Introduction | Getting involved | Innovative practice | Reflective practice

Getting involved

If you use ICT in innovative or creative ways to take teaching and learning in new directions, there are many options for you to:

  • share your experience
  • keep up to date with developments and what others are doing
  • keep up with research and case studies
  • access funding.

Share your experience

There is an increasing range of opportunities for teachers to share their work with colleagues, through face-to-face presentation, web-based or hard copy publication and online discussion. Consider the following suggestions.

ALL Journals
The Association for Language Learning publishes a bi-annual Language Learning Journal and language-specific journals for French, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish/Portuguese. Articles of 1000-3000 words relating to any aspect of language teaching and learning, including the use of ICT, are welcome across all phases. For more information on submitting an article, of a practical or academic nature, consult the ALL website.

ALL Language Days
The Association for Language Learning holds annual specialist Language Days for members with an interest in a specific language. These are planned by the relevant specialist Language Committee and usually take place in the autumn or summer terms. If you are working within a specific language, your ideas for themes or individual talks for the Language Day programmes, including on the use of ICT, can be presented to the Language Committees. Please send an email message to the relevant Chair. Elections are held regularly for positions on the Language Committees.

ALL Local branch and network activities
If you have developed ideas and skills for using ICT in your classroom, which you would like to share with colleagues, you may like to contact your local ALL branch or network. The Association for Language Learning coordinates over 15 local branches and numerous networks, many of which run INSET events for teachers in their region. In Branches members with an ICT interest could also stand for office, attend the AGM to influence the annual programme or contribute to events. See the ALL website for contact details.

ALL: ICT Special Interest Group
If you are a member of the Association for Language Learning, you may wish to join their ICT SIG. The Special Interest Group tends to meet ‘online’ to discuss principles and projects, but does occasionally meet in person. The agenda for the SIG changes constantly, but members have made substantial contributions to Languages ICT projects, as well as to the programme of Language World. To express interest in joining the SIG, please send an email to the Director of ALL. If you would like to pass on an issue of concern to the SIG, you are again invited to do so by email.

ELL-forum
One of the topics discussed regularly in the Early Language Learning (ELL) forum is the use of ICT and ICT-based resources in primary languages teaching. Share your ideas and learn from others.

Linguanet-forum email discussion list
The former Languages ICT Email Forum merged with the Linguanet-forum, an e-mail discussion group for all those involved in language teaching and research. The aim of the forum is to enable discussion and information exchange on the subject of the teaching of modern foreign languages, primarily in schools and sixth forms in the UK. ICT is a very popular topic and the forum, with over 800 members, offers an excellent channel for teachers to disseminate and discuss their work. An archive section offers a key-word search facility, enabling rapid focused investigation for visitors to the forum website. It is free and easy to join; if you want to contribute, you just need first to register a password at the Mailtalk website.

LCNet (Language Colleges) discussion list
Use of ICT is one of the many themes discussed on LCNet, a closed forum provided by CILT for colleagues working at Specialist Language Colleges.

Language World conference programme
Language World is the major annual conference and exhibition for language teachers from the Association for Language Learning and provides opportunities for teachers to present a workshop on innovative work they have been doing, as well as being inspired by attending sessions from other teachers. The deadline for suggested contributions is usually at the start of September. Contact ALL for more information.

SSAT Toolkit Authoring
One way of sharing your expertise is to apply to write a toolkit for the SSAT (Specialist Schools and Academies Trust) CPD Network, providing one hour training sessions for the programme. See the SSAT website for full details.

Sharing teaching resources
If you would like to share an ICT-based resource and ideas for using it, why not contribute to the Teacher Resource Exchange? This facility shares your creations with colleagues across the UK (and the rest of the world) and gives you access to an existing database of 400+ resources for language teaching and learning.

Look out also for independent initiatives such as MFL Resources, where groups of teachers share their ideas and resources. There may also be local initiatives for sharing resources through your Local Authority.

Go to Key Stage 4 resources in the Technology for Languages section of this site for downloadable PDF advice sheets which cover online resources for KS4, including the growing number of schools offering free online access to interactive materials created by teachers to share with colleagues worldwide. If you are using authoring tools to create interactive materials, why not share yours online?

Keep up-to-date

On Languages ICT go to:

Also:

  • If you are interested in the 14-19 sector, whether Key Stage 4, AS/A level, further or adult education, look at the CILT 14-19 network models on  Reshaping Languages. There is much more on Reshaping Languages: useful ICT case studies and abundant information on alternative accreditation, immersion courses, qualifications and target language use.
  • If you are a registered trainer for primary languages go to the Primary Languages Training Zone and sign up to join the online discussion forum.
  • Teachers of primary languages can join a NACELL Regional Support Group (RSG),  which are coordinated by CILT and offer information, training and networking sessions for anyone involved or interested in teaching languages in Nursery, Key Stage 1 or Key Stage 2.
  • CILT Keep in touch: Sign up and be always up to date. At Keep in touch you can read online ezines for secondary and primary languages and Netword Languages Direct for those involved in Adult and Further Education. There are downloadable archived editions of various CILT Bulletins and you can join any of a number of discussion lists covering all sectors.

Research and publications

  • Consult CILT: Research where you can link to research papers and projects.
  • Consult CILT Books: CILT, the National Centre for Languages publishes a wide range of titles relevant to all sectors and covering many aspects of MFL teaching, including ICT.
  • CILT Library: consult the searchable online catalogue.
  • Consult ICT in action on this site where you can explore video-based case studies of 5 schools using ICT in the MFL classroom, case studies of the Digital Video in Action project run by Comenius East Midlands and downloadable reports from CILT-ALL’s Languages ICT Action Research Project (2004-2007).
  • Go to the Project page of the Language Colleges section of CILT’s website to read of initiatives, including the Digital Video in the MFL Classroom project and Digital Voices across the Curriculum.
  • Consult Becta: What the research says and Becta Publications.
  • Download ICT in Modern Foreign Languages from ICT across the Curriculum (ICTAC).

Funding

It is possible to obtain funded support for some projects, or win financial reward for successful work which can be invested in future initiatives. If you have an idea which you believe merits support, download the list of funding opportunities available. The list in the document is not presented as comprehensive and represents the situation at the time of publication in 2008.

Funding opportunities (pdf, 132 KB)