This blog will be deleted in 2009 so please remember our new address epafinews.wordpress.com

It includes new features and administrators are now Maria Papaioannou, Michalis Tourabelis and Dimitra Tsolakidou.

Please find their addresses in the contact list provided in the new blog and don't hesitate to request for your article to be published.

We are moving again!

We apologize for the inconvenience but we are moving our site to a new host again!Please take a moment to look at the new site and give us our feedback. You can add your comments anonymously. To do so click on Comments.

The new site is epafinews.wordpress.com

A Good Resource on Graphic Organisers

Graphic organisers provide the learner with an alternative way of thinking and perceiving the world. They have multiple uses and functions other than just describing, classifying and sequencing.

Analytical and creative thinking can also be developed. Students may compare and contrast information, define the cause and effects of an event, improve their decision making. techniques. To read an interesting article about Graphic Organizers and find useful examples, resources and activities you may use in your classroom ,please read Steve Darn’s article. I found it quite thought-provoking and motivating.

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/graphic-organisers

Registration deadline for KPG Exam

Please note that the registration deadline for those interested in sitting the KPG exam in November is September 26.

For more information, please visit the Secondary Board of Heraklion site.

NEW BOARD MEMBERS

The new Board members of EPAFI conducted the first meeting today and allocated the roles and responsibilities of each member for the next two years. The former Secretary's proposal got unanimous agreement so the Next Board consists of:

• Maria Papioannou-Gioglou as the Chair
• Maria Protogeraki as the Vice Chair
• Michael Tourabelis as the Secretary
• Dimitra Tsolakidou as the Treasurer and
• Kallia Katsampoxaki-Hodgetts as a Member

The New Board would like to sincerely thank the old Board for the rewarding and exciting time spent throughout the two years appreciating all the efforts and hard work generously put towards what we can proudly call the EPAFI calendar of events.

The New Board also defined the objectives and desired outcomes for the next two years and is looking forward to an even more exciting, educating and rewarding series of EPAFI events.

2008 EPAFI ELECTION RESULTS

The English Teachers Association in Heraklion elections were conducted in Atlantis Hotel today. Seventy three ballots were cast and the following colleagues were elected to the board:

Kallia Katsampoxaki-Hodgetts 57
Maria Protogeraki 51
Michael Tourabelis 51
Maria Papaioannou- Gioglou 34
Dimitra Tsolakidou 17

Congratulations to all of them! It is really good that this time, there are representatives from all three sectors: primary, secondary and tertiary!

The new Board members will be appointed on Wednesday 17th September 2008 at 9.00 p.m. In the event of the resignation of any of the elected Board members, the vacancy must be filled by the first or the second runner up of the immediate past election.

Runners up of this election were:

Fanioudaki Eleni 12
Faragoulitaki Eleni 11

the Turmoil of a PEK Seminar on NEW TECHNOLOGIES

A group of fifteen EFL teachers prepared to attend a seminar on "Blogs in the EFL classroom" were in turmoil today over the computer room availability. The group and the trainer were asked and then told to move to another room without internet access or PCs, obviously not a computer lab - to cover topics related to NEW TECHNOLOGIES.

As a result the trainer refused to deliver the seminar unless there was a computer room provided. Both the trainer and the trainees were frustrated as there were provided with no working solutions.

It was not until the trainer suggested that they should all move to the local University premises and use their computer lab so as not to waste the day.

Despite the frustration and the hustle of driving to another place, the seminar took place and all fifteen trainees were happy to learn how to create a blog and possible blog applications in the classroom.

What can I say about this? Is this what I should expect living in Greece? Does this sort of thing happen elsewhere? Is this really NEW technologies?

Anyway, what else can I do but quote Shakespeare. All's well that ends well.