Free online open courses at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Some of the best in the world for free...

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/

Interesting panel discussion featuring Bill Gates of Microsoft and Sol Kahn of Kahn Academy about using new innovative teaching methods with interactive online self paced learning vs. traditional lecture based same size fits all teaching methods. http://www.thegatesn...WT.tsrc=Twitter

A similar Thai version might be a good use of the computers to be distributed to students and http://www.khanacademy.org/ might be useful now in the international schools.

Coursera will offer 100 or more free massive open online courses, or MOOCs, that are expected to draw millions of students and adult learners globally.

https://www.coursera.org/

Descriptive article at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/17/education/consortium-of-colleges-takes-online-education-to-new-level.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

Thanks ronz28 for the helpful and interesting links.

You're welcome, here is another one that might be useful by subject.

http://www.sophia.org/

Some great links. Thank you. Keep them coming ;-)

TED is a recommended website with a lot of interesting discussions on a wide range of topics

http://www.ted.com/

Learn to code and be a rock star:

More for students and teachers at: http://www.code.org/

A list of software education & other training, some less costly than college degrees & some free online, focused on job opportunities.

http://www.businessinsider.com/hot-education-startups-2013-6?op=1

Google Apps for Education is introduced in the following Youtube video by a teacher who uses these Apps to manage classroom tasks and to communicate with students and parents. It's free for schools to use and perhaps is already being used in Thailand or soon will be.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyAvCZXD5K8

I am teaching English in the sticks now (broke my hip, had to quit my Uni gig) and most of my students are kindergarten and primary.

The parents are concerned that their kids can't read and I really need some good, easily downloadable phonics worksheets.

I find there is a lot of stuff out there on the net, but these commercial websites are annoying and none of them have an integrated series of the kind I really require.

Any help much appreciated.

Very sorry to hear about your hip. Those young ones can be quite a strain on the body, so take care of yourself.

I can't help you much on how to get phonics online, but hopefully some of our members who are up-to-date on this will be along and offer you some help.

We get some grief from parents on this issue and I generally advise them that learning to read takes time and a lot of effort and it is a process. World wide, girls will be about one year ahead of the boys. Most of our girls are reasonably proficient in grade 1, but the boys are not.

So parents need to encouraged to be patient and keep their expectations realistic.

Thanks Scott...I am also now reminded that the young ones are also a good source of the influenza virus!

I am actually starting to make my own phonics sheets. Most of the ones I have come across are Thai-produced and have problems (eg 'V' is the equivalent of 'wor waen')

Once I have finished I will try to make them available to the community.

If anyone needs a university job, my old position at Rajabaht Songkhla is available. There is a thread with more info in the South Forum.

Very sorry to hear about your hip. Those young ones can be quite a strain on the body, so take care of yourself.

I can't help you much on how to get phonics online, but hopefully some of our members who are up-to-date on this will be along and offer you some help.

We get some grief from parents on this issue and I generally advise them that learning to read takes time and a lot of effort and it is a process. World wide, girls will be about one year ahead of the boys. Most of our girls are reasonably proficient in grade 1, but the boys are not.

So parents need to encouraged to be patient and keep their expectations realistic.

You won't get support materials galore. Most teachers are very secretive. They keep their best stuff for themselves - nothing worse than going into a class and the students saying we've done this before.

 

 

I came across this link today on Facebook user GAT Community that offers free downloads of all the answers to the General Aptitude Test (GAT) over the past five years:  https://www.facebook.com/gatcommunity/photos/?ref=page_internal
I just learned of this apparently very useful information from: 

*Link Edited Out*

However I have not personally reviewed the material.

Sorry, I had to remove a link.   Links to the BKK post are not permitted--that's their rule, not ours.  

Troll post removed. 

 

I find one of the best ways to keep students on their toes is to 'randomly' throw out questions for them to answer. I used to give them all a little piece of paper to draw from a hat until I discovered this sight: www.random.org

 

Just assign each student a number at the beginning of class and let the chips fall where they may. 

 

It is probably one of my most used online resources for teaching and thought other teachers who weren't aware of it might benefit. Have a nice day.