From the authors In feels like a very long time ago, but infact it was only 1997, ‘Those were the early days of Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs), and I cut my teeth writing materials and tutoring on anonline MA programme. earned the hard way.T'm primarily an educator, a {face-to-face language leacher and teacher ainer [knew ‘next to nothing about technology back then. Apart from technician in a T-shirt telling me (fr too fast) how our online platform worked, had absolutely no training Suddenly 1 found myself running this fll MA programme ‘online, with real students an it was sink or sits 1 dont think exactly swam gold medal style ut managed to Keep my head above water, although it cost me many sleepless nights The course had no dlasroom component at all A face-to-face trainer, knew itwas important to get the group to gel online, and I alo had to help my learners find their ‘way around the VIE - all ata distance ‘Where to start? What to dot How to design interactive and meaningful tasks for my learnets? How to make the whole experience enjoyable for them and for met How to keep usallalloat—for two whole years? I rally didnt know. Nevertheless, for six months I survived and the group seemed tobe coming along fine. ‘Then things changed. I took a six-weck flly-online course run by a university i the UK. ‘A evcation! As a learner on a well-esigned online course, learned more in sx weeks than in six months on my own, Not only important things about task design but {importantly had the experience of being an online learner -mysof Itwara rel eye-opener. Although I consider myself an independent and sel motivated learner, Istaced to reais just how important ‘tutor support is online, how a fst response time is fundamental, how being heard and responded toby both, tutor and peers is vital, how tasks ean be meaningtl and collaborative, And praise! Tneeded praise for my tutor Lots oft! ‘That's why Lindsay and {got together to write this book. Because, even now, there ace still many of you out there ‘who are asked to provide learners with onlin and blended (partly online) leaning, but ae given no support. You may get technical help withthe VLE, but you often get no ‘pedagogical support at all. We hope this book will provide i NO In 2003, my boss asked me to look into setting up a distance learning component to our teacher taining courte thought that this would simply involve puting material ‘onto our website for students to download and read, and preparing few assignments to go with it. The little distance learning I had done myselt had been more oles that~the students were sent material, worked through it, sent it back: ‘he tutor gave them a mark (and perhaps feedback). had heard of a new consultancy for teaches that specialised in online teaching, and! convinced my boss to let medo a cours ust in case there was anything we should know! This wae one ofthe frst courses in e-moderation that Nicky and her colleague Gavin Dedeney were offering. My eyes were opened, I realised there was far more to teaching online than providing input and expecting output in a series of one-way interactions. I earned how to navignle my way around a ‘VLE. But Ils learned how to crete a group dynamic in ‘hich all the participants communicate with each other and learn ftom each other. {earned about motivation in online learning, and about the high ate of dropout on online courses that wae sadly the norm for many institutions that Aid not properly del withthe medium of the internet and education. And al this was done 100% online I walked into my boss oie and said'We have to completely rethink how we are going to do our online teaching’ Since then, Ihave run numerous courses completely online, joined Nicky's consultancy and trained other teachers in ‘e-moderation Ic has been a very exiting seven years, 5 more and more took appeared that can be harnessed for teaching, When Nicky asked me iT would lke to contribute toa book containing all he techniques and activities she had developed over the years, I wat delighted, Iis always pleasure to collaborate and work with one’s teacher and Teaching onlin i no the future anymore, Ite an important part ofthe here and now of language teaching education, Teachers need to know what tols ate out there and what techniques can help them to use these tools, We hope this book will provide support ina positive and practical way, So ifyour boss tells you to start teaching some of your ‘lasses online, don't pane! You have in your hands a useful guide ~to start or further develep, your Teaching Online reeProm the authors Contents Hardware Software Livewate 1 The starting tine Me, myself and May Fintsoduce mysl® Hell this ie me My window, my world My peeiows Slidesharing On the map Sounds of me Sounds ofyou ‘What do you want? “Things in common Find someone who Contents Pages Pages Pages Page? Page 19 Page 27 Page 31 Page 32 Pages Page 35 Page 34 Page 35 Pages Page 36 Page 37 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 39 Page 40 2 Reading and writing Reading race ive dicks away “Top tweets from history Short stories, short reviews Tigsaw tasks Follow that story! Blog log Clase book blog Learner book blogs Blog diary Anti-protocols Your picture, my story Wiki city Wiki story One thing like some information What happens next Secret messages Podeastdictations Ready, steady, write! ‘What about yout? 3 Listening and speaking My favourite podcast Whats my ine? “iwoxminute lectre Now listen caeflly “Tongue twister: Your message tothe world Slideshow Page Pages Page tt Page 44 Page 45 Pages Page 46 Page 46 Page a7 Page 8 Page 8 Page 49 Page 9 Page 50 Page 50 Paget Page St Page s2 Page 53 Page 58 Page st Paget Page 55 Page 58 Page 58 Page 60 Page 51 Page 62 Page ss Page ssMy favourite website Sowhat’ your exase? “The answering machine Howto Listen to his! Definitions Mystery guest Web tours Round the world Interpreters Pane! discussion Language and evaluation Name hice Binomials The lengthening sentence Whats the next word? Online dicogloss Slideshow fasheards Spot the exor Sounds inthe douds Grammar inthe clouds Corpus work Create your mindmap ‘Aza saying this correctly? Subtile Oscars Resolutions Feedback questionnaire Clas wish it Electronic portflioe Generating tests Yes we can! Contents Page 64 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 59 Page 70 Page 71 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 74 Page 78 Page 79 Page 79 Page 80 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page a2 Page 83 Page a3 Page 84 Page 85 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 5 The finishing line Parting gifts Farewell message Photo gallery Take it from here Discussion groups Development courses Conferences Blogeing Micro-blogg ePortilios Personal Learning Networks Options and opportunities Brom the editor Brom the publisher Page st Page 89 Page 29 Page 80 Page s0 Page 91 Page 92 Page 95 Page 98 Page 101 Page 104 Page 106 Page 108, Page 10 Page 111 Page 112