Teacher Discussion Forums

I want to set up a shared writing program that will involve ESL students writing and posting their work and then giving comments and feedback to each other.
The objective is to create more meaningful and thoughtful writing because the students will be writing for an audience beyond the class and teacher.
I envisage establishing shared topics dealing with general issues regarding their life styles and cultures and the world today. Students post their written piece on that topic and give/recieve feedback from the other students. I'd like to think natural dialogues could then establish between the communicating groups.
My students are Japanese 19-21 but living in New Zealand, with an IELTS of around 5.

I will set up the technical side of things using either blogs, chat rooms, wiki or discussion forums or build one from scratch.
I'd like to start at about the start of September and hopefully continue to december.
email me if interested- [email protected]

Hi,

My name is David Rutledge. I teach English Composition to a group of 23 Japanese university students in Osaka Japan. They are in their 3rd year. Most of them, however, have spent the last year studying abroad. They have taken a special placement test to transfer into their junior year, so their level of writing is much higher than the other third year classes I teach. I don't know their IELTS scores, but their TOEFL Scores are around 550 to 650.

Since many of them have studied abroad, I thought that it would be interesting if they could share their experiences with your class. Some of them have studied in New Zealand with our university’s exchange program.

I don't know very much about the technical end of things, but our classroom is connected to The Internet and each student has an email account at school. I don't know anything about blogs or wiki, but I'll be willing to learn. The class will begin their second semester on September 22. The semester will end on January 26. Please let me know if you would be interested in working with me.


Sincerely,

David Rutledge