Sophia Mavridi: eSafety through ELT

[Heike Philp]

Recording (1h 2min): http://lancelot.adobeconnect.com/p85wbo8h8zi/

Technology has revolutionised language teaching and learning but educators seem to be concerned about potential risks associated with internet use: inappropriate content, oversharing, cyberbullying to mention only a few. How can educators raise their students’ awareness and empower them to be safe, informed and responsible internet users?

In the first part of my workshop, we will discuss potential risks associated with internet use; I will briefly demonstrate how I integrated eSafety into my ELT curriculum and suggest tips, ideas and tools that teachers can use in the classroom. We will also explore the various opportunities these activities provide for language practice and skills development.

In the second part, participants will engage in a hands-on activity aimed at giving them a real perspective of what has been discussed. We will finally discuss how the activity could be adapted to suit their own teaching contexts.

Sophia Mavridi has been an EFL teacher for more than 15 years. She teaches in a Primary & Secondary school in Athens, Greece and she is currently completing her MA in Educational Technology & TESOL with the University of Manchester. She is particularly interested in Learner-centred pedagogies, Learning Technologies and Educational Psychology and she is currently researching issues related to eSafety & Digital Ethics in regard to Technology Integration. She blogs about ELT, Education and EdTech at http://sophiamavridi.edublogs.org/ and tweets as @SophiaMav.