Pete Sharma Associates

A few photographs of our great day last week in Madrid!  Opened by the Director of the Department of Trade & Investment……what a venue….!

Pete Sharma and Byron Russell of Pete Sharma Associates have teamed up with experienced ELT project managers and writers, Jill Florent and Des O’Sullivan, to develop a two-day training course for freelance ELT publishing professionals. The aims of the course are to provide a hands-on introduction to interactive whiteboards, podcasts, blogs, wikis, digital materials and learning platforms and to provide a strategic overview of the digital publishing process.

Course title: Demystifying digital: educational technology for ELT publishing professionals

When? 15 and 16 May (9.15–17.30)
Where? The Oxford English Centre, 66 Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 6PR

For more information, please visit our Courses page.

What is the difference between Moodle, the Macmillan English Campus, MyLab and English 360?

Have you ever tried a Mimio?

There are still a few spaces left on the last Blended Learning course of 2009 next month in Stratford – mail PSA immediately if you are interested…………

www.psa.eu.com

A short note to say thank you to everyone who attended the PSA Blended Learning course at The London School in Thiene in Italy last weekend and, of course, a special thanks to Julie for organising it. We had a great time and were challenged by a dynamic group of teachers to present our information and opinions as clearly as possible and then to help them realise some of their ideas and plans using the technologies and tools covered on the course.

We were royally looked after with endless cups of tea and wonderful cheese sandwiches which kept us from flagging during our demos and discussions of blogs, podcasts, IWBs, Moodles and all the other things that the course covers.

There were many questions we were not able to answer due to time and, sometimes, the fact that we had not thought about those issues ourselves. The answers to questions should start to trickle through very soon.

Our latest newsletter is now available for subscribers to te4be to download. It contains articles about Pete’s trips to south America and what he found out about how they are using technology in their classrooms. There are also up-dates on the progress of Pete Sharma Associates.

If you would like to receive the newsletter please sign up as a subscriber. If you are a subscriber and have had any difficulties in downloading the newsletter please feel free to get in touch and we’ll make sure you are able to read it.

So, interactive whiteboards!!

This is a subject that both Pete and I have brought up on this blog and is an important element in both the Blended Learning book and PSA‘s Blended Learning training weekends. In fact, even as I sit here typing this, Pete is across the corridor leading a session on using IWBs. He is able to do this because PSA have acquired one for this purpose.

Here I have to make a confession. I have had very limited experience using IWBs. I know the principles and theories or teaching with one and I’ve seen other people in action. But, I’ve not been able to get my hands on one for long enough to really develop any skills or to use one with a group of learners.

This is about to change. The PSA whiteboard has found a home at the school where I teach on a daily basis and I hereby resolve to take advantage of this fact and to blog my efforts.

There is very little to tell so far. The whiteboard is a 600 Series Smartboard and we have installed the Smart Notebook version 10 software to use with it. Connecting the board for use is remarkably simple. It needs to be connected to the computer using a USB lead and then a projector (also connected to the computer) has to be set up to throw its image onto the surface of the board. You then run a little program called Orient which projects a series of crosses onto the board the centres of which you have to gently press with the tip of one of the pens. Once that is complete the board is ready to go.

More to come once I’ve had the chance to learn a bit more.

Wondering how to use an Interactive whiteboard? Or how to exploit podcasts, blogs and wikis in the language classoom?

Join us for one of our three UK Digital Days in May. Brighton, Edinbirgh and Bournemouth.

Barney and myself, aka. the dynamic duo, will soon be in Edinburgh.

For more information, please visit Macmillan worldwide.

It was fantastic to be involved in the first Blended Learning course run by Pete Sharma Associates last weekend. We had 12 participants, a perfect number to get the diversity of experience we craved.

Thanks to guest trainer Julia Glass from Promethean who among other things demonstrated Learner Voting Devices. Also to PSA trainer Francis Jones who enthralled us in the Smart board workshop. Wealso  put a Mimio through its paces.

Co-trainer and PSA Director Kevin  pulled out the stops on podcasting, blogs and wikis and Moodle. Course participants are usig Moodle post course, making it a real Blended Learning course, with format mirroring content.

Barney – site builder, co-author – was as wonderfully helpful as ever, walking the fine line between omni-presence and invisibilty he treads so well. His fan club, like a mushroom in the dark, grows steadily.

A great weekend and I have blogged events on the British Council / BBC Teaching English site.

If you are thinking of taking the next course in June, my advice is to get your application in early as it is likely to prove popular.

Delighted to announce the launch of the new Pete Sharma associates’ website.

Please visit it for more information on Pete Sharma associates Ltd. and our training courses. Best.

We are delighted to announce the setting up of this new training company. PSA Ltd runs workshops and seminars in educational technology. 2009 starts with a number of training days run in the UK in conjunction with Macmillan. For more information, watch this space!