers and teacher trainers

*****

On 25-26 April 2019, the ECML Contact Point Denmark, The Danish National Centre for Foreign Languages invited ECML experts in Aarhus to provide a training and consultancy workshop on Developing online teaching skills for the 21st century classroom (ICT-REV).

In the workshop, teachers and teacher trainers discussed their needs regarding the use of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) in the language classroom. Teachers and teacher trainers also explored various activities that they can use, and they reflected on techniques for achieving sustainability of results related to the integration of ICT tools. Participants explored the ICT-inventory, a database of freely available online tools and open educational resources for language teaching and learning developed by the ICT-REV project, and teachers prepared activities and tasks based on these tools. They shared their experiences with other participants and discussed what makes a successful activity. Both days were a good combination of theory and practical tasks. Some materials from ICT-REV project and the workshop will be adapted/modified to fit a particular institutional context.

Learn more about The Use of ICT in support of language teaching and learning here.

 

Hanne Wacher Kjærgaard & Ana Kanareva-Dimitrovska (local organisers), Aarhus University

• More information about the ECML training and consultancy offer for member states is available here and on the local Danish website.

 

 

 

Date: 26 March 2019

Venue: Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany

Local organisation: Claudia Owczarek, Chair of TEFL, LMU Munich, Germany

ECML expert: Joseph Hopkins, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain

Participants: 19 teachers of German from primary, secondary and vocational school and international participants from a university context

*****

 

The workshop was held by Mr. Hopkins at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität as part of the TEFL Day, a day of professional development for teachers. The TEFL Day was embedded within the context of the international conference "Educating the global citizen: International perspectives on foreign language feaching in the digital age".

19 teachers participated in this training event, including German teachers from primary, secondary and vocational school and a few international participants (from Sweden, Mexico, Brazil ...) from a university context .
 
The workshop began with a presentation and an exploration of the ECML Inventory of ICT tools and open educational resources (e.g. Mentimeter, Google Slides, Google Sites, Google Docs, Wheel Decide, Padlet). In a next step, participants were given time to evaluate some tools designed for language teaching and for promoting global citizenship. Finally, the teachers developed ideas about how the presented tools could be integrated into their individual teaching contexts.

The participants gave very positive feedback and highlighted that they will put their newly gained knowledge into practice in their respective teaching environments.

 

Claudia Owczarek, local organiser of the workshop

• More information about the ECML training and consultancy for member States "Use of ICT in support of language learning and teaching - ICT-REV"

 

 

Date: 21-22 March 2019.

Venue: European House (Evropský dům), Jungmannova 24, 110 00 Prague 1, Czech Republic.

Local organisation: Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, Department for Education, Prague, Czech Republic; in cooperation with The National Institute for Further Education (NIDV); partners: EC Representation in the Czech Republic, Centre for International Cooperation in Education (DZS). Conctacts: Eva Tučková and Marie Černíková, MSMT, Prague, Czech Republic.

ECML trainers: Pauline Ernest, Spain; Joe Hopkins, Spain; Aline Germain-Rutherford, Canada.

Participants: 25 teacher trainers, multipliers, eTwinning ambassadors, members of the teachers´ foreign language associations (teachers)

 

On 21 and 22 March 2019 we had the pleasure to host an ECML-provided event on Using ICT in support of language teaching and learning (ICT-REV). We offered a limited number of places and thus tried to get the most motivated and enthusiastic participants. There had been a pre-condition for taking part: the participants had to agree that after the event they would share the ideas, methods, skills and tools with their colleagues or peers, so that the workshop multiplied in the Czech republic as much as possible.

The organisation of the event went very smooth for there were clear recommendations available from the ECML which we happily used and followed. The budget of the event has been shared between the ECML and the ministry; partners have been called to share some of the organisation and providing the venue.

The ECML moderators were professionals with a lot of experience and they were very inviting and happy to share their know-how and expertise. Their active involvement was a great asset to the event.

The organisation of the event has been a great opportunity for the Czech Republic to draw on the expertise of the ECML and to use it towards enhancing the ICT use and skills in the language class within the Czech schools.

Eva Tučková and Marie Černíková, MSMT, Prague, Czech Republic (the local organisers)

Resources:

• Article published on the website of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic: "Využití digitálních technologií ve výuce cizích jazyků"
• Training and consultancy offer of the ECML for member states : Online technology – Use of ICT in support of language teaching and learning
• ECML project “Use of ICT in support of language teaching and learning”
• ECML inventory of ICT and open educational tools

*****

Czech version

21. a 22. března 2019 jsme měli příležitost k organizaci semináře, který lektorsky zajišťovalo Evropské centrum pro modern jazyky (ECML), k využití digitálních technologií ve výuce cizích jazyků (ICT-REV). K účasti byl přizván omezený počet účastníků, čímž bylo zajištěno, že se zúčastní ti nejmotivovanější a nadšení. Všichni museli souhlasit se vstupní podmínkou, že po skončení semináře budou šířit získané vědomosti a dovednoti mezi své kolegy a spolupracovníky, aby se zajistilo co největší šíření v rámci České republiky.

Samotná organizace semináře šla velmi lehce, protože jsme měli k dispozici doporučení od ECML, kterých jsme se jednoduše drželi. Rozpočet na celou akci byl rozdělen mezi ECML a ministerstvo, byli přizváni také partneři, kteří zajistili část oragnizace a poskytli prostory.

Lektoři ECML byli profesionálové s rozsáhlými zkušenostmi a s nadšením se o ně také podělili. Jejich aktivní přístup byl velkým přínosem celé akci.

Oragnizace této akce byla dobrou příležitostí k tomu, aby Česká republika využila odbornosti ECML k rozšíření využívání ICT v hodinách cizích jazyků v českých školách.

http://www.msmt.cz/vyuziti-digitalnich-technologii-ve-vyuce-cizich-jazyku

   

Photos: @ Jan Faber

Date: 6-7 December 2018
Venue: Ptuj, Slovenia
Local organiser: Karmen Ivančič, Primary school Mladika, Ptuj
ECML trainers: Martina Emke, Germany; Pauline Ernest, Spain; Sarah Heiser, United Kingdom
Participants: 20 teachers of English, German or Slovenian in primary schools or secondary/vocational schools

 

The participants got to know a variety of ICT software and learned about different apps. They had the chance to test some of the software out straight away. Throughout the course of this, it also became clear that the different knowledge levels of users have to be taken into account. Of particular importance is that it gave us plenty of motivation to try these technologies out in the classroom together with the students.

The presentation of different websites, apps and exercises that the European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML) has made available on its website provided us with very useful tips on how we could offer different learning pathways in the classroom.

Teachers from the same type of school worked on the use of apps in groups. At the end, each group gave a presentation of their work. During the subsequent discussion they discussed the ways of putting this knowledge into practical use.

We realised once again how important it is for the students to know their way around ICT technology. It helps to improve the learning process for both students as well as teachers. We would appreciate the opportunity to hold such a workshop also next year. 

On 14 and 15 February, the expert teams of the ECML activities “Electronic European Language Portfolio - Working with an electronic European Language Portfolio for better language learning” and “Online technology - Use of ICT in support of language teaching and learning” discussed details of their 2019 training workshops with local organisers from Austria, Croatia, Denmark, Greece, Montenegro, and Sweden at the ECML in Graz. 

More information on the individual training sessions will soon be available on the dedicated websites:

• Electronic European Language Porfolio
• Online technology

 

Both activities are part of the ECML training and consultancy offer which enables member states to benefit from European expertise in language education adapted to their concrete needs and specific contexts. ECML experts work with national authorities and local experts to devise and implement in-country activities, tailored to the particular context and target audience. 

Training workshops focusing on the e-ELP are targeted at language teachers in primary, secondary and higher education including adult and vocational education, teacher trainers, teachers of other subjects, CLIL teachers. They provide an introduction in an electronic ELP-platform with customised training courses for specific target groups and contexts: CLIL, early language education, higher education, migration.

The events focusing on online technology provide training in the application of pedagogical principles in teaching languages with technology and promote the effective use of ICT tools and open resources in support of quality language teaching and learning. The “ECML inventory of ICT tools and open educational resources”, which was developed by the ICT-REV team. assists teachers in identifying   appropriate applications and using them with their learners. The targeted groups are teachers, teacher trainers, policy makers. It initiates local and regional clusters of multipliers promoting the use of ICT tools and open educational resources.

 

Date: 17-18 January 2019.

Venue: Building of the Faculty of Law, University of Zenica, Bosnia Herzegovina.

Local organiser: Dr. Edina Rizvić-Eminović, Assistant Professor, Head of Department of English Language and Literature

ECML trainers: Sarah Heiser, United Kingdom; Jackie Robbins, Spain; Ursula Stickler, United Kingdom

Participants' background: 21 participants; professors, teaching assistants and MA students of the four language departments at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Zenica: Department of English Language and Literature, Department of German Language and Literature, Department of Turkish Language and Literature and Department of Bosnian, Croatian/Serbian Language and Literature.

 

The workshop entitled “Use of ICT in support of language teaching and learning“ was held in Zenica on 17 and 18 January 2019. It was implemented by the European Centre for Modern Languages of the Council of Europe in cooperation with the four language departments of the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Zenica – English, German, Turkish and Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian Department. 

The participants were professors, teaching assistants and MA students of the four departments. The purpose was to receive a hands-on training and learn how to best use a set of user-friendly applications in the (foreign) language teaching, particularly in their practical, contemporary English, German, Turkish and BCS classes, but outside the classroom, too. 

Such knowledge and skills have a direct impact on empowering and strengthening the competences of LT professionals as well as on modernizing their daily teaching practice on the one hand and on increasing student motivation on the other.

Edina Rizvić-Eminović (local organiser)

 

Websites:

• Training and consultancy offer of the ECML for member states : Online technology – Use of ICT in support of language teaching and learning
• ECML project “Use of ICT in support of language teaching and learning”
• ECML inventory of ICT and open educational tools
• University of Zenica

Related links:

• Međunarodna radionica o primjeni e-tehnologija u učenju jezika
• Međunarodna radionica o primjeni e tehnologija u učenju jezika
• Upotreba informacijskih i komunikacijskih tehnologija kao podrška podučavanju i učenju jezika

 

Photo album (@Edina Rizvić-Eminović)