NDLR Modern Languages’ Community of Practice

An exciting project taking place with the involvement of IT Tralee (coordinator and Irish language element), IT Blanchardstown (Informations and Communications Technology component), and IT Tallaght (quality managers) has just come to our attention.

The VOCAL project is a “dynamic multi-lingual, multi-cultural online facility” that is aimed towards vocational students. The online modules seek to arm students with essential skills by allowing them to complete a virtual placement abroad, solving language and cultural specific problems along the way.

The project, funded by the EU Commission, involves countries such as Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Slovakia, Hungary, Portugal, Bulgaria, Finland, Lithuania and Ireland.

For more information on this exciting and worthwhile project contact Brita Lyons, IT, Tralee on +353 (0)66 719 1705 or email brita.lyons@staff.ittralee.ie. More details are available on the IT Tralee website.

Paul Gormley (CoP Coordinator 2006-7) recently presented at the NDLR 2007 Symposium on the topic the NDLR Modern Languages’ Community of Practice (CoP) Blog as a Community Building Medium. 

This video podcast will be of interest to community members as Paul outlines the development of the blog you are reading, and how it is being utilised by the wider language community for information exchange and dissemination.  Paul also talks about the future sustainability of the blog and the NDLR Modern Languages’ CoP.

Click here to view the podcast. 

Video podcasts recorded at the NDLR Symposium 2007 have now been made available on the NDLR website.

Two very interesting plenary talks were presented by Prof. Phil Race (’Making Learning Happen with Digital Resources’) and Chris Peglar (’Reflections on Reuse: What are Repositories and who are they for?’) and a number of presentations also given under the title ‘Experiences from Communities of Practice’ .

You can view the talks here

Our first podcast of the New Year is an interview with Brídín Gilroy, the national co-ordinator of the Post-Primary Languages Initiative (PPLI). Brídín talks about the background and history of the PPLI, since its establishment in September 2000, and also how she sees the project developing in the future, including development across second and third level communities.

This podcast will be of particular interest to anyone interested in current issues of language diversification in secondary schools and those colleagues at third level who might like to get involved in the PPLI in the future.

Click here to listen to the podcast. You can contact the PPLI by emailing languagesinitiative@mie.ie or check out their website at www.languagesinitiative.ie

Some new Italian language resources have been added to the NDLR. Just over 20 .zip files, containing .mp3 files and associated transcripts, have recently been added to the repository.

Why don’t you go check them out? For help downloading materials from the NDLR, try following the help guide: NDLR Database: How to download resources, located here.

If you have added any new Modern Language resources to the NDLR recently and would like us to make an announcement, please feel free to contact us at ndlrmodernlanguages@nuigalway.ie.

A Happy New Year to all of our colleagues. We hope that you have enjoyed a peaceful break and that you are refreshed and ready for the challenges and opportunities coming your way in 2008!

NDLR Project Update

2008 sees the NDLR pilot project enter its fourth and final year, with the aim that the NDLR pilot will be taken up as a full service by the Higher Education Authority from 2009.

The sustainability of the project will be largely determined by the level of academic community demand for the NDLR service. We will be asking for your advice and participation to shape the direction and sustainability of your NDLR Language Community over the coming weeks.

NDLR Modern Langauges’ Team for 2008

I am delighted to welcome Michelle Tooher as the new NDLR Modern Languages’ National Coordinator. Michelle will be ably supported by Maíre Bríd Uí Mhainín and Gráinne McGrath, who are Learning Technology Support Officers at An Teanglann at NUI Galway. I also look forward to working with you throughout 2008 in my learning technologies development role (which includes the NDLR) at NUI Galway.

Kind Regards and Best Wishes for 2008
Paul Gormley (CoP Coordinator 2006-7)
on behalf of the NDLR Modern Languages’ Team
Email: ndlrmodernlanguages@nuigalway.ie