From IT to MyT: how to make sure tech works for you and not the other way round
Thank you for your interest in my presentation, please feel free to download the slides by clicking the image below. Further down, you will also find the worksheet for the section ‘How can we get what we want?’, ways to keep in touch, as well as links to the software I describe in my software toolkit.
‘How can we get what we want?’ handout
If you have any questions, please get in touch by:
- sending me an email at ben@benteachesenglish.com
- adding me on LinkedIn
- following me on Twitter: @BenTchsEnglish
- or coming to the monthly teachers’ discussion group in Bern, ELT Springboard. We meet on the last Thursday of the month.
My software toolkit:
Work software
- Microsoft Office* (Word, Excel, Outlook): I wanted to make good-looking materials for my classes; I wanted to calculate marks more quickly; I wanted to combine Word and Excel docs to send personalised emails to all my students at once
- Microsoft OneDrive: I wanted access to all of my files at home and on my laptop
- Microsoft OneNote: I wanted to keep all my notes in one place and to access them wherever I am
- GIMP: I wanted to edit images and save them in different sizes for print and web
- Foxit PDF Reader: I wanted a PDF printing utility that would work for all users of my documents
- PDF-XChange Viewer: I wanted to type and draw on PDFs during my lessons
- PDF 24: I wanted to add and delete pages or combine PDF documents
Work-life balance software
- Todoist*: I wanted a way to keep all my to-dos in one place, that would be available on any device
- Toggl: I wanted to know how many hours I was prepping and teaching while studying for my MA
- Gmail and Google calendar(s): I wanted to separate work emails and work calendars from my personal emails and personal calendars
- Pocket*: I wanted a way to save articles to read that was better than a giant list of bookmarks
Collaboration software
- Moodle: I wanted all of the class assignments, homework and general course information to be available where the students could get it without involving me
- G Suite: I wanted to work my students’ writing assignments together with them; to make sign-up sheets I don’t need to manage; and to speed up the marking process
Teaching/learning software
- Quizlet (trial): I wanted my students to have good flashcards so I could hold them accountable for vocabulary learning
- Grammarly (trial): I wanted students to be able to get quick feedback on simple grammar errors in their writing so I could spend more time on more advanced writing issues