A web site to accompany a presentation delivered by Edward Chaffin & Randy Gonzales at the 2nd International English Language Teaching Conference in Northern Cyprus.
Teachers face the challenge of building technology skills and finding outlets for these skills. Building a web-based CV/portfolio is a practical way to develop the technology skills, but also facilitates teacher-reflection. This website will point teachers towards the tools they need to develop their web-based CV/portfolios and will start them on the process of building a web presence.
Increasingly, employers are requiring teachers to have demonstrated technology skills. What better way to display these skills then by building a web-based CV/portfolio and putting it online? Research has shown that the development of electronic portfolios is beneficial in developing teachers' technology skills and fostering teacher reflection. Establishing a professional web presence not only makes your experience and training accessible to the widest possible audience, it can provide a platform for reflection and professional discourse. Contemporary technology provides an ideal vehicle to display any number of narrative enquiry methods teachers might employ to reflect on the challenges they face in the classroom as language instructors. With a little training and the appropriate tools teachers can share their experience and experiences with other ELT professionals.
If you are looking for a job in the Arabian Gulf region, it is to your advantage to have technology skills. 46% of the job advertisements at TESOL Arabia 2006 asked for teachers with IT (Instructional Technology), CALL and/or Computer Skills. In the UAE 86% of the institutions recruiting were looking for technology experience, with the one not asking for it, ironically the Institute of Applied Technology, being a new institute offering a lower salary. So without some experience with technology it might be difficult to land a good job in the UAE. The same can be said in Qatar where 2 out of 3 institutions asked for technology experience. The one institution that did not ask for technology experience is a newer university that only accepts Canadian citizens or Qatari residents. In Kuwait the lone institution hiring at the conference didn't require technology experience but stated that preference would be given to those who had CALL experience. In Saudi Arabia you would have a better chance of landing a job without technology experience with only 33% of the schools asking for technology skills. Two of the better known institutes in the country, BAE and Prince Sultan University, were especially interested in candidates with high level skills, "software development" and "web-based or online instruction." Without technology skills you would have a better chance of finding a job in Oman, where none of the 6 recruiters asked for technology skills. Of course Oman institutes tend to pay less than the other countries in the gulf region. You have to wonder if that is changing since SQU just had a conference with a technology theme.
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