Technology in Teaching English
Sources of information and ideas:
Tools that you can use:
If you want to make your own website, you could try one of these. They both have advantages and disadvantages, but they both work well. Both have a free version and a paid version, but the free version is probably all you really need.
- EFL Classroom 2.0 Elementary Learners Resource. Lots of good things for teaching children: Videos, songs, PowerPoints, handouts--good for more than just pronunciation. The main purpose of this website (homepage: http://eflclassroom.ning.com/index.php) is to share ideas about teaching using new technologies.
- http://larryferlazzo.com/englishdetails.html#websites Larry Ferlazzo has links to zillions of useful websites on many, many topics. Take some time to look through them.
- http://www.iste.org/ The International Society for Technology in Education. Lots of cool ideas and resources.
- http://www.otan.us/ Outreach and Technical Assistance Network. Lots of resources and ideas about teaching with technology, especially in teaching adults.
Tools that you can use:
- http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ Download Audacity, a free software program that lets you record, edit, and save sound files.
- http://voicethread.com VoiceThread: Post a picture or video and have others record their comments about it. A great way to practice pronunciation and speaking.
- http://www.voxopop.com/ Voxopop: Set up "talk groups" where people can leave recorded messages, record their reading of a practice passage, or participate in a discussion. It's like a traditional discussion forum, but messages are sound recordings instead of written messages.
- http://www.voki.com Voki: You can make cartoon characters called "avatars." You can type in words and they'll speak with an artificial voice, or you can record your own voice.
- Click here for examples of these websites. ("Class Materials" --> "Other Materials" --> "Technology to Try")
If you want to make your own website, you could try one of these. They both have advantages and disadvantages, but they both work well. Both have a free version and a paid version, but the free version is probably all you really need.
- http://pbworks.com PB Works: Make your own wiki/website. It's easy!
- http://www.wikispaces.com WikiSpaces: Another way to make your own wiki/website.
- http://www.weebly.com Weebly is another easy way to make your own website. It's not quite as easy to learn as PB Works, but once you get used to it, it's not bad.