Hello and welcome to this blog on exploiting technology. How do you use technology in your teaching? Would you like to use it more? Whay is that?
Unlike other great changes in teaching, such as the advent of the communicative approach or the lexical approach, technology brings with it no uniting methodological rationale. However, I hope this blog will do two things. I hope it will help you explore how we can control technology in order to enhance the quality of education that we provide for our learners. I also hope you will discover one or two things that you didn’t know existed before. One of the issues with technology is that it is developing so rapidly that it is difficult to keep up with what is available.
elcomed for both my adult and my young learner classes. For adults, they offer visual, modern and motivating consolidation activities which can be tried as many times as desired; an alternative to a black and white workbook. My adults tend to check their own work, but with young learners we would supply workbooks without answers, meaning that I would have to carry home piles of books to check the homework myself. CD-ROMs offer instant feedback and no chance to cheat! The key advantage for me, though, was that CD-ROMs only require that the student has access to a computer. There’s no need for multimedia suites in the school. If you are lucky enough to have a computer and a projector in your classroom, you can then go through troublesome areas with the whole group in the next session. Why not set aside 15 minutes with another teacher who is using the same material as you and explore the CD-ROM that comes with the book you are using. If you decide to make use of the digital content, be careful to make sure that your students are buying the version of the book which includes a CD-ROM. If they are buying through the school, speak to the DOS/Head and see if you can stock this version.
dictionaries also come with CD-ROMs, a quick and flexible tool which can be installed on students’ computers. Students can search for collocations to make their writing more natural, listen to US or British pronunciation, find synonyms to avoid repetition or even double-click on words found on the internet to link directly to their definitions. Some dictionaries are now available online and to download onto your mobile phone. This latter option provides the ultimate in convenience for a quality, but bulky dictionary.
In addition to CD-ROMs, some courses offer a Learning Management System (LMS). An LMS is a software application for the administration, tracking, and reporting of learning programmes. An example is MyEnglishLab. Some learning management systems provide online content similar to that of a CD-ROM, but with the additional features that allow teachers to set homework, monitor progress, store records and pinpoint both syllabus items which need remedial work and students who need individual support.
In this series of posts, I’ll be looking at Interactive Whiteboards, podcasting, communication, testing and teacher development; but I thought I’d open this blog with a focus on learner independence and probably the simplest way to set up a blended learning (classroom learning + digital learning outside the classroom) initiative.
Most course books offer a CD-ROM these days. For me, these were warmly w
elcomed for both my adult and my young learner classes. For adults, they offer visual, modern and motivating consolidation activities which can be tried as many times as desired; an alternative to a black and white workbook. My adults tend to check their own work, but with young learners we would supply workbooks without answers, meaning that I would have to carry home piles of books to check the homework myself. CD-ROMs offer instant feedback and no chance to cheat! The key advantage for me, though, was that CD-ROMs only require that the student has access to a computer. There’s no need for multimedia suites in the school. If you are lucky enough to have a computer and a projector in your classroom, you can then go through troublesome areas with the whole group in the next session. Why not set aside 15 minutes with another teacher who is using the same material as you and explore the CD-ROM that comes with the book you are using. If you decide to make use of the digital content, be careful to make sure that your students are buying the version of the book which includes a CD-ROM. If they are buying through the school, speak to the DOS/Head and see if you can stock this version.Good
dictionaries also come with CD-ROMs, a quick and flexible tool which can be installed on students’ computers. Students can search for collocations to make their writing more natural, listen to US or British pronunciation, find synonyms to avoid repetition or even double-click on words found on the internet to link directly to their definitions. Some dictionaries are now available online and to download onto your mobile phone. This latter option provides the ultimate in convenience for a quality, but bulky dictionary.
In addition to CD-ROMs, some courses offer a Learning Management System (LMS). An LMS is a software application for the administration, tracking, and reporting of learning programmes. An example is MyEnglishLab. Some learning management systems provide online content similar to that of a CD-ROM, but with the additional features that allow teachers to set homework, monitor progress, store records and pinpoint both syllabus items which need remedial work and students who need individual support.
Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) are also online environments, but in addition to administration of static activities, they allow for teaching and learning, too. VLEs such as Moodle, Fronter or Blackboard offer opportunities to share documents, set up courses and assess learners, but it is the ability to communicate which really sets VLEs apart. VLEs are not simply vessels for learning resources; they are the medium for communication and collaborative learning itself and lend themselves to constructivist theories of learning. VLEs usually require heavy investment, or in the case of Moodle, technical support, but Ning is a very simple, free VLE, which could provide your class with a clear course progression and a motivating medium for communication beyond the classroom. It could even provide a framework for delivery of a more ambitious distance learning programme for groups of students who cannot attend regular classes or for students spread across the globe.
Have fun investigating and feel free to contact me with comments, suggestions or questions.
Until next time,
James
