Webheads in Action
November 3, 2007
Who are the Webheads? What do they do?
Founded by Vance Stevens, “Webheads in Action” is the most active online community involved with computer mediated communication in the field of English as a Second or Foreign Language (ESL/EFL). Members from nearly every country on the planet are represented. It is clearly the most robust online manifestation of the 40-year-old, 14,000 member TESOL organization.
There are so many links and so much information on the internet about and by the Webheads, that it all seems a bit mind-boggling at first. In my opinion, the best way to get started is to subscribe to the main Webheads Yahoo Group and lurk for a few days to get a feel of the daily life of this community. You will find beginners and experts on various topics all mixed up in one exciting thread after another. It’s also a very tight, caring group. Friendships run deep amongst members, so you will find almost as many personal messages as professional ones, which seems a bit strange to those who are familiar with traditional forums.
Don’t sign up if your aim is to promote a certain product or service. You probably won’t be blocked or removed in such a case, but you will be ignored. This is a place for self-help and professional development, with mutual sharing of resources and ideas, the more experienced always helping out the less experienced in any particular specialization, whether it be a question concerning Web2 places of interest or how best to use software in the classroom (a healthy percentage of members are ESL/EFL teachers, about half of them native speakers of English).
So if you’re a teacher interested in discovery, experimentation, and self-improvement, this is definitely a community you will want to explore.
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1.
Vance | November 3, 2007 at 4:30 pm
Thanks for this Michael. As Robert Burns said in so many words, no greater gift the giver give us than to see ourselves as others see us. By us I mean you, me, and all the rest of us. Thanks again for the nice description - /^V^\
2.
Susana Canelo | November 3, 2007 at 5:46 pm
Great description.!!! And as you know,beginners are respected as experts and experts don’t show themselves as the “owners” of the knowledge.
It’s a pleasure to share tools, sites,ways of teaching,etc.with everybody and you always find someone ready to help.
When someone in the group starts any project many of us encourage the experience and take part of it.
3.
sasasirk | November 4, 2007 at 10:07 am
Thank you Michael for this. I always find it difficult to tell in a few words who the webheads are. There’s so much to tell…
4.
doris3m | November 5, 2007 at 2:54 pm
Well, Mike!!! You have invited me to write about my dear webheads. Thanks so much for this Chocolate treat!!!! Webheads is a family of specialist on F.U.N! I still remember how i felt when i firt met Webheads… I was so lost in everything I didn’t dare to write or say anything but being around webheads taught me that i was just being silly…There’s a way to learn a lot and learn without pain… you’re learning from more experienced people than you but you don’t event notice it. friends working with friends… the best way to learn… I know people visiting our webhead community will be visitors for a very short time since they will feel welcome and at home. No longer visitors but family… webhead family.
5.
Nelba Quintana | January 17, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Dear Michael, your definition is quite complete. Webheads family is always there ready to help. I learned a lot. At the beginning I did not understand a word… I found it very difficult to follow the rhythm of the group, but little by little I became more confident once I started trying all Web2.0 tools.