Introduction to links abroad

Linking with other schools

Running an exchange with a class from a foreign school doesn't need to entail a lot more work for you. You can offer your pupils the chance to meet foreigners through e-mails, a weblog, internet telephone calls or a good old-fashioned letter. Find out how to create a link abroad and maintain a successful link.

eLanguages

December 2005 saw the launch of eLanguages, a new online collaborative programme for language teachers. Working in partnership with counterparts in different countries, eLanguages is designed so that teachers can bring languages alive by sharing authentic resources and building simple reusable, curriculum-relevant projects which they can present to the world. It is run by the British Council and funded and supported by the DfES.

Free and straightforward to use, eLanguages offers each partnership 100MB of space to build their projects. Help is available on finding a partner and on getting started. Once a project theme has been decided upon, teachers add resources - sourced or created by themselves or their students - to their project space. There’s almost no limit to the kind of resources that can be added - movies, sound files, photos together with captions, galleries, web links, interactive polls, forums, text, presentations - all are supported by eLanguages.

The resources can either be in the native or the target language. eLanguages is available in English, Spanish, French and German. More, non-European languages will be added before Easter. Please see the eLanguages website for more details. eLanguages can also be accessed through the Global Gateway website.

For further information contact Ellen Miller on 0207 389 4939 or email ellen.miller@britishcouncil.org.