Yesterday we held our statewide staff meeting on Google tools for the languages classroom, presented by the department's T4L team. Thank you to everyone who participated in the live Adobe Connect session. If you were unable to attend, you can now access the recording. 

The Languages and Culture team is holding our next statewide staff meeting on Wednesday 10 June 2020.
Please join us on Adobe Connect for a registered professional learning afternoon for language teachers. The focus will be on using a variety of Google tools and apps in the language classroom, presented by the T4L team. 

Date: Wednesday 10 June 2020
Time: 3:30pm-4:30pm
Online platform: Adobe Connect
Enrolment details: MyPL
Course code: RG19135
Link: https://connect.schools.nsw.edu.au/google/

For further questions, please contact Evia Kyriacou.
We look forward to seeing you there. 

We have compiled a list of websites and apps to enhance language teaching and learning. We have also included your suggestions and recommendations, so we would like to thank you for your contribution and your sharing spirit. 

Lynda.com is an online learning platform where you can access a range of self-paced educational courses taught by industry leaders on technology, software, business and creative skills.

Lynda.com is now available for Year 11 and Year 12 students to access.

Although Lynda.com does not provide language-specific content, language teachers, year advisers and executive could use this website to:
- supplement course material work in the classroom
- flip the classroom
- provide individual support to students by creating promotional materials and video playlists for students to access
- enhance students' technology and software skills for specific projects
- increase students' future-focused transferable skills.

Lynda.com is also a useful tool in reaching teacher professional and personal goals. It is accessible via the DoE portal and can be downloaded by clicking the “My training” tab. ​

Now you can assign Kahoots as homework. Kahoot have introduced a new mobile app and challenge feature. Students can play on their phones for revision and reinforcement, as well as challenge each other with their favourite games. Watch the step-by-step guide for assigning kahoots as homework. There are many pre-made kahoots shared by teachers so you may be able to find suitable games for your students. 

These webinars are facilitated on the first Wednesday of every month from 7:45am. The next one is scheduled for Wednesday 6 December 2017. They are a great opportunity to learn something new from technology experts. There is no need to register. Put it in your diary and log in.

Languages NSW now has its own YouTube channel, which is expanding to become a ‘one-stop-shop’ for any teachers looking for useful and relevant videos for classroom use and professional learning.

This channel is a great addition to any video content resources available to Language teachers. Some videos on our channel have been developed by the Department of Education while other videos have been linked from other useful channels.
 
Teachers with a Google account can also subscribe and receive regular email updates. If teachers have any suggestions for resources they’d love to see on this channel, please contact us.

​up2now is a tool developed by NESA, which allows high school students to create an online portfolio of their academic and extra-curricular achievements. It also enables students to export their portfolio to social media (including LinkedIn), adapt it into a CV, print a hardcopy, and share with third parties such as their peers, teachers, universities, and prospective employers.

As all language teachers know, a sense of progress and achievement supports motivation to continue language study; to this end the tool has been enhanced to make it easier for languages students to showcase their skills and participation in languages.

User guides for both languages teachers and students are available here for download. They provide step-by-step instructions on how to get started on the up2now website and how to make the most out of the latest language-specific enhancements.

If you would like more information about the up2now tool and how it might be used in your school context, visit the homepage at http://up2now.net.au.