Looking to take your English language teaching or learning skills to an even higher level? Want to spark more interest in your language classes or break out of a trough or plateau? Combine the use of a variety of language learning techniques with ever-evolving technology to fuel your success. Here are some useful ideas and websites to help you get started.
BLOGS
A weblog or blog is not unlike a dairy that you run online. You can write instructions, an essay, or post any type of information you would like. Graphics and images can be included to illustrate the written material. Sound and audiovisual files can also be placed on a blog for added impact. A teacher can post a reading or assignment for students to comment on directly online. No papers, no mess and you can consult it almost anytime. Blogs are becoming easier to use and more accessible, and many websites allow you to create one for free.
ONLINE VIDEO / AUDIO
Most professionals have an email address or two. Your email can now become a means of communication between you and the learners. Email can now include the use of images and sound or audiovisual clips in addition to the body of the message. Learners can send assignments as attachments or put them in the body of the email. You can ask questions and get timely feedback without having to wait for the next lesson. Teachers can send instructions, updates, or other information to learners individually or as a group without having to wait for the next scheduled lesson.
No computer? No problem. In many parts of the world, e-cafes are so cheap that they are actually a viable alternative that students can easily afford. In some cultures, whole “communities” of young learners are based around meeting places in e-cafes. Talk about it with your students. You will 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 many parts of the world in recent months. Virtual communities and online reference libraries now allow learners to solve problems, research work, or complete tasks faster that would previously have taken a disproportionate amount of time. Some websites worth mentioning are for example:
O http://www.books.google.com/
A website that offers free access to books that can be read on screen
This is a website that has a long list of virtual libraries in almost all genres, connecting more than 900 mostly Spanish language libraries
This website connects a progressive academic network of Latin American libraries
This website allows you to access and read a large number of her collected works online and contains exhibition 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 useful ideas and websites to start combining the use of a variety of language learning techniques with ever-evolving technology to explode in your English language teaching and learning. If you would like to know more about using this or other new technologies to increase student interest and motivation and make your English lessons more effective, please email me with any questions or comments at the address below.
Thanks to Larry M. Lynch | #Combine #Language #Learning #Technology #Explode #Teaching #Learning #Success