MEC Training Coordinator, Sarah Milligan, writes:

Here is the fifth lesson plan from Macmillan Academy. This one was written and taught by Steph who has sadly left the training department but on the bright side is going to live and teach in Bhutan!

Macmillan Academy Lesson 5 'Jobs and Conditionals'.pdf (82.29 KB) 

It's time for a brand new MEC competition. Last year we asked you to comment on our MEC voicethread. This year we'd like you to create your own Voki. If you don't know what a Voki is then have a look at one we made earlier…

If you're still not sure what it is then click here to read about a MEC online clinic we held on Voki and Voicethread.

To create a Voki simply click on the link below and start creating. It's all free and has easy steps to follow.

www.voki.com

To enter the competition you must get your class to create their own Voki and send it to us via email. The Voki must tell us:

·         A little bit about its life or personality.

·         Its favourite MEC resource or tool and why they like it.

Once we've received the Vokis the best ones will be posted on our blog. We'll then ask everyone to vote for their favourite and the winner gets a Macmillan English Dictionary for their class.

The closing date to send us your Voki is 30th June 2009.

MEC Managing Editor, Jeremy Smith, writes:

The search for Africa's Einsteins

This week's news item, adapted for MEC from a news article originally published in the Guardian Weekly, is about a higher education institute in South Africa which helps young African graduates to develop their skills.

You’ll find this story in the News Items section on your Work Area.

Our next MEC online clinic will take place on 15th May 2009 at 12pm (Uk time) and is on the Test Compiler.

The session will last approximately one hour and fifteen minutes and will include training on how to build, edit, adapt, publish and assign tests.

MEC clinics are short sessions involving groups of no more than 25. 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 a computer with internet access, sound and ideally a microphone. 

If you are interested in attending this event or you require any further information, please let us know by emailing me at s.milligan@macmillan.com.

I had the great pleasure of training teachers from the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy on how to use their Macmillan English Campus (MEC) site.

Below are a couple of pictures taken from the training session.

The university is unique as the lectures and seminars are given in Italian, German and English. This is why it's so important for students to get their English to a high standard. MEC will be used as part of blended learning courses and teachers would like to use it in class too with data projectors.

Sharon Hartle, a teacher and the English Language Coordinator, is very keen on using technology in the classroom and encouraging learner autonomy. She recorded her IATEFL talk on using native corpora in the classroom and posted it here. Just type 'Hartle' in the search box to find it.

Thanks to all of the teachers who attended!

World library seeks global balance

This week's news item, adapted for MEC from a news article originally published in the Guardian Weekly, is about the World Digital Library. This is an online library project which aims to display many of the world's artefacts free of charge.

You’ll find this story in the News Items section on your Work Area.

Spring is in the air here at onestopenglish HQ, so throughout April we're running a special discount offer on all individual subscriptions to the onestopenglish Staff Room. Subscribe today and get 20% off your subscription.

We've just returned from the IATEFL Conference and Exhibition which was held in the beautiful city of Cardiff this year. Our editor-at-large, Karen Richardson, was let loose on the unsuspecting conference attendees to get the low-down on the themes and highlights of this year's big event.

And check out our brand-new dictionary widget (over there on the right, underneath the Quick search). You can now search the Macmillan Dictionary Online straight from any page on onestopenglish!

My holiday

This week's news item is our monthly news item for teens. It focuses on the travel experiences of four teenagers, including an adventure trip to the Amazon rainforest and a horse-riding holiday in the UK.

Go to the News Items section on your Work Area screen to find out more.

You can also find longer versions of the news item with extension activities by logging in to our Teachers' support area here.

Here are some MEC resources you might like to use with this news item.

MEC Product Trainer, Sarah Milligan, writes:

Below is my final lesson plan from Macmillan Academy. This one was about the word 'bogus' and focused on word formation and homophones.

 Macmillan Academy Lesson 3 'Bogus'.pdf (71.32 KB)

As always I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas on using MEC. If you'd like to write a comment just click on the comments button at the bottom of this posting or send me an email at s.milligan@macmillan.com.

Don't pay as you go: New York shop gives away goods for free

This week's news item, adapted for MEC from a news article originally published in the Guardian Weekly, is about a shop in New York that was opened by two artists. For a short time, the shop gave away items for free.

You'll find this story in the News Items section on your Work Area.

MEC Product Trainer, Sarah Milligan, writes:

It's Friday and that means it's time for me to post another Macmillan Academy lesson idea for you to try out in class. This one was about Barack Obama and focused on mixed verb tenses. Just click on the link below to see the lesson plan.

Macmillan Academy Lesson 2 'Obama'.pdf (67.3 KB)

As always I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas on using MEC. If you'd like to write a comment just click on the comments button at the bottom of this posting or send me an email at s.milligan@macmillan.com.

World's cheapest car is India's answer for cash-strapped drivers

This week's news item, adapted for MEC from a news article originally published in the Guardian Weekly, is about the world's cheapest car, called the Nano. Tata Motors has developed the Nano for the Indian car market. Tata Motors now plans to develop versions of the Nano for the European and US markets.

You'll find this story in the News Items section on your Work Area.

Here are five ways we think you can use MEC Web Links with your class.

1. An obvious use for Web Links is to send your learners links to useful English learning websites. There are plenty of them out there such as onestopenglish and the BBC. Also don't forget online newspapers like the Guardian are perfect for more advanced reading activities or as a homework task.
   
   
2. A very popular way to use Web Links is by sending your learners direct links to video clips. You might want them to watch the clip for homework or during the lesson. Youtube, the Guardian multimedia section and TEFLclips have a great range of videos to choose from.
   
   
3. If you have created a worksheet and want an easy way for your learners to access it why not create a online document (a Google document for example) and post it to them as a link. For more on how to create Google documents click here.
   
   
4. Send your learners information about your school, university or organisation via Web Links so they can keep up-to-date with what's going on. This can include links to your school's Moodle or Blackboard site, if you have one.
   
   
5. Create your own Web Projects. There are ready made Web Projects on MEC but you might want to create your own. For inspiration go to the Word and Phrase Search and type in "Web Project". You could send instructions via the Comments box and then post your learners a package of Web Links to read and search for information.

If you have forgotten how to create or publish a Web Link follow the instructions below.