Webinars are seminars offered on the web. They are usually on a specific topic and are easily accessible to a large group of people. TESL webinars are a very useful resource to ESL teachers to keep current with recent developments in ESL teaching, and for new ideas for teaching. They are also highly relevant for new teachers to help develop their skill set.
I have participated in several webinars that have been offered through Tutela (Tutela.com), the umbrella organization for TESL organizations across Canada, and through Avenue (Avenue.ca) which is a Canadian online learning platform for teaching ESL which has recently been introduced (replacing EduLink). While taking the practicum course, I have participated in a webinar on gamification (Avenue), one on Avenue for using video in online classes, an Avenue webinar on setting up assignments on the learning platform, and a Tutela webinar on “Encouraging learners to go beyond their comfort zone” (Nikilay Slavkov, University of Ottawa). The webinars were all one hour long, and were given by experts in the field. All were very well organized and structured. Two of the Avenue webinars were set up to allow participants to actually log in and use the parts of the program during the demonstration. All webinars were offered using either Big Blue Button (a videoconferencing tool from Avenue) or using Zoom (Zoom.com). All webinars also used a chat feature which allows participants to ask and answer questions of the host during the webinar. All had a moderator who helped with this feature. Most of the webinars were also taped so that others could watch them at a later date.
The webinars were a very good learning experience for me. I am a very visual learner, so being able to see the material, and participate in activities with live examples on some of the webinars was a real asset for me. Having participants actually do activities in real time reinforced learning so it was easier to remember. Presenters went slow enough so that everyone could easily follow the material. If you had a question or problem, you could use chat for help.
I found the webinars very easy to use. You just 1) register online 2) watch for the email with the access link and sometimes password 3) open the link about 5-10 min prior to the webinar 4) and sit back with coffee and learn. I like to take notes for future reference. All speakers were open to participants contacting them later with questions.
Many webinars require participants to sign up because there is often limited capacity, so you may have to sign up early to ensure registration, because some popular webinars fill up early. With others you can just ‘drop in’ at the last minute, to see if there is room.
During the Avenue webinars I learned about many useful features on the learning platform and how to use them. It helped both with the additional features and how to incorporate them into learning, but also the general understanding of the platform, because I’m just learning how to use it. I found that all of the webinars increased my knowledge of the specific areas, but they also gave great ideas for class activities, which I think is very important, especially for new teachers.
A few drawbacks of the resource is that they may require membership or association with an organization. I had tried to sign up for one through TESL Ontario, but didn’t have the required membership. Some webinars are also only offered at a specific time, and may not be taped for later viewing, so this may be inconvenient for some.
I would highly recommend that all TESL teachers use webinars on a regular basis, either live or taped, as they are a very valuable resource for accessing information, increasing creativity, and offering new ideas for activities from teachers and academics who are experts in their fields.
No comments:
Post a Comment