Friday, November 6, 2009

Welcome to the Language Teacher's Toolbox!


Hello and welcome, herzlich willkommen, bienvenue, bienvenido to the Language Teacher's Toolbox! This site is your source for all kinds of fun and useful teaching tips, activities, materials, and more! The site is intended for language teachers of all languages and levels, from beginning teachers to experienced veterans, you will find materials for many of the commonly taught languages. 


The original idea for The Teacher’s Toolbox came about in 2003 as I was just starting out as a teacher. I was disappointed by the lack of available materials that I had to work with and thus decided to rectify this by creating and gathering as many materials as I could. The desire to continuously improve my teaching skills as well as the number of resources and materials I was developing led me in turn to present my collected materials at several state and regional language conferences with the goal of exchanging my ideas with fellow language teachers. After coming to Purdue University, I felt there was a need to present a venue where graduate instructors could present their teaching activities, strategies, and materials in a relaxed setting with the goal of language instructors being able to learn from each other. This resulted from an observation that beyond basic teaching training and an introductory language teaching course, graduate instructors had few opportunities to develop their teaching skills and materials. The conferences were well received with a large numbers of graduate instructors who presented and attendance by graduate students and professors from all programs within department. 

Recognizing the need for language instructors to have such opportunities and to expand beyond a local context, I decided to progress into a third phase of operations regarding The Teacher’s Toolbox by creating a website called The Language Teacher’s Toolbox.[1] This presents a forum for language teachers to discuss and exchange ideas on a large scale with virtually none of the constraints of conventional conferences or meetings. The motivation to create the website-based version of the original Teacher’s Toolbox idea was motivated by the fact that I felt that language teaching is lacking the availability of easily accessible and quality teaching materials and activities. In short, there is no central and easily accessible knowledge base from which teachers can draw. Instead, language teachers generally must learn from experience or attend conferences and workshops, which may not always be feasible. I also feel that there is a lack of communication among teachers of different languages as most tend to congregate with other teachers of whichever language they are teaching. 

I have always felt that we as language teachers can benefit from learning what and how our colleagues in other languages are teaching. Thus, the Language Teacher’s Toolbox is designed for teachers of all languages. Activities and materials may be designed for a specific language, yet they are all designed with broad and flexible application in mind. Thus, German teachers may find an activity for Spanish interesting and vice versa. The site also serves as a forum for language teachers to discuss ideas and the materials presented there as anyone visiting the site has the ability to comment on the content posted there and people may then comment or reply to others’ comments leading to discussions. 

The organizational structure of the site itself reflects the integrated approach toward knowledge sharing I have described above in that rather than having one primary content contributor, the task of adding content to the site is shared by a team of language teaching experts from all of the languages the site currently supports.[1] Each language features a team of experienced language teachers each with their own areas of expertise who have full reign to add content as they see fit. 

Visitors to the site have the option of commenting on any posts directly or sending any comments or questions to the site via email.[2] Visitors are encouraged to comment in order to stimulate discussion and they have the opportunity to see their own materials or ideas published on the site by sending an email to the site with a description of their activities, materials, or ideas. All material sent to the site will undergo a review process and if it is found to be acceptable it will then be published on the site with full credit given to the original author(s). Visitors to the site may also subscribe to it via the site feed. For those unfamiliar with such technology, it is akin to subscribing to a magazine or newspaper. By subscribing you do not actually need to visit the site itself to check for new material; instead a user will receive updates within their browser window or through email notification. 

It is hoped that through this type of collaboration that a true community of language teachers can be established without any constraints. The site will be continuously updated with new content on a daily basis, thus it seeks to offer an alternative beyond conferences and workshops as they can only take place in established and finite time frames. This is not to say that the aim is to replace such venues, but simply to supplement them by offering a venue that is constantly accessible and in many ways more convenient.

The more teachers contributing to the site the stronger the community will become. 

Sincerely,

Christopher La Cross 


[1]    Currently the site fully supports German, French, Spanish, English (ESL/EFL/ELT), as well as Japanese and Chinese. As the site continues to grow we will expand our team to fully support other languages. Future languages will include Italian, Russian, Portuguese, and Arabic to name but a few.
[2]    The site can be reached via email at: clteacherstoolbox@gmail.com

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Followers

Teaching Topics

A1 (1) AAFLT (1) AATG (15) About LTT (1) Abroadways (1) Accusative Prepositions (1) Achievement Gap (1) ACTA (1) ACTFL (18) Activities (1) Adjectives (3) Advanced Learners (11) Advanced/intermediate Learners (4) Adventskalender (2) Advertisements on TV (1) AEPE (1) Afghanistan (1) African-American English (1) AITLA (1) Alabama Immigration (1) Algeria (1) All Languages (11) Alphabet (2) Alsace (1) Amazing Race (3) Anglicisms (3) Animals (1) Animoto (1) App-Gap (2) Applied Linguistics (1) Apps (11) Aprendizaje Movil (1) Arabic (4) Argentina (1) Argentine Culture (1) Armored Penguin (1) articulation (2) Assessment (5) Asterix (1) Audacity (1) Audio (1) Augsburg (1) Australia (1) Avatar Software (1) Aventa (1) AZCALL (1) Baalbek (1) Bairisch (4) Ballet (1) Ballinstadt Museum (1) Balloons (1) Battleship (3) Bayerischer Rundfunk (1) Bayern (7) BBC (1) Beginners (4) Belgium (2) Berlin (5) Berlin Wall (2) Berufe (1) Bier (1) Bilingual Education (3) Bilingualism (11) Bing (1) Bingo (4) Birthdays (1) Blancanieves (1) Blended Learning (3) blog (2) Blog Carnival (1) Board Races (1) Body Parts (2) Bolivia (1) Brazil (1) Budget Cuts (24) BundeslƤnder (1) Bunny (1) Business (5) BYOD (1) Cafe Press (1) CALL (1) Call for Papers (7) Caperucita Roja (1) Carissa (18) Carissa Peck (19) Carnaval (1) Carnival (2) CELE (1) Cell Phones (1) Cenicienta (1) Cheating (2) Chicago (1) Child Foreign Language Acquisition (2) China (28) Chinese (56) Chinese Culture (1) Chinese Grammar (9) Chinese Music (1) Chinese Video (1) Chinese Vocabulary (8) Christmas (1) Chronicle of Higher Education (1) CIEFE (1) Cities (1) CIVTRALFE (1) Class Size (1) Classroom Management (1) CLEAR (1) Clipart (1) Cloud Computing (2) Cloze Activities (1) CLTA (1) Club Digital (1) Cognates (2) Collaboration (2) Colombia (3) Colors (4) Commands (1) Commas (1) Commercials (5) Common Core (1) Condicional Simple (1) Conditional (1) Conferences (279) Confucius Institutes (1) Conjugation (7) Conjunctions (1) Content Language Integrated Learning (1) ConversaĆ§Ć£os (4) Conversaciones (8) Conversation (3) Cooking (1) Corpus linguistics (1) Counterfeit goods (1) Cousteau (1) Crime (1) Crossword Puzzles (4) Cuba (1) Culcha Candela (1) Culture (17) Current Events (2) Curriculum and Instruction (1) Curriculum Innovation (3) Currywurst (2) Da- Compounds (1) DAAD (3) Dalai Lama (1) Dance (1) Das Erste (1) Dative (1) Dative Prepositions (1) Days of the week (1) DDR (1) Delaware (1) DELE (1) Denglisch (1) Description (2) Deutsche Welle (63) Dialects (10) Dias de la semana (1) Dietrich (1) Digital Classroom (6) Digital Content (1) Digital Curriculum (1) Digital Leadership (1) Digital Literacy (2) digital tools (2) Directions (3) Discover Languages Month (2) Discussion (3) Documentary (5) Don Quixote (1) Dos dias en la vida (1) Downloads (25) Drawing (1) Dresden (1) Dual Language Programs (12) Duolingo (1) E-reader (1) Easter (2) ebook (1) ECLL (1) Ed-Tech (48) Education (2) Education Issues (14) Education Reform (3) Educational Technology (5) EFL (43) EFL Video (11) Einstein (1) El Reino del RevĆ©s (1) ELE (7) Elementary Levels (4) ELL (22) ELT (12) Emotions (1) Enfoque (2) engagement (1) England (1) Engleutsch (1) English (42) English Grammar (8) English Vocabulary (22) ESL (94) Esskultur (1) Estar (4) Ɗtre (1) Events (3) Expressions (1) Fairy tales (5) Fall (1) False Cognates (6) Family (1) Farsi (1) Faust (1) FCLM (1) Feelings (2) Festival Cine Latinoamericano (1) Films (4) First Day (1) FLAME (1) FLE (3) FLENJ (1) Flipped Classroom (1) Flipped Instruction (5) Fluency (2) Focus Online (1) Food (5) Forbes (2) Foreign Languages (9) Foreign TV (1) France (28) France Cuisine (1) France Region (6) Frankfurt (2) Free Speech (1) Freebies (2) Freiburg (1) French (270) French Accent (6) French Art (5) French Chic (5) French Cuisine (8) French Culture (48) French Documentary (11) French Expressions (2) French Fashion (1) French Film (2) French Food (5) French Grammar (15) French History (2) French Humor (11) French Karaoke (1) French Lifestyle (14) French Music (37) French Politics (1) French Slang (1) French Soccer (1) French Songs (3) French Video (106) French Vocabulary (33) Funny (1) futbol americano (1) Futur II (1) Future (1) Games (25) Gangnam Style (1) General Education (3) ger (1) German (691) German Art (2) German Commercial (7) German Culture (62) German Dialects (4) German Food (10) German Grammar (63) German History (10) German Idioms (5) German Linguistics (1) German Literature (1) German Movies (4) German Music (45) German Philosophers (1) German Politics (1) German Proverbs (3) German Science (1) German Slang (1) German Soccer (4) German States (1) German TV (4) German Video (109) German Vocabulary (125) German World (2) Germany (14) GesprƤche (14) GetrƤnke (1) Ghetto Culture (1) Global Kidz Lab (1) Globalization (2) Glogster (1) Goethe-Institut (6) Good Grade Pills (1) Google (4) Google Docs (1) Google Input (1) Google Translate (2) Gossip Game (1) Grammar (10) Grammar Exercises (2) Greece (1) Grimm (1) Group Activities (35) Guessing Game (2) Gustar (3) Halloween (2) HALT (2) Hamburg (5) Hashtags (1) Heidelberg (1) higher education (4) Hispanic (7) History (2) History of the Mediterranean Countries (1) Hoja de Coca (1) Holidays (1) Hong Kong (1) Houston (1) http://jalt.org/conference (1) iBooks (1) Ice breaker. EFL. Beginner (2) Icebreakers (6) ICL (1) ICLCC (1) ICLDC (1) ICLEHI (1) ICLEI (1) ICLLA (1) ICLT (1) ICoLLT (1) Idioms (6) IFLTA (3) IICLL (1) Illegal Downloading (1) Immersion Education (2) Immersion Programs (25) imparfait (1) Imperative (3) Imperativo (3) Imperfect (2) Imperfecto (1) Indiana University (1) Inferencing (1) Infographics (3) Intensive Language Programs (1) Intermediate Learners (6) International Education Week (1) International Exchange (2) Interview Activities (6) Intonation (1) Introductions (2) IOLC (1) iPad (10) IPhone (4) IPhone App (4) Irregular Verbs (7) ISeLT (1) Isla de Pascua (1) ISLC (1) ISLS (1) Italian (30) Italian Geography (1) Italian Grammar (5) Italian Idioms (2) Italian Music (4) Italian Video (1) Italian Videos (1) Italian Vocabulary (14) Italy (1) J (1) J-SLA (1) Japan (18) Japanese (162) Japanese Culture (22) Japanese Dialects (1) Japanese Food (2) Japanese Grammar (21) Japanese History (2) Japanese Music (22) Japanese Soccer (2) Japanese Video (21) Japanese Vocabulary (40) Japnaese (2) Jarabe de Palo (1) JLLL (1) Jobs (555) Jorge Drexler (1) Kaffee (1) Kaffeestunde (1) Kaiwa (6) Kaleidoskop (1) kanji (4) Karneval (1) Keigo (1) Khan Academy (2) Kiezdeutsch (1) Kindergarten (1) Knowmia (1) Koenji Awa Odori (1) Kƶln (2) Konjunktiv I (1) Korea (2) Krampus (2) Krashen (1) L2 (1) L2 writing (7) L3 2013 (1) La historia de Juan (1) La infidelidad en la era de la informatica (1) Lang-8 (1) langchat (1) Language Acquisition (2) Language Advocacy (25) Language Certification (1) Language Change (3) Language Development (5) Language Diversity (1) Language History (6) Language Immersion (13) Language Learning (32) Language Policy (26) Language Radio (1) Language Teaching (15) Language Teaching Technology (41) Language Testing (6) Language Training (1) Latin American Spanish (2) Latvia (1) Le Mot Du Jour (2) Learner Age (1) Learning Apps (1) Learning Myths (1) Learning Styles (4) Lecture Series (1) Leipzig (6) Les Guignols (1) Lesson Plans (4) LFLTA (1) Life in London (1) LILA (1) Lineas de Tiempo (1) Linguafolio (1) Linguistics (23) Listening (12) Listening Comprehension (25) Literacy (2) LLC (1) Local Events (8) LOL (1) Loopster (1) Lyon (1) MadLibs (1) magazine (1) Make Me a Story (1) Mandarin (8) Manga (1) Maps (2) MƤrchen (2) Marrocco (1) Marseille (1) Matching (1) mathematics (1) MATSOL (1) Mauerfall (1) Mayas (2) Me gusta el futbol (1) Media (4) Media Markt (2) Medical German (1) Mercedes (1) Mexican Culture (2) Mexico (2) MIAM (1) Microsoft (1) Military (1) MindSnacks (1) MIT (1) Mnemonic (7) Moai (1) Mobile Devices (2) Mobile Learning (1) Modal Verbs (2) Monsters (1) MOOCs (3) Morocco (1) Movies (3) Mozart (2) Multilingualism (2) MĆ¼nchen (6) Museumsinsel (1) Music (9) Names (1) Nertherlands (1) Netflix (1) New Releases (14) New Year (1) News (787) NICCIELTL (1) NNELL (1) Nook (1) Number Bingo (2) Numbers (5) October (1) OFLA (1) Oktoberfest (3) Old English (1) Olympics (1) Online Activities (1) Online Alternatives (6) Online Courses (5) Online Language Learning (4) Online Languge Learning (2) Online Translators (5) Oral Evaluation (1) Otaku (1) PALA (1) Paris (2) parts of speech (2) PassĆ© ComposĆ© (2) Passiv (1) Past tense (1) pbl (1) Pen Pals (1) phonetics (1) Photos (3) Phrasal Verbs (1) Phrases (1) Pictures (14) PiƱatas (1) Pinterest (5) Play (1) Playing Dice (1) Podcasts (2) Politics (1) Poll (1) Portuguese (7) Portuguese Videos (4) Posadas (1) Possessive Pronouns (1) Pre-school (1) Prepositions (3) Present Perfect (1) Preterit (2) Preterite (5) Preterito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo (1) Priming (1) Processability Approaches (1) Productivity (1) Products (3) ProfELE (2) Professional Development (1) Program Development (2) Program Funding (1) project-based learning (3) Pronouns (3) pronunciation (6) publication (1) Publishing (1) Pumuckl (1) Purdue (5) Puzzles (1) Qatar (1) Quest-Based Learning (1) Question and Answer (2) Quizzes (1) Rabbit (1) Radio Bilingue (1) Raytheon (1) Reading (4) Reading Activities (7) Reading Comprehension (5) Reading practice (3) Recuerdos (1) Recycling (2) Reflection (1) Reflexive Pronouns (5) Reflexive Verbs (7) Refranes (7) Relative Pronouns (2) RELC (1) Research (1) Retire in Morocco (1) Review (1) Riddles (6) Robin Williams (1) Role-Play (8) Role-Playing (1) Role-Plays (7) Romance Languages (1) Rosetta Stone (2) Russian (4) Sachsen (1) Salzburg (5) Sanskrit (1) Sapporo (1) SCFLTA (1) Schwarzfahrer (1) Scientology (1) Scotland (1) Second Languages (2) SecondLife (1) Sentence Builder (1) Separable Prefix Verbs (1) Ser (4) Service-learning (1) Shakira (1) Shanghai (2) Short Films (3) SIUS (1) Skype (3) SLA Methods (3) Slate (1) Soccer (3) Social Media (6) Sociolinguistics (2) Song (28) Songs (23) Songs for Children (7) Sony Virtuoso (1) Soo Meta (1) Spain (1) Spanish (258) Spanish Culture (21) Spanish Dialects (5) Spanish Grammar (33) Spanish Idiom (1) Spanish Idioms (1) Spanish in Contact with Other Languages (1) Spanish in the US (1) Spanish Music (23) Spanish Song (1) Spanish Songs (6) Spanish TV (1) Spanish Video (83) Spanish Vocabulary (22) Speaking Activities (18) Spelling Bee (1) Spring (1) Spring Break (1) Staatskongress (1) Standards (2) Stationen (1) Statistical Tests (1) Step Into German (1) Stereotypes (4) Stories (2) Stories for Children (12) Story Chains (1) Streaming (1) Study Abroad (10) Subjunctive (6) Subjuntivo (1) Subordinate Clauses (1) Superbowl (1) Surrealist (1) Sushi (1) Switzerland (5) Symposium (8) T-Test (1) Taiwan (1) TALGS (1) Tanger (1) Tangier (1) Task Based Learning (1) TCCRISLS (2) Teacher Tip (2) Teaching Approaches (4) Teaching Challenges (2) Teaching Commands (5) Teaching Issues (4) Teaching Materials (3) Teaching Methods (4) Teaching Skills (1) Teaching Strategies (17) Teaching tips (12) Teachnology (5) Techlandia (2) Technology (125) Telenovelas (1) TELL (1) Templates (1) Tener (1) Tenses (2) TESOL (23) Test-Taking (1) Texting (3) tipping (1) TL Variations (1) TOEFL (5) Tongue Twisters (10) Total Physical Response (1) Tourism (3) TPR (7) TPRS (1) Trabant (1) Transition Words (2) Translation (8) Travel Opportunities (2) TSLL (1) TĆ¼bingen (1) Tunisia (3) Twitter (9) U-Bahn (1) Understanding (1) UNESCO (1) University of Montana (1) Urban Architecture (1) Urlaub (1) Useful Websites (186) Vacations (1) Verb of the Week (41) Verbling (1) Verbs (12) Video (45) Video Games (1) Video Lesson Plans (1) Video Star (2) video-bilinguisme- enfants (1) Videos (9) Vienna (4) Visas (1) Vocabulary (25) Voz Pasiva (1) VW (1) Wartburg (1) Webcams (1) Webinars (12) Welcome (1) Werbe-Deutsch (1) Wetoku (1) Whiteboard (1) Wien (4) Will Ferrell (1) Wine (1) Wo- Compounds (1) word (21) Word Acquisition (3) Word Engine (1) Word Lens (1) word problems (1) Word Searches (7) Wordle (6) Wordle™ (1) Workshops (13) World Cup (3) World Englishes (5) World Languages (1) Wort der Woche (1) Wortschatz (1) WOW (1) Writing Activities (7) Yabla (1) Youtube (1) Zungenbrecher (3) ZĆ¼rich (2)
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...