Combine language learning and technology to exploit your success in teaching and learning
Are you looking to push your English language teaching or learning skills to even higher levels? Would you like to stimulate more interest in your language classes or get out of a depression or stagnation? Combine the use of a variety of language learning techniques with continually developing technology to fuel your successes. Here are some helpful ideas and websites to get you started.
BLOGGING
A Web Log, or Blog, is not unlike a dairy you maintain online. You can write instructions, an essay, or post any type of information you want. Graphics and images may be included to illustrate the written material. Audio and audiovisual files can also be placed on a blog for greater impact. A teacher can post a reading or assignment where students can comment directly online. No papers, no clutter, and you can view it almost anytime. Blogs are becoming easier to use and access, and many sites allow you to set one up for free.
ONLINE VIDEO / AUDIO
Most professionals have one or two email addresses. Your email can now become a communication tool between you and the students. Email can now also include the use of images and sound or audiovisual clips, as well as the text of the message. Students can send assignments as attachments or paste them into the body of the email. They can ask questions and receive timely feedback without having to wait for the next class session. Teachers can send instructions, updates, or other information to students individually or in groups without having to wait for the next scheduled class session.
No computer? No problem. In many parts of the world, e-cafés are so cheap that they are actually a viable alternative that students can easily afford. In some cultures, entire “communities” of young students are based on Internet cafe hangouts. Talk to your students about it. You would be surprised.
USE OF ONLINE RESOURCES for TEACHING/LEARNING
The use of online games, EFL practice sites, student and teacher forums, communities and activities has exploded in recent months in many parts of the world. Virtual communities and online reference libraries now allow students to more quickly solve problems, research an article, or complete tasks that previously would have taken a disproportionate amount of time. For example, some sites worth mentioning include:
or http://www.books.google.com/
A website that offers free access to books that can be read on screen
or http://www.universia.net.co
This is a site that has a long list of virtual libraries in almost any genre and connects more than 900 libraries mostly in Spanish
or http://www.redclara.net
This site interconnects an advanced academic network of Latin American libraries
or http://www.lablaa.org
This site allows you to access and read a large number of his collected works online and contains showcase pages.
o The official Project Gutenburg website contains an extensive list of literary works in English that have entered the Public Domain. It is online at: [http://promo.net/pg/]
Try some of these helpful ideas and websites to start combining the use of a variety of language learning techniques with continually developing technology to exploit your successes in teaching and learning the English language. If you need to know more about the use of these or other new technologies to increase student interest and motivation to make your English language teaching more effective, please feel free to email me at the address below with your questions or comments.