Kit A.

Nadado TESOL 240 Professor Earl Wyman On-going Professional Development Paper

True nobility is being superior to your former self. Ernest Hemingway I believe that improvement and growth is a process that breaks the boundaries of eternity. True to Hemingways words, nobility is achieved through the constant pursuit of improvement. Nobility is achieved through the diligent pursuit of knowledge and growth. This principle is true to the field of teaching. A good teacher constantly seeks opportunities to be better. To be competent and professional, a good teacher must be diligent and proactive in seeking ways to improve skills and strategies in teaching English. In a world of innovations and discoveries, teachers need to know that technology is their best friend in accomplishing this task. Help and assistance is always available to the proactive teacher who seeks to grow. As a university student, I do recognize these resources and assistance available for me after graduation. This paper focuses on these resources that will help me pursue my goal of a continuous professional development in the field of English teaching. This paper is divided into three categories: organizations, journals and websites. Organizations CALICO Organization CALICO stands for Computer-Assisted Language Instruction Consortium, an international organization aimed to further the use of computer technology in language learning through computer-assisted language learning (CALL). CALICO is a community of instructors, students, practitioners, computer programmers meant to expand and integrate the use of technology in language learning. Membership can be obtained by registering in the CALICO website

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(calico.org) for a fee. Members are entitled to various benefits. These benefits include reduced rates for the CALICO Journal, publications in the CALICO Book Series, attendance at CALICO's Annual Conferences, participation in CALICO's Special Interest Groups, and direct access to sister organizations and other organizations related to language teaching. Another feature of CALICO is its Special Interest Groups (SIGs) section which allows members to interact and network with other professionals who share the same interests. This organization would be a good resource since the CALICO journal is easily accessed through the website. The journal provides great insights on language teaching and learning.

NCELA The National Clearing House for English Language Acquisition and Language Instruction Educational Program or NCELA is a professional organization funded by the Office of Language Acquisition Language Enhancement and Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Studies (OELA) of the U.S. Department Education. NCELA is an organization for teachers, practitioners, parents, university faculty, administrators and federal policymakers with the goal to implement NCLB (No child left behind) to language learning. This organization provides federal grants, data demographics, professional development, promising practices and some resources such as resource library, data resources, etc. One notable feature of NCELA is the free registration and attendance to seminars, meetings and conferences held by the organization. You can register through the NCELA website: www.ncela.gwu.edu. To join this organization, you can simply follow the organization through facebook or twitter.

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TESOL International TESOL is an International organization established to advance professional expertise in English language teaching and learning for speakers of other languages worldwide (www.tesol.org). The TESOL International headquarters is located in Alexandria, Virginia, USA. TESOL membership is open to anyone interested and involved in the ESL/EFL field. Membership types are available to suit the needs of any individual or organization. Fees vary according to the membership level an individual chooses. Levels include professional, new professional, global professional, students and more. Individuals can sign up and create an account online in the TESOL website (www.tesol.org). A TESOL membership offers a number of benefits. TESOL membership enables you to be part of the worldwide community of ESL/EFL instructors, students and other professionals. This community allows members all over the world to share ideas and experiences about learning and teaching English. TESOL membership also provides free access to online seminars, discounted rates on symposiums and conferences, access to trainings and online courses, access to a resource center, access to an online career centers for job listings, scholarships and grants, and access to numerous TESOL publications. Contact information TESOL Staff Office Mailing Address 1925 Ballenger Avenue, Suite 550 Alexandria, Virginia 22314-6820 USA Telephone Main: +1 703.836.0774

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Fax: +1 703.836.7864 or 6447 Membership (Toll Free in U.S.): 1 888.547.3369 Membership: +1 240.646.7048 Publications: 1 888.891.0041 Email General information: info@tesol.org

IATEFL IATEFL is an organization meant to foster over 4000 members of ELT teachers in the world. This organizations mission is to Link, develop and support English Language Teaching professionals worldwide. This mission is achieved through publications, conferences, special interest groups, scholarships, and links to international teachers associations and assistance to groups establishing their own associations. IATEFL membership has three types: individual, institutional and associate. The individual type is further broken down according to status: full individual, retired, student, and basic. Membership to IATEFL requires a small fee of 33 Euros for individuals and 161 Euros for institutions a year. Aspiring members are able to register online through the IATEFL site (www.iatefl.org). Member benefits include reduced rates on various IATEFL events like The Annual IATEFL Conferences. Members also are able to join a Special Interest Group included in the subscription fee. Members also are provided access to all publications in a minimal cost. Members also are provided free access to the IATEFL official newsletter, IATEFL Voices. Ultimately, members are able to avail scholarships offered by the organization. IATEFL Contact information IATEFL, Darwin College, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NY UK

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Telephone: +44 1227 824430 Fax: +44 1227 824431 E-mail: generalenquiries@iatefl.org

Hawaii TESOL Hawaii TESOL is an organization affiliated with TESOL International for three decades. This organization aims to enrich the English teaching profession by bringing together individuals, students and professionals aimed to further English teaching in the state of Hawaii. Hawaii TESOL provides members with professional support and interaction, as well as networking opportunities. This organization also gives travel grants to members to conferences and various TESOL events. The Hawaii TESOL website has a newsletter page where you can download PDF copies of the recent publication of The Word (the name of the publication). The easy access to this online publication allows students and professionals alike easy update on the latest issues and events in English teaching in Hawaii. Membership for this organization can be obtained online for a fee. Membership levels are available in varying fees. Hawaii TESOLs website can be found under this link: http://hawaiitesol.wildapricot.org/.

Philippines TESOL Perhaps the organization that will be the most helpful for me and my future career is Philippines TESOL. This organization offers its members networking possibilities in the community of professionals, instructors and students aimed to further language teaching in the Philippines. The biggest and well-known universities in the Philippines are affiliated with TESOL Philippines, making the organization a valuable source of contacts and network. Membership benefits include professional development, Unlimited and continuous learning thru training,

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seminars, conferences, conventions, etc. . This organization also offers its members professional library resources and access to the first ever TESOL and ESL library in the country. Members also are given access to the organizations E-publication. Scholarships and grants are also available to the members of this organization. Membership can be obtained through the organizations website for free on (tesolphilippines.org) or follow the organizations facebook and twitter page.

TESOL Asia TESOL Asia proclaims to be the largest non-commercial ELT organization in the world that supports the ESL and EFL profession. This organization is a sister organization and is closely linked to TESOL Philippines. TESOL Asia aims to bring the latest research and advances in the growing field of second language teaching and learning. There are currently about 500,000 members of this group from various nationalities, ranging from the Pacific Ocean islands to the west coast of Africa. Members are allowed access to academic journals, books, conferences, networking opportunities and more. Membership can be obtained through the organizations website with a fee of $45. The organization has a facebook and twitter page that you can follow as well. The websites address can be found in this link: http://www.tesol.asia.

BYUH TESOL Society Perhaps the closest and most accessible organization at the present would be the BYUH TESOL Society. This organization consists of instructors, students and other professionals aimed to promote and raise awareness about second language learning and teaching. This organization is the campus support group for students TESOL majors, TESOL minors, TESOL certifications, and other individuals interested in this profession. The BYUH TESOL society provides extra-curricular activities, skills development and training to members.

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Membership can be obtained by registering in World fest at the beginning of every semester for a small fee.

Journals EL Gazette EL Gazette is a free online newspaper for teachers, students, examiners, student advisors and anyone interested and involved with second language teaching and learning. EL Gazette features news about the latest trends, issues and concerns in the field of language learning and teaching from all over the world. Lesson plans and teaching tips are also available for instructors for fee. Schools and companies also post advertisements and job openings in this newspaper for job and employment awareness. EL Gazette also contains neat features like sections for book reviews, self-assessment sections and market reports. Digital access to EL Gazette is easy. The registration website (www.elgazettedigital.com/) will only require your basic information and email address, and you can access the digital copies of EL Gazette for free. You can also follow EL Gazette via Twitter and Facebook. I believe that this journal will be valuable in my future career. EL Gazette will raise awareness and will keep me up to date to the latest news in the field of English learning.

The Forum English Teaching Forum or The Forum is an online journal sponsored by The United States Department of Educational and Cultural Affairs. This online journal is aimed to provide up-to-date and professional assistance for teachers, administrators, student advisors and other practitioners through various articles and teaching suggestions written by professionals in the field of second language teaching. The Forum offers valuable suggestions and insights through helpful articles. A section called Classroom activities offer fun and creative activities and

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suggestions for teachers to try in the classroom. The Lighter Side section provides fun selfassessment activities for both students and teachers to try. Articles and sections are very interesting and easy to understand. The best part of this journal is the fact that access to it is free. Follow the link (http://americanenglish.state.gov/english-teaching-forum) to access and browse the The Forums library.

TESL Reporter The TESL Reporter offers both TESOL students and teachers access to various articles written by professionals on a wide range of topics. Topics include significant subjects like collocation, contrastive rhetoric, teaching the target culture, literary reading, technology and media influence, international teaching and learning, modern code-switching and more. These topics provide in-depth analyses on the issues that surround TESOL. The authors are reliable and offer professional insights on relevant issues. Reading the articles from TESL Reporter gives the reader an international perspective in both learning and teaching English. Another unique feature of TESL Reporter is the Tips for Teachers section. This section provides TESOL instructors a number of teaching strategies and suggestions to use in the classroom. These tips are provided and proven by professionals from all over the world. Another unique feature of the journal is the Reviews section. This section provides reviews on articles, books, series and discussions on TESOL. Reviews are done by professionals with their credentials given for reference. These reviews then are credible. Some impressive features of this journal are the following: 1. An About the Author section after each article that states the credentials of the author for reference.

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2. A References section where the sources in the authors article are cited and listed 3. Conclusions on every article or review that summarizes the content of the article

International Journal of Law, Language and Discourse The International Journal of Law, Language and Discourse is an interdisciplinary and cross cultured peered review scholarly journal for academics that is meant to raise awareness in the most current legal issues about language learning and teaching. Articles about teacher and student rights, discourse analysis, linguistic analysis, psycho-legal-linguistics and more are discussed in this journal. Every submission to this journal is reviewed by a team of experts from all over the world to validate the information provided. The International Journal of Law, Language and Discourse is published quarterly and is available online in PDF format for full edition and individual articles. This makes it accessible to all who are interested in Law Language. To access this journal, simply follow the link (www.ijlld.com).

Hawaii TESOLs The Word The Word is Hawaii TESOLs official newsletter. The Word is published quarterly and can be accessed for free through Hawaii TESOLs website, (www.hawaiitesol.org/TheWord.html). This newsletter contains articles from members of TESOL Hawaii about issues regarding language learning and teaching in Hawaii. This newsletter also provides information on the latest advancement in technology that will assist language learning and teaching. One issue discusses the latest computer and phone applications for language learning. A section called Study Tips provide both teachers and students helpful suggestions on areas like writing, reading, speaking and listening.

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Philippine ESL Journal The Philippines ESL Journal is a journal aimed at providing online access to people involved in the development, research, teaching, and learning of English as an international language. This journal focuses on the development and structure of English learning and teaching in the Philippines. This journal also focuses on the effect and relationship of the English language to the local culture and dialects of the various regions of the Philippines. The articles and features in this journal are so focused on the needs of the Filipino ESL teacher. Access to issues of the journal is free and downloadable in PDF format for convenience through this link: http://www.philippine-esl-journal.com/index.php.

WEBSITES English Club English Club is one of those useful, fun and highly interactive websites aimed to support both teachers and students in language teaching and learning. Beside the fact that its free, English Club offers both teachers and students valuable resources in teaching and learning English. The website is easily accessible and very user friendly. Membership can be obtained for free through the clubs website (www.englishclub.com) Membership enables you networking possibilities through forums and chats. You can share your blogs, videos, music and other documents related to English teaching with other members of the website. A tab titled Teach English is made specifically for teacher use. The tab includes useful resources and materials designed to assist teachers in their teaching. Worksheets, sample lesson plans, teaching tips, quizzes and more to help teach the students English. The tab also contains links to ESL jobs offered in various countries. The tab also contains articles and essays about English teaching, as well as training and advice for teaching.

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On the other hand, a tab called Learn English is made specifically for students learning English. Comprehensive lessons are available for free in this tab. The lessons are focused on the four aspects of language learning: listening, speaking, reading and writing. This tab also features fun filled games for ESL learners to enjoy as well as quizzes for self-assessment. The tab also offers assistance in learning Business English. Stories and puzzles for young learners of English are found under this tab as well. Englishclub.com offers assistance to wide range of age groups who are learning English. This site is so much fun. My favorite parts are the games section, the ESL jokes section and the EC Gallery section. This website actually proves that learning English can be made fun and interesting.

Compleat Lexical Tutor Compleat Lexical Tutor is a vocabulary website created to assist learners, researchers, and teachers of English In learning, assessing and teaching vocabulary in the English language. Lextutor is meant to expand your English vocabulary systematically. The site offers several diagnostic tests and quizzes to assess a persons vocabulary proficiency. Tests and quizzes range in difficulty from the beginners level to University level. Assistance is also given through the sites dictionary and concordance. Lextutor allows learners and teachers the use of a corpus. A corpus is a collection of texts of written or spoken language presented in electronic form. Corpuses provide evidences on how a language is used in real situations. The corpus is a tool to find out how English speakers use specific words for speaking or writing. The corpus also allows you to find out how frequent a word is used in English and how meanings change or stay the same over time. By listing the most common words found in the language, learners can learn the most essential words in the language.

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Using Lextutor expands a learners vocabulary. By using its different features, learners can learn word meaning in different contexts, word families, collocation, register, grammatical associations and more. Access to the site is free through this link, (www.lextutor.ca).

Learning Chocolate Learning Chocolate is an interactive vocabulary learning platform for beginners in the English language. The site offers a wide array of the most common words found in the English language in a variety of contexts. Vocabulary learning in this site is simple. Each topic features the most common of words with a particular drawing describing the word. An audio button activates a voice that pronounces the word. Learners then can assess themselves in that topic by means of quizzes provided by the site. Quizzes types gradually increase in difficulty from matching types to dictation. Learning Chocolate is a fun site dedicated to introduce the most basic of words to true and false beginners of the English language. The site can be accessed through this link, (www.learningchocolate.com). Daves ESL Cafe Daves ESL Caf is a website designed to provide assistance to ESL students and teachers alike by offering useful resources for free. The site is divided into different tabs that can be accessed through the homepage (www.eslcafe.com). The JOBS tab in the Home page provides a number of job listings in various countries like China, Korea, Thailand and other countries in need of a TESOL teacher. Locations are listed in alphabetical order for searching convenience. The site also provides links to related sites that offer job opportunities as well. The JOBS tab also enables you to post your resume for employer reference. The STUFF FOR TEACHERS tab offers TESOL teachers a variety of useful teaching strategies and assistance. The IDEA COOKBOOK section of the tab offers fun and creative activities and suggestions for lessons ranging from subjects like discipline, math, music, reading, speaking, writing and more. Another feature of the STUFF FOR TEACHERS tab is the Job Discussion Forums Index where people can join discussions about prospective jobs and teaching ideas with other

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professionals. The Forums page is divided into sections representing different regions of the world. These forums are helpful for getting in touch with professionals and instructors as well as getting in touch with the most recent news, trends and updates with the TESOL community in specific countries. The STUFF FOR STUDENTS tab provides students assistance on basic aspects of the English language. This tab provides grammar lessons, help on Basic English idioms, information on slang and phrasal verbs. This tab also features a quiz option for students to perform selfassessment. One of the impressive features of this tab is the Students Forum page. The Students Forum page allows students from all over the world to discuss and collaborate on ESL issues. In this section, a student can post a question and the page will allow other students to answer the question. This site was made by Dave Sperling. The site has Daves contact information as well. Organizations can post announcements in this site as well.

Verbs Online Verbs Online is an online verb tester that allows English language learners to assess themselves on verb tenses and conjugations. Students can learn the most basic tenses (simple present, simple past and simple future) to advanced levels of tenses (present perfect, present perfect continuous, past perfect, past perfect continuous, future perfect and future perfect continuous). This site is highly recommended for students who desire to master the verb tenses in the English language. Verb tests are also available in French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. Access of the site can be obtained by following the link: (www.verbs-online.com).

To Learn English To Learn English is a website designed to provide a number of English learning and teaching resources to students and teachers alike. The site offers several self-assessment tests

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in the Placement Tests tab. These tests vary in difficulty, depending on the level of the learner. Levels range from beginners to University level. The Lessons and Exercises tab offers teachers access to hundreds of exercises, lesson plans, grammar sheets and vocabulary sheets that are useful in the classroom. The Leisure Time tab contains a number of fun stuff for both teachers and learners. Interactive games, jokes, cartoons, audio and video files, language software and news are available under this tab. The To Learn English website offers free membership to any individual interested in learning and teaching English. Once a member, you can access chat rooms and forums to connect to other learners and professionals. You can contribute to the ever growing community in this site as well. Access to the site is available through this link, (www.tolearnenglish.com).

Conclusion The world of teaching can be competitive, challenging and perhaps, intimidating. Having the knowledge of a vast amount of resources that aims to assist me as a language teacher somehow gives confidence to face the challenges of the teaching world. These resources and many more, will help me prepare for my future career and will ensure my constant and ongoing professional development as an English teacher. I aim to achieve nobility through the endless pursuit for improvement. I am not alone in this journey. God has provided me the capacities and resources to assist me along the way. It is my choice to simply use them.