Review of Topics Online Magazine

http://www.topics-mag.com/
This is “An Online Magazine for Learners of English” This appears to be targeted for middle school and high school aged learners, but adults could also participate in it. It is a collection of articles contributed by readers from around the world. The articles and issues of the magazine seem to be thematically driven and in areas that would appear interesting to young adult readers. For instance, there is a series of 5 reader contributions gathered under “Difficult Experiences.” One submission from a boy from Korea dealt with a narrative recalling a time he fell through thin ice while ice skating! There were also themes of “Traditional Dances, “Travel,” “Traditional Games,” and “Globalization.” The pieces seem polished, but are definitely written in the simpler syntax of ELL style. This would make it very accessible for most ELL classrooms and also quite interesting as they read authentic responses. Of course this could be used as inspiration for a unit/topic within a classroom; publication could also be held up as a goal to top students and that would give a real goal to peer reviewing, etc.; finally, it could serve as a model or inspiration for a classroom’s private online magazine. It also has a teacher’s corner where project ideas related to writing appear. There is no practice, assessment, or feedback function for the masses. This appears to be a pure content site. The site is easy to use, colorful, and neat, but it obviously is not going to stay authentic if the only goal is to get published. Perhaps they could make it easier to see how to contribute… I actually never found that information!