A not to be missed event fast approaching is the 3rd MFL Show and Tell.

Following on from the inaugural event at the Isle of Wight conference 2008, and the second edition held in Coventry in November 2009 , José Picardo (he of the sexy Spanish accent and highly informative Box of Tricks) has volunteered himself and his school for the 2010 edition.

As José himself explains –

The idea of the MFL Show and Tell session is to give teachers an opportunity to share good practice on the use of technology in the classroom in a relaxed, informal environment.

The session will take place in our brand new 6th Form Centre, where there will be access to a networked laptop computer, speakers, Wi-Fi, a data projector and screen for presentations.

If you want to sign up for the event, either as a speaker or as an attendee, pop along to José’s school site

The event is by teachers for teachers, and is all about sharing experiences.  Whether you’ve been teaching since the Stone Age or don’t remember life without the Internet, YOU have something to say.

I’ll no doubt throw in my ‘euro’s’ worth on a yet to be decided subject – good to keep you guessing ;o)

Thanks to Nottingham High School and Links into Languages East Midlands, the event is FREE!

Bargain!

Second of my upcoming ‘gigs’ is in Enfield, London, at London ATI.

Another of my ‘hats’ is as an Apple Distinguished Educator, and it’s in this capacity that I’m taking part in the Apple Teacher Institute (ATI) at Enfield CLC on June 16th-18th.

As the blurb says –

Over three days you will have many opportunities to explore and discuss with Apple Distinguished Educators how digital media and Apple technologies can be used to engage and motivate students. The aim is to promote teacher confidence and develop capacity in a relaxed and friendly manner for everyone, regardless of experience.

There will be workshops on iMovie, animation, podcasting, iWeb, music in Garageband, iPod Touches in the classroom and also a couple of more advanced workshops on Final Cut and Logic.

A great way to start off using a Mac:  you choose several workshops over the first two days then, on the third day,  work with a group of delegates to complete a project of your own devising, using the skills you have learnt – and quite possibly a few more you discover as you go along!

If you want more details you can download the following PDF giving details of how to register – London ATI

And if London is inconvenient for you, there are other ATIs around the country too – Doncaster, Liverpool and Stockton all host an ATI  in June / July.  If you want to know more, send me a message below or  via the contact form.

First conference in which I am taking part is the Linguascope Conference in Brighton at the end of June.

Entitled Inspiration for Motivation, the two day conference taking place at the Thistle Hotel in Brighton promises to run at a more relaxed pace than the usual frenetic conference with one hour sessions punctuated by  30 minute breaks to allow brains to take in what they’ve heard before being filled with ideas once more.  It also allows time for viewing the exhibition and for networking.

You can find out more by accessing the conference site and downloading the PDF.

My sessions are entitled Using Youtube in the classroom and Tips to motivate in the Primary Language Classroom.

Very much looking forward to this conference, not least for the seaside, the conference dinner (which promises to be spectacular) amd meetiong up with friends

Sharing an email from Julie Manandhar at CILT, encouraging people to register for the Primary Teacher’s project with Spain or Germany – closing date is Friday 30th April.

The deadline to secure a place on a two-week course in Spain or Germany is fast approaching.

The  Primary Teachers’ Project – a partnership between the British Council and CILT, the National Centre for Languages is a great opportunity for primary teachers to spend two weeks abroad to improve their language and pedagogical skills and to gain a greater cultural understanding of the country.

The courses involve a week of intensive language and methodology support, followed by a week of work shadowing in a primary school.

The first projects will run in Germany and Spain between 25 October and 5 November 2010, but the deadline to apply for these visits is this Friday (30 April 2010). Additional projects will take place in France and Germany during February 2011 and France and Spain during April 2011.

If you are a primary teacher then you are eligible for EU Comenius funding of up to 2,500 Euros to pay for travel and subsistence. A supply cover contribution of up to £525 is also available to support your school during the week of term when you will be abroad.

If you or any of your colleagues are interested in applying for one of these exciting projects, please visit the British Council website, and select the ‘In-Service Training’ Application form.

Or, you can find more information on the Primary Languages and CILT websites, where we’ve added a template application form to support applicants. Alternatively, email:ptp@cilt.org.uk