Using on-line Quizzes

a4esl.org

http://a4esl.org/

What is this?

• It is a website where you can find loads of free pre-made on-line quizzes.
• Learners can practice 'Grammar & Vocabulary' exercises from esay to difficult levels. 
• Many different languages are provides with English for better understanding.

How might you use it to foster language learning?

• Use grammar quizzes as a game after studying some basic grammar rules and sentences
• Let students do the quiz one more time as homework to reinforce
• Elicit the words from vocabulary quizzes and deal with them in class first and check students' comprehension with on-line quizzes
• Encourage them complete online quizzes at home until they get all right

What limitations should the teacher consider when using it?

• Might be too simple exercise 
• Some students might get bored with the same patterns of quizzes 
• Students might forget the contents because the exercises do not provide any context

Using Videos #3

   

What is this?

• This is an educational video from youTube that English teachers can use in class.
• It shows the different meanings and usages between 'fun' and 'funny'. 

How might you use it to foster language learning?

• During the first watching, let the students notice the differences between the two words
• After watching, get the students in pairs and make them talk about the differences
• Encourage them to watch the video one more time and to say the examples from the video 
• Ask them to make their own dialogues in pairs using 'fun' and 'funny'
• Let any pairs do the dialogue presention in front of the class and choose good ones 
• Use it in English grammar class as well when teaching 'noun' and 'adjective'

What limitations should the teacher consider when using it?

• A bit fast explanation to finish within one minute
• English sentences are not seen clearly sometimes because of the overlapping colors with the background 
• Some countries might not acess to 'youTube'
• Might be better if a dialogue in an animation or between people will be followed

Using Videos #2

                       

What is this?

• It is an educational video from youTube that English teachers can use in class.
• It shows children's daily routine according to specific time. 

How might you use it to foster language learning?

• Study three areas with this video: reading time, describing what you do at certain time, practicing answering different questions properly
• While watching, pause the video to make them predict what the speaker will say
• Encourage students to listen and repeat carefully to practice pronunciation and intonation
• On the next watching, make the video mute and pause sometimes. Ask students to say the proper expressions about the scene
• After watching, practice reading the time with a big toy clock
• Let them draw about their own routine and say about that
• Record students performance and show the videos to the class or send each student's video to their parents through e-mail

What limitations should the teacher consider when using it?

• Difficult to record everyone's saying in a large class
• Some students might want to keep watching this kind of video 
• Should consider a poor play depending on the internet speed

Using Videos #1

What is a Video in ELT?

• A form of cummunication where English learning can be achieved with the help of language, gesture and facial expression to convey a message
• Allows the learners to see body rhythm and speech rhythmn in second language discourse through the use of authentic language and speed of speech in various situations
• Allows contextual clues to be offered

Why is a Video good for language learning?

• Can stimulate and motivate student interest
• Helps learners to predict information, infer ideas and analyse the world that is brought into the classroom via the use of video instruction
• Helps enhance clarity and gives meaning to an auditory text in a teaching or testing situation
• Can create a solid link between the materials being learned and the practical application of it through watching a video

Using Blogs #2

1.  A Class Blog  (http://mrcsclassblog.blogspot.com/)

How might you use it to foster language learning?

• Uses for reactions to a film, article, class topic, current affairs
• Adds information for the class
• Sets homework
• Provides a summary of class work
• Lists things learners like/don't like doing in class
• Displays a class project on any topic
• Gets students' reflection on a class or course

2. A Tutor Blog  (http://scottthornbury.wordpress.com/)

How might you use it to foster language learning?

(tutor blog for students)

• Talk about their own teaching experiences
• Provide links to extra reading/listening material
• Question and answer (e.g. about grammar, class work)
• Give Exam/Study tips

 (tutor blog for teachers)

• Learn professional second or foreign language learning theories and practices. Try to apply them in my own teaching context
• Get useful language teaching tools and learn how to use them for language teaching
• Share ICT information with other language teachers

3.  A Student Blog  (http://studentsblog.skola.edu.mt/)

How might you use it to foster language learning?

• Writes personal and family information (including photos)
• Does extra writing practice on class topics
• Leaves regular comments on current affairs
• Does research and presents information on a topic (e.g. an English-speaking country)
• Makes a photoblog on learner's country, last holiday, town

Using Blogs #1

What is a blog?

• short for 'web log'
• a web page with regular diary or journal entries
• easy to set up and use
• regularly post comments, thoughts, analyses, experiences of daily life, interesting links, jokes or any other form of content
• consists of written text, pictures, photos, audio or video
• creat an online community around a commom topic, interest or person

Blogs in Language Teaching

• edublogs: class blog, tutor blog, student blog
• can be set up by teachers and/or learners
• can be used to connect learner to other communities of learners, for example to a class in another country
• the ideas and content can be generated and created by learners, either individually or collaboratively

Using Websites #5

Improving Writing skills - Writing Fun
: http://www.writingfun.com/

What is this?

• This website is an interactive writing help site that includes downloads to save for off-line use.
• The teacher can use this website to assist students with the writing process by using printable text organizers and examples showing text structures, grammatical features and publishing ideas.
• There are various writing text types with examples of different levels: reports, procedures, explanations, expositions, discussions, narratives, recounts, descriptions, responses, letters, invitations, news articles, emails and poetry.

How might you use it to foster language learning?

• Let the students get familiar with different text types
• Make them compare the example writings of different levels using the same structures
• Explain how the tips help them to understand how the text organized
• Get the students to download the copy of organizer in word format and type or handwrite to fill in the form as an outline of their writing
• Encourage them to write their final draft based on their out line as their portfolio
• Use the portfolio to assess the students' writing

What limitations should the teacher consider when using it?

• Looks a little bit complicated with different colors and many words on the menu for young learners
• Needs some grammatical points or sentence structure tips for EFL students
• Might be better if learners can try writing on the website immediately before downloading the forms

Using Websites #4

Improving Speaking skills - EnglishCentral
: http://www.englishcentral.com/

What is this?

• This website is a great tool for improving speaking skills on learner's own and provides plenty of video clips to watch from easy level to difficult one.
• There are three sections to try: Watch, Learn, Speak.
• Students can repeat segments of the video and compare their pronunciation with the pronunciation in the video.
• When you do the free registration, you can keep recording what you are doing with scores and compete with others in the world. 

How might you use it to foster language learning?

• Get the students to record their voice and compare the scores
• Use 'Send this video' when the teacher finds a good one and wants to send it to the students
• Encourage them to do the work regulary and evaluate weekly to choose the winner
• Give homework to practice recording for difficult or wrong parts of their recording

What limitations should the teacher consider when using it?

• Needs to sort out the contents for young learners and adults
• Good technological functions, but lack of contents for elementary schoolers
• Some recording sounds unclear and broken while listening

Using Websites #3

Improving Reading comprehension - LoudLit.org
: http://www.loudlit.org/

What is this?

• This website is composed of a a collection of books which have been recorded. You can see the text as well as listen to someone reading it. There are various kinds of literature such as novels, poetry, children's stories, historical ones or just short stories.
• The whole text is devided into chapters or pages which you can access to directly when you click 'listen and read'.
• This website is useful because it is easy to access to the text and listen to it as much as possible with ease.

How might you use it to foster language learning?

• Get the students to listen to the text for practicing pronunciation
• Practice for reading comprenhension by asking questions after each page or chapter
• Do the stop reading game: when one students makes any mistakes while reading aloud, anybody can shout 'stop' and continue reading from the wrong word
• Practice finding discourse markers such as pronouns, conjucntions, repeted words, synonyms or antonyms
• Have the students listen and read some parts in order to review or preview by themselves as their homework to improve their autonomy

What limitations should the teacher consider when using it?

• Needs more stories according to the linguistic levels
• More colorful and attractive design to get the students' attention
• Including comprehension checking exercises might be needed

Using Websites #2

Improving Listenging skills : Listen A Minute
: http://www.listenaminute.com/

What is this?

• This website is good for short listening activities and loads of contents are categorized alphabetically 
• Each topic shows the tapescript first followed by a series of activities such as vocabulary exercises, discussion, survey, or short writing.
• Some ideas for homework exercises are also provided for teachers.
• Listening, two types of quizzes, PDF and Word file are provided.

How might you use it to foster language learning?

• After listening, let the students talk about what they hear as much as possible
• Use Quiz 1 for collaborative work in pairs in order to rebuild the text by clicking right choices 
• Get more advanced leveled students to type words to rebuild the text in pair using Quiz 2 
• With no computers for students, make it as a group work to finish all the gaps on the printed page as quickly as possible
• Give them a chance to report back on what they listened to or read for speaking

What limitations should the teacher consider when using it?

• Needs a computer lab for more interesting activities
• Might be more helpful to provide more comprehension checking exercises 
• Better to have more colourful visual structure or layout

Using Websites #1

Learning Vocabulary : LanguageGuide.org
: http://www.languageguide.org/

What is this?

• This website is like a picture dictionary which is designed for practicing vocabulary and pronunciation of the words.
• The contents are shown in many languages and English words are subbed in students' first language as well, so it may be easier for young EFL learners.
• This site provides language learners with important basic nouns corresponding to colourful pictures. You can see the word and hear its pronunciation when putting the cursor on the red circle without any clicking.

How might you use it to foster language learning?

• Get the students to listen to the text for practicing pronunciation
• Give them homework : listen and repeat the words in order to review or preview by themselves to improve learner autonomy
• Print out the picture and let the students in pairs say all the words as correctly and quickly as possible
• With a quiz mode, have the students write numbers to the corresponding pictures in order as they hear the words as a game 

What limitations should the teacher consider when using it?

• A bit mechenical for young learners for just repeating words
• More authentic pictures might be better to attract young learners attention
• Needs more interesting quizzes and meaningful exercises to internalize the words 

Using Websites in ELT

 Why is using websites relevant to language learning?

• One of the easiest and least stressful ways of getting started with technology in the classroom
• Easy access to a readily available collection of authentic material
• Able to take material from the web and adapt it for teaching purposes with ease
• Stimulate oral communication while learners work on web-based tasks in pairs collaboratively
• Highly motivating for learners, leading to more language production and a higher stake in the success of the class