Integrating the Internet into the Classroom: The Russia Experience

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Integrating the Internet into the Classroom The
Russia Experience
E-Fair Classics TESOL 2007

• Bridget F. Gersten, Ph.D.
• English Language Office
• U.S. Embassy Moscow
• http//usembassy.ru/english
• moscowelo_at_state.gov

Michael Krauss, J.D., M.A.T. Academic English
Studies Lewis Clark College http//www.lclark.e
du/krauss/ krauss_at_lclark.edu
http//www.lclark.edu/krauss/usia/home.html
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Mission Goals Mutual Understanding

• Online training is effective teacher training
  tool with affective outcomes
• U.S. life, values, and institutions
• Cross-cultural understanding
• Sharing application of materials
• Community building professional development
• Technology training role model mentoring

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Overview What we did in Russia

• Decided to use the course for public diplomacy
  outreach
• Informed teachers from around Russia set
  criteria for enrollment
• Selected candidates
• Project-based and participatory learning
  teaching
• Evaluation follow up

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Online Training and INSETT Outreach Benefits

• Objectives
• Use web as cost-effective outreach
• Make people-to-people connections
• Facilitate quality materials development related
  to study of the USA
• Support Russian ELT PD
• Start grassroots chain reactions
• Integrate the internet into the classroom

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Outcomes

• 120 teachers from all over the country took the
  course
• Materials curriculum design
• Further training
• Trainer training in locus
• Reports shared
• ELT outreach programs U.S.-Russia know how

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Process Products

• E-TREASURES OF BUSINESS ENGLISH (An Internet
  Hotlist on Business English)
• BECOMING CITIZENS An Internet Hotlist on Civic
  Education
• LISTENING RESOURCES FOR ESL STUDENTS An Internet
  Hotlist on LISTENING FOR ESL
• MORE ABOUT COMPUTERS _at_ TREASURE HUNTA Treasure
  Hunt on Computers
• DISCOVER YOUR AMERICA An Internet Hotlist on All
  about the USA
• DISCOVERING THE ESL/EFL INTERNET SEGMENT An
  Internet Hotlist on Web Sites for ESL/EFL
  Instructors
• IDIOMS AND WORDS SAMPLER an Internet Sampler on
  Idioms and words
• ENGLISH TEACHING RESOURCES. MUSIC AND MOVIES. An
  Internet Hotlist on Music and movies
• CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION An Internet Hotlist
  on Cross-Cultural Communication
• PEN PALS WEBQUESTAn Internet WebQuest on Pen Pals

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TESTIMONIALS
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Lyubov Geykhman, Perm My thanks to Michael for
his skillful tailoring of the teaching materials
with a lot of additional resources in
methodology, practice and what not for his
tutoring, facilitating and counseling us the
on-line students in learning on our own and in
coping with the new practical tasks and
activities. I agree with all my buddies that the
course was productive, informative, well
organized, entertaining, challenging and useful.
It went way above my expectations. Valentina
Sitnik, Elista This online course was the first
online course in my life. I mean the first course
when I had the opportunity to share my thoughts
and doubts with an instructor who corrected my
route to professional development. It was also a
possibility to communicate with my colleagues.
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Natalia Deryabina, Irkutsk I have fallen in
love with this course. I usually spend a lot of
hours working on the computer, but these hours
spent with you all were the most effective.
Elena Galichkina, Astrakhan My expectations
were more than met. The course was very
interesting and the tasks challenging. This
course provided a clear, step by step
understanding of Internets Universe. It taught
me to navigate beneficially the Internet. Now I
know that Internet is not a dustbin but a
Treasure Land and one should learn how to use it.
I have found many interesting sites that I will
widely use during my lessons.
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• ENGLISH TEACHERS IN BURYAT REPUBLIC INTEGRATE THE
  INTERNET INTO THE CLASSROOM An on-line course
  graduate of the ELO-sponsored project
  Integrating the Internet into the Classroom has
  resulted in a series of training courses for the
  broader educational public in Ulan Ude, capital
  of the Republic of Buryatiya (Siberia). Mr. Erdem
  Dugarov reported to post on October 26 that his
  seminar series has reached 50 teachers of
  English, upgrading their skills on how to design,
  create, and evaluate innovative tasks and
  activities that foster critical thinking. Mr.
  Dugarov completed the three-week, hands-on course
  taught by Michael Krauss (Lewis Clark College,
  Portland OR) in FY05.
• Results Fifty secondary school and university
  teachers upgraded their skills on how to
  integrate the Internet into the English classroom
  in this remote area of Siberia. Moscow PAs train
  the trainer approach has resulted in further PD
  outreach.

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Promoting the model

• http//www.lclark.edu/krauss/usia/home.html
• http//usembassy.ru/english
• Collegial sharing conferences, papers, other
• Application -- online on website