Arabic-L:PEDA:Arabic 2 Online Developer/Instructor Job

Tue Feb 10 00:24:46 UTC 2009

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Arabic-L: Mon 09 Feb 2009
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1) Subject:Arabic 2 Online Developer/Instructor Job

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1)
Date: 09 Feb 2009
From:Ann Gunter <AGunter at dpi.state.nc.us>
Subject:Arabic 2 Online Developer/Instructor Job

TO: All Foreign Language Educators
RE: Arabic 2 Online Developer/Instructor Job Posting

Please forward the job posting below to all those you know who might  
be interested in developing and teaching an Arabic 2 course that would  
be offered through the North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS).

Thank you!

Arabic 2
Developer Description and Instructor Description
Application Deadline: March 9, 2009
Video Introduction to similar course project in Chinese: www.marinegrafics.com/chinese/promo.htm

LEARN NC, a K-12 outreach program of the University of North Carolina  
at Chapel Hill, in collaboration with the NC Department of Public  
Instruction, the NC General Assembly and the NC Virtual Public School,  
is currently seeking a developer and instructor for Level 2 of Online  
Arabic. This course is the second in a two-part series designed to  
help students develop proficiency in Arabic. The opportunity requires  
the individual to both develop and then teach the course online. This  
course will place great emphasis on the spoken language, while  
cultivating reading and writing skills in Modern Standard Arabic. With  
the assistance of the development team, the course will be completed  
by December 31, 2009, to be taught in early January 2010.

The following features will be included:
• Emphasis on spoken Arabic
• Student self-reporting of proficiency and understanding through the  
use of LinguaFolio (http://community.learnnc.org/dpi/secondlang/archives/2006/04/linguafolio.php 
  )
• Each lesson begins with a video vignette to introduce new language  
structures. The videos tell the story of two young people who meet and  
get to know one another.
• Listening/speaking comprehension exercises to provide practice
• Weekly conversation coaches work to one-on-one and in groups to  
assist with student pronunciation
• Skype (www.skype.com ( http://www.skype.com/ )) is used to provide  
real-time conversation with conversation coaches and instructor
• Culture is embedded throughout the course to reinforce language  
learning.
• Sense of community is cultivated through group activities where  
students share via discussion boards, internal messages system, and  
Skype. Student must feel a part of the course with activities that not  
only engage them, but also connect them to others, including the  
instructor.
• Course is developed in Blackboard (www.blackboard.com ( http://www.blackboard.com/ 
  )) with the assistance of an instructional designer
• Course content does not depend on a textbook; therefore, all content  
of the course must be developed and reside within the course.
• Students receive individualized feedback on a weekly basis from the  
instructor.
• In addition to practicing speaking and listening with conversation  
coaches, the instructor will also speak with students on a weekly  
basis to determine student oral proficiency and listening  
comprehension skills development.
• Maximum enrollment will be held at 20 students for the initial  
offering

The following information details our expectations/requirements for  
both the developer position and the instructor position. In addition,  
we will be seeking conversation coaches to provide two (2), 45-minute  
practice sessions with a group of 3-4 students weekly for the semester  
(18 weeks).

Developer Expectations and Requirements
• Must be proficient in Arabic
• Must be, or be able to be, certified as an Arabic teacher
• Must have American high school teaching experience or comparable  
work with teenagers
• Must have basic knowledge of Microsoft Word, use of Arabic  
characters in the electronic environment, and preferred knowledge of  
HTML editor like Dreamweaver or similar HTML editors (www.nvu.com is a  
great HTML editor that is free!)
• Must be detail-oriented and be able to collaborate regularly with  
the Project Manager, the Instructional Designer, and the Development  
Team during the development stage
• Must have daily, reliable Internet access to collaborate with  
Instructional Designer and Project Manager
• Must have a background in language education and second language  
acquisition
• Willingness to complete 2 online instructor preparation courses this  
summer and fall to develop and improve teaching skills online
• Willingness to become familiar with LinguaFolio, a formative  
assessment tool, and incorporate its use in the course
• Willingness to review other Arabic courses’ materials and resources  
at leisure to understand development standards and to effectively  
develop Arabic 2
• Willingness to learn Blackboard, the course management system in  
which the course will be developed (LEARN NC can provide online  
instruction in the use of this tool)
• Ability to work with video team to develop scripts for introductory  
dialogue for each lesson (video vignette) and approve video/audio  
content produced by video team
• Willingness to work with a development team
• Ability to communicate effectively in English with development team
• Desire to be a part of a pioneering effort to bring Arabic language  
and culture to students who would not otherwise have the opportunity  
to learn!
• Ability to work with development team to finish course by December  
31, 2009
• Developer salary: $6,000-8,000

Instructor Expectations and Requirements
• Must be proficient in Arabic
• Must be, or be able to be, certified as an Arabic teacher
• Must have American high school teaching experience or comparable  
work with teenagers
• Must have basic knowledge of Microsoft Word, use of Arabic  
characters in the electronic environment
• Must have daily, reliable Internet access
• Background in language education and second language acquisition
• Willingness to complete 2 online instructor preparation courses this  
summer and fall to develop and improve teaching skills online
• Willingness to become familiar with LinguaFolio, a formative  
assessment tool, and incorporate its use in the course
• Willingness to learn Blackboard, the course management system in  
which the course will be developed (LEARN NC can provide online  
instruction in the use of this tool)
• Must coordinate with conversation coaches (1 per 4-5 students) on a  
weekly basis what students should practice
• Must keep good records of students’ progress and grades throughout  
the course
• Must communicate with the NC Virtual Public School about  
registration and technical issues
• Must work with NCVPS to communicate with the Distance Learning  
Coordinators at representative high schools where students are enrolled
• Must love teaching Arabic to a range of students!
• Instructor Salary ~ $225 per student

Application Process
The following materials must be submitted electronically no later than  
March 9, 2009, to Dr. Bobby Hobgood at bhobgood at learnnc.org Please use  
the following subject line for your message: Arabic 2 Developer  
Application
1. A current resume or CV
2. A description of current and past teaching experience in Arabic
3. A statement of current teacher certification(s) and in what states
4. A statement of your use of technology and any experience in online  
teaching and learning
5. A statement to indicate you are available to begin working this  
summer
6. Contact information

Ann Marie Gunter
Second Language Consultant
K-12 Program Areas
K-12 Curriculum, Instruction and Technology
NC Department of Public Instruction
6349 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-6349
agunter at dpi.state.nc.us
Ph: 919-807-3865
Website:  http://community.learnnc.org/dpi/secondlang/

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End of Arabic-L:  09 Feb 2009