The Essential Role of E-Mail in Program Planning
E-mail plays a key role in designing a program, significantly
reducing costs, simplifying the process and radically reducing
the need for phone calls or faxes. E-mail also plays a role
during the actual workshops as participants are often provided
with e-mail pen pals.
Each workshop has about three faculty members. Once the faculty is identified, a listserv is set up in Salzburg and all program planning is done via email. One faculty member is usually from Europe and two are from different universities in the United States. The Center staff assigned to direct the program emails a draft conference schedule to the faculty. The faculty then discuss via e-mail potential themes, reading selections, books etc. on the listserv and a final conference schedule is designed in Salzburg. At times, one conference call is made to review the final schedule.
This site will explain the goals
of the pen pal activity, provide
some background information, explain
how the process works and discuss
the TESL-L listserv. Click on the specific information you
wish to go to or just scroll down to that information.
Participants come to ASC workshops with varying degrees of
computer literacy. Some are beginners, others are veteran
net-surfers who have created their own web pages.
While most ASC workshops do not focus on the world of
computers, we always include training in word-processing, email,
and the World Wide Web. While it is difficult to plan training
sessions that will met the needs of everyone, we have found that
participants at every level of computer-literacy can benefit from
the electronic pen-pal project.
Each workshop participant has been matched with an EFL teacher or teacher-trainer who has volunteered to correspond electronically during the duration of that workshop.
Here is the initial email that was sent out by an ASC staff
member.
To: Multiple Recipients of TESLCA-L
From: …………………….>
Subject: Call for Teacher Pals
From May 29 through June 7, 22 EFL teachers and teacher-trainers from 22 countries will participate in a workshop "Teacher Roles and Learner Responsibilities in the Interactive Classroom" at the American Studies Center (ASC), part of the Salzburg Seminar in Austria. The participants will be focusing on many aspects of the interactive classroom - including (but not limited to) testing, collaboration, the use of multimedia, etc.
We would like to invite you to be an email pen pal for the participants. Your contact will be not only a forum for the exchange of ideas, but also an opportunity to network. You will provide participants with an opportunity to use email but you will also have an opportunity to email in questions to the plenary lecturers. Participants will ask your questions and email you the reply!
If you would like to participate, send an email message to me
at
<……………………………..>
Include your name, email address, title, place of work, and some general biographical information. Many thanks.
When participants are introduced to email during the first
full workshop day, they each have a message from their pen-pals
waiting for them. This introductory message includes a bit of
bio-data as well as an invitation to continue the correspondence
during the remaining days of the workshop. Pairs discuss topical
issues related to the workshop content, general TEFL themes and
anything else they wish.
As is always the case with email pen-pal projects, some pairs
correspond more frequently than others. A few participants have
occasionally not followed through, but most have been
enthusiastic and conscientious about replying to their pen-pals
and generating new topics of discussion. Some pairs even choose
to continue the correspondence after the participants return to
their home countries. Some participants have existing email
accounts back home, others become so addicted to the wonders of
the net, they have accounts set up. Those who have no Internet
access yet can choose to continue the correspondence by snail
mail.
The Role of the TESL-L Listserv
Although we now have a teacher-pal waiting list (including CSACL alumni), the original call for teacher pals was done through TESL-L, an international e-mail discussion list for EFL/ESL teachers. The first message was rejected by the moderators, who suggested it might be more appropriate for one or more branches of the list. Since the use of computer technology would be one of the workshop topics, we sent the call to TESLCA-L, the branch for computer-assisted-language-learning.
Other branches of TESL-L include TESP-L (Teaching English for Specific Purposes), TESLFF-L (Fluency First), TESLIE-L (Intensive English Programs), TESLIT-L (Adult Education and Literacy), TESLJB-L (Jobs and Employment Issues) and TESLMW-L (Materials Writers).
To send a message to TESL-L or one of its branches, you must first be a member.
To subscribe to TESL-L, send the message sub TESL-L
yourfirstname yourlastname to listserv@cunyvm.cuny.edu. You
will then receive a message from them with detailed information
about the listserv, including instructions on how to join
branches, how to unsubscribe, etc. Keep this message!!