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What has this got to do with Webheads?

With this background I will speak about the formation of Webheads, from its roots as an experiment in language learning where certain principles maintain; e.g.

• Teachers and students should put in equal work (teachers shouldn't work harder than the students)
• 'it is impossible to teach languages, they must be learned'
• and 'therefore there is no such thing as a language teacher'
• and 'true communication is the only purpose for which anyone would want to learn a language.'
• also, if we provide the tools (and guidance), good workmen and women can be counted on to know how to be creative with the tools provided.

Writing for Webheads is an ongoing 'experiment in world friendship through online language learning' whose participants have been meeting weekly online for 5 years now.

• During that time, Webheads have experimented with numerous synchronous and web-based multimedia communications formats, and presented at several live and online conference venues.
• More recently, the community has formally expanded to embrace language teaching professionals in a community of practice called Webheads in Action.
• These communities come together online every Sunday for a regular session held at noon GMT.
• We occasionally convene members of the community online to demonstrate 'live' our use of free and easily accessible text, video, and voice enhanced synchronous communications technologies, while showing visitors around the Webheads community.
  A transcript showing web cam images of a previous such presentation is here: http://sites.hsprofessional.com/vstevens/files/efi/chat2002/wfw020908.htm

<< Index >> Slide 7: What do we do to develop a sense of community in Webheads?

©opyright 2003 by Vance Stevens