HEARD ON THE WEB

Internet Resources for TESOL Professional Development

The World Wide Web is rapidly replacing the library as the first place to turn for information. In addition to information itself, however, the Web is becoming increasingly important as an interactive tool for professional advancement. From simple e-mail discussion lists to complete degree courses, it is all there waiting for you to point and click. Below are descriptions of relevant sources of information and services in the field of TESOL compiled by Thomas N. Robb and posted at his Web site at http://www.hi-ho.ne.jp/~trobb/tjreview.html. A clickable version of this page is updated regularly.

Information on TESOL Professional Development

TESOL Onlines Career Center http://careers.tesol.org/ Your first stop for career information regarding worldwide job listings, how to become qualified in TESOL, advice for job searching, and much more. ESL/EFL Career Guide http://esl.about.com/homework/esl/ blcareer.htm This site offers information about getting qualified and finding a job as well as career guides and articles detailing teachers personal experiences. A Guide to British Masters Degrees in TESOL by Distance Learning http://langue.hyper.chubu.ac.jp/jalt/ pub/tlt/97/mar/distance.html This article, by Daniel Dunkley, is from the March 1997 edition of The Language Teacher Online. Online or TraditionalThat is the Question! http://www.att.com/learningnetwork/ virtualacademy/journal.html

An informative review of the authors first experience with obtaining his MA degree via an on-line course. Ronald Chalmers has gone on to become the program director for Homeroom.com.

Professional Resources On-Line

Agora Newsletter http://agoralang.com/agoranews_ current.html Forum Magazine http://e.usia.gov/forum/ ITESL Journal http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~iteslj/ JALT Journal: The Web Edition http://www.als.aoyama.ac.jp/jjweb/jj_ index.html Language Learning & Technology http://llt.msu.edu TESL-EJ http://www-writing.berkeley.edu/ TESL-EJ/

synchronous on-line sessions with courses conducted by David Nunan, Rod Ellis, and Ruth Wajnryb, all well-known TESOL names. There is a certificate program and an MA program, basically aimed at residents of Japan. The MA program requires attendance at two 2-day seminars per year in Tokyo. New School Universitys Cyberspace Campus http://dialnsa.edu/ Offers an English Language Teaching Certificate. Separate courses may be taken on a noncredit basis for as little as $450. According to their information, the program stresses communicative, studentcentered learning and has a very practical orientation. OnLineLearning.net http://www.OnlineLearning.net/ CommunitiesOfStudy/neighborhoods. cfm?NB=TEFL Sponsored by UCLA Extension and other schools, this program advertises that lectures, coursework, assignments, questions, discussion, all take place at your convenienceonline. London Institute of Education (London University) http://www.ioe.ac.uk/lie/email.htm According to the description of this
Autumn 2000

Degree/Certificate Programs
Newport Asia Pacific University http://www.asiapacificu.edu For those desiring a U.S.-based qualification, this appears to be the big kid on the block, at least for the time being. The program, conducted almost completely on-line, features weekly, scheduled,

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program, this version of the MA TESOL is the first postgraduate qualification in TESOL to be offered by computer conferencing. Students register part-time. In addition to the compulsory modules, and a selection of the optional modules, training is also provided in computer conferencing itself. Another version of this distance MA TESOL is offered by e-mail to a group of students from Israel. Aston University, School of Languages and European Studies, Advanced Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language http://www.aston.ac.uk/pg/pros/ lestptefl.htm The course is aimed at teachers wishing to further their careers as well as those intending a mid-career change. The course aims to train such teachers to an advanced level of professional competence in TEFL and to prepare them for careers throughout the world. University of Surrey, MA in Linguistics (TESOL) http://www.surrey.ac.uk/ELI/ma.html This modular program boasts a unique library support system for its distance learning program, including access to on-line bibliographic services, international discussion lists, tutorial and study support, and dissertation supervision. Open Learning International http://olionline.com/ This organization claims to be the first to offer the OCR (Oxford, Cambridge, RSA) Certificate in Teaching Foreign Languages to Adults, via the Internet. The full course costs 575.00 ($920.00). The Certificate in On-Line Teaching of English http://www.nll.co.uk/colte/ Offers teachers the skills and knowledge required to transfer their traditional teaching skills to the on-line environment.

Both synchronous and asynchronous methods (live chat versus message boards or e-mail) of teaching are covered in the course. See ELEaston.com for other distance learning possibilities. http://eleaston.com/dist_ed.html

Maintained by Thomas Riedmiller of the University of Nebraska, this site offers an excellent collection of links and commentary. TESLJB-L electronic list This branch list of TESL-L is dedicated to jobs, employment and professional advancement. In addition to position openings, there are free-ranging discussions on issues such as Is Distance Learning More Cost-Effective Than Traditional Education? and The Future of PhDs in Applied Linguistics. To subscribe to the TESLJB-L branch list, you must first subscribe to TESL-L; however, you can do both in a single message. To subscribe, send the following lines in an e-mail message to listserv@cunyvm.cuny.edu SUB TESL-L Your full name here SUB TESLJB-L Once you have subscribed, you can search the 10,000+ messages in the archive by keyword. For example, you can search for information on on-line courses by sending the following message to the listserv: SEARCH online course in TESLJB-L

Courses for Credit

TESOL Education Programs http://www.tesol.org/edprg/index.html Check out TESOLs selection of academies, pre- and postconvention institutes, and on-line workshops. New Jersey City University http://newlearning.njcu.edu/ weblearning/default.htm Offers on-line courses for teachers, though not specifically for ESL, such as Introduction of Hypermedia and Learning Theories.

Courses in Related Fields

TeleCampus http://courses.telecampus.edu/about.cfm Features a searchable database of on-line courses throughout the world.

Employment Information
Linguistic Funland! Job Opportunities and Information http://www.linguisticfunland.com/tesljob.html Maintained by Kristina Pfaff-Harris, at the University of Nevada, Reno, this site contains a lengthy listing of sources of employment information and regional surveys of the employment situation. The Internet Job Search for ESL! http://www.uni.edu/riedmill/

Thomas N. Robb Kyoto Sangyo University Kita-ku, Kyoto, Japan tom@robb.net

Heard On the Web encourages

Submissions for Heard On the Web may be sent by regular mail to:
Marjorie Terdal Editor, Heard On the Web TESOL Journal Department of Applied Linguistics Portland State University P.O. Box 751 Portland, OR 97207 USA
E-mail submissions may be sent to: terdalm@pdx.edu.

contributions from TJ readers who regularly monitor electronic discussion lists in any field related to ESOL. Topics discussed in TJ may no longer be available on-line at the Web site(s) listed at the time of publication.

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TESOL Journal