Building Connections for Professional Conversation Kamal Poudel Shyam Sharma Balkrishna Sharma Sajan Karn Prem Phyak NELTA Networking

a project for building connections for promoting professional conversation related to the very mission/vision/goals of Nelta: o “... mission... to establish NELTA as a forum for enhancing the quality of English language teaching and learning through professional networking, supporting and collaboration.” o “... vision... to enhance quality of English language teaching and learning in Nepal and high degree of professionalism among the ELT professionals.” What is Nelta Networking?

to promote professional conversations to develop ELT resources to coordinate, promote, and connect networking for NELTA’s progress communication is key for: sharing ideas/opportunities creating new knowledge Why Networking?

SO,

Share your idea, if possible on a regular basis, and if also possible by joining the team. Take small responsibilities in areas of your expertise/interest and report progress to the team within a timeline. Help those who have access to make online discussions/resources available to those who have limited or no access. What YOU can do

Researches and experiences have revealed that technologies a. can boost students’ retention, intellectual skills, problem solving ability, and creativity b. can make learning networks more interactive, practical c. can connect teachers, students to global conversations and collaborations e. allow you to present ideas to start dialogue in place of lecture, to engage in learning as process not product f. allow you to make learning horizontal and collaborative rather than a vertical undertaking g. allow teachers to be connectors, content creators and collaborators, coaches and change agents h. allow knowledge to be shaped and acquired through social process; technologies provide the platform for the process The Literature on Networking

Nelta Networking is not a few people's excitement, it is a legitimate way for all of us to help Nelta achieve its core goals NN is also a way to network, and build image with the ELT world Let us all to do what we can, with whatever access and skills that we have... the point is to share ideas, to stay connected… then we can talk about how much we can do The origin: development of Wiki (networking among NELTA members) Recent developments: Facebook, Twitter, Document sharing, Blog (Nelta Choutari web magazine that prompts ELT discussions) More to come: Discussion forum, Resources on our website, Shared site Nelta, Networking, and Global ELT

These projects didn't come out of the blue: NELTA started its yahoogroup mailing list several years ago. But there have emerged a range of new possibilities that help us do networking and resource-building in new, different, and usually much more effective ways. -Blogs allow us to discuss issues on the open web -Wikis allow everyone to share as much information as they want -Twitter allows us to instantly update events and activities -Discussion forums allow us to engage in question- answers or serious discussions by subject -and there are a ton of other collaboration tools like Google Doc, Wave, Social bookmarking, etc The Context, New Possibilities

Besides possibilities, there are difficulties But technology is NOT the whole point It is our commitment to share ideas, to create new knowledge out of experience, to network, that matter most Nelta Networking projects emphasize the extraordinary things that can be done by using ordinary tools we have access to So, let us develop and share resources We need your participation, your encouragement Practical Challenges

We need to know how to integrate available tools for teaching and for professional networking NELTA itself is a good example of facing the challenges We need to develop a culture of sharing: success stories, teaching resources, new ideas/approaches, event updates. Let us go to larger audiences where possible, let us publish, let us connect Nelta Networking is one way to work together Technology has compressed time and place We face obstacles, but we also need to keep abreast of new developments Networking, Education, Literacy

Now we will introduce a few specific networking projects that we are developing, before we invite you to take action. Networking with other ELT organizations around the world Networking with global ELT professional forums Nelta Choutari web magazine's monthly discussions Building resources online Social networking among Nelta members Further development of Nelta website Specific Networking Projects

1. Networking the Roots

Let one person per branch take lead and update activities, but in a regular way (e.g., once a month by Nelta ) The key goal of our projects must be updating events We should also discuss more substantive ELT issues Let us print the issues useful for classroom teaching and make them available to teachers on the ground Let us ask teachers (who have limited access to the web) to write concentrating on the subject they have experienced and hand the text to networking operating people to get published on the web. Let us share lesson plans, materials by holding regular meetings at local level. That is, Nelta Branches

The network coordinator must update teachers in the branch about the conversations on the online networks. She/he should bring forward academic issues and questions from offline to online. Ask teachers who have limited access to the web to write about their experiences, challenges, successes, resources and get them published online through the coordinator. Branches must offer suggestions for making online activities more relevant offline. Staying connected is paramount. So, nominate someone.... Networking Branches

It is essential that the branches come forward Nelta center cannot go around to collecting ideas Networking can help us bypass old mechanisms and make our presence felt nationally and globally Regional conferences (Birgunj, Surkhet) have shown that Let us make online content available offline Let us also make offline content available online One a month, one blog post in a while, one simple effort at a time... can make a big difference Please emphasize regularity: let us share ideas by creating a mechanism Most important, please assign a networking coordinator... Networking Branches

Nelta Choutari, a web magazine based on Wordpress blog, is one small example of what we can do In one year, we have discussed a range of issues, brought forward colleagues from the branches, and shown that small contributions can make big cumulative difference Next big step: Nelta colleagues from the branches must come forward, with one update every month, one teacher's experience, one response to a post One person per branch will make the difference We need the voice of all of the teachers sitting in this hall. 2. Platforms for Sharing Ideas

We must and can build our own resources. I have started collecting free-downloadable journals, newsletters, magazines, and theses/dissertations on the Resources page of Choutari blog. Please browse the resources on Choutari blog, and let me know what you find useful. Share your ELT resources by sending them to Choutari team. In the future, NELTA must build a more democratic website, allowing branches and members to share their resources. Let’s also digitize ELT, training resources that we already have. The NeltaNetworking team will help you with technical support. 3. Resource Building

connecting with international academic/professional organizations a. connecting with other ELT organizations in the region b. networking with eltecs (journal article world view) why: to develop our own voice as an ELT professional community in the world we must start and push the discussions ahead we can't be a community where a few speak for the rest nor a community that only reads others' stories technology helps to generate our own world view we want EVERYONE to contribute 4. Connecting Nelta Globally

Nelta Yahoo group mailing list: Kamal Poudel for subscription. Current members, please make a commitment to contribute regularly. Nelta Choutari blog: Post your comment to blog posts. To post a new entry, it to Shyam Sharma. Nelta Facebook: Please respond to updates, or your branch updates (at least once a month) to Sajan Karn. Nelta Twitter: still exploring, let us know. NELTA NETWORKING PROJECT: for more direct involvement in any project, please Kamal Poudel. Get Connected