Resources


There are various resources that will support your journey for your Continuous Professional Development. Some relate specifically to Virtual Exchange for ELT CPD (Contunuous Professional Development), others are more generic, either to develop your digital know-how for teaching online or to further your knowledge of ELT.

ViVEXELT videos

Digital tools videos

These are videos that will support you in the use of digital tools that can be used for ELT.

  1. ViVEXELT video one – AnswerGarden: Mr Ian Upton introduces AnswerGarden, a useful tool to obtain feedback interactively.
Ian Upton introducing AnswerGarden

2. ViVEXELT video two – Genially introduction: Dr. Benet Vincent introduces Genially, a useful tool to create interactive pages and also explore collaborative task creation (e.g. escape rooms).

3. ViVEXELT video three – Embedding Padlet into Genially: Dr. Benet Vincent

4. ViVEXELT video four – Using the quiz tool Socrative with Genially : Dr. Benet Vincent

ViVEXELT lesson plans for ‘teaching speaking online’ classes designed by ViVEXELT participants
1. ViVEXELT lesson plan based on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 5: Gender Equality
2. ViVEXELT lesson plan based on the SDG 4: Quality Education
3. ViVEXELT lesson plan based on the SDG4 Quality Education (2)
4. ViVEXELT lesson plan based on the SDG3: Good Health and Well-Being

5. Lesson plan based on the SDG 13: Climate Action
6. Lesson plan based on the SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
7. Lesson plan on teaching grammar communicatively for teacher educators.
8. A ViVEXELT Guide for E-CIIC Mediators
More on lesson plans. One of the ViVEXELT participants set up a Facebook Page to share more lesson plans on Sustainable Development Goals:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/savingwaterproject.sdg6/?ref=share

Resources on Virtual Exchange collated by Robert O’Dowd.

Unicollaboration

Unicollaboration is an association that aims to promote telecollaboration and Virtual Exchange.

Evolve project

EVOLVE (Evidence-Validated Online Learning through Virtual Exchange) was conducted as a project to mainstream Virtual Exchange (VE) as an innovative form of collaborative international learning across disciplines in Higher Education (HE) institutions in Europe and beyond.

E-twinning project

eTwinning is a free online community for schools in Europe and some neighbouring countries, which allows you to find partners and collaborate on projects within a secure network and platform. 

Valiant project

VALIANT is specifically designed for school teachers and classes of student teachers who are working or studying in rural areas or contexts where they have:

-Limited access to specialised experts and trainers.
-Difficulties attending workshops due to, for example, long driving distances.
-Difficulties to participate in in-house professional development activities

Teaching Speaking

Teaching speaking is a BBC/ British Council series of videos and interactive exercises to help you develop your students’ speaking skills.

FutureLearn MOOCs

There are many MOOCs, many designed by the British Council, that support the journey of English language teachers. You can join them for free. See for example: How to Plan and Teach Great English Lessons

Mentoring Handbook for Virtual Exchange Teachers

Reflective practice

Reflection on teaching practice can be supported by joining this free online course by the Open University

E-Moderating tips by Professor Gilly Salmon

This website provides very useful tips on e-moderation and also on how to help students cope at the time of the pandemic

Open Access Literature

The publisher Research-Publishing.net offers numerous free books that can be downloaded from the Internet and they report on digital innovations. The latest one for 2021 is, as it happens, on Virtual Exchange: Towards Digital Equity in Internationalisation


Digital Learning Innovation Fund – YouTube playlist