evo: a collaborative professional development project

The Electronic

Village Online

A collaborative project to train English language teachers worldwide for free

Our goal is to allow learning anywhere, anytime, with as little expense as possible.

EVO

Google+Hangout

2,662 participants in 14 sessions from almost every country around the globe!

2012 RESULTS

History of The EVO Project

First implemented in Electronic Village Online (EVO) discussions using Webex in 1999, then BlackBoard in 2001.

Use of YahooGroups for 8-week sessions in 2002 to reduce costs of participation to zero.

Hosted 5-week sessions in 2012 utilizingYahooGroups, as well as other free Web 2.0 tools

In 1999, TESOL CALL-IS sought to develop a cadre of online teachers & events to extend the annual convention.

GOALS

• Spread the word about technology within our professional association

• Help other interest sections make use of new technologies to improve communication internally

• Help teachers in other interest sections - and around the world - learn about new technologies

Purpose of the EVO

• Sponsorship by interest sections (e.g., CALL-IS)

• Increase use of synchronous communications

• Use of mentors during the sessions

• Creation of a community of practice among moderators themselves

EVO Innovations & Developments

Virtual Coordination Team

Our Virtual Team

• Input from subject matter experts

• Train-the-trainers to moderate sessions

• Mentor moderators

• Support from professional organizations through webinars or resources sharing

• Investigation of emergent technologies & their adaptability to online learning

Collaborative Processes

Timeline of Events

2012 EVO Session Offeringsas possible. C

Mentoring our Moderators

By the end of the 4-week training, we expect our moderators to have:

1. learned what EVO is - different from formal, credited online teaching2. experienced different synchronous platforms & how to use them in their own sessions3. discussed aspects of e-moderation4. learned about the features of YahooGroups (or other learning management system) & created their own5. revised & refined the syllabus for their EVO session

• Learning Platforms: Wikis, Moodle, Google Sites, SecondLife, & WizIQ

• Communication Tools: YahooGroups, Twitter & hashtags, Blogs, Emails, Facebook Groups, Skype, & Google+Hangout

• Multimedia Tools: Audacity (audio), Animoto (video), Windows MovieMaker, Flicker (digital images), Screenr (screencasting), Scribd (publication of docs), SlideShare, & Google Tools

Free Tech Tools for Collaboration

Investigation of Web 2.0 Tools for CALL

TESOL's CALL-IS

EVO's Collaborators & Supporters

Webheadsinaction.org

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• TESOL e-lists & newsletters of special interest groups

• Many past EVO participants become moderators!

• Informal channels like Twitter, blogs, Facebook & word-of-mouth

• By invitation of the moderators & coordinators

How do we get our volunteers?

• We gather formal feedback after the moderator trainings in the fall to improve the training module.

• We gather informal feedback during the sessions from our mentors.

• We gather formal feedback from the participants at the end of the moderators' sessions in the spring.

• All of this information is summarized in a report & shared with the CALL-IS during the business meeting held at the annual conference - and used to further improve EVO.

EVALUATIVE FEEDBACK

EVO Session: MachinEVO

A group film project for learning Spanish in SecondLife

Video recording of reflections on the experience

By Daniela C. Wagner-Loera & Tamas Lorincz

EVO Session: Developing Mentoring Skills

EVO Session: Multiliteracies

Top left: Vance Stevens, EVO Coordinator & Moderator of the Multiliteracies session

Bottom left: Kalyan Chattopadhyay, Co-Moderator

EVO Session: Digital Tools with Purpose in the Classroom

Carla Arena, 2012 EVO Coordinator & Moderator

Other moderators included: Ana Maria Menezes, Cheryl Oakes, Erika Cruvinel, Jane Petring, Kathy Epps, Mary Hillis, Nina Lyulkun & Saša Sirk

d.).Due to our teamwork, TESOL sponsorship, and network alliances , we're able to establish and/or improve the erformance of integrating technology into the classroom of thousands of teachers annually.

• Experienced e-teacher? Offer a session!

• New to online teaching? Offer a session - we can help!

• Just getting used to the Internet? Join a session (Jan-Feb 2013) & learn by doing!

How to Get Involved with EVO

Contact Information

Sandra RogersInnovation in Learning CenterUniversity of South Alabamasandrarogers@southalabama.eduTwitter @teacherrogers#evosessions