--- Forwarded Message from Otmar Foelsche <[log in to unmask]> --- >To: LLTI-Editor <[log in to unmask]> >References: <[log in to unmask]> >From: Otmar Foelsche <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: Fwd: how do language teachers find the partner for language exchange? >Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 10:31:43 -0500 Begin forwarded message: From: dk <[log in to unmask]> Date: February 18, 2008 8:24:28 PM EST To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: how do language teachers find the partner for language exchange? Reply-To: Calico discussion list <[log in to unmask]> >> Some of the faculty members in my institute asked me where they can find the information on language-exchange partner. My students are interested in this as well but I haven't found a way to find really good partners for them. What is the ultimate goal of your students? Is it only to communicate in English? Or is it to be able to communicate with English speakers about transactions, to get information about prices, ordering, to inquire about travel, schedules, etc? To think outside the box and the book on how to meet the needs of your students I suggest that they practice getting information from people, companies and organizations. I stopped using those "booking a hotel room" exercises in the coursebooks. Now I have my students call a hotel in New York or Zurich and inquire about hotel room rates, facilities, distance from the airport, etc. You won't believe the level of excitement and new found confidence the students experience in such communication. Long distance phone communication is no longer expensive. I put my phone on "speaker phone". One student makes the call. The class huddles around listening, very attentive. I record the call for playback and analysis. Then another student can do it. For writing it is even easier. Have your students send an Email to a business or organization to get some information. Dave Kees GUANGZHOU, CHINA Email - [log in to unmask] Chat - Skype:DAVEKEES QQ:897869963 Blogs - INSIGHTS-INTO-TEFL.blogspot.com, DAVEKEES.blogspot.com Podcast - gcast.com/u/DAVEKEES/main -----Original Message----- From: Calico discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Takeshi Sengiku Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 2:38 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: how do language teachers find the partner for language exchange? Apologies for any cross-postings Dear CALICO members, Some of the faculty members in my institute asked me where they can find the information on language-exchange partner. I was wondering how language teachers find the partners for their classes (with email or any other online environment). Do they have good reliable websites for a specific foreign language or do they simply type 'language exchange' in Google and create the account in ... say 'mylanguageexchange.com' If you or your colleagues can tell me the good websites that I can introduce to our faculty members or how you found the language exchange partners, I'd greatly appreciate it. Sincerely Takeshi=20 ++++++ Takeshi Sengiku Director of Language Resource Center Lecturer in Asian Studies Department Coordinator for Self-Instructional Arabic Language program Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, PA Email: [log in to unmask] Phone: 717-337-6340 ++++++ *********************************************** LLTI is a service of IALLT, the International Association for Language Learning (http://iallt.org/), and The Consortium for Language Teaching and Learning (http://www.languageconsortium.org/). Join IALLT at http://iallt.org. Otmar Foelsche, LLTI-Editor ([log in to unmask]) ***********************************************