[Pesky Wesky]

Not sure if this "allowed" or even a good idea, but let's see...
I often see things on the net that are good for classes. There are quite a few teachers on here, so we could give links to possible resources.
My students in general are quite high level adults learning English for professional reasons - a student profile that I don't think many others share.
However, even if you can't use my links for classes, they are usually quite interesting articles in themselves that you might enjoy reading .

So, here are my first links
A BBC Article with interactive part called Will a Robot Take Your Job?
Will a robot take your job? - BBC News

And
ESL Lesson Plans and Worksheets
This is a site that has well worked out activities, some with little videos and/ or audio, and professional looking worksheets. So often things that I find on the Internet are poorly put together and commonly have mistakes of some sort or other. This site has materials from elementary to upper int. You have to pay for most, but there are also a lot of free materials which are the ones I've used.

 

[Gazeebo]

Not sure if this "allowed" or even a good idea, but let's see...
I often see things on the net that are good for classes. There are quite a few teachers on here, so we could give links to possible resources.
My students in general are quite high level adults learning English for professional reasons - a student profile that I don't think many others share.
However, even if you can't use my links for classes, they are usually quite interesting articles in themselves that you might enjoy reading .

So, here are my first links
A BBC Article with interactive part called Will a Robot Take Your Job?
Will a robot take your job? - BBC News

And
ESL Lesson Plans and Worksheets
This is a site that has well worked out activities, some with little videos and/ or audio, and professional looking worksheets. So often things that I find on the Internet are poorly put together and commonly have mistakes of some sort or other. This site has materials from elementary to upper int. You have to pay for most, but there are also a lot of free materials which are the ones I've used.

I think it's a good idea as many people move to Spain to teach English. I sometimes use activities from the internet alongside the books we use at college. Like you, I find mistakes so I check and adapt to my class, especially when using activities from American websites as the spelling differs. I find 'eslvideos' quite good, but you do have to trawl through them to find relevant grammar points and as a parting gift I have made a very short library for the ESOL team to use.

Interestingly enough, we sometimes use songs for listening skills and this weekend I played a cd which one of my Spanish students kindly gave to me before moving back to Spain. Well, I couldn't understand 99% of it! It's not until you are put in that situation that you realise how hard some things can be. Also, the lyrics in a lot of songs do not make sense anyway!!!

 

[Pesky Wesky]

Here's something I've just stumbled across

Useful English expressions in 30 second videos. I like it because they are clear explanations, the expressions are not too wierd and there are good examples for each expression. I'm going to tell my students about this one, to screw up, as used by someone high up in Vauxhall in the recent scandal.
Video here, says screwed up at around 0:58
Volkswagen CEO: 'We have totally screwed up' - BBC News

 

[Pesky Wesky]

Here's something I've just stumbled across
Video #2 "To screw something up" - YouTube
Useful English expressions in 30 second videos. I like it because they are clear explanations, the expressions are not too wierd and there are good examples for each expression. I'm going to tell my students about this one, to screw up, as used by someone high up in Vauxhall in the recent scandal.
Video here, says screwed up at around 0:58
Volkswagen CEO: 'We have totally screwed up' - BBC News

Not Vauxhall - Volkswagen!!

 

[Alcalaina]

I like the one for "it's gone pear-shaped"!

 

[labob]

Teachitelt.com is superb.

I use textbooks for most of my lessons. Never use Market Leader, I think it should be banned under the Geneva Convention as a weapon of mass bordeom.

 

[Pesky Wesky]

Teachitelt.com is superb.

I use textbooks for most of my lessons. Never use Market Leader, I think it should be banned under the Geneva Convention as a weapon of mass bordeom.

In a lot of ways it makes sense to use text books for both students and teachers (keeps you on track, less prep time, sequenced work, easy for students to see evidence of progress or lack of etc etc). However I often need more flexibilty to fulfil student's needs than a text book will give us. Another thing is that, especially nowadays, and especially in the business efl world, text books date so quickly it's often difficult to use them after a few years.
I do use Market Leader, but not as a course book. I agree that they are deathly boring if worked though from beginning to end. I have used some of the case studies at the end of each unit and the videos. In the third edition there is a whole section about ethical banking and there's a lot about Triodos bank. I was working in Triodos and my students had to meet and have meetings with Charles Middleton who is interviewed and used in the listening, so it couldn-t have suited better!!

 

[Gazeebo]

Now, I have had something of a shock (and a new experience). I have started to do a little English teaching in an adult college on a voluntary basis, and have found that all but one of the classrooms have blackboards, and if you are lucky - chalk. The one classroom has a whiteboard.

I was told that in some ways Spain is about 20 years behind, but I seriously did not expect this in the classroom. I now consider myself and my past students very lucky to have had the use of an interactive whiteboard, projector and computer.

Oh well, best I go buy some chalk (that's Narfolk).

 

[Pesky Wesky]

Now, I have had something of a shock (and a new experience). I have started to do a little English teaching in an adult college on a voluntary basis, and have found that all but one of the classrooms have blackboards, and if you are lucky - chalk. The one classroom has a whiteboard.

I was told that in some ways Spain is about 20 years behind, but I seriously did not expect this in the classroom. I now consider myself and my past students very lucky to have had the use of an interactive whiteboard, projector and computer.

Oh well, best I go buy some chalk (that's Narfolk).

I have to say, this post made me smile. Having only a blackboard in a classroom = being 20 years behind the times. Well, I suppose you're right, but a blackboard's just as good as a whiteboard and imo even better as you don't have to buy plastic pens full of chemical liquids to write on it.
I use a lot of video and internet links in classes and find it a pain in the neck when I can't use them, but sometimes I can't. Maybe the meeting room's being used and we have to go to another room that doesn't have screen. Maybe the student's laptop that we always use is being reconfigurated... Technology's great if it's available, but it's fickle and not to be relied on. Put a packet of chalk in your bag and you'll always be able to use a blackboard. And I try to remember to always have plan B available for when technology or the availability of it lets me down.
PS I have groups in HP in a large group of buildings with hundreds, perhaps thousands of people working, and where I was expecting to find a technology wonderland - not at all. No interactive whiteboard, projector, speakers, screens... Just students crappy laptops that work at the speed of a steam train.
However, in another company, Spanish with @ 65 people working we have the best flat screen monitor I've ever had in a classroom, great sound, quick connection, but only a whiteboard with pens that get you high in 30 secs approx they smell so strongly!

 

[Gazeebo]

Ah, an interactive whiteboard - not a whiteboard!!!

Certainly in England, if observed during a lesson (usually at least once a year) IT must be used otherwise the grade given will not be good!

As part of the Level 2 ESOL and Functional English exams, students have to give presentations which usually include using IT and powerpoints, and so it is important for them to be familiar with these. Certainly, when I have been for interviews within education, I have been expected to use IT to provide a presentation and I would think this is usual for a lot of job interviews within business. More often than not, my teenage students loved coming to the board and using the equipment and I feel that for them it was also confidence building.

But hey, I am in Spain and am going with the flow and enjoying teaching some lovely students!

 

[Pesky Wesky]

As part of the Level 2 ESOL and Functional English exams

What exams are these?

 

[Gazeebo]

ESOL City and Guilds and Functional English City and Guilds, although the college delivers qualifications from lots of providers. For instance, BTECs were through Edexcel, I took my teaching qualifications with Nottingham Trent University through the college and now, unfortuantely, they seem to favour Anglia Ruskin University. Hey ho!