MEC Commissioning Editor, Jenny Lovel, writes:

A view over São Paulo

'If there was one buzzword at this year's LABCI conference it was “e-boards” (better known as interactive white boards). Delegates and presenters alike were buzzing about the use of e-boards in the language classroom. Presenters such as Vera Costinhas from the Cultura Inglesa Rio de Janeiro and Lizika Goldchleger from the Cultura Inglesa São Paulo showed how using technology in the classroom enhances the engagement and motivation of both students and teachers. But throughout the conference presenters were careful to strike a note of caution: technology in the classroom is good news - and great for the "wow" factor - but we must be careful to make sure that the board doesn't become the star of the classroom. Lessons must have a language focus and appropriate electronic materials are therefore still of paramount importance. Luckily the conference was awash with great ideas. Vilson Coimbra, from the Cultura Inglesa São Paulo, showed how the e-board can be used in conjunction with the Macmillan English Campus, using the e-board to brainstorm language, pre-teach vocabulary, complete MEC activities and access web projects online - all using one flipchart.

Vilson Coimbra presenting at LABCI

Marcela Moya from the Instituto Britanico, Chile, presented a range of creative ways of engaging "digital natives" in the classroom, including computer games, writing websites and wikis, uploading photos and, of course, blogging.

This week's news item, adapted for MEC from a news article originally published in the Guardian Weekly, is about the gap in wealth between the rich and poor in South Africa.

From left: John Murray, Susan Holden, Jenny Lovel and Mike Green

Emma Shercliff, Managing Director: 'It's been a very stimulating and thought-provoking first day at LABCI. We have had lots of high profile coverage here for MEC, including a mention of e-Campus by Princess Anne in the opening conference address and a great presentation this afternoon by the Cultura Inglesa São Paolo (CISP) e-Campus coordinator, Vilson Coimbra, about using Campus on an interactive whiteboard (IWB). I was particularly struck by the wisdom of Lorraine de Matos, President of LABCI and General Manager of CISP (and an architect of the original e-Campus), who used her conference address to emphasize the importance of striving for innovation in language learning and not being content simply to reflect on past or present success - a lesson for us all and evidence of exactly why the Cultura network remains an example of best practice at the forefront of technology and learning.

I also really enjoyed Herbert Puchta's plenary on students' attention span, with lots of useful tips about teaching the Web 2.0 generation. He quoted one 13-year-old student who said that "Sitting in class is like being in the car with your parents on a long road trip without your CD player". Those of us trying to cater for the demands of these "digital natives" are confident that LABCI will give us all some new ideas about how incorporating technology into language learning can benefit and motivate students and teachers alike.'

Acrobatics at the LABCI opening cocktail party

Susan Holden, MEC author: 'The Macmillan stand. For 2 reasons - the ever-changing MEC displays on the IWB and the red aprons worn by the Macmillan Brazil staff, looking like very professional pizza waiters. Plus of, course, the wonderful books!'

Macmillan aprons, from left: Cristina Roberts, Managing Director, Macmillan Brazil; Rafael Alarcon-Gaeta, Adult Publisher, Macmillan Education; Emma Shercliff, Managing Director, MEC; Jenny Lovel, commissioning Editor, MEC; John Murray, Sales and Marketing Director, MEC

John Murray, Sales and Marketing Director: 'The ideas David Graddol investigated in his plenary session this morning: the future of English as a global lingua franca and the declining importance of native speakers as always necessarily being the best EFL teachers. And watching Argentina beat Mexico on TV last night!'

Jenny Lovel, Commissioning Editor: 'Seeing Vilson Coimbra of CISP show so effectively how MEC could be used with an IWB as a springboard to further classroom activities. A very lively session with plenty of audience participation!'

Mike Green, Training Manager: 'David Graddol's plenary again. The notion of "Just In Time" learning - that learning is, of course, a lifelong process and how the learners of today rely more on more on learning new skills as and when necessary, rather than skills learnt at school - particularly where technology is concerned. And the caipirinhas - no one mixes them like the Brazilians.'

'For those of you who'd like to know exactly what's going on at the LABCI conference this year, here’s the programme. On this page you’ll also find the downloadable academic programme where you can see more detailed information about what's planned. The conference is being held at the World Trade Centre Hotel in São Paulo, pictured below.

This year's theme at LABCI is "Learning Cultures: What Next?" The discussion topics range from "testing and assessment" to "cultural issues". There are a grand total of 21 talks related to technology in teaching, including two from the MEC team. John Murray our Sales and Marketing Director is giving a talk on "Using technology inside and outside the classro4m while Training Manager Mike Green is speaking about "Teacher support materials for and from the online world". The author of Blended Learning, Pete Sharma, will also be giving a talk on "Technology enhanced language learning: new perspectives for the digital age".

Don't worry if you're not going to LABCI this year - we'll have the conference highlights on the blog tomorrow and next week, courtesy of our MEC delegates. So keep checking the blog to find out all about it!'