Amateur Traveler Used to Teach English

My kids tell me that my next job when I grow weary of computer software will be as a teacher. If you have listened to the Amateur Traveler you may not be surprised that I love to learn and I love to teach so finding out that the podcast that I have created might be useful in teaching has been a very satisfying experience

California

In August of 2008, I received an email from an instructor of ESL (English as a Second Language) at the University of California at Irvine, Susan Earle-Carlin, who was working on a text for advanced second language learners. She wanted permission to use the audio of episode Volunteer Travel / Voluntourism – Episode 125 of the Amateur Traveler for a listening/discussion activity for a chapter called ‘Serious Fun’.

Oxford University

In November of 2009, I received a very surprising email. Oxford University Press wrote to me to ask permission to use the same episode of the Amateur Traveler to teach English as part of their curriculum. They asked permission to use part of that episode to:

1) Produce an online password protected audio workbook.
2) Produce an audio CD for general classroom use by the teacher.
3) Print the transcript in a student book.

Taiwan

Also in November of 2009, I had a call from a non-profit called OhStudy.net asking permission to use various episodes of the Amateur Traveler on their site used to help Taiwan students study English.

Italy

In February of 2010, Elizabeth Gregson, an instructor at the University of Trento, Italy asked permission to use one of the podcasts on Amateur Traveler as the basis for an English language exercise in an examination for students on the degree in Languages for Business and Tourism.

France

Just this month Editions Hatier, a French textbook publisher, notified me that they are preparing an English learning guide for teachers entitled “Meeting Point”, accompanied by a CD for Classroom. They asked permission not only to use an episode of the Amateur Traveler but to use the same episode, episode 125 on Volunteer Travel.

I am honored, humbled and just really pleased that all of these individuals and institutions have found some value in what I have created here at the Amateur Traveler.