Korean Job Discussion Forums

[withnail]

Those who are interested in good EFL blogging will probably keep coming up against 2 names - Sandy McManus and Alex Case. So who�s the best?

In my opinion it�s pretty hard to decide. They are both brilliant in their own way. Here�s my rundown on each - in Boxing parlance - the tale of the tape:

Alex �15 ways to�� Case

For sheer industry and dedication, this guy reigns supreme. While most of us blog from time to time when the mood takes us, Alex has the discipline. You�ll find a new post there with amazing dedication and it�s always informative. Just reading back through that huge back catalogue of posts on almost everything Efl-connected under the sun is invariably must-read stuff for teachers and especially new ones - if you didn�t do proper teacher training (and you know my feelings about that readers�) reading his blog would tide you over until you did.

Alex is a mature and sensible blogger. Kind of like that brother type teacher you wish you had in your staffroom who can bail you out of any troublespot with ideas and activities tried and tested from years of blood, sweat and tears in the field. There is absolutely nowhere better to go to get ideas for classroom activities and insights. This comes from Withnail, going into his 13th year in EFL with the cuts and bruises to prove it and who from time to time thought he�d seen it all.

Alex is not as funny as Sandy, but can be hilarious when he wants to be. He is witty, honest and sincere and pretty noble with it, as evidenced by the episodes with one particular crazy individual who launched a mindless attack on his blog without justification. Those of us with shorter fuses could never be so polite. Alex replies to questions too and comes over as a real stand-up bloke. I�m sure I�ll have a pint with him sometime soon and convince �im that Arsenal are best �

Sandy McManus

I�ve never laughed out loud more often than when reading this blog. Sandy can be cruel but by �eck he�s funny. His searing invective can leave you breathless and desperately trying to stitch your sides back together. This blog is more concerned with exposing TEFL shysters and the ridiculous side of the business. Pretentious DoSs, dictator owners and crap teachers all get both barrels in these posts, but it�s sooooooo funny. The more so for experienced teachers who, like him, have been around the block a few times. Sandy is just as seasoned and qualified as Alex and what he needs to do is somehow import his old posts into the archives of his new one so that new bloggers don�t miss out on the posts of the past. Not to do so would be a great shame.

What made his original blog unique I thought was this weird cast of characters who added their comments. I hope some of them return. With names like Shaun Ryder, Dr Kim and various others, the comments and his retorts were sometimes as funny as the blogs�

[Leonidas]

http://eflgeek.com is better than either one of those and has been blogging since 2004.

[withnail]

looks like Sandy's throne is under threat from "Englishteacherx" but Alex is still on form.

[withnail]

the geek is good though...

[withnail]

I'd definitely now rate englishteacherx's essay on using a ventriloquist's dummy in the classroom to teach and also pick up chicks as the funniest post out there!!

[Whistleblower]

I enjoy reading the following blog:

http://jeffreyhill.typepad.com/

[withnail]

that's not bad. still some way to go to beat alex case (for practical help) or englishteacherx/sandy mcmanus for laughs

[ddeubel]

I'm not one that buys into the "look at me! look at me! " of blogs or much of online education/conferences/symposiums etc....

Pity but it seems EFL has fallen into this personality over substance cult -- Dave's face here is a perfect example.

I think blogging is fine and there are many great examples out there. Yet, I still think it is a "vanity" thing. I blog but I also post tons of info. as "discussion". This is just as fruitful and just as valuable as a piece in the whole professional development picture. On our site, you'll find that the whole thing is one GIGANTIC blog really. And that's the point - information and not the silly "I've got a bigger blog" stuff....

As social networking gains steam, the more dry and one way conversational piece blog will disappear or change radically....

For EFL I follow Larry F's blog - http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/
I also love Babel's Dawn for plain old thinking about language.
http://ebbolles.typepad.com/

Here's a rundown of the blogs of EFL Classroom 2.0 members.
http://slides.diigo.com/list/eflclassroom/members-blogs Also, many more onsite blogs.

DD
http://eflclassroom.ning.com

[withnail]

bump!

[ddeubel]

This is a bumpy thread....

I've made my own blog public, taking the advice of several well known educational bloggers -- http://ddeubel.edublogs.org/
Today's post is about cell phones and some ideas on their use in the classroom.

DD
http://eflclassroom.ning.com

[withnail]

Brian in Jeollanamdo!

[withnail]

Sandy McManus!! Cheeky B''std!!!