OLDER NEWS
From Widgepedia
Certificate of Completion
[2019 05/25] At the end of the Widgets course, some teachers like to print out a certificate of completion for their students. It's a nice way to recognize all of the hard work that they have done over the semester. If you would like to give it a try, download the PDF Certificate of Completion file from the "User Contributions" page of the wiki. Thank you to Marc Helgesen for suggesting this excellent idea.
Widgets Inc. a finalist for the 2019 British Council ELTons!
[2019 04/05] We are absolutely thrilled to announce that Widgets Inc. is a finalist for the 2019 British Council ELTon Award for Course Innovation! The ELTons are the very top international award in ELT publishing, sometimes referred to as "the Academy Awards of ELT"–and if so, Course Innovation is like the Best Picture category! Winners will be announced and livecast at a celebrity-filled ceremony in London on June 10th.
All Course Videos Now Available, Scripts Updated
[2019 02/25] Widgets course videos are now complete and available in two versions, captioned and uncaptioned. All videos can be viewed via streaming or downloaded from Vimeo. To download, follow the instructions at the bottom of each video. Note that some scripts have been slightly updated from the printed book.
Join the Widgets Inc. Facebook Users' Group
[2019 01/20] If you're on Facebook, take a look at the Widgets Inc. Users' Group. We've set up this group for those who want to ask questions and share ideas related to the course. Note that it's a group specifically for teachers using (or thinking about) Widgets, so you'll need to tell us a little about yourself when you join.
Widgets co-author delivers keynote at Hokkaido JALT Conference
[2019 01/19] Marcos Benevides, Widgets co-author, delivered the keynote at the 2019 Hokkaido JALT Conference on January 26. His presentation was titled, "Why task-based learning for business communication". He also led a workshop on developing a themed task-based syllabus using a framework similar to the one used to create Widgets.
New videos and other updates
[2019 01/18] This week saw many improvements added to the Widgets Inc. teachers' wiki. Among the changes: all course videos are now available for streaming and download (captioned versions coming later this month), and a new syllabus template for 14 x 100-minute period courses. Also, the wiki is now fully functional as an editable wiki (login and admin approval is required).
Post-production continues on the final batch of Widgets course videos
[2019 01/09] Jack Henry, of Wide Island Films, has been working around the clock this holiday season to get the last videos ready. All videos have been recorded, and are now are in the final production stage. Please note that some of the currently available videos may be slightly re-edited as well. The estimated drop date is January 30. By the end of February, all videos will be finalized.
Widgets Inc. launches at JALT 2018!
[2018 11/24] Co-authors Marcos and Chris mark the launch the new edition of Widgets by sponsoring renowned ELT author, teacher trainer, and consultant Lindsay Clandfield as a plenary speaker. Attendee response to the new edition was enthusiastic to say the least! Also in this photo is our good friend Dorothy Zemach, a huge Widgets fan since the first Pearson edition in 2008.
Widgets Inc. partners with englishbooks.jp
[2018 06/01] Widgets Inc. has partnered with englishbooks.jp, a leading Japan-based distributor of English-language books. EBJ, who are already the exclusive distributors of Atama-ii Books's award-winning graded reader series, will also provide Japan-wide distribution of the Widgets Inc. student book.