Writing for Webheads: Join us!

Webheads chat logs are posted on the Internet to assist language learners with comprehension of our conversations and to strengthen our sense of community through shared familiarity with one another. All are welcome to join us, but your participation in our activities implies that you approve of our posting on the Internet interactions in which you take part. Please address any comments or concerns to Vance Stevens.

Here’s how to join Writing for Webheads
An experiment in world friendship through online language learning

This class meets in 3 virtual places:
The email "eclass", live voice and text chat, and students' web pages

Find out what Internet sites and software you need to download and how to join us
See the Welcome Message explanation of the class venues.
See and hear a video of Vance welcoming you to Writing for Webheads

To join this class, simply meet us online
or sign up at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/efiwebheads or send blank email to efiwebheads-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
or send email to Vance Stevens, vstevens at emirates.net.ae

Find us online:

Since 1998 we have met and continue to meet each Sunday, noon to 14:00 p.m. GMT.
To find out when that is where you are, check http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/full.html
Then find out what Internet sites and software you need to download and how to join us

Join our group:

Join the eclass!

Join the group here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/efiwebheads
or send blank email to >>efiwebheads-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Post messages to the class at efiwebheads@yahoogroups.com

Click on the text below to find out ...

where you go the Internet, what software you need to download, and how to join us - where to go to meet us online each Sunday noon GMT.
about the assignments for the class <-- We don't really 'assign' homework, but if we did, this is what we would tell you to do.
about our teaching methodology <-- in case you wonder why we don't 'assign' homework.
how to view and use the chat logs - You can learn here about the benefits of chatting in English and reviewing the logs afterwards. And you can see transcripts of conversations in the live online classes each week from October 8, 1998 up through 2002 and into 2003. You can find evidence here of student language development.
about the teachers and students in the class - Here you can meet the students and visit their web pages. You can find out how to contact them and see how recently each was in touch with the class.
about these Tutorials: Starting your own web page with Geocities | Recording with Real Producer | How to get a password from http://www.yahoogroups.com
about how we use Multimedia - Click here to explore some of the ways we use Voice and Video in live chatting
about the webheads theme song, "Open Up" - you'll need the Real One Player plugin from http://www.real.com. If you can't get it to work, let Vance know.

Here's what students and tutors are saying about the EFI ...

Read Ying Lan's advice to new students at the EFI
Read what students are saying about Writing for Webheads in February 2000
What you see below was written by Writing for Webheads students during 1999-2001 ...

"Be sure that the value of what you are doing is great for all of us, because we improve our English having friends all over the world, and with each experience we exchange our feelings about so many subjects ... I think at this part of my life the way to give my experience to the younger generations in order to stimulate them to work hard for a better understanding and to accept the challenge for meriting a better kind of life. Those are feelings that I share with you and your activity at the class." - José, Argentina

"English For Internet is new way of learning language which seems to me a combination of learning and pleasure. I take this course because I want to and I believe that I will take some advantages. I think I will improve my English because somehow I will not be aware of my learning, it will be a fun for me, a pleasure." -Gosia, Poland

"It seems that I have been lazier than busier in writing to you. I must examine myself and keep myself up." - Choi, Korea, on how to succeed with this course. “I also want to be of help to others like Vance, Maggie and Michael. Helping others without anticipating returns. Someday, I could be a little help to others learning Korean on the web.” - Choi, March 31, 2000

"About other emails that you sent to me I print all of them and I study, compare, and underlined your corrections. Every day I feel more comfortable to write to you. It is very, very, very nice our friendship. Thanks for all," - Denilson, Florianópolis, 1st March, 1999 and Well this is class is cool... But you need to have interest to learn... one year later, March 25, 2000.

"I've been connecting on the Internet since last year and it was one of the best things that ever happened to me because as I don't have any English native speakers living down here, it was difficult for me to correct my accent, mistakes and the like. But now I have lots of help. The classes at The Palace have been an important source of information for me. They have good teachers: Vance, Margaret, Vera, Michael, Claudia, and Begum to name but a few." - Felix, Bahia, March 1999

“I love this group! Here we can learn many things about world live, because there are many people from different places. And all of them are special …” – Nicia, Belo Horizonte, March 27, 2000

I must say it feels really refreshing to read webhead messages. Interesting, personal and fun and nothing like all the professional mail I get. Smiles. Sophie, Cyprus August 2, 2000

“There are wonderful teachers like Vance, Mike, Maggi etc. who are always ready to help and many members from all sources of the world… The moment that I joint the group, I find it a pleasant place where I met many friendly people and enjoyed communicating with them. Welcome all. Hope you all enjoy yourselves in this group. Regards, Nova (Sijie Zhang) PRC August 7, 2000

I am very glad to hear that so many new people join us, well have fun. I guess you would love this group very much as I do - Maggie, China, 03 Sep 2000

Thank you so much for your kindest feedback. I checked out all points you made. I think I can improve both fluency and accuracy by participating this group and that's really great! Bora, Korea, 24 Aug 2000

I'm very happy to be a Webhead not only because I’m improving my English, but also because I've met so nice and dedicated people on the Internet. – Marina, 08 Nov 2000

"I think your classes are wonderful." - Valentin, Spain, January 2000; Congratulations to you for your wonderful work and English classes. Keep doing it in this way! January 2001, one year later!

This is an amazing experience for me to be included in such a warm and group of eager learners all over the world. - Susanne, Denmark, 30 Aug 2001 - and in November 2001: "Thanks for keeping this group alive, even when times are so busy! I enjoy the engaged everyday conversation quite a lot."

- and 0n November 2, 2002: "It is so nice to see how our community is growing. Vance made a great job once more, and prepared new personal homepages for each new member - and the list is growing every week! I am especially happy to see how you begin to guide each other and exchange your own experiences, such as getting together on Yahoo or MSN.

I feel that Webheads is a great opportunity to become a more independent and self paced student of a foreign but so necessary language which is the most used all over the world. Many of you express a wish to know how and what to communicate! And as you see, the first step towards a more fluent English is to get into a good habit of using it as often as posssible, in as many situations as you can! Of course the systematic rules and concerns about correctness you've learned in school are of a certain importance, but in an everyday situation, it counts more to be daring and plunge into it.

as for my own example, I left school here in Denmark more that thirty years ago, after many years of studying English but with only seldom occasion to practise it after the school days. I have been working for many years in daycare, I'm a freelance writer. Ever since I started to use the internet - all on my own - in my graduate studies of educational theory, I simply had to find ways to improve my language as an active skill. Meeting the Webheads and communicating online has been a wonderful training and challenge for me. The more I learned about my new friends, the more I really wanted to be able to ask and tell.

Yours, Sus"

Visitor reactions

"The Palace was one of the first ones I trialled, and I offered free lessons on Sundays at noon GMT for several months to try it all out (that was in 1997 as I recall). I'm still in touch with one of the regular students, who at the time was in Albania; she's now at a university in Germany. She reckons the only way she got out of Albania was on the strength of her English, partly due to those lessons - it's stuff like that that this profession is all about, eh!" - Eric Baber, 12 Apr 2001 (Eric became a Webheads member until Oct 2002)

My intention was to hunt down fairly simple sites, with the odd picture and basic biographies or project work. Your site, however, felt like it was much more. I really liked the spin-off interaction that was taking place and enjoyed the sense of community that was being generated; especially - I have to say - with ex-students (?) who continued to check-in from time to time. Thanks again, it's great stuff. Best wishes Nick Virgo, Hannover, DE, December 6, 2001 (with permission 07 Dec 2001)

Unsubscribing

If you do decide to subscribe to our Yahoo Group list, it may be important for you to know that you can 'unsubscribe' at any time.

Webheads manage their own subscriptions and unsubscriptions to the group. Just as you subscribed by sending email to efiwebheads-subscribe@yahoogroups.com you can unsubscribe in the same way.

Just send blank email from the address you want to unsubscribe to:

efiwebheads-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

That will remove you from the Webheads list.

If you unsubscribe you are welcome back at any time.

Vance, Michael, and Maggi's online course enjoys continued association with EFI: English for Internet
If qualified, you can teach with EFI: visit http://www.study.com or email Dave Winet (dwinet at synergy.transbay.net)

Use the navigation at the top of this page or your browser's BACK button to return to a previous page

For comments, suggestions, or further information on this page
contact Vance Stevens, page webmaster.

Vance, Michael, and Maggi's online course enjoys continued association with EFI: English for InternetIf qualified, you can teach with EFI: visit http://www.study.com or email Dave Winet (dwinet at synergy.transbay.net)

Last updated: October 20, 2003 in Hot Metal Pro 6.0

Vance, Michael, and Maggi's online course enjoys continued association with EFI: English for Internet
If qualified, you can teach with EFI: visit http://www.study.com or email Dave Winet (dwinet at synergy.transbay.net)