its-online (and other websites)
During the time that I was publishing magazines for teachers and students of English, I created and developed several websites, first with Gavin Dudeney, and then with Andrew Castles. Apart from the websites created specifically for iT’s, we also designed several websites for other ELT publishers.
its-online
The print magazine went online for the first time in 1996. A few years later, I started working with Andrew Castles. Together we developed a network of six internet sites providing different services for both teachers and students of English. All of the sites could be accessed directly or through our main its-online portal.
its-online website
A monthly newsletter was sent to subscribers. This sample extract is from 2010.
its-teachers website
Teacher Alert
its-english
At the its-english Internet site there were more than 400 interactive exercises for all student levels. The exercises were grouped into themes, and were designed to be used for self study or in a classroom situations. Most of the activities were included on the CD that accompanied the It’s English activity books.
its-english
the music section from its-english
One of the features at its-english was the its-passport. The passport included links to websites related to the different sections at its-english. Once a student clicked on one of the links, their passport would be stamped as ‘visited’. If the student liked the website, they could add an ‘approved’ stamp. There was also a FAQ grammar reference.
its-myworld
One of the very first social media sites, its-myworld was a place where students of English could create their own English homepage and take part in different online projects, keep a blog, and communicate with other students. Magazine subscribers could use the site with their classes.
its-myworld
A series of templates allowed students to create an ID card, complete a profile page, create a fan page for their favourite celebrities, write a guide to their city, keep a blog, and send e-cards. They could also take part in surveys and forums, and find keypals from around the world. Each user could create their own its-myworld address. Click on the images to enlarge.
its-myworld template before and after
3SIXTY5
A bank of teaching activities related to different dates in the year. At 3sixty5, teachers could search for classroom activities by date, theme, or activity type. All the activities were simple to use in class and required little or no preparation. The homepage always displayed the current day, showing a list of events from the day with links to related activities.
3SIXTY5
a sample activity from 3sixty5
Other websites
We also designed websites for other publishers including Marshall Cavendish, Richmond Publishing, and Santillana. Click on the images to see more.
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