In this day and age, it seems that almost everything around us has gone digital. In order to keep up with the ever-changing times and remain current, school systems and classroom teachers are experimenting with ways to incorporate social media platforms into their lesson plans and classrooms. People pursuing teaching degrees these days learn ways to integrate technology into their lessons.

While students are most likely already using many of these platforms outside of school, do social media websites like Facebook and Twitter have a potential educational benefit that can be used in the classroom and implemented into their education?

We’ve devised a helpful list for teachers thinking about using social media as a way of engaging their students.

Research the potential social media platforms you’d like to incorporate into your lesson plans. Depending on the objective of the lesson plan, one platform might be better than another for achieving your goal with the students. Learn about what is out there and what will work best for your purposes. Social media can be broken up into about six different cateogories.

• Social Networking – Social networking sites usually involve a profile feature and allow you to connect with others who have similar interests. Examples include Facebook and LinkedIn.
• Blogging – Blogs are ideal for sharing information and allow the user, in many cases, to have creative control. Blogs are useful platforms for holding discussions, as there are typically comment features incorporated into the blog to encourage readers to interact. Examples include WordPress, Blogspot and Tumblr. 
• Microblogging – Microblogging is a service like Twitter that allows short updates to be shared with others who are subscribed to receive the update. Another example would be a Facebook status update. 
• Media Sharing – Media sharing involves any service that allows you to share media such as YouTube, Flickr and Vimeo.
• Bookmarking Sites – Bookmarking websites help to organize various things found on the Internet, including articles, photographs and videos. Examples of book marking sites include Pinterest and Delicious.
• Social News – Social news platforms allow users to link to news articles. The more people read or “like” an article result in how the item is displayed, separating more popular items from less popular items. An example of a social news platform is Reddit.

Know the privacy settings of the platform you decide to use. Don’t risk putting your students in harm's way.

Make sure that whatever platform you decide to use is accessible to all of your students. In order to keep the classroom engaged as a whole and fair, all students should have equal access to the social media platform you choose. Students who may not have access to a computer at home may be at a disadvantage. 

Be mindful that using social media platforms can lead to inappropriate content. Social media can be a great way to share information, but be know that some of these websites have no filter of what people can post. This should be a major concern.

Understand that these types of websites can easily be distracting. While these sites could potentially be very useful and beneficial, they could also be very distracting. Have a plan for how to avoid these distractions or how to deal with the distractions when they occur.

Realize that social media operates in real-time. It can be difficult to keep up as these sites are constantly being fed and updated.

Know that these platforms can limit face-to-face communication. Perhaps try to incorporate a balance into the lesson plan. One way to do this could be to assign homework that involves using the social media platform at home. For example, if the students have a reading assignment, perhaps their homework could be to post their thoughts to a class blog. Rather than ending the conversation there, a good idea might be to have a discussion the next day in classroom based off of the blog posts from the night before. 

For more information about learning outside of the classroom, please visit www.accredited-online-colleges.org.

This is a guest post by Sofia Rasmussen

The most recent estimations show some important strides in English usage in Latin America: 15.6% of Latin Americans, or 34 millions in absolute terms, describe themselves as very proficient in English. Whether this is because technology allows immediate interfacing with native speakers and the ability to take college classes online – students are privy to an accredited PhD online if they want it, the situation was not always like this.

A report commissioned by the USAID on English language assessment in Central America in the 1980s recommended that the national governments should buy inexpensive but good quality textbooks and that teacher training institutions should strive to obtain well-qualified visiting professors to assist with the general upgrading of their programs in order to improve their programs. Nevertheless, these apparently simple objectives were not so simple after all. In some Latin American states, the use of English was not so preponderant or even encouraged. According to a Peace Corps TEFL/TESL manual, some cases were being tightly restricted on English usage, even on the radio or in newspapers.

Things have changed since then. The United Nations’ narrative of Investing in Cultural Diversity states that the embrace of multiculturalism since the mid-1990s has led to the implementation of bilingual education as a nationwide policy in some countries. The physical infrastructure also began to modernize, especially in the urban areas, where residents had access to improved telecommunication services.

One of the farthest reaching educational tools that managed to solve some of the aforementioned problems is one that the Western world takes for granted: the Internet. Requiring a relatively small infrastructural effort and offering an enormous intellectual impact, the World Wide Web is a versatile teaching aid. The Office of English Language Programs of the US Department of State reports that using multimedia technology in a High School EFL program can counteract some common problems of teaching EFL like late initiation, insufficient time for instruction, overcrowding, use of untrained English teachers.

It is believed that multimedia lessons should complement and not replace the traditional classroom, but besides helping the teacher better organize his lessons, technology can also give an intrinsic motivation to the students by immersing them in the subject matter.

The Internet continues where multimedia lessons left off and enables the students to search not only grammar rules for completing homework, but also topics of personal interest like music, movies, games, places. It bolsters any basic activity and increases interaction, thus facilitating a smooth vocabulary acquisition. This is especially visible on professional or teenager chat boards, where teenagers from Latin America interact with other people by using English.

One other relevant point which should not be overlooked is the rise of TELF job sites, which offer teaching placement in Latin American schools – either unpaid internships in the case of non profit sites or paid in the case of commercial firms. The phenomenon may or may not be the fruit of idealism, but the fact is that volunteers did help, notably the ones that were native English speakers.

Given the emergence of global networking and considerable human and business potential, Latin America will have to become more English. How more English, it remains to be seen. TEFL is not a luxury anymore, but a necessity, which in order to be taught and learned effectively, will probably require a careful blending of online testing and traditional classroom pedagogy.

March's poll was "How much longer are you planning on teaching abroad?" Here are the results.

• 1 year or less: 33% with 4 votes
• 2-3 years: 8% with 1 vote
• 4-5 years 17% with 2 votes
• 6-9 years: 17% with 2 votes
• 10 or more years: 25% with 3 votes

It appears that most people are at opposite ends of the spectrum. They either are in TEFL for the short-term or the long haul. Be sure to vote in April's poll: "What's your highest qualification?"

The topic of March's ESL Educators Blog Carnival was an open topic. People wrote about a variety of topícs such as teaching in Latin America and how to study language in the US. You can read people's opinions on Wandering Educators.

A couple weeks ago I wrote about a new blog for teachers in Korea and linked to the Private School Act (in Korean and English) on Will Wiggle's Blog. Will Wiggle contacted me and asked if I knew anything new about the F visas in Korea.

I had previously been asked by Chris in South Korea (now writing for Travel Wire Asia) to write about F visas for those not married to Koreans, so I updated the info and sent it over to Will Wiggle. You can read more about them at Wouldn't You Like an F Visa?

February’s poll was “How long is your vacation?” Here are the results.

Poll

• 1-2 weeks: 0% with 0 votes
• 3-4 weeks: 30% with 5 votes
• 5-8 weeks: 11% with 2 votes
• 9-12 weeks: 5% with 1 votes
• 17-20 weeks: 30% with 5 votes
• more than 20 weeks: 24% with 4 votes

Seems like TEFL jobs are offering more vacation since no one has less than 2 weeks. For those of you who have more than 20 weeks vacation: I want your job! Be sure to vote in March’s poll: “How long are you planning on continuing teaching?”

Thousands of teachers all over the country are out of work. Competition is higher than ever. Thankfully you don’t have to be one of them. Mike Ruffino has written The Ultimate Teaching Position and shows you how you can do what you love while being your own boss.

By using the methods put forth in his ebook you can teach English online and live anywhere in the world. You can even teach while on vacation.

You’ll be able to charge up to $30-$60 an hour from wealthy corporate businesspeople who need to learn English and want to learn from a native speaker, but don’t have time to go to class. You can work with a recruiter or cut out the middle man and find your own clients.

Mike offers 2 manuals and 2 quick start guides for what you can earn in one hour teaching English online. He also has a risk free 60 day guarantee. If you’re ready to teach and travel click here to go to The Ultimate Teaching Position.

Best education blog

–TEFL Tips has been voted the “Best Education Blog” in the World Media Awards. What are the WMA’s about? Their goal is to recognize the year’s most successful bloggers and publishers. People from around the world submitted their favorites and our team of judges evaluated all of the finalists.

The World Media Awards recognizes successful bloggers and publishers from across the globe. To see all of the 2012 winners, visit the World Media Awards website.

“I am thrilled to help shine a spotlight on some of the best blogs from around the world. I think it’s important to hold up examples of bloggers and publishers doing great things.” — Murray Newlands, Founder

Over the years I’ve written a lot of articles about teaching but I have my favourites which I update the most often. Here are my top 12 posts in no particular order.

Is a Degree Necessary to Teach English Abroad?: This question comes up so often on TEFL forums. While it would be ideal that everyone had a degree, university is so expensive nowadays that not everyone does. This article tells you where you can legally teach without a degree, lists some specific employers that will hire you, how you can get your degree online from legit universities, and explains ways to fasttrack your college career via testing out of classes, using work experience, and more.

Choosing a TEFL Course: There are tons of TEFL courses out there it’s hard for a newbie to know which ones are worth the money. This article tells you about the top 3 TEFL courses, what good TEFL courses should have, as well as provides resources (such as the PeaceCorps) for you to find out about TEFLing for free if you can’t afford a course at the moment. In addition, with more people being crunched for time and money this article will compare and contrast the advantages of doing an online TEFL course vs. an on-site TEFL course.

How to Write a TEFL CV: Having gotten hundreds of CVs over the years I’m always surprised at how many people can’t write a good CV. Your CV is how you sell yourself to an employer and you should put a decent amount of time and effort into writing it. CVs for teaching jobs overseas are a lot different from those back home, for example, you’d probably include a photo as well as your birthday and other personal information. This article will tell you what you should include, tell you tips on how to write a good CV (such as looking at teaching job adverts to find out about key phrases), and I’ll be happy to send you my CV past and present if you’d like an example of one.

How to Write a TEFL Cover Letter: Just like CVs, it’s amazing how many people don’t put a lot of effort into their cover letters. Most people know that they should be personalised, but few actually do it. Some people are even guilty of emailing a cover letter addressed to the wrong person. This article will tell you what you should and shouldn’t include in a cover letter as well as provide a template.

What’s the Best Country to Teach English In?: Utopia doesn’t exist, but this article will tell you which countries are the best for saving money, for living well, a mix of both, teaching in Europe, and teaching in international schools. You’ll find out about the most popular countries for TEFLing and why people go there.

Europe Without an EU Passport: Some people wrongly believe that they can’t legally live, work, or teach in Europe without an EU passport, but there are programmes that will allow you to do so. For example, France and Spain’s Ministries of Education have special  teaching assistant programmes for native speakers that provide them with a visa, stipend, and on occasion: housing. This article also discusses citizenship, residency, has country specific info for Europe, and a whole lot more. At 3,000 words this is one of the longest articles I’ve written.

FAQ for Latin America: This article has FAQ for most of the countries in Latin America. Find out about visas, salaries, how to get work, border hopping, and who the best employers are. I’ve complied info from teachers who have lived in this counties and put them into one easy to read article. At 5,000 words this is one of the longest articles I’ve put together.

International Schools: Some of the better jobs are at international schools. Find out what the requirements to teach at international schools are, recruiting fairs, how to get a good job, how to become a licensed teacher, and more. You’ll also learn where to look for jobs, about international school recruiters, as well as where to look to find out if an international school is good or bad.

Working Holiday Visas and Short-term Jobs: While most jobs last for a year, this article will discuss WHV (working holiday visas) and short-term jobs. You’ll find out what type of jobs offer short term contracts, how to get a WHV, specific employers that offer shorter contracts, and which countries often have short-term teaching contracts.

TEFL Job Sites: Not so much an article as a list of places to look for teaching jobs, this post breaks job sites down into categories such as chain schools and recruiters, higher education job sites, international school job sites, general TEFL job sites, and a whole lot more.

TEFL Interview and Demo Lesson: Interviews can be stressful and demo lessons can be especially nerve-wracking. This article gives you interview tips, suggested answers, tips for asking the interviewer questions, as well as links to other teaching job interview sites. The demo lesson section will tell you how to prepare, what to expect, and more. This article will provide you with tips so that you can ace your next teaching interview and demo lesson.

TEFL Certs, Dips, Master Degrees, and PhDs: This article explains about some of the most popular TEFL certificates and diplomas. You’ll also find a comprehensive list of master degree programmes related to teaching, TEFL, and linguistics around the world from A(ustralia) to W(ales) that can be done entirely online or only require a minimum amount of time on campus.

Retire Overseas: Many TEFL teachers spend so much time abroad that it’s only logical that they retire overseas. This article will list some of the most popular countries around the world, tell you what their requirements are, and explain where you can get more information about their retirement visas.

Will Wiggle's Blog

A new blog about TEFLing in Korea came out late last year. The author goes by the alias “Will Wiggle”. While no one knows who the author is it’s clear that he knows what he’s talking about. Way too many teachers get the short end of the stick when teaching in Korea and this is partly due to the fact that they don’t know about the laws. Will Wiggle is out to change all that. He has less than 10 posts on his blog, but they’re all pure gold and people are starting to stand up and pay attention to what he has to say.

In January he posted about Korea’s Private School Act which states, “any teacher/instructor/professor working at a private school (not hakwons) or a private university who is going to be non-renewed must be notified in writing at least 4 months in advance and be given a chance to appeal in a hearing.” This eliminates 11 month firings which are so common in Korea. You can find the Private School Act in Korean and English on Will Wiggle’s Blog or look for him on Facebook.