ouT

Project News

Avenue - Vancouver Community College Interview Part One
This podcast is part one of an interview by Paul Carter with two LINC professionals, Maureen Kelbert and Vesna Radivojevic from Vancouver Community College. The session focused on how settlement language training sector administrators, teachers, and newcomers can reach higher levels of teaching and learning excellence by learning about and reflecting on the ways that online learning technologies are threaded through good teaching and learning. ...
https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/learnit2teach/episodes/2023-01-26T14_50_09-08_00

New Part 1 Learning Technology Leadership Group Begins Saturday, January 28th

• Refreshed and Augmented Leadership Courses for 2023!
• Grow your learning tech skills with a community of LINC colleagues
• Engage with videos, readings, audio podcasts and discussion forums
• Dive deep on learning technology standards frameworks Interpret innovations and leadership theories for your local program
• Sample the worlds of Universal Design for Learning and the SAMR model
• Develop a strategic plan to improve local learning technology uptake and teaching/learning practices

http://learnit2teach.ca/wpnew/new-part-1-learning-technology-leadership-group-begins-saturday-january-28th/

New PBLA Module Available: Working in Academic Groups (CLB 7-8)
This module can be previewed in the PBLA Sample Modules course on Avenue. Avenue teachers may request it through their mentor. A webinar demonstrating this and another module about Getting Ready for Post Secondary Education will be delivered on February 22.

Web News

Top 100 Tools for Learning 2022
As a result of the 16th Annual Tools for Learning survey, I have, this year, generated a list of 100 Top Tools for Learning. ....
https://www.toptools4learning.com

Immigrants say their lives are in limbo as pandemic blocks their path to citizenship
Six months after the federal government cancelled citizenship tests due to COVID-19, many immigrants say they fear a growing backlog in the citizenship queue will delay indefinitely their goal of becoming Canadians. Before the pandemic hit, the entire citizenship process took an average of 12 months. Now, applicants have no idea when in-person tests will resume ...
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/covid19-pandemic-immigrants-citizenship-1.5720917

ChatGPT: Educational friend or foe?
The invention of the telephone in 1876 was met with simultaneous amazement and trepidation. Critics wondered if phones would disrupt face-to-face communication ... When television entered our homes, we fretted ... The definition of “screen time” was later broadened to include the impacts of digital content and “social media” on children. ...The latest challenge to the creative human intellect was introduced on November 30th, 2022 by OpenAI. ChatGPT is a conversational bot responsive to users’ questions ...
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/education-plus-development/2023/01/09/chatgpt-educational-friend-or-foe/

Death of the narrator? Apple unveils suite of AI-voiced audiobooks
Apple has quietly launched a catalogue of books narrated by artificial intelligence in a move that may mark the beginning of the end for human narrators. The strategy marks an attempt to upend the lucrative and fast-growing audiobook market … Apple’s development of AI to narrate books could represent a significant shift in how major technology companies see the future of audiobooks. ...
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/jan/04/apple-artificial-intelligence-ai-audiobooks

ChatGPT-4, the Fined Tuned Version of ChatGPT-3, Might Prompt a Major Shift
The expectation is mounting up around OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4, which is scheduled for 2023 ... GPT-4 stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer 4. It’s basically an artificial intelligence system that can create human-like text. While the current ChatGPT-3 has 175 billion parameters, ChatGPT-4 might have 1 trillion, or even more, ...
https://iblnews.org/chatgpt-4-the-fined-tuned-version-of-chatgpt-3-might-prompt-a-major-shift/

Blogs

Here’s a Quick Way to Instantly Have Closed Captions
f you’re a Google Chrome 89+ user you now have access to Live Caption which is an accessibility feature that provides real-time captions for audio that plays through the browser. This is a really excellent feature for audio that runs through your browser when viewing courses that have videos or narration, especially if the audio doesn’t have captions. Check it out below. ...
https://blogs.articulate.com/rapid-elearning/heres-a-quick-way-to-instantly-have-closed-captions/

Perfect Timing: Avenue.ca
... Known for a decade as LearnIT2teach and EduLINC, Avenue is more than an updated learning management system (LMS). ... Avenue builds on the strengths of the LearnIT2teach project, the EduLINC courseware, the CCLB PBLA modules, and Tutela’s community. Contributed learning objects and elements that make Avenue a sensible choice for online teaching in the language and settlement sector include the following:
http://blog.teslontario.org/perfect-timing-avenue-ca/

18 Of The Best Formative Assessment Tools For Teachers [Updated]
... Exit tickets are a simple, quick, and oftentimes insightful formative assessment method employed close to the end of a lesson. It is a simple task that requires learners to answer a few questions or perform certain tasks explored during the learning process. ... Here are 18 of the best formative assessment tools for teachers–to glean data, take snapshots of understanding, create digital exit slips, and more. ...
https://www.teachthought.com/technology/smart-tools-for-digital-exit-slips/

The role of multimedia in online learning. Hint: It’s not all videos!
In this post, we’ll explore when and how to use video, ideal video length, alternatives to video, the learner’s environment and give you some tips on video content, scripts and briefs. ....
https://learnjam.com/the-role-of-multimedia-in-online-learning-hint-its-not-all-videos/

How to stick to your reading goals for 2023 – 10 tips from book lovers
If you’re looking to make a wholesome, non-toxic new year’s resolution, resolving to read more is a good move to make in 2023. … for the best ways to stick to your reading goals and have fun while doing so – here are the top tips. …
https://www.stylist.co.uk/life/how-to-stick-to-your-reading-goals-for-2023-10-tips-from-book-lovers/747579?

Want to Learn More Effectively? Take More Breaks, Research Suggests
John Sweller is one of the most influential learning science researchers, best known for his “cognitive load theory,” which suggests that educators should present information without extraneous details. Otherwise, the brains of students can literally overload with what amounts to intellectual clutter. Sweller’s latest line of research offers a new insight: the human brain may need regular breaks when learning to help it refresh its “working memory” capacity. ...
https://www.edsurge.com/news/2020-09-16-want-to-learn-more-effectively-take-more-breaks-research-suggests

Professional Development

New Resource in the annotated Bibliography: Teaching the Pronunciation of Vowels on Zoom
Read this hands-on description of how to teach a number of vowels using synchronous video. The author has included clear videos of him doing exactly that. You will also find a link to his Pronunciation Channel for more ideas about how to incorporate this in your program.
http://bib.learnit2teach.ca/blog/teaching-the-pronunciation-of-vowels-on-zoom/

TESL Ontario Webinar July 27: Using Avenue.ca: Learner Reflection Tools
Are you a LINC instructor teaching in an online Adult LINC setting or in a hybrid setting? Are you looking for ways to engage learners in self-reflection? Are you looking for ways to make learner self-reflection more level appropriate online? Our presenter will talk about different tools offered on Avenue.ca that can be used to conduct learner reflections, and how you can configure them to ensure they are appropriate for different levels. Also covered will be the advantages and disadvantages of the different tools to be discussed as they will be used for the purposes of learner reflection. ....
https://www.teslontario.org/webinar-series/upcoming-webinars#UsiingAvenueCAJuly

7 Tips to Work Smarter in Google Docs
For hundreds of millions of users, Google Docs is in regular if not constant use. Behind it's apparent simplicity—just open it up and start typing—there are numerous features and tools to explore, many of which help you tailor the app to your needs and can improve your productivity and your workflow. We've picked out some of our favorites—and at least some of them should help you do more in less time inside Google Docs. ...
https://www.wired.com/story/7-google-docs-productivity-tips/

Jobs

Online English Teacher
GOGOKID creates a connection between children in China and the world by providing a global learning experience. Our mission is to foster our students to learn the English language as a tool, not as a goal, and to become individuals with creative and critical thinking skills.
https://teacher.gogokid.com/

Online English Teacher
In Acadsoc, we help our teachers achieve a work-life balance in the comfort of your own home. Join Acadsoc today to enjoy the convenience of working and experience a flexible working schedule....
https://www.acadsoc.ph/

e-Resource Corner

Librivox: free public domain audiobooks
LibriVox audiobooks, read by volunteers from around the world,  are free for anyone to listen to, on their computers, iPods or other mobile device, or to burn onto a CD.
https://librivox.org

University of Oregon Center for Applied Second Language Studies YouTube Channel
This channel offers short video dealing with a range of topics of interest to language professionals and learners.
https://www.youtube.com/@CASLS

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New Language Solutions is based in Ottawa, Ontario. We acknowledge that our head office is on the traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishnaabeg People. Beyond Ottawa, we have staff working in locations across Canada. New Language Solutions is grateful to have the opportunity to work as a guest in communities and territories across the country, and we honour the stewardship of the many Indigenous peoples who have resided on and cared for these lands since time immemorial.

We make our acknowledgement as a sign of respect for all Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island, past and present. We accept the true impact of the past and the pain suffered by generations of Indigenous Peoples. As an agency that works to support the integration of newcomers into Canadian society and cultures, we express our commitment to support activities that are inclusive of Indigenous Peoples. We resolve to address a history of injustice to First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples.