On the 4th July we held our 11^th online Macmillan English Campus clinic, giving ideas for how to use MEC resources in your classroom.

You can download a PDF of the full presentation by clicking the link below.

Using MEC in class.ppt (3.71 MB)

But if you haven't got time to read all that, below are some top tips for Using MEC in class:

1.      How can you lead in to the MEC resource? What would be a good lesson warmer or introduction activity?

2.      Even though you are working online with MEC, the lesson can still involve pair-work, speaking activities, etc. In class learners want to benefit from your help. MEC can provide lesson content as a basis for teacher input in the lesson. Learners can consolidate and practice new language on MEC for homework.

3.      How can you modify the level of challenge? (Create an information gap exercise, cover bits of text or pictures using the MEC hint box or the listening window.)

4.      Will students benefit from doing the same activity at home again? What related MEC resources could you set as follow-up or homework? (Language exercises have accompanying Grammar Reference Units. News Items are great as a follow-up to a MEC Listening or Vocabulary activity.)

The clinic participants were:

Milena Montalbano - IH MERATE - LECCO

Mafy Gallinetti - IH MERATE - LECCO

Spohie Behagg - EmbassyCES, Brighton

Vivienne Antognini - Language Consultants S.r.l.

Ken Jones- Language Consultants S.r.l.

Jose Willis - IH Livorno

A big thanks to everyone who participated. Please don't hesitate to contact us with your questions and comments - especially if you have any amazing MEC lesson plans!

If you are interested in attending the next MEC clinic you can contact us by leaving a comment or emailing s.earnshaw@macmillan.com

Join us for our next MEC clinic presented by Steph Earnshaw. This clinic will include:

• Tips on the different ways you can use MEC
• Ideas on using MEC resources in class
• A post clinic workshop where participants will share their ideas

MEC clinics are short sessions (maximum 90 minutes) involving small groups of no more than 10. They are on a first-come, first-served basis to any teachers who use MEC.

There is no cost involved: we will set up and host the sessions. Those attending simply need their web-linked computer and a separate phone line to dial a freephone number. 

Our next clinic will be held on Thursday 3rd July 2008, 12.30pm GMT (to be confirmed)

There will be a post clinic session for participants to share their own ideas on the 4th July 2008, 12.30pm GMT (to be confirmed)

Presenter: Steph Earnshaw

Subject: Using MEC in class

If you are interested in attending this event or you require any further information, please let us know through the 'contact us' section of this site or by emailing s.earnshaw@macmillan.com.

On the 29^th May we held our 10^th online Macmillan English Campus clinic. The title of the clinic was:   

 Tips and ideas on how to use MEC resources with Voki and Voicethread.

Ann Foreman

The clinic was written and presented by Ann Foreman, a teacher trainer and ICT coordinator for the British Council, Bilbao. Ann also has her own blog called Encouraging Learner Autonomy where you'll find all sorts of great ideas about how to use technology in the classroom.

Click here to see the clinic presentation on Ann's sample class blog. Scroll down the blog or choose to read about either Voki or VoiceThread by selecting a blog archive link from the list on the right.

Voki
Voki is a free website where you can create on-screen characters and create podcasts to give them a voice. Ann demonstrated how to set up a Voki account and create and edit a character. She also suggested how the site would be good to use with MEC exercises on Likes and dislikes and Gerunds and infinitives. For an example of Ann's PET level students using Voki to make oral presentations, click here or here.

VoiceThread
VoiceThread is a free website where you can create annotated slide shows with a voice over to describe the contents of your presentation. Ann demonstrated how to set up a VoiceThread account, choose photographs for a slide show from www.flickr.com (a great site for high quality photos) and create annotations and an audio description for the presentation. VoiceThread is particularly useful for preparing students for the speaking part of the Cambridge Suite of exams (KET to Proficiency) in the section where candidates are asked to describe and compare photographs. It would be a great complement to the current exam preparation resources in MEC which offer reading and writing practice for the Cambridge exams. VoiceThread lets learners choose the photos they use which means they are much more likely to be enthusiastic about what they have to say.

Tips for using online tools like Voki and VoiceThread

·         If you are working in an IT suite you can ask your learners to create Voki or VoiceThread material during the lesson. Otherwise, creating a Voki or VoiceThread presentation is a fun way for learners to do their homework. If you have an interactive whiteboard or a computer and a data projector in your classroom, you can review the presentations together in class. It's a great way to compare ideas and correct errors.

·         If you're using MEC for a distance learning course, Voki or VoiceThread presentions are a great way for students to submit oral homework to you and make a great change from telephone lessons. They provide a record of your learners' speaking skills which could also be used for assessment purposes.

·         VoiceThread is very teacher-friendly. It has privacy controls, comment moderation, and a system of identities that allows all students in a class to work within one account.

Do you have any ideas for using MEC resources with Voki or VoiceThread? Have you made a presentation with your class and would like to share your experience with us? We'd be delighted to hear from you either by email or as a comment on this posting.

Our thanks to Ann and everyone who participated in the clinic. The participants were:

·         Travis Rout - British Council, Czech Republic 

·         Astrid Krake - VHS Munich, Germany

·         James Frith - BELL Cambridge, UK

·         Roberto Murakami - Cultura Inglesa, Brazil

·         Pat Clay and team - AISLi, Italy

·         Ian Gordon - Study Group, New York

Please don't hesitate to contact us with your questions and comments. If you are interested in attending the next MEC clinic you can contact us by leaving a comment or emailing s.earnshaw@macmillan.com

Join us for our next MEC clinic presented by Ann Foreman. This clinic will include tips on:

             Get a Voki now!          

Join us for our next MEC clinic presented by Ann Foreman. This clinic will include tips on:

On the 24^th April we held our 9^th online Macmillan English Campus clinic. The title of the clinic was Setting up a class blog to use with MEC resources.

Ann Foreman


The clinic was written and presented by Ann Foreman, a teacher trainer and ICT coordinator for the British Council, Bilbao. Ann also has her own blog called Encouraging Learner Autonomy where you'll find all sorts of great ideas about how to use technology in the classroom.

Click here to see the clinic presentation. To move to the next slide, left click with your mouse. To go back to a previous slide right click with your mouse and then click on rewind.

Ann demonstrated an example class blog posting related to the theme of Identity, a syllabus item from the Macmillan English Campus Inside Out Advanced course.

Tip for using a class blog

·         If you are working in an IT suite you can ask your learners to blog during the lesson. Otherwise, blogging is a fun way for learners to do their homework. You can check what they've written at home and give feedback in the next lesson or even as a comment on the blog. If you have an interactive whiteboard or a computer and a data projector in your classroom, you can review the postings together in class. It's a great way to compare ideas and correct errors.

·         If you're using MEC for a distance learning course, a class blog is a great way for students to submit written homework and keep in touch with their teacher.

·         Using topics from MEC courses is a great way to provide your learners with inspiration for their blog postings. Another useful resource might be Web Projects, as they cover a wide range of topics and levels, exposing learners to authentic language and encouraging them to study independently. Learners could complete a Web Project and then each write a posting on their findings or their opinions on the subject.

Do you have any ideas for using MEC resources with class blogs? Have you made a blog with your class and would like to share your experience with us? We'd be delighted to hear from you either by email or as a comment on this posting. Get blogging!

Our thanks to Ann and everyone who participated in the clinic. The participants were:

·         Monica Vlad - EQUALS EuroEd, Romania

·         Anna Rolinska - AKCENT International House, Prague, Czech Republic

·         Travis Rout - British Council, Czech Republic 

·         Neil McLaren - British Council, Slovakia

·         James Glanville - British Council, Slovakia

·         Suzanne Mordue - British Council, Slovakia

·         Astrid krake - VHS Munich, Germany

·         Katia Lotte - FL&C, France

·         James Frith - BELL Cambridge, UK

·         Roberto Murakami - Cultura Inglesa, Brazil

Please don't hesitate to contact us with your questions and comments. If you are interested in attending the next MEC clinic you can contact us by leaving a comment or emailing s.milligan@macmillan.com