ETpedia Technology: 500 ideas for using technology in the English language classroom 9781911028581, 9781911028598, 9781911028611, 9781911028604

Table of contents :
Cover
Imprint
Contents
Introduction
10 reasons for using this resource
10 ways to use this resource
10 facts about the author
Preparing to teach with technology
Unit 1
10 reasons to start using technology with students
Unit 2
10 ways to increase your confidence when using technology
Unit 3
10 key technology terms to know
Unit 4
10 questions to ask your students about technology
Unit 5
10 questions to ask yourself about integrating technology
Unit 6
10 ELT technology scenarios
Unit 7
10 steps to creating a school digital policy
Technology in your lessons
Unit 8
10 technology warmers
Unit 9
10 ways to use technology for reading
Unit 10
10 ways to use technology for writing
Unit 11
10 ways to use technology for listening
Unit 12
10 ways to use technology for speaking
Unit 13
10 ways to use technology for vocabulary
Unit 14
10 ways to use technology for grammar
Unit 15
10 ways to use technology for pronunciation
Unit 16
10 ways to use technology for correction and feedback
Unit 17
10 ways to use technology for recycling and revision
Using text-based tools
Unit 18
10 ways to use email with students
Unit 19
10 ways to use group messaging apps
Unit 20
10 activities with word clouds
Unit 21
10 activities with polls and surveys
Unit 22
10 activities with sticky-note apps
Unit 23
10 activities with online reference tools
Unit 24
10 ways to use blogs
Unit 25
10 ways to use wikis
Using multimedia
Unit 26
10 activities with images
Unit 27
10 activities with online comics
Unit 28
10 activities with video
Unit 29
10 ways to use YouTube effectively
Unit 30
10 ways to use TED talks
Unit 31
10 ways to use Skype
Unit 32
10 tools for creating multimedia presentations
Unit 33
10 tips for getting the most out of IWBs
Using smartphones and tablets
Unit 34
10 things to know about using mobile devices in your school
Unit 35
10 ways to manage smartphones and tablets in the classroom
Unit 36
10 ways to get the best out of social networks
Unit 37
10 ways to use QR codes
Unit 38
10 ways to use maps and geolocation
Unit 39
10 things to know about augmented reality
Teaching contexts and issues
Unit 40
10 things to know about blended learning and the flipped classroom
Unit 41
10 things to know about teaching via videoconferencing
Unit 42
10 things to know about e-safety for younger learners
Unit 43
10 things to know about copyright and plagiarism
Unit 44
10 ways to develop digital literacies
Unit 45
10 things to know about SEN students and technology
Further development
Unit 46
10 ways to develop your knowledgeof technology
Unit 47
10 top tech tips
Unit 48
10 key acronyms and abbreviations
Unit 49
10 technology books and blogs to read
Unit 50
10 ways to manage your time effectively
Appendix

Citation preview

ETpedia

TM

Technology

500 ideas for using technology in the English language classroom

Nicky Hockly

Series editor: John Hughes

www.myetpedia.com

ETpedia Technology © Nicky Hockly The author has asserted their rights in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act (1988) to be identified as the authors of this work. Published by: Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd Blue Sky Offices Shoreham, 25 Cecil Pashley Way, Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, BN43 5FF UK Tel: 01273 43 49 43 Email: [email protected] Web: www.pavpub.com First published 2017. Reprinted 2018. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher and the copyright owners. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Photocopying permission The resources in the Appendix may be copied, without fee or prior permission, by the purchaser subject to both of the following conditions: that the item is reproduced in its entirety, including the copyright acknowledgement; that the copies are used solely by the person or organisation who purchased the original publication. ISBN: 978-1-911028-58-1 PDF ebook ISBN: 978-1-911028-59-8 Epub ISBN: 978-1-911028-61-1 Kindle ISBN: 978-1-911028-60-4 Author: Nicky Hockly Editor: Penny Hands Production editor: Michael Benge, Pavilion Publishing and Media Cover design: Emma Dawe, Pavilion Publishing and Media Page layout and typesetting: Anthony Pitt, Pavilion Publishing and Media Printing: Ashford Press Note: All URLs supplied in this book are correct at the time of going to print but may be subject to change.

Contents Introduction 10 reasons for using this resource.................................................................................6 10 ways to use this resource.........................................................................................8 10 facts about the author............................................................................................10 Preparing to teach with technology Unit 1: 10 reasons to start using technology with students........................................12 Unit 2: 10 ways to increase your confidence when using technology.........................15 Unit 3: 10 key technology terms to know...................................................................18 Unit 4: 10 questions to ask your students about technology......................................20 Unit 5: 10 questions to ask yourself about integrating technology............................22 Unit 6: 10 ELT technology scenarios...........................................................................24 Unit 7: 10 steps to creating a school digital policy.....................................................27 Technology in your lessons Unit 8: 10 technology warmers...................................................................................32 Unit 9: 10 ways to use technology for reading ...........................................................35 Unit 10: 10 ways to use technology for writing ..........................................................38 Unit 11: 10 ways to use technology for listening .......................................................41 Unit 12: 10 ways to use technology for speaking ......................................................44 Unit 13: 10 ways to use technology for vocabulary ...................................................48 Unit 14: 10 ways to use technology for grammar ......................................................51 Unit 15: 10 ways to use technology for pronunciation ...............................................54 Unit 16: 10 ways to use technology for correction and feedback ..............................57 Unit 17: 10 ways to use technology for recycling and revision...................................60 Using text-based tools Unit 18: 10 ways to use email with students...............................................................64 Unit 19: 10 ways to use group messaging apps.........................................................67 Unit 20: 10 activities with word clouds .......................................................................70 Unit 21: 10 activities with polls and surveys................................................................74 Unit 22: 10 activities with sticky-note apps.................................................................78 ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

3

Unit 23: 10 activities with online reference tools .......................................................81 Unit 24: 10 ways to use blogs.....................................................................................85 Unit 25: 10 ways to use wikis.......................................................................................88 Using multimedia Unit 26: 10 activities with images................................................................................92 Unit 27: 10 activities with online comics.....................................................................96 Unit 28: 10 activities with video..................................................................................99 Unit 29: 10 ways to use YouTube effectively.............................................................102 Unit 30: 10 ways to use TED talks.............................................................................105 Unit 31: 10 ways to use Skype..................................................................................108 Unit 32: 10 tools for creating multimedia presentations...........................................111 Unit 33: 10 tips for getting the most out of IWBs.....................................................115 Using smartphones and tablets Unit 34: 10 things to know about using mobile devices in your school....................120 Unit 35: 10 ways to manage smartphones and tablets in the classroom .................123 Unit 36: 10 ways to get the best out of social networks...........................................126 Unit 37: 10 ways to use QR codes............................................................................130 Unit 38: 10 ways to use maps and geolocation .......................................................133 Unit 39: 10 things to know about augmented reality................................................137 Teaching contexts and issues Unit 40: 10 things to know about blended learning and the flipped classroom.......142 Unit 41: 10 things to know about teaching via videoconferencing ..........................146 Unit 42: 10 things to know about e-safety for younger learners...............................150 Unit 43: 10 things to know about copyright and plagiarism.....................................153 Unit 44: 10 ways to develop digital literacies ..........................................................156 Unit 45: 10 things to know about SEN students and technology.............................159 Further development Unit 46: 10 ways to develop your knowledge of technology....................................164 Unit 47: 10 top tech tips...........................................................................................167 Unit 48: 10 key acronyms and abbreviations............................................................170 Unit 49: 10 technology books and blogs to read.....................................................172 Unit 50: 10 ways to manage your time effectively....................................................175 Appendix......................................................................................................................179

4

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

Introduction

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

5

10

reasons for using this resource

1. Overview of technology There is a lot of technology available for English language teachers to use with their students, and it is growing all the time. New devices, new tools, new programs and apps: it can often feel overwhelming, and teachers may not know where to start. The aim of this book is to provide you with a clear overview of what’s available, along with some very practical ideas and activities for making the most of current digital technologies in your language classroom.

2. Organised for teachers

Introduction

This book contains 50 units organised into seven different sections. These sections are aimed specifically at English language teachers, and the focus is on how you can use technologies to support your students’ learning. The first section helps you to get prepared to use technology as effectively as possible with your students. The next section looks at the main teaching areas that you deal with on a daily basis – the four skills and the language areas of grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. By focusing on what teachers already do with their students in the classroom, the book helps you understand how you can start integrating elements of technology into your standard English language lessons.

3. Range of contexts The activities and ideas described in this book cover a range of possible technology contexts and scenarios. The book does not assume that you and your students have access to the latest, most expensive technologies. Instead, a range of possible technology contexts are taken into account; for example, many of the activities can be adapted for low-resource contexts, where students do activities at home if there is no access to technology in the classroom. The activities can also be adapted for use in computer labs within a school, or in a classroom with a single class computer and projector. All of the activities can be used in high-resource contexts, where students have access to mobile devices in pairs and small groups.

4. Range of tools The units in this book describe activities that can be carried out with a range of hardware and software. The majority of the activities can be carried out by students using desktop computers, laptops or mobile devices. In one of the units, there are a few activities that require students to use smart mobile devices, but the rest of the activities can easily be carried out on a range of technologies, depending on what you and your students have access to. There is also a wide range of software tools described so that you can easily find something that is right for you and your students.

5. New users of technology With its step-by-step approach to a range of technologies and tools, this book is designed to support you if you are a new user of technology in the language classroom. This doesn’t necessarily mean you are a new teacher. In fact, teachers with many years of experience in traditional language classrooms can often very quickly see how technology can support good communicative language teaching by enhancing what they already do. If you are new to using technology, though, this resource will provide you with the support you need to get started.

6

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

6. Experienced users of technology More experienced and confident users of technology will also find plenty of new activities and ideas in this book. From using simple tools like email, to tackling more complex activities based on smart mobile device features like geolocation and augmented reality, there is a wealth of new ideas for even the most experienced technology user to choose from. There is also a consideration of wider issues like e-safety, digital copyright and plagiarism, digital literacies and special educational needs (SEN) that may be new to many teachers.

7. Studying for a qualification If you are planning to take an official English language teaching qualification with a technology component, this book can help you. It covers many of the technology-related areas that you find in teaching qualifications such as an MA in TESOL, the Diploma in TESOL (Trinity College London) and the DELTA Module 3 (Cambridge Assessment), or the Cert ICT: Certificate in Teaching Languages with Technology (Trinity College London/ The Consultants-E). This book provides plenty of activities and ideas as a source for the practical ICT component of these qualifications.

If you are a teacher trainer responsible for providing in-house training for the teachers in your school, or if you train on externally validated training courses, this book will provide you with a wide range of ideas and activities that you can adapt for your training sessions. It also includes helpful unit overviews of wider technology-related issues.

9. School directors and principals If you work in a managerial position within your school or institution, for example as Director, Director of Studies, Manager or School Principal, you will also find this book useful. You can use the units that focus on strategic issues as a guide to the effective integration of technology into your institution. For example, you will find strategic plans on how to implement the use of mobile devices in a principled manner, or how to create an effective digital policy for your school. You will also find guidance on issues such as digital copyright and plagiarism, e-safety, and how technologies can support SEN learners. These are all digital policies that should be implemented schoolwide.

Introduction

8. Teacher trainers

10. Additional materials and quotes Along with many of the units in this book, you will find extra worksheets in the appendix. These worksheets relate to specific units in the book, and can be photocopied for use with your students or teacher trainees. Throughout the book you will also find quotes from real ELT teachers about their use of technology with their own students. They provide you with expert tips and advice in addition to those already listed for that unit.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

7

10

ways to use this resource

This resource has been written for English language teachers who would like to use technology with their students, but may be unsure of how to do so. It can be read and used in different ways according to your needs and interests, and your level of experience with technology.

1. Cover to cover If you are less confident or experienced with using technology with your students, you might be using this resource as an introductory text to the subject. If so, it’s worth reading the book from cover to cover in order to get a thorough overview and grounding in how to use a wide range of technologies with your English language learners.

Introduction

2. Read a section The contents page will direct you to different sections, with groups of units on a specific aspect of technology or language teaching. Some sections might not be immediately relevant to the students you are working with, or to the technology you have available, so you can ignore them for now. Other sections will be of immediate relevance and will provide you with the key information you need to start using different technologies effectively with your students.

3. Go to the unit If you’d like to concentrate on one language area (such as grammar or reading), or if you’d like to work with one technology, then go straight to the relevant unit and find 10 interesting ideas or activities.

4. Teacher’s block You might be familiar with the term ‘writer’s block’ in relation to novelists. However, there are also times when teachers simply cannot come up with original ideas or activities for students. Open the resource of any page and see if the 10 ideas on that page give you a new idea for using technology with your students.

5. Ability to evaluate technology By learning how to use a range of technologies in different ways from this book, you will be better able to evaluate technology. This will help you to decide whether a certain technology is suitable for your classes (or not); it will also help you understand how that technology can be used to support your students’ learning.

6. Supplement your coursebook Many teachers find that they need to offer their students more practice than is found in their coursebook. Technology can often be used outside class time to provide students with additional language exposure and practice. You will find plenty of ideas in this book that encourage students to use technology outside class to support their language learning, as well as in class.

7. Write in the book Maybe you’ve tried one of the activities in the resource or found an idea you liked. Make notes on the page next to the activity about why it worked or how you adapted it, so you can refer to it again later.

8

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

8. Help colleagues and trainees If you work with teachers who feel less confident with technology, share some of the ideas in this resource with them. If you are a teacher trainer, many of the activities can be integrated into your training sessions in order to show teacher trainees how to start using technology with their own students.

9. Develop your skills If you are at the stage where you feel you are ready for more of a challenge, read the final section on further development to help you develop your technology knowledge and skills. This section suggests books and blogs that you can read to develop your tech skills. There are also suggestions on how to manage your time effectively – always a challenge with technology.

10. Write your own 10

“I’m a big fan of the ETpedia books as they offer a wealth of information. They are very easy to dip into as a reference as they are clearly labelled and divided into different categories. Perfect for novice teachers finding their feet in the world of EFL, experienced teachers who need a quick refresher on a certain subject, or even for teacher trainers to use during input sessions. All in all, the ETpedia books have quickly become an EFL teacher’s best companion!”

Introduction

Technology is always evolving, developing and changing, so why not create your own 10 tips or pointers on how to use technology with students, and share them with your colleagues? There is space to add your own tips at the end of the book (page 195).You could even share them with the whole world by visiting www.myetpedia.com, where we regularly post lists of ‘10 ways’ from people who use the ETpedia books. Visit the website for information on sharing your ideas.

Glenn Standish, Director of Studies, International House, Toruñ, Poland

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

9

10

facts about the author

Nicky Hockly … XX is the Director of Pedagogy of The Consultants-E, an innovative, award-winning online

training and development organisation.

XX has worked in English language teaching since 1987 as a teacher, teacher trainer,

writer and consultant.

XX first started teaching online in 1997. XX gives plenary talks and workshops regularly at teachers’ conferences all over the world. XX runs workshops and delivers face-to-face training for schools, universities, publishers

and other educational institutions.

XX designs and runs online training courses for teachers in how to integrate technology

into the English language classroom.

XX writes regular articles about technology for teachers in English Teaching Professional

magazine, and the English Language Teaching Journal (ELTJ).

XX has authored and co-authored prize-winning methodology books for teachers about

Introduction

technology in English language teaching.

10

XX maintains a blog called e-Moderation Station (emoderationskills.com) with tips and

activities for teaching with technology.

XX lives in Barcelona in Spain and is a technophobe turned technophile!

Thanks and acknowledgements The ideas, suggestions and activities in this book come from working with technology with teachers and students over many years. Most of the ideas are my own original ideas, and some come from the teachers and students I’ve worked with, both online and face to face. But most of all, this collection is based on my experience of working with technology for over two decades, and my own journey from technophobe to technophile. My special thanks go to my erstwhile colleague and cowriter Gavin Dudeney for his continued help and support on that journey. In addition, I’d like to thank those teachers who gave their permission for their own technology-based projects to be referred and linked to in these pages: Claudia Ceraso, Lindsay Clandfield, Seth Dickens, Carl Dowse, Roberto Garcia, Nergiz Kern, Mark Pegrum, Ken Shelton, Mark Thomson, and Rita Zeinstejer. And for their help in getting this book ready for publication, I’d especially like to thank John Hughes, Penny Hands, and all those at Pavilion Publishing and Media.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

Preparing to teach with technology One of the most important questions to ask when we use technology in the classroom is Why? In other words, why should we integrate technology into our English language classes, and what does technology bring to the learning experience? We start this book by addressing these questions. In the first few units, we explore why integrating technology into your language classes can be a good idea. If you are a teacher who is less experienced in using technology with students, you can read about ways to increase your confidence, and some of the key terms you often hear used when people talk about technology are explained. Once you have a clear understanding of those, your confidence to talk about technology – and ask for help when necessary – will grow. More experienced teachers will find some reminders and some new ideas. The aim of the unit is not only to provide you with some of the background information you need to start using technology, but also to help you pose key questions that will guide you towards a principled and informed use of technology with your students. After all, there is no point using technology just for its own sake. It needs to enhance and support your students’ learning of English. The penultimate unit describes different situations that teachers often find themselves in from the point of view of technology. It is likely that one or more of these scenarios will reflect your own teaching context. Finally, the last unit suggests 10 steps that you and your fellow teachers can take towards creating a robust school digital policy. This is particularly important when technology is used with younger students of primary and secondary school age; indeed, particularly in the case of young learners,it should be done before technology is introduced into the classroom. Many of the activities in this book can be carried out in the classroom with a single computer. However, if you don’t have any technology in your school or classroom, you can set the activities for homework – assuming that your students have access to computers outside the classroom, for example, at home or from internet cafés. A significant number of these activities can also be carried out by students using mobile devices in the classroom and at home.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

11

10

reasons to start using technology with students

As digital technologies become an ever-more important part of our lives, you may feel that you should be using technology with your students. However, you may not be entirely sure why. Here are 10 good reasons to start using technology with your students.

1. Digital technologies are everywhere Digital technologies are a fact of life. Most of us send emails and use the internet on a daily basis. Many of us own mobile phones, and use them for a range of purposes including web browsing, taking photos and videos, playing games, getting directions to places, and checking our social networks. Digital technologies are also becoming more common in schools. In high-resource contexts, many classrooms have one computer connected to a projector, and some schools have interactive whiteboards installed in classrooms. Even in low-resource contexts, where schools may have little or no hardware or internet access, students often have simple mobile phones that can be used to support learning. Whatever your context, it is likely that you and your students have some sort of access to technology, in or out of school.

Unit 1

2. Students expect it Students increasingly expect teachers to use some form or other of technology in their language classes. Access to the internet has become easier in the past few years, and many schools have wi-fi connections that students can use. The cost of hardware has also decreased, and many students have devices such as mobile phones that can be used judiciously in the classroom. At the very least, students expect worksheets to be produced using a word processing program, rather than being handwritten.

3. Teachers expect it Even teachers who work in schools with little or no technology infrastructure expect to use basic software like word-processing programs with their students. For example, teachers often expect students to type essays, and to submit them via email. Asking your students to use a word-processing program for their written work can actually support their learning. For example, you can suggest that students use a spellchecker on their work, and this can help them notice (and correct) their spelling mistakes. When marking student work, you can use word processing tools such as colour highlighting to show errors, or you can add comments (see Unit 16).

4. Schools expect it School directors increasingly expect teachers to know how to use a range of tools and technologies both in and out of class with their language students. When hiring new teachers, all other things being equal, a school director or manager is more likely to choose a teacher who is comfortable with technology over a teacher who is not. Being proficient – or at the very least comfortable – with technology is increasingly a prerequisite for today’s language teacher.

12

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

5. Technology can motivate students There are research studies that show that some technologies can motivate English language students. Motivation is a key factor in helping students learn, so it’s worth trying out a range of technologies with your students to see what technologies they find more (or less) motivating. Of course it is not the technology alone that motivates students, but also task type, and whether students perceive any benefits. It’s important not to assume that technology will automatically motivate students; the main thing is to try out a range of available technologies and tasks, provide variety and choice, and to ask your students what they think.

6. Technology can increase learning There are also research studies that show that some technologies can help students learn more effectively. For example, in one study, students who used flashcards on their mobile phones to learn new vocabulary seemed to have better recall and retention than students who learned the same vocabulary on paper. However, it is not just the technology that increases learning in this case, but the additional exposure to the vocabulary, with spaced repetition, that seems to support learning. It’s important to remember that it is the combination of technology, content, task type, student, motivation and context that leads to learning.

A single computer and an internet connection allow the teacher to bring a range of content into the classroom to supplement the coursebook or syllabus. Videos, images, websites and a whole world of information are available at the click of a mouse or the swipe of a finger in the connected classroom. Much of this content is available in English, and some of it is designed specially for English language learners at a range of levels. You can suggest a variety of English language resources for your students to explore out of class, too, to give them additional exposure to English. For example, your students can choose from a range of free online English language podcasts, videos, grammar and vocabulary games, articles and stories. You can help by providing your students with a list of extra online English language resources to explore that fits their language level.

Unit 1

7. Technology provides access to information

8. Technology can connect your classroom with the outside world A single computer and an internet connection also allows the teacher to take language learning beyond the classroom walls. For example, you can connect your class with a class of the same level in another part of the world via email, a class blog, or via a synchronous videoconferencing tool like Skype (see Unit 31). Enabling English language students in one culture to communicate with English language students in another culture can be an enriching experience that also develops intercultural skills. Another option is for English language students in a monolingual context (like Spain or Germany) to connect with native English speakers studying Spanish or German as a foreign language.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

13

9. Technology can connect your students outside class time Creating connections for your students via technology outside class time is increasingly easy. For example, depending on the age of your students, you could set up an informal private class group via a social network (such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat or Twitter). Many students already do this without their teachers in order to socialise. If you set up a social network group for your students, you could use it to remind them of administrative matters (such as homework, assignment deadlines, class changes, etc.), to share social messages (such as wishing students a happy birthday) or to share photos, and to play short fun language games such as word association. Having a private group in which you and your students communicate informally outside class time can have a positive impact on group dynamics and on language learning (see Unit 19).

10. Technology can help develop digital literacy skills

Unit 1

Knowing how to use technology effectively and appropriately is a fundamental 21stcentury skill. Your students will very probably need to use digital technologies in their present or future jobs, and being able to communicate effectively using digital technologies in English may well be a part of that. Integrating technology effectively into our classes can help our primary- and secondary-school-aged learners acquire important digital literacy skills that will help them in the future (see Unit 44).

“The secret to getting started is to try out some quick easy wins – things you feel confident doing, things your learners will enjoy: using their mobile devices to talk about photos or to look up useful information, sharing a short video from YouTube or making a short video of a speaking activity. Use these initial experiences to learn and grow together on your technology integration adventure. Be bold, and learn from your learners.” Gavin Dudeney, Director of technology, The Consultants-E: www.theconsultants-e.com

14

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

10

ways to increase your confidence when using technology

Sometimes teachers are reluctant to use technology with their students because they feel they don’t know much about it. If you feel this way, take a minute to think about it, and you’ll no doubt find that this isn’t actually the case. Even if you feel that you are not proficient or confident with technology, you probably use a range of technologies regularly in your daily life. For example, perhaps you know how to use email, or how to search for things on the internet. You may also know how to play games or use a map for directions on your mobile phone. You may use a social network such as Facebook or Instagram to keep in touch with family and friends. This unit suggests 10 ways to increase that knowledge so as to feel more confident about using technology with your students.

1. List what you know … If you don’t feel confident with technology, try listing the things you do know how to do, such as those mentioned above. Once you start your list, you will probably be able to identify at least five things that you do know how to do with technology.

2. … and start there

Unit 2

To start integrating technology into your English language classes, begin by using the tools that you are already comfortable with. Look at your list from point 1. If you have listed ‘using email’ as one of the areas you are familiar with, that’s a good tool to use with students. For example, ask your students to email you their written work. Then correct it and return it to them by email. If you have ‘playing games on my mobile phone’ on your list, in your next class, ask your students about the games they play on their mobile phones. Then suggest a couple of mobile-phone-based games that they can play outside class time that have an English language component. Starting with what you know and using this knowledge with students will soon show you that you know more than you think!

3. Ask your students for help Teachers are sometimes worried that technologies such as classroom computers, projectors or the sound on a video won’t work. This means that some teachers will avoid using technology during class so as not to have to deal with possible ‘tech troubles’. However, students themselves deal with tech troubles on a daily basis in their personal and work lives, and can be patient while things are being sorted out. Also, there is invariably at least one student in the class who is happy to help the teacher sort out any minor hardware issues. It is important to ask your students for help, though. Students always respond well to this, and those students who can help are pleased to be able to display their technical knowledge.

4. Appoint digital leaders in your school Some schools address the issue of providing on-the-spot technical support by appointing ‘digital leaders’. Digital leaders are tech-savvy students who volunteer to train teachers in basic computer skills (such as how to turn on a computer, or how to ensure that a projector connects to a computer), and also to be available to sort out technical problems on the spot. Digital leaders can be primary-school-aged students, secondary-school students, or adults, and the system works best in schools where the

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

15

students are present for most of the day. Digital leaders can be called on by any teacher at any time to go to a classroom to quickly provide support and solve any problems. Digital leaders are a good alternative in schools where there is no IT support for teachers to call on.

5. Search for solutions online One of the first and most important lessons to learn about technology is that when you have a problem with hardware or software, somebody somewhere in the world has already experienced the same problem. And this means that the solution to your problem is likely to be available online. The solutions are often provided in a series of clear steps, sometimes with screenshots, or as videos showing you exactly where to click. Follow the advice you find and see if you can sort out your tech problem yourself. Once you’ve managed that, you will find that your confidence with technology increases immeasurably!

Unit 2

6. Set up short training sessions in your school A good way to increase your confidence with technology is to work with other teachers in your school, sharing what you know, and helping each other to learn new things. You could meet for as little as 20 or 30 minutes a week (for example, during a coffee or lunch break), and briefly look at one specific technology or tool together. Invite a more knowledgeable teacher to share their favourite tool, and to show you how it works. Take the time to try the tool out yourself, either during the training session, or later at home. In this way, you can slowly build up your confidence in using a range of tools over time.

7. Attend a webinar A webinar is a short online seminar that takes place on a videoconferencing platform and usually lasts between 30 and 60 minutes. The topic of learning technologies is frequently covered in webinars. Presenters are usually well-known authors or teacher trainers, and the audience can range from 10 to several hundred participants. Some webinar providers offer participants the chance to earn a certificate if they attend a series of webinars. Some of the major ELT publishers (for example, Macmillan) offer regular webinars, as do English language teaching organisations like IATEFL (iatefl. org) and TESOL (tesol.org). Many webinars are archived, so even if you can’t attend the webinar in real time, you can often access the recording online afterwards.

8. Take a free online course You could also take a free online course that focuses specifically on the application of technology to English language teaching. For example, TESOL’s Electronic Village currently offers a choice of free online courses once a year. These look at ways of integrating a range of digital technologies into English language teaching. You can find out more about the Electronic Village via the TESOL CALL-IS (Computer Assisted Language Learning Interest Section) website: www.call-is.org/WP/about-call-is/.

16

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

9. Read blogs or (e-)books Knowing something about the range of technologies that are available for teachers to use can make you feel more confident. A good way to keep up to speed with tools and ways to use them in the classroom is to read technology blogs or books written for teachers. A good technology blog or book will explain what a particular tool is, how it works, and what it can be used for in the classroom. Apart from practical examples and activity ideas, they include a consideration of issues that need to be taken into account when using the tool with students. See Unit 49 for 10 recommended technology books and blogs.

10. Try it out yourself first Before you use any new technology or tool with your students, try it out yourself. For example, if you would like to set up a class blog with your students (see Unit 24), make sure that you know how to set up and use a blog beforehand. Similarly, if you plan to use a real-time polling tool with students’ mobile devices (see Unit 21), try it from your own mobile device beforehand. Trying out a technology tool yourself before taking it into class means that you will feel more confident using it with your students, and you will have seen at first hand any difficulties or possible pitfalls.

Unit 2

“You need to start slowly, and build your confidence up over time. I was scared of technology a few years ago and particularly nervous of experimenting in front of my technically sophisticated teenage students. Then I did an online training course about how to use technology in the language classroom, and became a total convert. I am now encouraging our teachers to use mobile phones in the classroom and including more and more online tools in our syllabus”. Jo Johnson, teacher and Pedagogical Director, Spain

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

17

10

key technology terms to know

The world of technology is full of terminology that can seem mysterious and daunting if you’re new to the area. There is a wealth of glossaries available online, many of which are aimed at less experienced users of technology. Below are 10 common technology terms.

1. Hardware and software Hardware refers to machines and devices (for example, computer, printer, projector, mouse, interactive whiteboard), while software refers to computer programs (for example, a word-processing program such as Word, a slide-sharing program such as PowerPoint, or a mobile app). Note that in the context of technology, program is never spelt programme, even if you use British English spelling.

2. App App is short for application, and means a computer program. The word app is often used to refer to programs for mobile devices. It can also be used to refer to programs for desktop computers, but this is less common.

Unit 3

3. iOS and Android These are currently the two main operating systems for mobile devices. iOS (developed by Apple) is the operating system for iPhones and iPads, and Android (developed by Google) is the operating system for many other mobile phones and tablets. When we use mobile devices and apps with our English language students, it’s a good idea to choose ones that are ‘cross-platform’ or ‘device-agnostic’. This means that they work on all of the main mobile operating systems.

4. Browser A browser is the software program that you use to navigate the internet. Popular browsers include Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari.

5. Audio and video files Audio and video files are often referred to as an MP3 (a compressed audio file format) or an MP4 (a compressed video file format). MP3 actually stands for ‘MPEG Audio Layer III’, but most people neither know nor care about that. All you need to know is that it’s an audio file format. There are plenty of other acronyms used to describe audio and video formats, but the most commonly used are MP3 and MP4, which are compatible with most operating systems.

6. Document formats You may have noticed that documents often come with different extensions. The extension is the part after a document name that indicates what sort of file format it is, and it follows a full stop. You can save a word-processed document in different formats, and depending on the format you choose, the file extension will be different. If you save it as a wordprocessed document in the Microsoft program Word, the extension is .doc or .docx. If you use a word-processing program like OpenOffice, your document will be saved with the extension .odt or .ods. If you save your document as a PDF file, the file extension will be .pdf. It’s useful to recognise these basic file extensions, as sometimes you may not be

18

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

able to open a document because you do not have the correct program installed to open it. For example, if you want to open a PDF file, you need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer.

7. URL URL is short for ‘Uniform Resource Locator‘, meaning ‘web address’. You’ll see the acronym URL used throughout this book.

8. Bandwidth This term refers to the amount of computer data that can be transferred per second. A lower bandwidth transfers less data, and a higher bandwidth transfers more data. Some computer programs require a lot of bandwidth because they use a lot of data. Videoconferencing platforms, for example, need a lot of bandwidth when they broadcast several video feeds simultaneously.

9. Synchronous and asynchronous

Unit 3

The term synchronous means taking place at the same time. Synchronous communication happens when people use digital means in order to communicate in ‘real’ time. For example, a Skype conversation, a videoconferencing call and a text-message conversation are all examples of tools that allow for synchronous communication. Asynchronous communication, on the other hand, involves people communicating in ‘not real’ time, ie there is a time lag in communication. Email and online forum discussions can be described as asynchronous because there is usually a period of minutes, hours or even days before an initial post or message receives a response. With new channels of communication like social networks and group texting apps (see Unit 19), we now have communication that takes place in ‘not quite real’ time. In other words, when you post a Facebook update, or send a message via a group-texting app like WhatsApp, you may get an immediate response, or there may be a delay.

10. Social network A social network is a website or app that enables users to create online networks by contacting others, and to share multimedia content and information with their contacts. Current popular social networks include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and Pinterest. See Unit 36 for more on using social networks with language students.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

19

10

questions to ask your students about technology

Before you start to use technology with your English language students, it’s a good idea to find out some general information to help you decide what technologies to use, and how to use them. Here are some questions that you could give your students to discuss in class. You could also share the questions with your students in the form of a questionnaire on paper (see page 180 in the appendix), or type them into a free online survey tool (see Unit 21).

1. How confident are you as a technology user? This is a good question to start with, and you can give your learners a limited choice of answers eg beginner/average/advanced. Don’t assume that because your students are young, they are proficient users of technology. Students under the age of 16 may not use email, for example, as this is a tool that is most associated with adult work practices. On the other hand, adolescents may be very proficient users of social networking sites (although they may not always use these appropriately). You might like to add in some more searching questions in order to establish where their proficiency lies. Examples of such questions might be ‘How often do you use email?’, ‘How much time do you spend on social networking every day?’ or ‘Do you use photo-editing features on Instagram?’.

Unit 4

2. What technology tools do you use regularly? You can include some examples to guide students in answering this question. For example, you can mention email, social networks and YouTube videos. It’s useful to know what tools and sites your students already know about, as it will be easier to integrate them into your teaching. For example, you could set homework that requires students to use tools that they already like and use regularly (eg ‘Watch a YouTube video and …’ or ‘Take some photos on your phone and …’).

3. Do you have a mobile phone? Most of your students are likely to have access to a mobile phone unless they are primary school students, younger secondary school students, or in very low-resource contexts. Depending on your context, your students may have smartphones, or they may have cheaper feature phones. Feature phones still have many useful attributes that can be used to support language learning, for example, the ability to take photos or to record audio, and to receive SMS messages. Mobile phones are relatively easy to integrate into language teaching, whether you get students to use them inside the classroom, for homework, or in a way that combines the two (see Unit 34).

4. Do you already use technology to support your English learning? When you ask your students this question, it’s worth including some of the following examples. Typically, students may watch videos or films online in English, with or without subtitles. They may read online articles in English, especially if they are related to strong personal interests and hobbies, and they may have bilingual dictionaries on their mobile phones. Some students may use mobile learning language apps. (Popular apps at the time of writing include Duolingo and busuu.) It’s worth checking whether your students use any language-learning apps, and if so, what they think of them. Students often start using them, but then stop after a while as the novelty wears off. All of this is useful information for them to share with you – and the rest of the class.

20

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

5. Would you like to include the use of some technologies such as mobile devices in your language classes? Ask this question so that you can check attitudes to integrating technology into your teaching before you start. If any of your students say no, then you may want to discuss with them what you had in mind, and how you think it might assist them in their learning. Those who answer positively will also benefit from such a discussion.

6. What are your favourite technologies and apps? Responses to this question will provide useful information about students’ preferences, allowing you to take them into account when you start integrating technologies into your teaching.

7. Do you have any favourite English websites or games? This question provides your students with an opportunity to share any favourites with you. If you have a projector and cable that can connect to a mobile phone, students could show their favourite websites or games to the rest of the class, and explain why they like them. Other students in the group may be encouraged to try out the websites or games for themselves.

This provides your students with an opportunity to share any dislikes, and you can design your subsequent integration of technology keeping these in mind. However, if only one student dislikes a technology or tool you planned to use, it’s worth discussing this with the student and the class, rather than not using it. You could also get the students to discuss the positives and negatives of any technologies or tools that are controversial.

Unit 4

8. Are there any technologies or tools that you dislike or would prefer to avoid?

9. Would you like to use technology in class, or out of class, or both? This question allows you to find out if students have any preferences as regards using technology in or out of class, and to plan accordingly. Some adult students may spend a lot of time in front of computers at work, for example, so are not keen to spend too much time with technologies during their English language lessons, or for homework.

10. What do you think of how we used technologies during this course? This is a question to ask after you have been integrating technologies into your lessons over a course. It’s a good idea to get feedback from your students with their thoughts on what they found effective and less effective, and what they enjoyed most and least. You might want your students to provide their answers anonymously so that you get honest feedback. Depending on this feedback, you can adjust your teaching plans for the following course.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

21

10

questions to ask yourself about integrating technology

Technology needs to be integrated into classroom practice in a principled manner. There is no point in using technology for its own sake. To help ensure that your use of technology with students is meaningful, and that it supports their learning as far as possible, here are some questions you can ask yourself at the planning stage. These questions will help with the initial planning stages of individual lessons, but they also need to be asked when looking at your syllabus overall.

1. What technology is available? First off, you need to know what hardware and software is available. For example, if you are planning to integrate mobile devices into your classroom, do your students own enough devices so that there is at least one device per pair? You also need to have a range of technology tools and techniques to draw on. Think about whether your chosen tools suit the local context, and how to design effective task-types for them.

2. What will students learn?

Unit 5

This is arguably the most important question, and it relates to learning outcomes. Ask yourself exactly how your chosen technology supports and enhances student learning. Learning outcomes can refer to language (grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, skills), but also to non-linguistic skills such as digital literacy, collaboration, or intercultural communication.

3. What does the technology bring to the activity? This question is related to point 2. Ask yourself in what ways your chosen technology improves the learning experience for your students. For example, it might take your students outside the classroom and provide them with extra exposure to English, or it might increase their motivation and interest in the language. If you can’t clearly identify what the technology brings to the activity, then it might not be worth using it.

4. What is the syllabus fit? Look at your coursebook or syllabus and consider how your chosen digital tool fits in with the topic, language and/or skills work of the current unit. Ideally, the tool will help students understand, explore, extend or consolidate the language you are already working on in class.

5. Is the effort spent on learning to use the tool worth it? It can take a significant amount of time to learn how to use some digital tools effectively. Sometimes the learning curve involved in getting to grips with a new tool is simply not worth the effort, especially if you are only going to use it very briefly with your students. On the other hand, learning to use some complex digital tools effectively can be worth the effort, especially if you’re going to get long-term use out of it. A blog is a good example of this. Although it can take time to set up and learn how to administer a blog, it can be used by students over an entire course.

22

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

6. Is the time spent on using the tool in class worth it? This question asks you to consider whether the time you spend actually using a digital tool in class helps students to produce a meaningful amount of language. For example, if it takes half an hour for the students to complete an activity using the tool, but they each only produce one or two words of English in this time, then it’s probably not worth it. Tools that are quick and easy to use, but enable students to work with a significant amount of language, are best suited to the language classroom.

7. What skills do I need? Your chosen digital tool may require you to have specific skills. To take a simple example, if you’d like to produce a model postcard for your students in a word-processing program, do you know how to use a table for the layout, and do you know how to embed a picture? If not, you can quickly learn these basic digital skills by searching online for video tutorials.

8. What skills do my students need?

9. Where and when will the tool(s) be used? This question relates to location. Will you and your students use the digital tool during class time, or outside class? And related to this, exactly when will the tools be used? For example, if you’d like your students to post a photo to a social network you have set up for the group (see Unit 36) outside class time, are you going to set a specific day and/or time for them to do so?

Unit 5

If you expect your students to use digital tools to create something, ask yourself whether they need specific skills in order to carry out the task successfully. In some cases, the skills your students need may be less complex than the skills you need. For example, if you set up a blog for your class to contribute to, they only need to know how to add posts to the blog, and how to comment on their classmates’ posts. You, on the other hand, would need to know how to set up and administer the blog as well.

10. Do my students consume or produce information with the tool? Depending on the task you set and the tool you use, your students may consume information (that is, read, watch or listen to information), or they may produce information (that is, create their own content and/or produce language). It’s a good idea to ensure that in your course, there is a balance between using digital tools to consume information and using them to produce it.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

23

10

ELT technology scenarios

English language teachers work in a range of contexts, with varying access to resources and technology. Each of the scenarios below describes a different teaching and learning context, and the teacher in each scenario has very different level of access to technology. The scenarios are all based on the contexts of teachers that I have met, observed or worked with over the years. One or more of these scenarios may be similar to your own context.

1. The no-resource scenario In this scenario the teacher has no access to technology in her classroom or school. She and her students may or may not have a computer at home, or they may have access to computers in a local library or internet café. The teacher and some of her students may have low-end feature phones. Although it’s a challenge for this teacher to integrate technology into her English language classes, she can do some work with mobile phones in or out of class. For example, she can ask her students to take photos of new vocabulary items out of class, or to audio-record themselves practising new language. She may also be able to set up occasional project work in which her students research topics online in the local library or internet café.

Unit 6

2. The low-resource scenario In this scenario the teacher has access to at least one computer and a printer in the school. She probably has access to a computer at home, too, and most of her students have feature phones. This teacher can do some work with students using their mobile phones in and out of class. She can also print out material from the internet (such as an article or webpage), and bring that into class for students. If she has her own laptop and can connect it to a 3G connection on her phone, she can bring the laptop into the classroom and share online material with her students (assuming that the class is small enough for everyone to be able to see her laptop screen). She can even set up a Skype interview with a teacher and students in another country during her class (see Unit 31).

3. The high-resource scenario In this scenario the teacher has a computer connected to the internet and a projector in her classroom, and the school has wi-fi for students to use. The students bring their own laptops or tablets to school, or they can use laptops or tablets provided by the school. The teachers can use technology regularly during class with her students, and she can ask them to use their own laptops or tablets to carry out homework or project work outside of class. She can use blogs with her students, set online homework, use a closed social network with the class, and carry out all of the activities suggested in this book.

4. The IWB scenario In this scenario the teacher has an interactive whiteboard (IWB) installed at the front of her class, which she uses to display publisher-created coursebook software. She also uses it to show students online webpages, images and videos, as well as documents or slides that she has created herself. She knows how to use the IWB tools with the content she projects onto the board (see Unit 33), and she also get her students to come up and use the board at times. She can save her boardwork after each class and email it to the students.

24

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

5. The mobile tablet scenario In this scenario the teacher and students all have tablet computers provided by the school. The teacher’s tablet can be connected wirelessly to a projector so that the content on her screen can be projected onto a whiteboard at the front of the room. The students use their tablets for a range of classroom activities, accessing the wi-fi when necessary. They save their work in personal folders stored in the cloud, because they do not own the tablets. That way they can easily access and retrieve their work from their own devices or computers at home. Because the tablets are portable, the students can easily move around the classroom, regroup, and even do activities in other areas of the school. They can also take the tablets on field trips, document what they see, and create digital products based on the trips.

6. The classroom stations scenario

Unit 6

This scenario involves working with primary school students. About once every two weeks, the teacher sets up work stations in the classroom. She divides the class into four different areas with four large tables. On each table (or ‘station’) is a series of tasks that the students need to complete. One station might require students to look at picture books and answer some questions, another might ask them to draw or make something, while yet another might have them playing a board game. One of the stations has a laptop or tablet preloaded with content that the students need to look at in order to complete a task. This can be a puzzle, or an interactive game that reviews and practises language that has been recently learned in class. The students work in small groups and move from station to station. The teacher allows them between five and ten minutes per station, and groups moves on to the next station when the teacher calls time.

7. The computer lab scenario In this scenario the teacher takes her students to a separate computer lab in the school. The room has a series of desktop or laptop computers set out on tables. The teacher sets up a task that the students need to complete by using the computers. For example, they may need to search for specific information on the internet, or create an online comic. In most cases, the teacher does the preparation for the task in the classroom, and she only takes the students to the computer room when they are ready to use the computers.

8. The blended learning scenario In this scenario the teacher works with her students partly face to face in the classroom, and partly online. For the online part of her course, she usually sets her students asynchronous online work (that is, activities that do not take place in real time), such as contributing to a class blog, taking part in forum discussions, reading and listening to or watching online material, and working in project groups to create digital products. In class she concentrates mainly on speaking and communicative activities in order to take advantage of the students being together in the same room at the same time.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

25

9. The online learning scenario In this scenario the teacher works with her students online only. They never meet face to face. She makes sure that she sets her students a range of asynchronous (not real-time) and synchronous (real-time) activities. She also makes sure that students get opportunities online to produce and practise spoken English, not just written English. To do this, she holds one-hour weekly videoconferencing sessions with her students. At several points during her synchronous videoconferencing lessons, she puts her students in pairs or small groups into videoconferencing breakout rooms to carry out short speaking tasks, so that they can practise the language they have learned. She understands that the weekly synchronous sessions provide a much-needed opportunity for her students to speak, not for her to lecture on grammar.

Unit 6

10. The in-company scenario In this scenario the teacher offers English classes in a multinational company once or twice a week. The students are middle managers and directors. When she started working with the company, she asked her students how they need to use English in their jobs. She found out that all of them regularly send emails in English, and that they also need to take part in virtual meetings (via videoconferencing), as well as needing to read documents, proposals and manuals in English. She designs her course around these needs, and she integrates into activities the technologies that the students actually need to use as part of their jobs. She sometimes observes their virtual videoconferencing meetings, and gives detailed individual feedback to her students about their performance. She also runs regular practice videoconferencing meetings for her students so that they can prepare for important meetings in advance.

“I teach business English clients, and I like to “sit in” on their live virtual meetings as an observer. This means I can experience the challenges my learners face on a regular basis, and how they currently deal with them. It also gives me material and ideas for how to incorporate the necessary language, skills and intercultural training into my clients’ business English courses.” Helen Strong, business English trainer, teacher trainer and materials writer, Germany: www.helenstrong.de

26

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

10

steps to creating a school digital policy

A digital policy covers how technology can or should be used in schools, particularly in primary and secondary schools. Many schools already have a digital policy in place. For example, parents are often asked to sign a ‘digital consent form’ for primary and secondary school children, which requests permission for the use of digital images of their children. But as mobile devices become more popular, digital policies that refer only to the use of images are in danger of becoming outdated. Many schools now find themselves in the position of needing to overhaul their digital policies in order to bring them into line with the ways in which teachers and students are actually using technology, both in and outside of class. Some schools have no digital use policy at all, in which case it’s a good idea for them to develop one. Here are 10 steps to help you do so.

1. Define your digital policy aims First you need to answer the question: ‘Why do we need a digital policy?’ It may be to protect students and teachers. It may be to define exactly what appropriate digital behaviour is, and where the responsibilities for it should lie. It may be to put in place processes for dealing with digital misbehaviour. All of these and more are valid aims. Note down these aims to start with and refer back to them while developing your school’s digital policy. Get input from other teachers, and from students, about why you need the policy.

2. Clarify the areas for action

Unit 7

Write down a list of behaviours and digital areas that you think lie within the school’s responsibility. For example, do you want students to bring mobile devices to school, and if so, what issues might arise? If cyberbullying became an issue (see Unit 42), would you only want to deal with it if it happened on school premises, or would you also want to be involved in out-of-school misbehaviour? If you have wi-fi available for students, what happens if they start to access and share inappropriate content? Even with internet filters in place, students can often work around these. As with the previous step, get input from other teachers, and brainstorm a comprehensive list of potential areas that should be addressed by your digital policy.

3. Describe appropriate use Don’t just focus on the negatives. Include descriptions of acceptable and appropriate use of digital technologies and the kinds of behaviours you would like to see. Describing how people should behave (rather than only how they shouldn’t) can encourage positive behaviours. These positive behaviours can also be explicitly modelled and discussed by teachers with their students in class.

4. Encourage buy-in Digital policies don’t need to be a top-down decision (that is, decided by the school administration) and forced on students and teachers. Some especially successful implementations of digital policies are charters, developed with input from students and teachers, and even from parents. Involving all of the stakeholders in the development of your school’s digital policy will ensure much more buy-in than if it is simply imposed from above. Start by canvassing your students (and their parents), and find out what they would like to see in a digital policy. If everybody has a stake in the final product, they will be a lot more likely to abide by it!

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

27

5. Protect student data It’s not just students who need to behave responsibly and appropriately with digital technologies. Schools, too, have a responsibility towards their students – they need to respect their privacy and online data. If your school uses a VLE (virtual learning environment) for online work, students need to know exactly what happens to their data. Who has the right to track your students’ use of the platform? Who stores this data? Where is it stored? Issues relating to student privacy and what the school will do to protect student privacy need to be included in your digital policy.

6. Consider ‘macro’ policies

Unit 7

Some digital policies are created not just for individual schools, but for chains of schools, or for schools in the same district, or even the same state or province. In these cases, schools sometimes include an educational agenda in their digital policies. For example, they include objectives such as developing students’ (and teachers’) digital literacies, or ensuring that their curricula integrate a pedagogically sound use of technology. This reflects a macro approach to digital policies, rather than the micro approach reflected in the development of a policy of a single school (or even a single class). It’s worth checking whether there are any macro policies already available in your area.

7. Outline clear penalties for misuse Students often want to bring their mobile phones to class. Many schools and teachers try to ban mobile devices from the classroom because they are concerned about misuse. They worry that their students may use social media instead of doing classwork. They are concerned that children may use their devices to bully each other, for example, by sending unpleasant messages digitally. They worry that students may take photos or videos of them while teaching, and upload them publicly (and even comment negatively on their teaching). These fears are not completely unfounded, and the mainstream media tends to play up public cases of students misbehaving or cheating using technology. Your school’s digital use policy should include clear consequences for misuse of technology within the school grounds or in class, such as cyberbullying, accessing inappropriate content, cheating in exams, or photographing or filming peers or teachers without permission.

8. Act on misuse If misuse of digital technologies is detected, teachers and students should know what to do. The school director or a senior teacher should be informed, and in very serious cases (such as theft or severe cyberbullying), the police may even be called in. However, this is a rare event, and much more likely are situations in which teenage students act inappropriately because they are not fully aware of the consequences of their online actions. These situations provide an opportunity for teachers to help students develop their digital literacies and an awareness of what is appropriate and inappropriate online behaviour.

28

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

9. Inform and involve parents Once your digital policy is ready, inform parents by email so that they are aware of this initiative within your school. Some schools hold a ‘parents’ evening’, in which the rationale for the policy (and how it works) is explained. If there are penalties for misuse, such as confiscating a mobile phone for 24 hours, then parents definitely need to know about – and agree to – the policy in advance. Some schools have parents and teachers sign an agreement to show that they are aware of the policy and its central tenets.

10. Monitor and review the policy regularly Once your school digital policy has been in place for a couple of semesters, or for an academic year, review whether it is effective. Get feedback from stakeholders and make any necessary changes. You may find that you need to add elements to your policy or remove unnecessary ones. New digital technologies and tools are constantly appearing, and online behaviours change with them, so it’s best to think of your school digital policy as a dynamic and ongoing process, rather than a static document.

Unit 7

“For a school digital policy to be successful all stakeholders should be involved in agreeing on the details of the policy. This includes teaching staff, managers and students. This can be done via focus groups, feedback surveys and open discussion to mutually agree that what they have created is workable, current, relevant and safe. It is then important to review and adapt as things change. Any policy is a working document and should be updated again with the input of all stakeholders.” Fiona Dunlop, Academic Director, Wimbledon School of English, UK

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

29

Technology in your lessons Having looked at some of the ‘big picture’ questions and issues that need to be addressed in preparation for using technology with students, we will now look at how to integrate a range of digital technologies into actual lessons. We start off with a number of ‘warmer’ (or ‘icebreaker’) activities related to technology. Some of these warmers encourage students to discuss technology in language learning, and some of them require students to use their mobile devices to complete simple tasks. The seven units that follow look at how we can use a range of technology and tools to support our students’ development in the main language skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking. We then look at using technology and tools to support the specific language areas of vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation. In each case, a range of tools and activity types are suggested; many of these activities can easily be integrated into work that you already do in the classroom, whether or not this is supported by a coursebook or syllabus. The penultimate unit in this section looks at how technology can help us correct our students’ work, and how we can provide feedback on their learning in a variety of ways. The final unit suggests activities for recycling and revision of language, supported by technology. In our rush to cover a syllabus and to ensure that our students are constantly learning new things, we need to remember that regular reviewing is an important part of language learning, so this final unit provides you with a wealth of ideas to recycle and revise previously taught language with your students.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

31

10

technology warmers

It’s helpful to explore the topic of technology with your students before you actually start using it in class, and then to bring it in slowly through simple activities. This approach can serve as a gentle introduction for both you and your students. The first five of these warmers (or icebreakers) get students thinking and talking about technology, and the remainder get students using their mobile phones, a technology that the majority of adolescent and adult students will already have. None of these warmers requires any preparation.

1. Attitude adjectives Write the word Technology on the board. Give each student a small piece of paper (eg a post-it note). Ask them to write down two adjectives that they associate with the word. They then stand up and swap pieces of paper with another student. They quickly read the two adjectives they have on the paper in their hand before swapping it again with another person. They should continue to swap papers with as many people as possible in half a minute, always remembering to read the adjectives on the paper. Ask the students to sit down. Then, one by one, they read out the two adjectives they have on the list in front of them. This will give you a good idea of the overall attitude of the class towards technology.

Unit 8

2. Attitude pictures Write the word Technology on the board. Ask students to each draw a picture that they associate with the word. If the class is small enough (maximum 10 students), invite individual students to come up to the front and draw their picture on the board. Put the students in small groups so that they can compare their pictures and explain the thinking behind them. Ask for class feedback on any interesting or unusual pictures. This activity can also give you a good idea of the overall attitude of the class towards technology.

3. My technologies Give your students an example of one of the first technologies you ever bought (for example, I bought a yellow cassette player when I went to university in 1990). Ask your students to think back to three of the first technologies they bought or owned, and to put them on a timeline. Put the students into small groups to compare their timelines. Ask for class feedback on any interesting or unusual technologies. Ask students to comment on how similar or different their timelines are.

4. Daily routines Write a list of about five to eight typical morning routine activities on the board (for example, I get up; I have a shower; I brush my teeth; I have breakfast; I go to work by bus). Ask the students to complete these sentences with any technology that they use for or during each of these activities. For example: I get up and check Facebook; I have a shower while listening to the radio; I brush my teeth with an electric toothbrush; I have breakfast and read the news on my tablet; I go to work by bus and listen to music on my phone). Ask for class feedback. This will give you an idea of how much technology your students already use in their daily lives.

32

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

5. Screen time On the board, write a list of digital technologies that have screens (for example, television, mobile phone, laptop, desktop computer, tablet, fitness tracker, e-reader). Ask students to copy the list and to write down approximately how many minutes or hours a day they spend looking at each screen. Ask them to add up the total number of hours. Ask for class feedback to see who has recorded the least, and who the most, screen time. Students then calculate the class average. Ask: Would you like to cut down on your screen time? If you have children, do you think they spend too much time looking at screens? What can we do to cut down on our screen time?

6. Internet symbols Before class, make a list of four or five URLs of English language websites or online resources that you think would be useful for your students to use outside class. In class, write these symbols and characters on the board: @ / \ - _ # . abc ABC

Unit 8

Ask your students how to say each symbol in English (at, forward slash, back slash, hyphen or dash, underscore, hash, dot, lowercase, uppercase). Ask students to open the browsers on their mobile phones. Dictate the first URL on your list, and ask your students to type it directly into their browsers. They should then visit the site to ensure that they have typed it correctly. For those who have not managed to type the URL correctly, write it clearly on the board. Repeat the process for the second URL, adding each one to the board after the students have tried to visit the site. Ask the students to visit the sites again for homework, and to decide which one would be most useful for them to use for additional out-of-class language practice. Ask for feedback on their choices in a subsequent class.

7. Photo booth Ask students to work in pairs with their phones. Say an adjective (eg happy), and ask the students to make a happy face while each pair takes a ‘double selfie’ (ie one selfie with both of their phones). Continue in the same way, calling out about 10 different adjectives (eg sad, excited, horrified, angry, sad, bored, embarrassed, scared …), pausing after each adjective for students to take a selfie. For lower levels you can use simple adjectives, while for higher levels you can use adjectives with modifiers like terribly and absolutely (terribly sad, absolutely horrified, terribly excited, absolutely furious ...). Students then find a different partner and form new pairs. With their new partner, they share the selfies they took. As they show each selfie to their new partner, the partner has to guess what the adjective was.

8. Favourite photos Ask students to open the photo albums on their phones. Tell them to choose two photos of important people or places. Give them about 30 seconds to do this. Ask students to get into groups of three and to share their important photos with the other members of their group. The other students in the group must ask two questions each about each photo to find out more information. Stop the activity after about five to eight minutes. Invite students to tell the class something that they found out about another member of their group.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

33

9. Favourite music Ask students to access the music on their phones. Tell them to choose two favourite tracks. Give them about 20 seconds to do this. Students get into groups of three with their phones. Ask one student in each group to play the first 15 or 20 seconds of their first chosen track. The other students in the group must listen and see if they can identify the song and/or singer. Then the next student in the group shares their first track; again, the others listen and try to identify the song and/or singer. Stop the activity after about five to eight minutes. Invite students to tell the class about the songs they shared. Students reflect on how similar or different the musical tastes are between and within groups.

10. Topic photos

Unit 8

You can use this warmer with any general topic, or as an introductory activity to a new coursebook unit on a specific topic. Write a topic on the board (eg Water). Ask students to go around the school and to take two or three photos of things that they associate with the topic. Give the students about 10 minutes to do this. When they are back in the classroom, put the students in pairs. Students share their photos with their partner and explain what the connection to water is. Invite students to tell the rest of the class about the photos that their partner took.

“If your students have access to tablets or phones, find one image per pair of students related to the topic of your lesson, and save it to an online folder (eg in Google Drive). Each pair works with one device. Assign each pair one image. They have one minute to prepare an oral description of their image (without showing it to the other pairs). When time is up, each pair describes their picture while the other students listen. When they have all finished, the class looks at all the images, and they guess the topic of the lesson.” Robert Martinez, teacher and trainer, Italy. Robert blogs at www.robertslearningtogether.blogspot.com

34

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

10

ways to use technology for reading

The internet can provide our students with a rich range of authentic texts. It’s easy for students to find and read texts in English, no matter what their level of English is, both in the classroom, and out of class in their own time. But technology and the internet do not only provide texts for general reading. We can also use some technologies to help students actively practise specific reading skills.

1. Match text-type to technology There are many types of text available online, from short tweets and social media posts to longer blogposts and articles, and even full length e-books. When we ask our students to read online texts, we need to make sure that the length of the text is suited to the technology they have at home, or the technology you use in the classroom. For example, computers and laptops are suited for longer texts like blogposts and articles; smaller mobile devices such as smartphones are suited to shorter texts like tweets (from Twitter) or Instagram and Facebook updates. Although these short social media texts are not the ‘traditional’ texts that we normally associate with reading in the English language classroom, they can provide students with useful reading practice.

2. Website treasure hunts

Unit 9

A website treasure hunt can help students practise the skills of skimming (reading quickly for general meaning or ‘gist’) and scanning (reading quickly to find specific information). Choose a webpage that is relevant to your students’ interests, or related to the current coursebook topic. Prepare eight to 10 questions about the information on the webpage. Show the webpage via the projector in your classroom, making sure that the font size is large enough for all students to read easily. Alternatively, you could print out the webpage or ask students to access it on their laptops or tablets. Give the students the questions you have prepared (for example, on a handout). Ask them to work in pairs to find the answers by quickly reading the webpage. You should give them a time limit in which to do this. Stop the activity and check the answers with the class. Give points for correct answers and see which pair was able to read the fastest and most accurately. As a second stage for this activity, ask each pair to choose a favourite webpage in English and to prepare questions for their classmates. Students then swap webpage URLs and questions, and carry out the activity in the same way.

3. Webquests Webquests are projects that require students to use websites to research a topic, collate that information, and use it to complete a task. For example, working in groups, your students can plan an imaginary one-week trip to an English-speaking country. They need to research how to get there, where to stay, and what to do there by visiting a list of websites that you give them. See page 183 in the appendix for a sample worksheet. Once they have collected the necessary information, each group puts the information into a presentation and then presents it to the class. The class then decides which trip sounds the most interesting, the most economical, the most unusual, etc. Webquests integrate reading, writing, speaking and listening skills, and they can be an effective and motivating language-learning activity when the topic is relevant and interesting for the students. You can find examples of webquests at webquest.org.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

35

4. Blogs Blogs are online journals or diaries that are regularly updated. Blogs can be written by organisations or by individuals, and they cover almost every topic imaginable. You can encourage your students to subscribe to blogs in English on topics that they are particularly interested in, for example, fashion, photography, cooking or politics. Encourage your students to engage in regular and extensive reading outside of class time.

5. Online newspapers and magazines Many English language newspapers and magazines provide free articles online. You can encourage your students to read these, depending on their age and interests. For example, business English students may be interested in publications like the Wall Street Journal or the Financial Times. Adult and older adolescent students may be interested in general news sites like BBC News, or the New York Times. Students can subscribe to updates from news services on their smartphones or tablets, and in this way they can be exposed to shorter texts in English on a regular basis.

Unit 9

6. E-books Students can also read longer digital texts such as e-books. One of the advantages of an e-book over the print version is that e-reader software (such as Kindle) often includes a glossary/dictionary function, so the reader can click on an unknown word and see a definition in English.

7. Interactive fiction Interactive fiction (IF) consists of text-based online stories, often accompanied by graphics. Rather than reading in a linear fashion, the reader makes choices as the story develops, and these choices affect the outcome. IF is an online text format that can appeal to some students more than the conventional online text-types described above. Examples of authentic IF stories can be found at the Interactive Fiction Database (ifdb.tads.org). Some ELT publishers have also developed simple IF-style stories as downloadable e-books for language learners. For example, Richmond Publishing offers a series of text-based ‘maze’ e-books, which are supported by audio and aimed at different levels of proficiency (www.richmondelt.com/international/resources/richmond-mazes).

8. Celebrities on social media Many celebrities regularly use social media sites like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Encourage students to follow the social media updates of international celebrities they like or admire, and who post regular social media updates in English. For example, students may like to follow famous sportspeople, film stars, musicians and bands, DJs, politicians or well-known international business figures. Social media updates tend to be short and regular, so by following celebrities on social media, your students will be regularly exposed to short texts (and to multimedia) in English.

36

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

9. Dictionary plug-ins There are a number of dictionary plug-ins or apps that work with different browsers on computers and mobile devices. This means that when your students read an online text or webpage in English, they can move their mouse pointer over an unknown word and access an immediate dictionary definition. Although we do not want our students to become over-reliant on dictionaries, research has shown that having access to the definition of keywords while reading can help comprehension, and over time improve students’ reading skills. You can find dictionary plug-ins for browsers by doing an online search with phrases like ‘dictionary plug-in for Firefox’ (or Chrome, Safari or Internet Explorer – whichever browser you use).

10. Word processors

“You can create a whole set of exercises relating to the content and style of the text simply by pasting it into Lesson Writer (www.lessonwriter.com). You can tweak and edit until you get exactly the set of exercises that you are looking for. Pasting in a text will give you suggestions for pronunciation, cloze, vocabulary and grammar tasks. You can also use the differentiation options to create various versions of the exercises adapted for different levels. Pasting one three-paragraph text into Lesson Writer could easily result in two hours or more of lesson time.”

Unit 9

Type out a text (perhaps from the coursebook) into a word-processed document and create a number of activities for your students that practise reading skills. For example, you can arrange the paragraphs of the text in the wrong order, and ask your students to access the text using a computer and to put the paragraphs in the correct order by dragging them into the right place. You can also highlight key words, structures or ideas in a word-processed document to encourage your students to notice new language. Students can create similar word-processed texts for each other as a review activity for a coursebook reading activity. Some publishers provide coursebook texts in word-processor format online so that they can be easily cut and pasted into other programs. It’s worth checking whether your coursebook has this option before you type out a text from the book.

Anne Fox, language and intercultural coach and teacher trainer. Find out more at www.annefox.eu

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

37

10

ways to use technology for writing

There is a wide range of technology tools that can support our students’ writing, both in class and out of class. Below are 10 activities based around a range of online spaces (such as social networks, blogs or wikis) in which students can practise their writing, online sources to encourage creative writing, and online tools to help students with planning their writing.

1. Class social network Millions of words are written daily in social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or via texting apps like WhatsApp. If your students are regular users of messaging apps in their own language, you can set up a closed group for your students in WhatsApp or Telegram (see Unit 19 ). For example, you can ask students to send a selfie to the group at a certain time of day, with a caption describing what they are doing. You can send regular questions for students to answer in the group. Even though students only produce short sentences, they are still practising writing. Most importantly, the writing is contextualised, communicative, interesting – and written for a real audience.

Unit 10

2. Email Email is another very common form of online written communication, particularly in work settings. There are a number of activities that students can carry out via email. For example, they can write real emails to organisations or companies requesting information. This type of activity constitutes excellent authentic writing practice. Your students can also send each other emails and carry out simple tasks. For example, put the students into pairs and ask them to prepare and email each other a list of interview questions to find out more about each other. They can use their partner’s written answers to create a text about their partner and then share that text with the group.

3. Blogs Blogs are online journals or dictionaries that are updated regularly. You can set up a single class blog to which all of your students contribute. They could write posts on topics related to the current coursebook unit, for example. Alternatively, each student can have his or her own blog, and you can set regular writing tasks for their blogposts. There are several advantages to using blogs with students. By writing online, with their work potentially visible to the world, students are keen to write as well as possible, and will spend time reviewing and correcting their own work. Moreover, students are writing for a real audience – they can read each other’s blogposts and leave comments. For younger learners, parents can visit a class or student blog and follow their child’s progress. For ideas on how to use blogs with students, see Unit 24.

4. Wikis Wikis are shared webpages that are editable by a number of people (in the same way that Wikipedia or Google Docs allow contributors to add and edit material). Like blogs, wikis have been popular with educators for decades as they provide a shared online space for students to practise their writing. Wikis are different from blogs: blogposts are normally written by a single person, whereas a wiki page can have several contributors who together create a single text. Imagine a shopping list online with 10 items, to which 10 different people have each contributed one item. The end result is a single shopping

38

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

list created by 10 different contributors. The trick to using wikis effectively with students is to ensure that your writing task is suitable for a wiki. For ideas on how to use wikis with students, see Unit 25.

5. Online forms Your students may need to fill in forms in English for one reason or another, and there are many real forms available online for them to practise doing this. You can ask your students to fill in online application forms for membership to organisations (but without actually sending the form). Alternatively, you can create your own forms for your students, using tools such as Google Forms or SurveyMonkey (both free at the time of writing). The advantage of creating your own forms for students is that you can collect their responses and identify any problems or areas that your students need to work on. You can also re-use forms with different classes once you have created them, and you can share forms with other teachers.

6. Story generators

7. Fan fiction

Unit 10

Story or plot generators are websites that enable you to generate the basic elements or prompts with which to write a story. Story generator sites typically help you to generate character names, a setting, a situation and a theme, and provide you with key nouns and adjectives around which to create your story. Random Plot Generator (www.writingexercises.co.uk/plotgenerator.php) is suitable for adults while Story Starters (www.scholastic.com/teachers/story-starters/) is suitable for children, and includes teacher’s notes with activity ideas.

Fan fiction consists of stories written by fans of an original piece of work (eg a particular novel, film, video, or even videogame), and is particularly popular with adolescents. Fans take characters from the original work and create new (often short) stories for them, drawing on the original story created by the author. Fan fiction stories are usually shared online, where other readers will comment on them. One of the most popular fan fiction sites is ‘fanfiction.net’. Depending on the age and interests of your students, you could encourage them to produce a short fan fiction story in pairs by giving them these simple instructions: 1. Choose two characters you like from your favourite book or film. Your characters can be from the same book or film, or from different ones. 2. Imagine the characters meet in a forest/street/café/school/other place. What would they say to each other? What would they do? Write a story of about 150–200 words describing what happens when your two characters meet. Encourage the students to read and improve/correct another pair’s story. When they are happy with the final version of their stories, they can post the stories to a class blog – or to the fan fiction site!

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

39

8. Planning: mind maps Creating a mind map can help students plan their writing more effectively. There are many free mind-mapping tools available online, for example, XMind (xmind.net) and Coggle (coggle.it), and some mind-map tools can be used on mobile devices, for example, Popplet (popplet.com). Students can create mind maps for texts that require several different pieces of information, such as discursive essays or reports and articles. They can use mind maps to brainstorm key vocabulary or structures that they would like to include in their essay. Although mind maps can be created on paper, the advantage of digital ones is that they can easily be edited and changed, and some allow several people to contribute to a single map. Digital mind maps can be easily shared in a class blog, or sent to the teacher by email. Some mind-mapping tools allow for multimedia (ie images, audio or video) to be included.

Unit 10

9. Comic creators Comic creator sites or apps enable the user to create strip comics or cartoons. They usually work on a template system: first you choose one or more characters and then you type what your characters say into speech bubbles. You can choose several frames for the comic and create a short story. Some comic creator sites allow you to use your own photos, and even to draw your own characters and scenes. Creating comics is a good way to get younger learners, and even lower-level adults writing short texts in an engaging way. The finished comics can easily be shared online. Two recommended comic creator sites are MakeBeliefs Comix (makebeliefscomix.com), and ToonDoo (toondoo.com). Many more are available online.

10. Online dictionaries and thesauruses There are several online reference tools available to help students with their writing. For example, students can use online dictionaries or translation tools to help them with words they don’t know in English. However, it’s important to remind students that translation tools can be unreliable – particularly if they try to translate entire sentences from their own language into English. One particularly useful tool that can help students to write more creatively is an online thesaurus. A thesaurus helps students extend their vocabulary by providing synonyms for words. Students at lower levels particularly tend to overuse adjectives like nice, good, or bad. Encourage them to use an online thesaurus such as thesaurus.com to find synonyms for these common adjectives, and to use these in their writing. See Unit 23 for examples of these tools and how to use them with students.

“In one writing lesson, we used the class wiki to pool ideas on how to help the environment and our school. Each student contributed one or two suggestions. I edited the sentences using the correction code we had set at the beginning of the year. This was a great way to introduce students to wikis and to scaffold their writing skills.” Carla Raguseo, teacher in Argentina

40

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

10

ways to use technology for listening

The internet can provide plenty of listening opportunities for students in both audio and video format. There are sites with listening materials specially designed for English language learners, and, of course, there is also plenty of authentic listening material available online. Here are 10 ways you can use a range of technologies and sites with your students to help them practise listening. The first six ways focus on audio materials, and the last four focus on video.

1. Language teaching listening materials online There is a wealth of listening material online created specially for English language students. Many sites can be searched by topic/subject and also by level, so you can easily set extra listening for your students for homework, assuming they have access to the internet from home. Recommended listening sites include the BBC Learn English website (www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish), Elllo (elllo.org), and Randall’s Cyber English Listening Lab (esl-lab.com). There are also sample listening exam practice materials available, some from the major examining bodies (Cambridge, IELTS, TOEFL, etc.), and others from independent sites like Exam English (examenglish.com) and Flo-Joe (flo-joe.co.uk).

2. Podcasts

Unit 11

Podcasts are audio files that are stored on the internet and updated regularly. The word ‘podcast’ is a combination of the words ‘iPod’ (an early digital listening device from Apple) and ‘broadcast’. Podcasts can be downloaded to students’ mobile devices and then listened to offline anywhere at any time. Radio is a rich source of authentic podcasts for higher-level students: radio stations such as the BBC in the UK or NPR in the United States provide regular podcasts on a range of topics. There are also podcasts for English language learners. The British Council offers a good range of these at a range of levels (see http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/listen-and-watch).

3. Podcast dictations You can create podcasts for your students by recording short texts on your mobile device, and then uploading these audio files to a class blog or a class social network. Set your students regular weekly or monthly homework dictation activities in this way by creating short texts that review language and vocabulary recently covered in class. Create short, simple texts for lower-level students, and longer more complex texts for higher-level students. For EAP (English for Academic Purposes) students you could record short lectures to take notes from rather than dictations. At higher levels, ask your students to create short podcasts for each other – once you have recorded a couple of examples yourself that they can use as a model.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

41

4. Picture dictations Find a short simple story for your students from either your coursebook, a graded reader or a short-story website. Audio-record yourself reading the story slowly and clearly, and add the audio file to a class blog or social network. Alternatively, you could email it to your students. For homework, ask the students to listen to the story as many times as they like, and to draw a picture to summarise or interpret the story. They can draw the picture on paper, or use drawing software. In class, ask the students to compare their pictures and to retell the story to each other, from memory. You can put some keywords and phrases on the board beforehand to help them with the retelling. Finally, listen to the story again together in class.

Unit 11

5. MP3 audio format Always try to record your podcasts in MP3 format. This audio format works on the great majority of computers, laptops and mobile devices. If your podcasts are saved as MP3s, your students should have no difficulty accessing them, whatever hardware they use. Note, however, that if you record a podcast for your students on your mobile device, it may save the audio file in a special mobile format (eg 3GP). In this case, you should convert the format to MP3 before you share the podcast with your students. You can easily do this by using a conversion website like Zamzar (zamzar.com), free at the time of writing.

6. QR codes: audio treasure hunt QR (Quick Response) codes are similar to supermarket bar codes, but consist of dots rather than lines. QR codes need to be scanned with a mobile device such as a smartphone or a tablet using a QR reader (dowloadable for free from an app store). When you scan the code with your device, some information appears on the screen – often a link to a website or a short text message. You can create a treasure hunt activity for your students by creating QR codes that link to audio files containing clues. Place each QR code in a different location in your school. The audio clue tells your students to do or find something at each location. The clue also tells them where the next QR code is located. Students walk around the school in pairs with their mobile devices and headphones. At each location, they scan the QR code, listen to the audio clue, and do whatever is required of them at that place. The pair then goes on to the next location. For more on QR codes, see Unit 37.

7. Video materials online As with audio, there is a wide range of video materials online and freely available to English language students of all ages and at a range of levels. One recommended site is LessonStream (lessonstream.org), which has materials for language learners, and can be searched by topic, language aim, learner age, level and the time the activity takes in class. Students at higher levels can watch authentic material such as music videos, films and trailers (with and without English subtitles), news programmes or TED talks (see Unit 30). You can easily find and recommend authentic videos related to your students’ age and interests. The first step is to ask them what programmes they enjoy in their own language, and then recommend similar ones in English, where possible.

42

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

8. Music video lyrics Many students love music and songs, and teachers have been using English song lyrics in class for decades. The internet provides easy access to a vast range of music, and there are a number of websites available for learners of English to work with song lyrics. One of the best-known of these sites is Lyrics Training (lyricstraining.com), which provides music videos with lyrics. Students can listen to a song and read the lyrics at the same time. Activities include selecting a missing word in the lyrics from a choice of three, or writing the missing word. ESL Lounge also has a section dedicated to song lyrics, including ideas for how to use them in class with students (see www.esl-lounge.com/songstop.php).

9. Movie trailers Students usually enjoy watching films. The advantage of trailers is that they are short, so they are easier to work with than full-length films. However, the dialogues in films can be difficult to understand, especially for lower-level students. You can help your students to understand the dialogue in a movie trailer by giving them this simple activity: 1. Choose four or five trailers for upcoming movies that you think your students will like (YouTube is a good source).

3. In class or for homework, give your students a handout with the lines of dialogue, and ask them to watch the trailers. Students must identify which lines they heard and which line isn’t in each trailer. Remember that you need to respect copyright for digital material, including video (see Unit 43). As long as your students watch videos online (for example, on YouTube), and the videos are not downloaded to another location for viewing, then copyright laws are being respected.

Unit 11

2. Watch each trailer and write down two lines of dialogue from it. For each trailer, also write down an invented line of dialogue that isn’t in it.

10. Literal videos Literal videos are authentic videos with subtitles that describe exactly what is happening on the screen. When done well, literal videos can be hilarious. Popular forms of literal video are those created for music videos and movie trailers. Find a popular literal video on YouTube (for example, search for James Blunt’s song ‘You’re beautiful – literal version’, or ‘The Hobbit trailer – literal version’). Ask your students if they know what literal videos are, and then show them the video you have chosen. Rather than giving them a complicated language task while they watch the video the first time, let them simply watch and enjoy it. You can then ask them to work in pairs, writing down as many words as they can remember from the literal video. Then let them watch again to check their list of words. See Unit 28 for more ideas on how to use literal videos.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

43

10

ways to use technology for speaking

There are two main ways in which technology can be used for speaking practice. On the one hand, we can give our students online materials for ‘listen and repeat’ activities, so that they practise words and sentences. We might characterise this as ‘language work’ with a pronunciation focus. On the other hand, there are also tools and apps that can provide our students with opportunities to practise free speaking – in other words, speaking activities in which the focus is on communication and meaning, rather than on grammar, pronunciation or accuracy. There is a place for both of these approaches in our teaching, although arguably language work speaking activities can best be done by students out of class in their own time. The first five ideas below focus on providing students with opportunities for language work speaking activities; the second five focus on providing opportunities for free speaking.

Unit 12

1. Pronunciation practice There are many websites and apps aimed at helping English language learners with their pronunciation. There are far too many to recommend here, but if you search online for ‘EFL (or ESL) pronunciation’, you will find sites with pronunciation practice for individual words or minimal pairs, and for connected speech. Many of these sites have printable worksheets for students as well. There are also many apps available that allow students to listen and repeat. Again, a search in the relevant app store will provide numerous free and paid-for apps that students can download to their smartphones and tablets. If students need help with pronunciation, you can outline the specific issues they should focus on (individual sounds, connected speech or intonation, for example) and recommend that they use the most suitable app to work on it alone. See Unit 15 for more ideas on how technology can help students with their pronunciation.

2. Tongue twisters Tongue twisters give students a chance to practise the pronunciation features of connected speech in a fun and challenging way. If you teach in a monolingual context, you can choose tongue twisters containing sounds that are challenging for speakers of that language. For example, Spanish-speaking students will benefit from tongue twisters that practise /v/ and /b/ or /w/ and /v/. Audio-record a total of five or six tongue twisters for your students. For the recording, read each tongue twister slowly and clearly once, and then read it more quickly a second time. Add your audio recording to a class blog or social network, or email it to your students. For homework, ask your students to read and listen to the tongue twisters several times. They choose one they like, and practise saying it. When they are ready, each learner should record themselves saying their chosen tongue twister three times in a row, trying to say it a little faster each time. Ask them to share their audio recordings with you and/or the class. As a second stage, students can try and find another English tongue twister on the internet and record it as a challenge for their classmates.

44

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

3. Speech to text Speech-to-text apps, also known as ‘dictation apps’, transform spoken language into text as you speak using voice recognition software. There are a number of free speech-to-text apps available, for example, Dragon Dictation, Speech To Text and Evernote, which you can find by searching in your mobile phone app store. Speech-to-text apps are a good way for students to practise their pronunciation in connected speech; they can work well with students from about intermediate level onwards. First, demonstrate a speech-to-text app in class by connecting your smartphone or tablet to the projector and dictating a short paragraph. As you speak, the text will appear on the screen. Speech-to-text apps are not 100% accurate, but they are usually about 95%+ accurate for proficient speakers. Ask the students to check through the text with you to see whether the app has made any mistakes. Then ask them to practise reading the same text aloud to themselves, by mumbling quietly. For homework, ask them to try to produce the same text with a speech-to-text app. You could also ask them to use a different text. You can use this activity regularly with short paragraphs from texts in the coursebook as homework pronunciation practice for your students.

4. Voice search

Unit 12

One way of searching the internet is by typing keywords into a search engine like Google. Another, less common, way is to use ‘voice search’. Instead of requiring users to type keywords, voice search involves saying the words. Like speech-to-text apps, voice search uses voice recognition software, which makes the words appear in the search engine text box as you speak. Using voice search with students gives them another meaningful way to practise connected speech. Here is a simple activity you can do with students to practise using voice search: give your students a simple quiz with eight to ten ‘wh-’ questions. (The questions could be related to a current coursebook topic, for example.) Tell them that they must search online for the answers by dictating the questions as a voice search. For example, imagine that your class has read a text about Sydney in Australia in a previous class. You can give students the following questions (or give them prompts and ask them to create the questions): Who designed the Sydney Opera House? When was the Sydney Opera House built? Which European explorer first landed in Australia? What was the name of his ship? Students can carry out the voice search in pairs as a race to find the correct answers, or you can ask them to do the quiz as a voice search for homework. You could even create an audio recording of the questions yourself as a pronunciation model for the students, and upload it to a class blog or social network.

5. Voicemail greetings A pre-recorded voicemail message that incoming callers will hear is a good example of how audio recordings are used in real life. Ask your students to script a voicemail greeting for their phones, but to include an unusual excuse for why they can’t answer the phone (for example, I’m hiking in the Himalayas for two months; I’ve taken a vow of silence for a year; I’m too busy writing my tenth novel; I’m sailing around the world). Help ensure that their voicemail greetings are correct, and then for homework, ask them to practise, and then audio-record, the message. They can upload their audio recordings to a class blog or social network, or email them to you. In class, listen to all the voicemail greetings with the students, and ask them to decide whose message is the most unusual, interesting, believable, unbelievable, exotic, etc.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

45

6. Opinion piece It is very easy for students to create short audio recordings on any topic as a way to practise speaking. Students can use a free easy-to-use online audio recorder like Vocaroo (vocaroo.com) on their computers, or they can use the built-in audio recorders on their mobile phones or tablets. Choose a topic connected to a theme you are working on in class, and give students a statement to agree or disagree with. Ask them to prepare their opinion about the statement in note form, and to practise what they would like to say. Their ‘opinion piece’ should last a maximum of two minutes. Point out that it is better to speak from notes than to read from a script because reading from a script often sounds unnatural. Ask students to audio-record their opinion pieces for homework and to share it with classmates. Classmates can listen to the opinion pieces at home or during class. Further class discussion can be encouraged based on these.

Unit 12

7. Animations There are several free animated cartoon apps that can provide students with the opportunity for speaking practice. Animated cartoons or avatars allow students to speak as another character, and research has found that this is particularly helpful for students who are reluctant to speak. Animated cartoons can also appeal to younger learners and teenagers. Some of the best-known animated cartoon/avatar apps (all free at the time of writing) are Toontastic (www.commonsensemedia.org/app-reviews/toontastic-3d) for younger learners, and Voki (voki.com) and Tellagami (available as an app only) for older learners. You can create an animation for your students as an example, and then ask them to prepare and record their own animations. Students can write and practise their texts in class, and the recordings can be done at home on computers or smart devices. The animation reviews some regular past tense verb forms. For homework, students had to use their own photos of a past event, and describe what they did using at least four past simple verb forms. Students then shared and viewed each other’s Tellagami recordings.

8. Presentations For those students who need to give presentations in their academic or working lives, seeing themselves on video, and being able to review and assess their performance, is particularly useful. You can video-record your students giving a presentation in class, and then give each student personalised feedback based on their recording. It’s helpful for students to be able to review their performance in presentations not just in terms of the language they use, but also so that they become more aware of their body language, use of eye contact, and other non-verbal presentation skills. It’s important to give students plenty of time both to prepare their presentations, and also to rehearse before filming them. Then ensure that your feedback is constructive and supportive. Students can, of course, also record themselves giving a presentation at home. Some students may prefer this, as they feel less pressurised, and are also able to record and re-record their presentations until they are happy with the final recording, which can be shared with the class for peer feedback. When students record themselves, they will often put a lot of work into preparation and rehearsal so as to produce the best presentation they can. Since repetition and practice is so important for language acquisition, this type of homework exercise can be particularly valuable. See Unit 32 for more on using technology for presentations.

46

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

9. Exchange project One of the best tools for practising speaking is audio- or videoconferencing software like Skype, Facetime or Google Hangouts. These services allow users to communicate in real time with other English speakers around the world. One way of exploiting this fantastic resource is to set up an exchange project with a teacher in another country who has a similar-sized group of students at the same level, and whose students are also studying English. See Unit 31 for more on how to use Skype for intercultural class projects.

10. Mystery guest Use audio- or videoconferencing software like Skype, Facetime or Google Hangouts to allow your students to interview a ‘mystery guest’. Invite an English-speaking friend, family member or teacher in another country to be interviewed by your students in real time via videoconferencing. See Unit 31 for more on how to use Skype to interview an invited speaker.

Unit 12 ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

47

10

ways to use technology for vocabulary

There is a wide range of tools and apps available to help students learn vocabulary. Apps such as flashcards and vocabulary games can be kept on students’ mobile phones. Students can be encouraged to access these out of class time, which gives them additional exposure to English. All of the 10 activities below can be done with smartphones. The last four can be done with feature phones that have a calculator, a camera and video-recording capabilities. Some of the activities are more suitable for out-of-class work, and some can be carried out in class.

1. Flashcards

Unit 13

Flashcards are a particularly effective tool for reinforcing new vocabulary, and there are many free flashcard apps available for mobile phones. Flashcard apps can include words with definitions as well as words with pictures, video, translations and the pronunciation of the word. Some flashcard apps work on the principle of spaced repetition. This means that the app will work out whether a student has learned a word or not based on his or her responses, and will provide a greater or lesser amount of practice of that word over time, as needed. Some flashcard apps include games for reviewing vocabulary, and allow teachers and students to create and share their own sets of flashcards. Recommended flashcard apps include Quizlet (quizlet.com), Memrise (memrise.com) and Anki (ankisrs.net).

2. Vocabulary games There are many vocabulary games for learning English: both web-based and available as apps. ESL Games World (eslgamesworld.com) has a range of games for English language learners of all ages, including vocabulary games. Some of the games are printable, some are based on PowerPoint slides and others can be played directly online. There are many other games websites for English language students; you can find these by searching online for ‘EFL (or ESL) games’. You can ask each student to explore one games website, and then to report back to the class on what they liked or didn’t like about the site.

3. Mind-map that! Mind maps are graphic organisers that allow students to organise vocabulary in meaningful groups. Online mind maps enable students to assign colours to different word groups and to add pictures and videos to words. Give your students a list of 16 to 20 words from a lexical set you have recently worked with in class (eg food, clothes, house vocabulary, transport, emotions, etc.). Ask the students to organise the vocabulary into a mind map and to group the vocabulary into categories as they see fit. For example, they could group the vocabulary according to type, size, colour, importance or sound. Ask students to share their finished mind maps with the class, and to explain why they chose to group the words the way they did. Asking students to work with and think about words makes their learning of new vocabulary far more effective. Creating mind maps based on their own criteria encourages students to think about the words and to create their own networks of meaning, which can help them remember the vocabulary.

48

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

4. Sticky notes Virtual sticky notes can be added to a virtual wall or corkboard to form a display of keywords or phrases. Set up a wall for your students and share the URL with them. Ask the students to add words on sticky notes to the wall to review vocabulary on a specific topic or theme. Students can add definitions, pictures or videos to illustrate the words. See Unit 22 for more on virtual sticky note tools and how to use them.

5. Word clouds Words can be presented in the form of a cloud, which can be a colourful and memorable way of reviewing vocabulary previously taught, or of presenting new vocabulary. You can create word clouds for your students and share them during class, and you can also encourage students to create their own word clouds to review vocabulary, which can then also be shared on a class blog or social network. See Unit 20 for examples of word cloud tools and ideas about how to use word clouds with students.

6. Vocabulary notebooks

7. Teen and tens Give very low-level students practice with numbers in English via a dictation on their mobile phones. First, ask students to open a note-taking app on their phones. If they don’t have a note-taking app, they could use the calculator in order to easily type individual numbers. Then dictate numbers that students often have problems distinguishing – especially teens and tens: 13/30, 14/40, 15/50, etc. Check each number with the class after the students have typed it, and practise the pronunciation. Next, students make a list of numbers on paper. They can then dictate their lists to each other in pairs for further practice.

Unit 13

Encourage your students to keep a digital vocabulary notebook on their tablets or mobile phones. There are apps that allow students to record vocabulary along with notes on the use and pronunciation of new words. The British Council’s MyWordBook app (https://www.britishcouncil.org/english/business/apps/mywordbook-2) is a good example of a vocabulary notebook that includes practice activities and flashcards, as well as readymade vocabulary packs for students to download.

8. Close-ups Use your mobile phone to take six or seven close-up photos of parts of objects around your house (for example, items of furniture, clothes, food or stationery). In class, show your students the photos using the class projector and ask them to guess what each object is. For homework, ask them to use their own phones to take two or three close-up photos of parts of objects in their house, and to share them in a class blog or on a social network. The other students should try to guess what the objects are. You can also encourage your students to use modal verbs for guessing or speculating, for example, It might/could/must/can’t be ….

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

49

9. Photo-find To review shop and place vocabulary, give your students a handout with a list of about 10 shop or place descriptions, for example, a shop where you can buy shoes, a shop that sells meat, a shop that sells medicine, a shop where you can buy vegetables, the place where you wait for a bus, etc. Do not include the name of the shop on the handout. For homework, ask students to take a mobile phone photo of each place on the handout. You may want to give them a few days to do this. In a follow-up class, put students in pairs and ask them to share their photos, naming each place as they show it (eg a shoe shop, a butcher’s, a chemist, a greengrocer’s, a bus stop, etc.).

Unit 13

10. House tour This activity gets students to create a guided tour of their apartment, house or favourite room, and is suitable for low levels. In class, teach or review house and furniture vocabulary, and This is …, Here’s …, That’s …, and As you can see …. For homework, ask students to use their phones to create a one-minute guided video-tour of their house or favourite room. Explain that they need to include a simple voice-over commentary while they film. For example, This is the living room. Here’s the black sofa. As you can see, it’s got three white cushions. That’s the coffee table with my sister’s magazines on it, etc. Encourage students to add their video recordings to a class blog or social networking site, and to view and leave comments on each other’s videos.

“I get students to make short video clips on their phones in small groups. Each group chooses a verb or verb phrase we’ve been working with recently, and decides on how to represent it in a 10-second video clip. They share the clips with other groups, and guess which verb or verb phrase is being represented. I then ask students to write a sentence describing what’s happening in the clips, including the verb. We share and review these sentences as a group.” Ceri Jones, teacher, trainer and materials writer. Ceri blogs at cerij.wordpress.com

50

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

10

ways to use technology for grammar

When we think about grammar, we often focus our attention on individual words, such as using the correct form of a verb, or including the right preposition in a sentence. However, we need to remember that grammar includes working at sentence and discourse level, too. The activities below focus on grammar in the context of sentences or short texts, rather than on individual words.

1. Explaining grammar As the flipped classroom model (whereby students watch a video or read a text at home and use classroom time for discussion and projects) becomes increasingly popular in language teaching, teachers are looking for ways to explain grammar to students before they come to class. You can video-record yourself explaining a grammar point in front of a whiteboard, or you can use screencast tools to video-record your computer screen as you type example sentences or structures into a document. See Unit 28 for more on how to use screencasts with students. Upload your video recording to a class blog or social network and ask students to watch your grammar presentation before they come to class. This will give you more time for practice activities in class.

2. Dictations

Unit 14

Dictations are an excellent whole-language activity, as students need to listen carefully, and then use their linguistic knowledge to support what they think they heard while writing it down. As we saw in Unit 11, we can give our students regular dictations by recording audio podcasts, which they can access and practise with outside class. To give students practice with listening to a new grammar structure, ensure that your dictation includes plenty of examples in context. For higher levels, you can recommend short authentic audio or video clips for students to use as dictations on their own.

3. Grammar games and apps There is a wealth of webpages and apps with grammar games and activities. Some of these (such as gap-fills) focus on individual words, whereas others (such as those requiring the student to drag the words of a sentence into the correct order) provide opportunities for students to work with grammar at sentence level. Search for ‘ESL (or EFL) grammar games’ to find suitable activities that your students can do for homework to reinforce grammar points that you have taught in class. There are also a number of self-study apps that help students with grammar and vocabulary, and integrate gaming principles by awarding points and stars for work completed. Some popular self-study apps currently on the market and suitable for smartphones include Duolingo (duolingo.com) and Busuu (busuu.com/en). However, because apps tend to come and go, it is worth searching on your app store for other alternatives – or asking your students to do so.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

51

4. Grammar quizzes You can create grammar quizzes for your students by using online tools like Hot Potatoes (hotpot.uvic.ca), Proprofs (proprofs.com) or QuizWorks (onlinequizcreator.com). Some quiz creators are free, while others follow a freemium model (you can use a basic version for free, but pay a subscription for additional features); and still others are paid-for. Most quiz creators enable you to create activities that include multiple-choice questions, true/false statements, matching, gap-fill, etc. Although you can create grammar quizzes for your students to complete for homework, remember that it’s also useful for students to create quizzes for each other as a grammar review activity.

5. Group grammar games Some apps allow you to create quizzes or games for your students to use in class. For example, Kahoot enables you to create games online (or to use ready-made games). Students can play these games as a group in class on their mobile devices. See https:// getkahoot.com/how-it-works for more on Kahoot.

Unit 14

6. Word cloud jumbled sentences Putting the words of a sentence into the correct order is a useful grammar activity for students. Create a number of word clouds, each with a single sentence, based on a structure that you have recently worked with in class. The words will appear in random order in the word cloud. Print out the word clouds and put them on the walls of the classroom. Ask students to move around the class in pairs and write down each sentence with the words in the correct order. Let them compare their answers with another pair. Then conduct class feedback. Ask students to create their own jumbled-sentence word clouds for homework, and email them to you. Print out the students’ word clouds and bring them to the next class for more grammar practice. See Unit 20 for more on word cloud tools.

7. Grammar and spelling checkers Most word-processing programs include a grammar and spelling checker. Some teachers feel that asking students to use one on their written work is cheating; however, it’s worth remembering that these are, in fact, useful tools that students can use in their everyday lives. It’s unlikely that a student will have to write a letter or email by hand with no access to this kind of technological help. Showing your students how to use the grammar and spelling checker in a word-processing program is therefore a useful activity that prepares them for real use of English out of the classroom. Grammar checkers are not infallible, though, and it’s a good idea to point this out to students. In order to demonstrate this, find an anonymous text written by an English language student online and copy and paste it into a word-processing program. Use the projector in your classroom to show the students the text, and then click on the grammar checker. Work through the text together to correct the program’s mistakes. You can also show students the spell check function, and demonstrate how to select the variety of English they use, for example, UK or US English.

52

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

8. Translation tools Although many teachers are wary of their students using automatic translation tools (like Google Translate), these facilities are a fact of life; it can therefore be a good idea to help students become aware of their strengths and weaknesses. To help your students understand that translation tools are not perfect, it’s helpful for them to see a bad translation in their first language, where they will immediately see that the language doesn’t sound right. In class and using the projector, copy and paste a short text (for example from the coursebook) in English into Google Translate or a similar tool. Choose to translate the text from English to the students’ first language. Ask them to review the translation in pairs, and to make a list of the mistakes. This may include wrong vocabulary choice, misuse of prepositions or articles, wrong word order and stylistic errors. Remind the students that when they copy from their first language into English, exactly the same thing happens: the translation program produces odd-sounding texts that have obviously been translated by a machine. Help students to understand that some judicious help from an online translator is acceptable, but that copying and pasting entire texts into a translator can quickly be spotted by the teacher.

9. Predictive text

Unit 14

Many mobile phones use predictive text for messaging. Predictive text allows the phone to predict what you are trying to type, and to complete the word for you in the sentence. Predictive text is notoriously unreliable, and your students probably have experience of predictive text going wrong in their own language. A fun grammar-based language activity for your students can be based around predictive text. Give your students a worksheet with predictive text mistakes, and ask them to correct the sentences in pairs. (See page 185 in the appendix for an example.) For more advanced students, you can ask them to invent their own sentences in English with predictive text mistakes, by telling them to replace words in a correct sentence with words that are spelt similarly. Ask your students to invent one predictive text sentence each. Put the sentences on the board and get the class to correct them one by one.

10. Real-time polling If your students have mobile devices in class, you can use real-time polling tools to ask questions during class, and to check that students have understood a grammar point. Polling tools include Socrative (socrative.com), Poll Everywhere (polleverywhere.com) and Mentimeter (mentimeter.com). Create a poll before class. After you have taught a new grammar point, show your poll online with the class projector and ask students to use their mobile devices to log into the poll and answer the questions. Many polls allow students to write short sentences rather than simply to answer questions. This means you can give your students key words or prompts and ask them to type sentences using the new grammar structure into the poll. See Unit 21 for more on how to use real-time polls with students.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

53

10

ways to use technology for pronunciation

Although pronunciation is an integral part of speaking in general, there are ways that technology can be used to focus specifically on pronunciation with students. When starting to work with pronunciation at lower levels, many teachers prefer to focus on the pronunciation of individual sounds within single words. Of course, individual sounds (whether vowels, consonants or diphthongs) are important, but the pronunciation features in longer stretches of speech are equally, if not more, important. These include intonation, word and sentence stress, and how words run together in connected speech. The 10 suggestions below describe how technology can be used to support students’ pronunciation practice both of individual sounds and of longer stretches of speech.

Unit 15

1. Phonemic chart apps A phonemic chart represents all the vowels, consonants and diphthongs used in a language. Although we don’t need to teach our students the phonemic chart per se, it is useful, now and again, for teachers to give phonemic transcripts for words that students find difficult to pronounce. It is also useful for students to be able to be able to recognise phonemic chart symbols because they are used in dictionaries. If you would like to brush up your phonemic chart knowledge, take a look at the British Council’s ‘Sounds Right’ app (learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/apps/sounds-right) or the Sounds app (www.macmillaneducationapps.com/soundspron) produced by the publisher Macmillan. You can also find free phonemic chart apps by searching in your app store.

2. Dictionary websites and apps There are many free and paid-for English language dictionaries available for learners online, either as websites, or as downloadable apps. Research has found that the learning tool that the students are most likely to have on their mobile devices is a bilingual dictionary app. However, you can encourage your students to use English–English dictionaries as well, which will provide them with additional exposure to the language when they look up new words. Free monolingual dictionaries include Oxford Dictionaries Online (en.oxforddictionaries.com) for UK English and Dictionary.com (dictionary.com) for US English. There are also several free learner dictionaries available online, for example, the Macmillan Dictionary (macmillandictionary.com) and Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com) for UK English and The Cambridge Dictionary (American version) (dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/american-english) for US English. You can also encourage students to practise the pronunciation of new words out of class by finding the word in their dictionary app and playing the audio pronunciation. They can listen and repeat new words at home for extra pronunciation practice.

3. Word games Online word pronunciation games are freely available, and some online games are also mobile-friendly. You can find pronunciation games for English language learners on the ESLGames website (www.eslgamesworld.com/members/games/pronunciation/index.html) and the English Club website (www.englishclub.com/esl-games/pronunciation). Online pronunciation games typically encourage students to listen to and work with homophones (words that sound the same but have different meanings), or to identify words that rhyme. Some games will also focus on specific challenges, such as the three different pronunciations of the endings of regular past tense verb forms (/t/, /d/ and /ɪd/), or the two possible pronunciations of the third person ‘s’ in the present simple (/s/ and /z/).

54

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

4. Minimal pairs Minimal pairs are pairs of words that are distinguished by one sound, and they often cause difficulty for students. They may be distinguished either by a different vowel or diphthong (eg bet/bat; cat/cut; fair/fear; know/now), or by a consonant (pat/bat; first/thirst; vet/ wet), which changes the meaning. There is a range of minimal pair apps available for smartphones; you can recommend that your students explore these if they would like to work on the sounds of individual words. To find current apps, ask students to search for ‘minimal pairs’ in their app store, and to try out some of the free apps (or the ‘lite’ versions of paid-for apps). Ask your students to report back to the class on whether they found these apps useful.

5. Sound clouds

6. Sound-cloud sorting This activity is a follow-up to the sound cloud activity described in point 5 above. Choose a selection of about 30–40 words from the sound clouds students have created. Before class, create a new word cloud with these words. In class, show your students the new word cloud and ask them to put the words into groups according to a common sound. Ask the students to work in pairs. Finally, check that students have put the words into the correct sound groupings as a whole-class activity.

Unit 15

Assign your students a different vowel or diphthong from the phonemic chart. Ask them to think of at least 20 words with that sound. The sound can appear at the beginning, middle or end of their chosen words. Once students have created a list of words with the same sound, they check with a partner to ensure that all of their chosen words have the correct sound. Go around the class and clarify any doubts with each pair. Ask each student to create a word cloud with their 20 words (see Unit 20 for example of word cloud tools). Students should email you their word clouds. Print out the clouds and bring them to the next class. Put the clouds around the walls of the classroom and ask students to walk around, look at the word clouds, and see if they can identify the common sound in each cloud.

7. Speech-to-text minimal pairs Speech-to-text apps are an excellent way for students to practise their speaking (see Unit 12) and pronunciation skills. Try this activity to help your students to practise their pronunciation of minimal pairs. Give students a list of minimal pairs that they typically have problems pronouncing (this may depend on their first language). Ask them to practise the minimal pairs at home with a speech-to-text app on their mobile devices or on their PCs. It is more effective to include the minimal pairs in individual sentences so that the students can practise the words in longer stretches of speech.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

55

8. Song sounds Songs are an excellent source of listening and pronunciation material for students, and these days you can find pretty much any song easily online. Here is a simple activity that asks students to listen for words with a certain sound in a song. Choose a song that has plenty of words with the same sound at the end of each line. For example, the song ‘Every Breath You Take’ by The Police has multiple words containing the sound /eɪ/ at the end of each line (eg take, make, break, fake, day, say, stay, etc.). Write the sound you want students to listen for on the board in phonemic script (eg /eɪ/). Play your chosen song. Then ask students to listen carefully for any words they hear with this sound, and to write them down. Ask the students to compare their lists in pairs. Then play the song again so that they can add any words they may have missed. Give students the lyrics so that they can compare their lists with the original. Finally, play the song a third time, and have everyone sing along!

Unit 15

9. Songs and sentence stress Songs can also be used for students to practise sentence stress and connected speech. Print out the lyrics to a song that your students already know, and give each student a copy. Ask the students to underline or circle the words in each line where they think the stress falls. For higher levels, ask them to also cross out sounds they think will not be pronounced (eg jus’ for just or groovin’ for grooving). To do this, they will need to work in pairs, and actually say the lines in the song aloud several times. When students are ready, play the song through once, and then again line by line, and let them check their work. Finally, play the song again, and have everyone sing along using their marked-up lyric sheets.

10. Speaking along Reading and listening to spoken language at the same time is a useful activity for students to carry out on their own. It is especially helpful if students replay the same stretches of spoken language and try to speak along with a recording at the same time, mimicking the pronunciation as best they can. Find several short English language videos on the internet, ensuring that they have English subtitles. YouTube and TED Talks (see Unit 30) are two well-known video sites that offer the option to turn on subtitles (also referred to as ‘closed captions’). You could find videos related to a topic you are currently working on in class. For homework, ask students to choose one of the short videos and to watch it several times with subtitles. The first few times they should just watch and read; after that, they should watch, read and speak along with the video, all at the same time. They need only do this for a few sentences (rather than for the whole video).

56

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

10

ways to use technology for correction and feedback

Correction and feedback are an integral part of our language lessons. We correct students’ mistakes and errors, and we give feedback – both formal and informal – on their work. Here are 10 ways that technology can help us correct our students’ spoken and written work, and also give them useful feedback. Activities 8–10 suggest ways that we can use technology to ask students for their feedback on our lessons. Asking our students for their feedback is something that we can do once we have built a relationship with a class, and have been working with them for a while. It is best done if you and the class trust each other, and with students who are mature enough to give you considered and valuable feedback.

1. Comments in documents

2. Highlighting in documents In a similar way to using comments to encourage students to self-correct (see point 1 above), you can also highlight areas for improvement in students’ word-processed texts. To use the highlighting tool, select the word or sentence, go to the toolbar in your wordprocessing program and select ‘Text Highlighter’. While adding a comment can help guide students towards the correct form of a word, highlighting will simply alert them to the fact that there is something for them to rewrite or change in that part of the text. Comments provide more support, whereas highlighting hands the work over to the student.

Unit 16

If you encourage your students to submit written work to you in a word-processed document, you will be able to take advantage of the software’s ‘Commenting’ facility, which allows you to add comments in the margin. If you add comments (as opposed to corrections) to their word-processed texts, students will get the chance to self-correct, which is far more effective than if they are simply told the correct forms. This is because it encourages learners to focus on and learn from their mistakes. For example, you can add a comment to a student’s work pointing out that they need to use a different tense or word, or suggesting that they rephrase or expand a sentence. To add a comment, select the word or sentence you wish to comment on, go to the ‘Reviewing’ toolbar in your wordprocessing program and select ‘Insert Comment’ (or similar). Type your comment and save it. Email the document back to your student asking him or her to review and correct the text. They should then to send it back to you for a final review.

3. Track changes in documents If you prefer to correct your students’ work yourself, you can use the ‘Track Changes’ function in a word-processed document. This will show the student exactly what changes you have made. For example, words that you remove from the text will appear either as crossed out, or in a ‘Deletion’ box in the margin, and words or phrases that you add to the text will appear in a different colour. This can be useful for students so that they see exactly how you have changed or reformulated their text. You could try alternating the different approaches, using the Track Changes function one week and using comments and highlighting another. Once all options have been tried, you can discuss with students which approach they prefer.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

57

4. Wikis If your students submit written work via a wiki page, you can track the corrections that you make to their text. These corrections are displayed in a similar way to ‘Track Changes’ in a word-processed document (see point 3 above). The ‘History’ function of a wiki page shows all of the changes that have been made by various contributors to a text. For example, one student can produce a short text, a second student can correct it, and then you can make final corrections. All of these corrections are tracked and can be displayed. This can be useful for reviewing which contributor made which changes to a particular document. See Unit 25 for more on how to use wikis with students.

Unit 16

5. Spelling mistakes cloud Students often make similar spelling mistakes in English. After you have reviewed a class’s written work, make a list of the common spelling mistakes that you have seen. Type the incorrectly spelt words into a word cloud tool (see Unit 20), create a word cloud, and in the following class, show the word cloud to your students. Ask students to work in pairs, correcting the spelling mistake in each word. Check the correct versions with the class. After class, create another word cloud with the same words, this time correctly spelt. Print out the new word cloud, and put it on a wall in the classroom. By seeing the correct word cloud regularly during class, your students will be reminded of how to spell these words in the future.

6. Audio feedback Rather than always providing written feedback on your students’ written work, audiorecord some feedback for them. Use the audio recorder on your mobile phone, or a simple PC-based audio recorder like Vocaroo (vocaroo.com). Remember to always include some positive comments on your students’ work, as well as commenting on errors. You may want to focus on only a few mistakes. Send the individual audio files to your students by email. Ask each student to listen to the individual feedback recording you made, and to make the corrections you suggest to their text.

7. Screencast feedback Screencasting allows you to video-record your computer screen and to add an audio commentary. This is a rather more sophisticated way of giving your students feedback on their written work, at least in technological terms; however, it can be extremely useful for students. Screencasting enables you to talk through a student’s written work (displayed as a document on your screen), highlight areas for improvement, and suggest, verbally, how they can do this. See Unit 28 for more on how to use screencasting with students.

8. Sticky-note feedback It’s useful to regularly ask your students for feedback on lessons and activities. For example, you might decide to try out a new activity or way of doing something, and then ask what your students think of the experience. Online sticky notes are a quick and easy tool that students can use to give you informal feedback, either at the end of the class, or for homework. Before class, create an online wall or noticeboard using a free sticky-note website or app (such as Padlet or Linoit). Give your students the URL and ask them to post

58

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

a sticky note with their comments or feedback relating to the new activity or approach. Remember that the sticky notes are anonymous, so you need to ensure that your students are mature enough to give you considered and useful feedback. See Unit 22 for more on sticky-note tools.

9. Instant feedback You can get instant feedback on an activity from your students using a real-time polling tool. Set up your poll before class. You could make it a simple yes/no question (eg Did you enjoy this activity? Yes/No), or you could set up a poll that allows students to type short texts – a more open-ended way of soliciting feedback. Poll responses are anonymous, so, as for the sticky-note example above, your students need to be mature enough to use a poll responsibly. See Unit 21 for more ideas on how to use real-time polling tools with students.

10. Surveys

Unit 16

You can get more detailed feedback from your students by setting up an online survey. There are many free online survey tools available, and arguably one of the best known is SurveyMonkey (surveymonkey.com). Online survey tools allow you to create a range of different question types (eg Yes/No, multiple choice, a ‘slider’ for rating statements, short answers, longer answers, etc.). See page 180 of the appendix for an example of a survey you can use or adapt to get feedback on your lessons from your students. You can ask your students to put their names in the survey, or you can make the survey anonymous (you are more likely to get honest feedback if the survey is anonymous). The advantage of an online survey over a paper-based one is that you can collate the answers and calculate average scores, as well as compare all the text answers to a single question at once. Finally, it’s important to acknowledge and act on any feedback received from your students, and to openly discuss it with them.

“I get students to practise the language by filming them speaking and then upload the videos on a private YouTube channel for selfassessment and peer-assessment.” Mardiana Iris, Malaysia. Read more about Mardiana’s ideas at www.myetpedia.com/10-tipson-using-youtube-to-self-assess-speaking-skills

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

59

10

ways to use technology for recycling and revision

It’s important to recycle and revise new language with students. Presenting new grammar or vocabulary to students and allowing them to practise it a little in class does not always mean that they will be able to use it again in a few days or weeks. Students need to revise and review new language regularly in order to internalise it. This means that teachers need to provide students with opportunities to review the language both in and out of class. The activities suggested below can be carried out in class, out of class or, in some cases, both in and out of class.

Unit 17

1. Flashcard revision An important part of learning a language is being able to remember vocabulary. You can help your students revise the words you have introduced by encouraging them to use flashcard apps and games on their mobile devices out of class (see Unit 13). Students are more likely to do the flashcard revision activities if you integrate short quizzes into subsequent classes. For example, before you teach your students the new words in a lexical set, create a set of flashcards for them to use on their mobile devices. After you have introduced the words in class, ask your students to download the flashcards to their mobile devices and to play with them over the next few days. At the beginning of the next class, include a short quiz or game in order to review the vocabulary again. If you do this regularly enough, students will get into the habit of playing flashcard games with new vocabulary, especially if they know there will be a short quiz at the beginning of the next class.

2. Picture recycling Recycle vocabulary from previous classes by showing students pictures of vocabulary items and asking them to try and remember what each word is. For example, show your students eight to 10 images related to a lexical set you have taught in a previous class. Show each image quickly, one after the other, and ask your students, working in pairs, to try and remember as many words as possible by writing them down. Show the series of images again to let students check their word lists; then check answers with the whole class. You can find copyright-free images to use in class with your students by searching for images with a Creative Commons licence (see Unit 43).

3. Phrases in pictures Pictures can be an interesting and memorable way for students to review idioms. In class or for homework, give your students a list of idioms that you have previously studied in class. Ask them to choose a few idioms, and to find pictures online that encapsulate the meaning of each one. Encourage the students to share their pictures with the class, and see if the other students can guess the original idiom from the picture. You could also ask students to try out the web-based app Phrasr (www.pimpampum.net/en/content/phrasr) with idioms. Phrasr turns any sentence into a series of pictures, with one picture for each word in the sentence, and displays these as a slideshow.

4. Brainstorming Recycle and revise new words from previous classes with your students as a warmer activity in class by using a real-time poll (see Unit 21). Before class, set up a poll that will enable students to contribute short answers. Choose a number of vocabulary topics that your students have already studied in class and note them down on a piece of paper for your

60

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

own reference. In class, share the URL of your poll and ask students to open it on their mobile devices. Call out a vocabulary topic, and ask students to each contribute three or four related words as quickly as they can. Check the words together for pronunciation and meaning, and see which were the most and least common words contributed by the students. Repeat the process for the next vocabulary topic.

5. Word search Another well-known vocabulary review activity is a word search, in which students need to identify words within a grid of letters. There is a range of word search apps for mobile devices (search for ‘word search’ in your app store), and most of these apps provide word searches based on lexical sets. There are also websites, for example, the Discovery Education site (http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/WordSearchSetupForm.asp) or Puzzle Maker (www.puzzle-maker.com) where you can create word searches for your students. You can also encourage your students to create word searches for each other for homework. You could, for example, assign a different vocabulary topic to each student at the end of the term and ask them to each create a word search at home, and to share the word search with their classmates over the holidays.

6. Matching pairs

Unit 17

Matching pairs, also known as ‘pelmanism’, is a memory game in which players need to find pairs of matching cards from a set of cards laid face-down. The digital cards may have pictures and/or words. Cards with words can be helpful for students who need reinforcement with word recognition. Some matching pairs games can be played simultaneously online, so students can play them for homework. There are free digital matching pairs games available on the English Club website (www.englishclub.com/eslgames/matching.htm) and the ESLGames website (www.eslgamesworld.com/members/ games/vocabulary/index.html). Note that pairs games are often referred to as ‘memory games’ on this site.

7. Word fight Give students a list of pairs of words that have similar meanings, and that they have already learned in past classes (eg beautiful–pretty; handsome–good-looking; introverted– shy; extroverted–outgoing). In each case, ask the students to decide in pairs which word they think is the most commonly used in English. Show the Google fight site (googlefight. com) using your projector, type in the first pair of words, and click on ‘Fight’. The results show a number that represents a ‘Google visibility score’ for each word, representing how often the word is found online. Discuss with students what might affect the difference in numbers. For example, ‘beautiful’ can be used to describe a large number of things, whereas ‘pretty’ is more commonly used to describe people (especially women) and places. This activity encourages students to think about and discuss words, which can help them remember the words.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

61

8. Collecting language Ask students to keep an eye out for the words, idioms, phrases or structures that they have recently learned in class when they read online texts. Suggest that they save these words or phrases into their own digital phrasebooks, for example by copying and pasting them into a word-processed document on their computers. Alternatively, your students could use a browser-based app like Phraseum (phraseum.com) to collect language/phrases while they read online. Phraseum sits in a browser’s toolbar, and enables students to easily collect words or phrases from online texts and to organise them into phrase books that they can then share with others.

9. Picture dictionaries Encourage students at lower levels to create their own picture dictionaries by adding photos of new words learned in class to a website like Flickr (flickr.com) or Pinterest (pinterest.com). Students can store their pictures in lexical sets or according to topic; they can then share their picture dictionaries with each other. Encourage your students to build up their picture dictionaries over a period of time, and to review them regularly.

Unit 17

10. To-do lists To revise language by themselves outside class time, students need to be fairly autonomous and self-motivated. We can help students in this respect by asking them to create their own revision ‘to-do’ lists. To-do lists allow students to identify what they need to do, and can help them achieve their objectives. There are many to-do list apps that students can download to their mobile devices, for example, Google Tasks, Todoist, Wunderlist and Remember The Milk. In class, first discuss the usefulness of to-do lists with students and ask them if they use them in their daily lives. Ask your students to find and download a mobile to-do list app; then brainstorm some short review activities they could do on their own to revise what they learn with you in class. Ask each student to create a short weekly to-do list with just a couple of items – the list needs to be achievable! In class every one or two weeks, briefly discuss with your students whether their to-do lists are helping them keep on top of things.

“Many online resources and applications for mobile devices allow students to create materials. Use an online quiz creator or app all the class can install, and ask them to add a question every time you finish a topic or an important language point. After some classes, students will have created a complete quiz with 10–15 questions created by themselves. You and the students can use the quiz for revision, recycling and competitions at any time all along the academic year.” Alicia Artusi, teacher, trainer and materials writer, Argentina. Alicia blogs at www.englishmixsite.blogspot.com.ar

62

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

Using text-based tools This section looks at a number of text-based tools that can be used to develop students’ literacy and writing skills. We start with one of the oldest and best-known text-based technologies: email. This is a good place to start when using technology with your students, as it is a digital tool that is familiar to most students, and can be very easily integrated into classroom work. It can also be used to support out-of-class work. Next, we look at activities with group texting apps, which are a more recent form of text-based digital communication and less formal than email. Both email and group texting apps can create a useful bridge between in-class and out-of-class work for students, as we will see in the first two units. The middle units in this section look at a range of popular digital tools: word clouds, real-time polls, survey tools and sticky-note apps. These can be used for a range of text-based activities, both in and outside the classroom. The last three units focus on tools that can support the development of students’ writing skills. Online reference tools such as dictionaries and thesauruses are an excellent resource for helping students to develop their vocabulary for writing. Blogs and wikis provide a robust online platform, where students can share their writing with a wider audience. Blogs and wikis are tools that have long been popular with English language teachers; both can help develop students’ literacy and writing skills.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

63

10

ways to use email with students

Email is an internet-based technology that has been around for decades. Even if adult students are not regular users of social networks or other online services, they are likely to have an email account. Email is especially prevalent in the workplace, and although some learners under the age of 18 may not use email regularly (or even have an email account), many do. If your students don’t have an email account, you could spend the first part of a lesson helping them set up a free email account in gmail, hotmail, yahoo or similar. Email is a simple technology to use, and a good starting point for introducing technology into your language teaching. It’s familiar to many students, and if everyone in your class already has an email account, it’s very easy to start using email regularly with students. Below are 10 ways you can start doing so.

Unit 18

1. Welcome email At the beginning of a new course, send your students a personal email welcoming them to the class. Tell them a little bit about yourself, and what they can expect from the course. If you have some information about them already (such as their city, nationality or interests), you can make reference to this in your email so that students clearly see that you are addressing them personally. Encourage your students to reply to your welcome email with some information about themselves and any questions they may have about the course. Establishing a relationship with your students in this way, right at the beginning of a new course, can help to build rapport. You can also send your students a farewell email at the end of the course, thanking them for their participation in the class and encouraging them to continue with their English language learning.

2. Homework Encourage students to submit any written homework as an attachment to an email. There are a number of advantages to having your students submit their written work in wordprocessed documents. Not only do you avoid having to struggle with difficult handwriting, but you also have a range of options for correcting their work using word-processing tools (see Unit 16). Finally, it’s much easier for both you and your students to store their work in electronic format and to share it with others when necessary.

3. Administration Set up a group in your email program that includes the email addresses of everyone in the class. This means you can easily send information to everyone in the group via a single email, for example, regarding administrative matters such as upcoming exams and deadlines, changes to the class schedule, class cancellations and reminders. Dealing with administration issues via email works particularly well with students who are regular users of email in their private and professional lives, and ensures that messages get through to everyone. Encourage your students, for their part, to email you about any administrative matters that they are unclear about such as checking deadlines and homework instructions, or to let you know that they won’t be able to attend a class.

64

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

4. Email chain introductions This simple writing activity can be carried out at the beginning of a new course. Print out the class list of names with emails and give each student a copy. Ask students to send an email introducing themselves to the person whose name is under theirs on the class list. (The person who is last on the list should send an email to the first person on the list.) Ask the students to say something interesting or unusual about themselves in their emails. Each student should also reply to the email that they receive from a classmate. In a subsequent class, ask students to share any interesting or unusual information they have found out about each other. This activity can help develop a good rapport between students in a class.

5. ‘One thing’ email chain

Unit 18

Give your students a list of phrases which start with ‘One thing …’ For example: One thing I’ve learned in life is … One thing I’d never do is … One thing I love about summer is … One thing I’d like to do this year is …. The phrases can review structures and vocabulary that you have previously taught in class, or focus on one language structure that you would like students to practise. Give the students a list – on paper – of their classmates’ names (with email addresses) in random order. The first person on the list writes an email containing one sentence, beginning with the words: One thing …, and sends it to the next person on the list. The second person adds another sentence beginning with One thing…, and forwards it to the next person. Students continue to forward the same email to the next person on the list, adding a sentence of their choosing starting: One thing … each time. They may not repeat what a previous student has said. The last person on the list adds their sentence and then forwards the email on to you. In a subsequent class, show students the complete list of One thing … sentences and read through them together. Remember to respond to what students have written, and not just to correct their use of language.

6. Email chain stories An effective and fun way for students to practise writing is to create a story together using email. Before class, write the opening paragraph of an interesting story. For example: It was a dark stormy night, and the wind whistled in the trees. Sandra and David drove slowly along a winding road in the forest when suddenly, a large shape emerged from the trees. As in the activity ‘Email chain introductions’, print out the class list with email addresses and give one copy to each student. Explain to the class that you are going to email the opening paragraph of a story to the first person on the class list. That person must add one sentence to the story – in the email itself – and then forward it to the next person on the list. The second person adds another sentence to the story and forwards the email to the next person on the list, and so on. The last person on the list must finish the story in a maximum of two sentences and then forward the email to you. In a subsequent class, show students the completed story and work through it together to correct it.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

65

7. Email interviews Students can use email to interview each other in pairs. Give the students a list of five or six questions related to a topic or language structure you have recently taught. Alternatively, you can ask students to create their own questions. Put the students in pairs and ask them to email each other the questions for homework. They answer the questions in the email they receive, and then send it back to their partner. Each student writes a short paragraph about their partner, based on the answers they have received. Students can then email you their final paragraphs for homework, and you can share these paragraphs with the class so that students find out more about each other.

Unit 18

8. Email role play Put the students into pairs (Student A and Student B), and tell them they are going to carry out a role play via email for homework. You can use any role play situation, for example, one from your coursebook. Here is an example of a role play scenario based on the topic of travel: Student A is going on a trip and wants some information about Student B’s city. Student B works at the tourist information office in the city. Student A sends Student B an email asking about the best things to see at this time of year, good places to stay and an interesting day trip to take near the city. Student B needs to respond to Student A’s email and provide this information. You can provide students with some useful language for their email role play in advance (eg I’d like to know … I’m writing to find out about … Thank you for your enquiry regarding … We suggest/recommend … (verb + -ing), etc.) Each pair of students should continue writing to each other until they have finished the role play. Student A then forwards the final email to you. You provide feedback to the pair as necessary.

9. Correct the mistakes Formal writing exams often require students to write a transactional or personal email. Write a model email for your students, for example, based on an email in the coursebook, or based on a real email that you have written or received in the past. Include several mistakes. These could be spelling mistakes, language errors or misuse of vocabulary. Another option is to write a formal transactional email in the wrong register (ie using very informal language). Send your email with mistakes to your students. They must correct it and send it back to you. Review their corrections and then work through the mistakes together in a subsequent class.

10. Put an email in order To help your students with writing emails, you can send them an email with the sentences or paragraphs in the wrong order. For homework, students put the content of the email into the correct order and send it back to you. Review their corrections and then work through the email together in a subsequent class, putting the sentences or paragraphs into the right order as a group.

66

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

10

ways to use group messaging apps

Group messaging apps enable a group of people to share text messages via their smartphones. These apps are similar to SMS texting apps, but rather than allowing only one-to-one text messaging, they allow one-to-many messaging. This makes it easy for groups to share information in the form of text messages, but also to share multimedia (photos, audio and video). Good group texting apps include WhatsApp (www.whatsapp. com), and Telegram (www.telegram.org). Some group texting apps, such as WhatsApp, require students to share their telephone numbers, but others, such as Telegram, allow students to join a group via a single code, with no need to share their personal details with the rest of the group. You first need to set up a closed group in your chosen app for your students. Then set regular short activities in the app for out-of-class work. Below are three ways that group texting apps can be used with students. The first way describes how these apps can be used for a range of administrative purposes; the second way focuses on developing class rapport; the remaining activities describe how to use group texting apps for language development. Most of the activities focus on students sharing information via text, but some describe photo-sharing activities. Any of these activities could be done in audio format; for example instead of typing words or sentences, students could audio-record them. However, text messaging is the easiest and fastest way for students to read each other’s contributions.

You can use your group texting app as a place to remind students of homework, for example, the page number they need to complete from a course workbook or an essay title. You can also use the group texting app to remind students of upcoming deadlines for work, or important dates such as exams. And you can inform them of administrative matters, such as a class cancellation or change of room. Students can use the app to let you know if they are unable to get to class, or for any queries about administrative matters. You can share resources via the app with your students, such as links to class schedules or past exam papers or to specific forms they need to fill in online. The advantage of using a closed group texting app as opposed to email is that students are likely to receive the information immediately.

Unit 19

1. Class admin

2. Class rapport You can encourage good rapport within the class by using the group texting app to celebrate students’ birthdays. At the beginning of a new course, find out the dates of all your students’ birthdays. Then, on the day itself, post a happy birthday message to that student in the app. The rest of the class will usually also send their own messages. Make sure you don’t forget any of the students’ birthdays, though! Students can also use the group texting app to organise social occasions, such as going out together after class.

3. Class backchannel You can use the group texting app during class as a backchannel for students. In other words, it can provide a space for students to comment on lesson content, help each other and share ideas. You can keep an eye on the app during class and help out as necessary. You can also use it during class to ask short comprehension questions or to check concepts. Students simply type one-word answers to give you an idea of whether or not they understand the concepts you are dealing with in class.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

67

4. Q&A Tell your students that for homework, they should check the group texting app for a question from you. Then, at some point outside class time, type a question in the group texting app, asking the students to answer it in a single line. Use questions that are relevant to what students might be doing at that time. For example, What are you doing right now? What are you having for dinner tonight? What are you going to do this weekend? This is an opportunity for students to briefly share information about their lives outside the classroom, and apart from providing additional language practice, the activity can also help students get to know each other a bit better.

5. My favourite things

Unit 19

Tell your students that for homework they should check the group texting app for a question from you. Then, at some point outside class time, use the group texting app to ask students about their favourite things. For example: What’s your favourite time of day? What’s your favourite way of relaxing? What’s your favourite piece of music? Students must answer the question, adding because …, with an explanation of their choice. This activity provides students with additional out-of-class language practice and helps them to get to know each other a bit more.

6. Word association Send a single word to the group texting app. The first person to reply types a word that they associate with it. The next person types a word they associate with the second word, the following person types a word they associate with the third word, and so on. Here is an extract from the beginning of a word association game played by a group of students using a group texting app: umbrella, snow, white, black, coffee, sugar, fun, music, salsa, tomato, pizza, mushrooms, cheese, mouse, cat …. Apart from giving students extra vocabulary practice, this activity can be a lot of fun. Play it over just one day – not longer.

7. Categories Send a category to the group texting app (eg clothes, food, weather, nationalities or sports). Students type one word that they associate with that category. Each student must first read the words that have already been contributed by others, since they are not allowed to repeat a word. This activity is good for reviewing vocabulary previously studied in class, and also for helping students extend their vocabulary. You can make the activity more challenging by specifying a letter of the alphabet for students to use (eg clothes beginning with the letter ‘s’; food beginning with the letter ‘r’, etc.).

8. Sentence endings Type the beginning of a sentence in the group texting app and ask students to complete it. For example: One disadvantage of living in the city is … The best thing about summer is …. Type one different sentence starter every day over a period of three or four days, choosing sentence structures and topics that students have recently studied in class.

68

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

9. Selfie sharing During class, ask your students to set an alarm on their phones for a certain time that evening (eg 6 pm). When their alarm rings, each student needs to take a selfie (a photograph of themselves with their mobile phone), and post it to the group texting app with a single line describing what they are doing (eg I’m sitting on the bus; I’m having a coffee with a friend; I’m doing my homework, etc.). At the beginning of the next class, ask students to work in pairs and to try and remember exactly what people were doing at 6 pm. To do this, they will need to use the past continuous (Olga was sitting on the bus; Ana was having a coffee with a friend; Oscar was doing his homework, etc.). After a few minutes, tell them they can quickly review the photos in the group texting app if they can’t remember.

10. English around town In most towns and cities, there are examples of English available in public. For example, English is often used in advertisements in the street, in shop names, in restaurant menus and on packaging. For homework, ask students to find one or two examples of English that they see around town, to take a photo of them and to post them to the group with a line explaining where they found it. In the next class, review the photos together and correct any incorrect English that students found in their examples.

Unit 19

“Sometimes we take it for granted, but netiquette plays a fundamental role in group messaging apps. No matter how small your group is you should set the rules of the game at the very beginning, so everyone is happy and collaborates effectively. This way you’ll prevent your phone from pinging with group notifications at 3:00 a.m.!” Iriana Valdivia, Teacher, Trainer and Programme Coordinator, Peru

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

69

10

activities with word clouds

Word cloud programs allow you to type a short text into a text box and to generate a cloud-shaped set of keywords from the text, presented in a visual and appealing way. Keywords are usually nouns, verbs and adjectives, so for longer texts, not all of the words in the text will appear. However, for short texts or sentences up to about 10 words, most word cloud programs will show all of the words in a cloud, including articles and prepositions. The most frequent words in a text appear in a larger-sized font in the cloud. You can change the layout of the words in a word cloud, for example, by choosing whether the words should display horizontally, vertically, or both. Keep in mind that it’s best to display the words in a word cloud horizontally (not vertically) for low-level students who are unfamiliar with the Roman alphabet. Word clouds usually display individual words, but you can ensure words or phrases are not split by using the symbol ~ between words in a tool like Wordle (wordle.net). Other word cloud programs include Tagul (tagul.com) or Tagxedo (tagxedo.com); these two enable you to display your word cloud in a shape (for example, as a flower, a heart or an animal). You can share word clouds by printing them out or by saving them electronically as an image. Example of a text and the word cloud that results from it:

Unit 20

Text My name is Nicky, and I live in Barcelona. Barcelona is a beautiful city by the sea, but we have mountains nearby, which is fantastic. I have been a teacher and teacher trainer since 1987, and I love my job. My hobbies include hiking, reading and cooking. I was born in South Africa, and I also lived for a few years in London. I went to university in Brighton, which is another nice town by the sea. The sea has always been very important in my life. That’s why I love living in Spain so much. Word Cloud

70

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

1. Class names At the beginning of a new course, create a word cloud with the first names of all the students in the class. Keep the word cloud on the classroom wall to help the students (and you) to remember everybody’s names.

2. About me At the beginning of a new course, create a word cloud with key information about yourself. To do this, write a short paragraph about yourself (about 100 words), including personal information such as your name, interests and hobbies. Write your paragraph in a word-processed document. During class, show students how to copy and paste the paragraph from the word-processed document into a word cloud text box. The word cloud will include the keywords (usually, nouns, verbs and adjectives) from your paragraph, which will be a summary of information about yourself. Students then write their own short paragraphs about themselves. For homework, students produce their own word clouds using the texts they have written in class. They then print them out or share them via a class blog or social network. In the next class, ask students to show their word clouds to the class, and to use the words in the cloud to tell the class about themselves. Print a copy of each student’s word cloud, and put them on the walls around the class to help the students remember details about each other. See opposite page for an example.

At the beginning of a new course, create a word cloud with the main topics to be covered during the course. Show the cloud to students, and ask them to rank the topics in order of personal interest, or to choose three to five topics (from those given) that they personally find most interesting. Ask them to compare their lists in pairs or small groups. Get feedback from the class to see which topics are of the most interest or importance to your students. If possible, you can design your course around those topics.

Unit 20

3. Course topics

4. Spelling cloud Keep a list of words that students commonly misspell in their written work. Create a word cloud with the correctly spelt words, then print it out and display the cloud on the classroom wall. You can regularly revise and replace the spelling cloud with words taken from your students’ recent written work. Encourage students to review the latest spelling cloud before they do their next piece of written work. You can also keep the latest spelling cloud on a class blog or social network so that they can easily access it out of class. Alternatively, your students can use their phones to take a photo of the latest spelling cloud – if it’s kept on the classroom wall – and refer to the photo while writing their homework.

5. Phrasal verbs Create a word cloud of six to eight phrasal verbs that students have studied recently in class. The phrasal verbs might all relate to one topic, for example ‘driving’ (get in, get out, pull out, pull in, speed up, slow down, etc.). Alternatively, you can create a word cloud made up of phrasal verbs that are all based on one main verb (eg run off, run over, run away, run into, etc.). Remember that in Wordle you can put the symbol ~ between words to make them display together (eg get~in). Students often find it difficult to remember the different meanings of phrasal verbs, so a phrasal verb word cloud can function as a

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

71

helpful memory prompt. If you keep the phrasal verb cloud on a wall in the classroom, you can regularly ask students to quickly review the verbs and their meanings in pairs, at the beginning or end of a class.

6. Contractions Students at lower levels often find it difficult to remember exactly where to put the apostrophe in contracted words like isn’t, doesn’t, mustn’t, and won’t. Create a word cloud with the most commonly used contracted words and display it on the classroom wall to help students with their written work.

Unit 20

7. Language cloud If you teach multilingual groups, you can create a language cloud with the different languages spoken by the class. For example, choose a common phrase like hello, thank you, please or goodbye. Then ask your students to write the word in their own language on a piece of paper and to give it to you. If any of your students use a non-Roman alphabet (such as Arabic, Thai, Chinese or Cyrillic), ask them to write the phrase in their script, to take a photo of it with their mobile phone and to email it to you. Next, create a word cloud with the words in the various languages. You won’t be able to insert non-Roman alphabet words into a word cloud program at first; however, once your cloud is created, you can add the different scripts the students sent you by overlaying them as images on top of the word cloud. You can do this using a program like PowerPoint or in an image editing program. Share the word cloud with the class and ask students to say the words in their own languages. This activity works well as a ‘getting to know you’ activity at the beginning of a new course if you make a word cloud showing ways of saying hello. It works well as a farewell activity at the end of the course if you make a word cloud with ways of saying goodbye.

8. Pre-teach vocabulary Create a word cloud to pre-teach the vocabulary for a reading text. Choose a reading text of about 100 to 150 words (eg from your coursebook) and type it into a word cloud tool. Create a word cloud, which will contain the keywords (usually nouns, verbs and adjectives) from the text. The most frequent words in the text will be the largest words in the cloud. Show the word cloud to your students in class and ask them to guess the topic of the reading text. Teach any of the keywords in the word cloud that are new to students. You can also ask them to guess how these words are related to the text. Finally, give the reading text to the students, and ask them to carry out any reading tasks.

9. Key words Give students a reading or listening text in class or for homework. Ask them to summarise the information in the text by writing down 10 key words (or more, depending on the length of the text). Ask students to create a word cloud at home with their chosen 10 words, and to bring it to class. Put students in small groups, and ask them to compare their word clouds. Ask them to discuss any differences in word choice, and to explain to their group why they chose these words. Get class feedback, then list the most commonly selected keywords on the board.

72

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

10. Word frequency Encourage students to analyse word frequency in their own writing. Ask them to use a recent piece of their own written work, and to copy and paste it into a word cloud program. Tell students that the larger words in the resulting word cloud are those that they used most frequently in their text. Ask students to notice whether they tend to overuse certain words. Make a list of the most frequently used words from everyone’s word clouds, and brainstorm synonyms with the students. Encourage them to use synonyms in their writing, rather than repeating the same words unnecessarily. An activity like this can help students develop their vocabulary for writing, and make them aware of the importance of using a range of vocabulary in written work.

Unit 20

“Select a text (eg newspaper article) and make a word cloud using Tagul. Students guess what the text is about and try to reconstruct it. This activity can be used before reading as a brainstorming activity or after reading to try to reconstruct the text.” Agnes Szabone, teacher in Hungary

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

73

10

activities with polls and surveys

Unit 21

The terms poll and survey are often used interchangeably, but in this unit they have two distinct meanings. An online polling tool enables students to reply to questions set by the teacher, in real-time during class. The teacher creates a poll with a series of questions in an online polling tool in advance. During the class, the teacher projects the poll via the projector onto the board. Students log into the poll (via a URL or with a code) on their internet-connected mobile devices, and answer the poll questions on the spot. The answers are displayed immediately, and are updated in real-time as the students respond. Some polling tools allow students to remain anonymous, while others require them to have an account and a username. More sophisticated polling tools (like Socrative) keep records of students’ answers, and can generate reports for ongoing assessment. Popular online polling tools include Socrative (socrative.com), Mentimeter (mentimeter.com) and Poll Everywhere (polleverywhere.com). The word survey in this unit refers to an online tool that allows you to create a range of questions for your students to answer out of class. The survey tool saves their answers, and you can then browse through your students’ individual responses and see all the responses to a single question. Some online survey tools allow you to display the answers as bar graphs or pie charts with percentages; they also enable you to export the survey answers as reports in PDF format. Popular online survey tools include SurveyMonkey (surveymonkey. com), Polldaddy (polldaddy.com), and QuestionPro (questionpro.com). The first five activities below describe polls that you can carry out with your students during class in real time. The second five activities describe surveys that you and your students can prepare, and that they can answer for homework.

1. Concept-check poll Use a real-time poll to check your students’ understanding of a new concept during class. For example, imagine you are teaching the present perfect continuous for activities that started in the past and are still happening in the present, with examples like: I’ve been living in Barcelona for 20 years, I’ve been teaching yoga for five years and I’ve been writing books for the last 10 years. Before class, prepare some concept-check questions in an online polling app. For each of the examples above, yes/no concept questions might be as follows: Do I live in Barcelona now? Yes/No; Do I teach yoga now? Yes/No; Do I still write books? Yes/No. See how many students choose the correct or incorrect answers. This immediately shows you the level of understanding in class. If students are having difficulty understanding the concept of the present perfect continuous in these examples, you will need to clarify the meaning, give them some more examples and then check understanding again.

2. Get examples Following the ‘Concept-check’ activity described above, you can ask your students to produce their own example sentences, again using the polling app. First, give them a few minutes to prepare two or three true sentences about themselves using the present perfect continuous. Then, open a poll that allows students to send short text answers, and ask them to submit their example sentences to the poll via their mobile devices. Encourage the students to read each other’s examples as they appear on the screen. When all the students have contributed a few examples, go through them together as a

74

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

group, checking comprehension, and asking each student for further information about the ongoing activity they wrote about in their example sentence. This can also help students to find out more about each other.

3. Visual displays Some polling tools allow answers to be displayed in a graphic format, for example, as a bar chart. You can ask your students to use the information in the bar chart to write a short paragraph about the class members. For example, before class, create a multiple-choice poll with eight to 10 questions about students’ hobbies (eg How often do you read a book? How often do you do a sport? How often do you go to the cinema? How often do you watch TV series online?). Give several adjectives of frequency as the multiple-choice answer options (eg often, sometimes, occasionally, never). Set the poll to display the answers as a bar chart. In class, explain how the poll will work and ask students to use their mobile phones to answer the questions. Students then work in pairs, using the information in the bar chart to write a short paragraph about the class’s hobbies. For example: Most of us read books sometimes, but two of us never read books. Four of us often do sport, but most of us do sport very occasionally.

4. ‘Before and after’ polls

Unit 21

Use a poll bar graph to assess your students’ level of knowledge of or confidence with a topic, both before and after you teach it. For example, imagine your business English students are going to read a text about customer service from the coursebook. Before class, set up a poll with a number of statements relating to customer service eg How much do you know about customer service? How confident do you feel about handling difficult customers in English? How much do you know about effective customer service strategies? At the beginning of class, ask the students to complete the poll, rating themselves on a scale of 1 to 5 for each statement. Then ask them to work with the reading text from the coursebook. At the end of the class, ask students to respond to the same poll again. Check whether the overall numbers have improved. If they haven’t improved, find out from your students where any problems still lie and plan future lessons accordingly. This activity can be done with any topic-based reading or listening text.

5. Favourite words poll Students usually have a few favourite words in English, which might be related to the sound, meaning or spelling of the word. Before class, set up a poll that allows students to send short text answers. During class, ask students to think of two or three of their favourite words in English, and to reflect on why they like these particular words. Next, open the poll; ask the students to type one of their favourite words and to send it to the poll via their mobile phones. Go through the words on the screen together, asking each student to explain why they like that particular word. Forming emotional attachments to words is a good way of remembering them. It’s also fun to see the words that other students have chosen and their reasons for liking them.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

75

6. Needs analysis survey It can be useful to carry out a needs analysis before you start a new course. This will enable you to find out what language areas your students need to study in order to be more effective in their academic or professional lives. A needs analysis is essential if you do not have a coursebook or syllabus to follow with your students. For teachers of students who have specialised learning needs, for example, Business English, ESP (English for Special Purposes), or EAP (English for Academic Purposes), a pre-course needs analysis will provide important information about students’ learning needs, allowing you to tailor your course content to ensure you fulfil these. An online survey is an excellent tool for carrying out a pre-course needs analysis. You can email your students a link to the survey well in advance of the start of your course. See page 186 in the appendix for an example of a needs analysis that you can tailor for your own students and put into an online survey tool.

Unit 21

7. Course expectations survey Even if the content of your course is set in advance and you need to work to a detailed syllabus or follow a coursebook closely, it can be useful to find out about your students’ expectations of the course before it starts. By understanding your students’ expectations, you can think about whether your course is going to be able to meet them or not. Dealing with unrealistic expectations right at the beginning of a course is important, so that students don’t feel frustrated. If you find a student has an unrealistic expectation of your course, then you can meet with that student before or after the first class, and explain why this expectation can’t be fulfilled by your course. See page 188 in the appendix for an example of a course expectations survey that you can put into an online survey tool.

8. Technology survey If you plan to integrate technology into your teaching, whether for homework or during the class itself, it’s a good idea to first find out about your students’ attitudes to technology, what technology they have, and how they use it. As with the two example surveys above, you can do this at the beginning of a new course by giving your students a link to an online technology survey. See page 180 of the appendix for an example of a technology survey you can adapt for your own students and context. Once you have put the survey into an online survey tool, you can copy it and use it with different classes.

9. Class survey Conducting a class survey on a particular topic is an excellent way for students to find out more about each other. You can create a survey about students’ hobbies using the questions described in the ‘Visual displays’ activity above. With an online survey, you can also include open questions like What is your favourite sport and why? What do you enjoy doing on the weekends? Open questions can prompt students to provide interesting information that they can then use to compare, discuss and write about. You can also encourage students to create their own class surveys. For example, put students in pairs. Then ask each pair to choose a different topic and to create eight to 10 questions about the topic for the rest of the class in an online survey tool. Students share the URLs of their surveys, and complete each other’s surveys for homework. Each pair can then present the results of their survey to the group in a subsequent class.

76

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

10. Language practice survey Surveys can be used to review a particular language area with students. For example, you can create a survey that reviews the language of advice by including questions starting with structures like What would you do if …? What should you do when …? What shouldn’t you do if …? You could also use prompts like I’ve got a terrible headache or I can’t get my teenage son out of bed in the mornings. Many grammar areas lend themselves well to surveys, such as present simple for routines, present perfect for past experiences, ‘will’ for future predictions, or second conditional for hypothetical situations. You can also ask your students to create surveys for each other using the same language structures.

Unit 21

“I use an online polling tool and online quiz tool to increase the interaction and participation in my lessons. Mentimeter allows you to set up questions for learners to answer on their own device; you can do polls, ask open-ended questions and other question types. The responses are anonymous, which caters for learners who may be reluctant or nervous to share their ideas.” Benjamin Moorhouse, teacher trainer in Hong Kong

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

77

10

activities with sticky-note apps

Sticky-note apps and websites (also called ‘post-it note’ apps) enable you to create a virtual wall to which you can add individual coloured sticky notes. Students can add a short amount of text to a sticky note as well as links, images or audio and video files. There are several advantages to using online virtual sticky notes over paper ones: first, students can access a virtual sticky-note wall outside class; second, multimedia can be added to sticky notes; and third, the wall can easily be shared with others online via a single URL. You can create one sticky-note wall to which all of your students can contribute. Alternatively, students can create their own individual walls or use walls in small groups. Good sticky-note apps include Padlet (padlet.com), Linoit (en.linoit.com) and Scrumblr (scrumblr.ca), and there are many more that you can find by searching online. Below are 10 ways you can use sticky-note apps with your students.

Unit 22

1. Goal setting At the beginning of a new course, ask students to establish individual goals or objectives for their language learning. Before the first class, set up a sticky-note wall. In class, begin by brainstorming a few possible learning goals with your students on the board. Help them understand that they need to set realistic, focused goals that they can achieve during the course (eg I want improve my telephone English or I want to learn more nursing vocabulary for my work), rather than very general goals such as I want to improve my English. Give students the URL of your sticky-note wall and ask them to individually post a sticky note detailing one or two personal goals for their language learning. Review the goals on the sticky-note wall with the class. Ask the class to suggest specific strategies that each student can use during the course to help them achieve their goal. At the end of the course, show the sticky-note wall again and ask students to consider to what extent they have achieved their goals.

2. Weekly learning points At the end of a week, ask students to review the notes they took during class. Ask them to note one or two key things they learned during the week. Students add their learning points to a sticky note and post it to a class wall. Review the wall with students and see how many students posted the same or similar things. Note whether students posted anything unusual or different: students often learn incidental language in class that seems to have nothing to do with the language that we explicitly teach them!

3. Essay content Students frequently need to write discursive essays for English language exams. To help students brainstorm a chosen essay topic, set up a class wall in advance and ask them to work in pairs and to add advantages and disadvantages on individual sticky notes. They should not repeat any advantages or disadvantages that other students have already posted. Review the wall with students. Remind them that during an exam, it’s a good idea for them to brainstorm advantages and disadvantages for an essay on paper before they start writing.

78

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

4. Project resources Students can use sticky-note walls in small groups to collect resources for a project. For example, when students need to research a particular topic, they can use a group wall to post links to useful online articles, images, or videos. You can set up individual sticky-note walls for each group, or designate a group leader in each group to set up the wall and then look after the resources. This might involve organising the sticky note resources into categories, for example. Making each group responsible for creating their own wall and resources is also a good first step in helping your students to become more autonomous learners.

5. Language wall Create a language wall for your students in which they can share phrases in other languages. For example, if you teach multilingual groups, you can ask them to add the phrase ‘Hello, how are you?’ (or any other phrase) in their own language. If you teach monolingual groups, you can ask them to add any phrases they know in any other languages, plus the translation in English. A knowledge of, and respect for, other languages is a useful cross-cultural skill to foster in learners.

6. Feedback on work

Unit 22

Create a list of common mistakes or errors that students make in their written work, based on homework you have recently received. Create a sticky-note wall and post sticky notes to it with one mistake each. In class, review the wall with students and ask them for the corrections. You can add the corrections as an additional sticky note next to the one with the mistake, or you can edit the original sticky note. Before completing their next writing activity, students should review the sticky-note wall to ensure that they have not made any of these common mistakes.

7. Post-class Q&A If you’re going to teach your students some new language that you think they may find challenging, you can carry out a post-class question-and-answer session. First, create a sticky-note wall in advance of class. Then at the end of the class, give the students the URL of the sticky-note wall and ask them to post any questions or queries they have about the language you have taught. They can do this for homework. Reply to the queries on the wall itself, or review the queries in the next class and answer them with the help of the students in the class.

8. Class yearbook Create a class sticky note wall as a ‘getting to know you’ activity. Ask students to each add a sticky note with a photo of themselves, and a short descriptive text of about 50 words (eg with their name, age, nationality, interests and hobbies). This is a fun activity for students to do at the beginning of a new course. Alternatively, the activity can be used to create a final yearbook at the end of the course, so that students remember everybody who was in their class!

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

79

9. Birthday wishes At the beginning of a new course, find out when everybody’s birthday is and keep a record of the dates. In advance of each student’s birthday, set up a sticky-note wall and email the URL to everyone else in the class. Ask each student to add a short birthday greeting to the wall. Students will often also include multimedia in their birthday greetings, such as images and/or videos. On the birthday of the student in question, give him or her the URL of the sticky-note wall so that he or she can take a look at the birthday messages left by classmates. This activity can be excellent for building group rapport over the year. Just make sure you don’t forget any students’ birthdays!

Unit 22

10. Controversial statements Think of a controversial statement related to the topic you are studying in class. For example: Mobile phones should be banned in the street; Fast food should be sold in schools; Everyone should use driverless cars; The death penalty should be reintroduced, etc. Before class, create a sticky-note wall. In class, write the controversial statement on the board and ask students to think about it for a minute or two. They must each write a short response of 20 to 25 words and add it to the wall as a sticky note. Share the wall with the class, and ask them to discuss each response in pairs. How far do they agree or disagree with the responses? Hold a final class discussion on the topic.

“In my lessons I use Padlet to create a board with all the necessary materials and activities. It can be a video from Youtube, a puzzle from jigsawplanet, a word cloud from a wordle, pictures, schemes or tables from the Internet or from my computer. It’s really very convenient to have everything in one place.” Tash Kuzenna, Kirovograd Construction College, Kropyvnytskyi, Ukraine

80

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

10

activities with online reference tools

Online reference tools like dictionaries, thesauruses, translation tools and encyclopaedias can help students with their English language learning. Let’s look at each of these in turn. XX Dictionaries: Students sometimes have bilingual dictionaries on their mobile phones,

but there are also monolingual dictionaries available, both web-based, and as apps for mobile devices. Free monolingual dictionaries include Oxford Dictionaries Online (en.oxforddictionaries.com) for UK English and Dictionary.com (dictionary.com) for US English. There are also several free learner dictionaries available, for example, the Macmillan Dictionary (macmillandictionary.com) and Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com) for UK English and The Cambridge Dictionary (American version) (http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/americanenglish/) for US English. WordReference (www.wordreference.com) is a bilingual resource that is available in various different languages.

XX Thesauruses: A thesaurus is a dictionary that provides a range of synonyms or antonyms

for a word, rather than a definition (see thesaurus.com). Some thesauruses show the use of synonyms in the context of a phrase or sentence, for example, the Collins English Thesaurus (www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english-thesaurus) or the MerriamWebster Thesaurus (www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus: click on the synomym to see it in a sentence).

XX Translation tools: Automatic text translators like Google Translate (translate.google.com)

XX Online encyclopaedias: Students can use these for research and project work.

Probably the best-known online encyclopaedia is Wikipedia (wikipedia.org), although there are others available like Encyclopaedia Britannica (britannica.com), and Encyclopedia.com (encyclopedia.com).

Unit 23

are often used (and overused) by students when producing written work in English. There are also automatic speech translators available; for example, Skype Translator (www.skype.com/en/features/skype-translator/) automatically translates spoken English into other languages in real time.

The first five activities below focus on online dictionaries and thesauruses, the next three activities look at text translation tools and the last two activities are based around online encyclopaedias.

1. Dictionary definitions Encourage your students to notice that a single word can have different meanings in different contexts by giving them this simple dictionary activity to carry out in class. On the board, write a list of common words that can have different meanings (eg break, cut, light, run, point, play). Put students in pairs and ask them to think of the different meanings they already know for each of these words. Using a monolingual dictionary on their devices, they must find one meaning that they did not know for each word. They must then create two or three examples for each of these new uses. Put the students into new pairs and ask them to compare their example sentences. Conduct class feedback. Remember that for students to actually learn and remember the new words, you will need to revise and recycle them regularly (see Unit 17 for ideas on how to review language).

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

81

2. Monolingual dictionaries Although bilingual dictionaries can be useful for students to quickly check the meaning of a word they don’t understand, it’s a good idea to get your students using monolingual dictionaries regularly. This is a simple introductory activity to encourage students to use a monolingual dictionary. Give the students a list of words that you have recently taught them. Put the students in pairs and ask them to use their devices to check a monolingual dictionary entry and a bilingual dictionary entry for each word. Ask them to discuss the differences they find, and to think about the advantages and disadvantages of each type of dictionary. Hold a class discussion to get feedback. Point out that for writing work, it’s often more effective to use a good monolingual learner dictionary because they contain plenty of example sentences, making the meaning and use of the word clearer. Suggest that a monolingual dictionary can help students develop their written work, as well as give them extra exposure to English.

Unit 23

3. Thesaurus synonyms A thesaurus is an excellent tool to help our students develop their vocabulary. Students are often unfamiliar with how thesauruses work, so this introductory activity can help your students understand how to get the most out of one. Give students a list of words that you have recently taught in class and ask them to work individually with an online thesaurus on their mobile devices. They look up each word, read the synonyms and note down the ones that they already know. Ask them to choose one synonym that is new to them, and to note that down, too. Each student will end up with a list of synonyms for each of the words in the original list you gave them, including one new synonym for each word. Students create an example sentence with each of the new synonyms. Encourage the students to use an online thesaurus that provides synomyms in the context of a sentence, so that they are more easily able to put their new words into a suitable sentence. For example, you can suggest they use the Collins English Thesaurus (www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english-thesaurus) or the Merriam-Webster Thesaurus (www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus: click on the synomym to see it in a sentence). Put the students in pairs, and ask them to ‘teach’ each other the new synonyms that they have learned from the thesaurus. Remind them that they may need to check the pronunciation of the new words first; they can listen to the pronunciation in the online thesaurus by clicking or tapping on the word until they get to the definition. The same activity can be carried out with antonyms.

4. Thesaurus ‘odd one out’ Give the students a list of adjectives and four synonyms (taken from a thesaurus) for each adjective. Include a fifth word that does not belong with each adjective. For example: love: devotion, fondness, animosity, infatuation, tenderness. Put the students in pairs and ask them to find the odd one out in the list. Ask them to use a monolingual dictionary to check the meaning of any of the adjectives that are new to them. In pairs, they then choose one of these new adjectives and use an online thesaurus to find synonyms. Again, they must include a word that does not belong with their adjective. Ask students to put their lists on the board (or in a polling tool – see Unit 21). Each pair then tries to find the odd one out in their classmates’ lists. Conduct class feedback. The same activity can be carried out with a keyword and a list of antonyms with an odd one out. Remind students that thesauruses are excellent tools to help them develop and expand their vocabulary in English.

82

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

5. Lost in translation Although automatic text translation (also known as ‘machine translation’) is becoming increasingly accurate, translated text frequently sounds very unnatural. Most teachers can quickly spot when their students have translated whole chunks of their written work from their first language into English with a translator tool. Text translators can be useful for finding individual words but we need to help our students understand that translating large stretches of text in an automatic translator is not acceptable. The first step in weaning our students off text translators is for them to understand that the nuance in language is often completely lost in translation. Most difficult for text translators are oneliners, jokes or idioms that rely on language play. Give your students a list of famous oneliners, for example: Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana (Groucho Marx); Either the curtains go or I do (Oscar Wilde on his deathbed); Only two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former (Albert Einstein). Ensure that your students understand the one-liners. Then ask them to put the sentences into an automatic translator and translate them into their first language. Students report back on whether the original meaning of the one-liner has been lost in translation, giving details of what seems to have gone wrong.

6. Mother tongue translations

Unit 23

Even at very low levels, you can help your students understand that automatic text translations often sound unnatural. You can do this by carrying out a ‘mother tongue translation’. Choose a short English text from your coursebook of around 50 words. Put it into an automatic translator and translate it into your students’ first language. In a class of learners with various different first languages, these can be done one at a time. Ask the students to look at the translation, and to explain in what way it sounds unnatural. When the unnatural-sounding text is in their first language, students can immediately see that it has been badly translated. (It’s much more obvious than when the text is in English.) This activity can help raise students’ awareness of the flaws in automatic translation.

7. Translated translations As a further stage to the activity described in activity 6 above, put the mother tongue translation of your short text into an automatic translator again, and translate it to back into English. The text has now gone through two stages of translation, ie from English to the students’ mother tongue and then back to English. By the time the text has been translated back into English again, there are several differences in vocabulary and grammar that make it sound unnatural. With the class, compare the two English versions – the original and the translated translation (that is, the final version), and highlight the differences together. This is another activity that can help raise students’ awareness of the fact that automatic translation is not 100% reliable.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

83

8. Country research task Although Wikipedia is the best-known and most popular online encyclopaedia, it’s worth being aware of other encyclopaedias that are available online. Encouraging your students to check information via several sources online is an important digital skill. This activity helps students do just that. Show your students a map of the world. Together, make a list of the countries they know very little or nothing about. Put the students in pairs and assign one country to each student. Give the students a list of things they need to find out about each country, for example: capital city, population, average age of the population, languages spoken, national holidays and celebrations and flag. Tell the students to consult three different online encyclopaedias to cross-check all their facts. Ask the students to write a short report about the country they researched for homework, and to present the information they found to their classmates in a subsequent class.

Unit 23

9. Simple English Wikipedia There is a simplified version of Wikipedia that is written for English language learners called Simple English Wikipedia (simple.wikipedia.org). All the articles are written using basic vocabulary and short sentences, so it is ideal for people who are learning English. There are fewer articles available than in the full version of Wikipedia (just under 130,000 articles at the time of writing), but a wide range of topics are covered. If you are teaching lower-level learners, the class can carry out research tasks (like the ‘Country research task’ described above) using Simple English Wikipedia instead of the full version. In fact, you can point lower-level students towards Simple English Wikipedia for any other research or reading tasks.

10. Wikipedia features Wikipedia has a number of features on the front page that you can encourage your students to explore. For example, there is a ‘Featured article’ that is changed regularly. There is also a ‘Featured picture’, with a short summary containing such information as who painted/drew/photographed it, who is depicted in it, when it was produced and where the original can be seen. It also includes links to related articles within Wikipedia. Another features is the ‘Did you know …’ section with single sentences that link to topical articles within Wikipedia. Here is a short activity for Wikipedia’s ‘Featured picture’, which gives students regular short reading practice in class. Before class, visit Wikipedia and click on the current featured picture. This will open the picture by itself in your browser. Show the picture to your students in class and ask them to guess who or what it may be about. List their speculations on the board Then show them the Wikipedia front page, where the featured photo appears and ask them to read the text quickly to check their ideas. Conduct whole-class feedback. You could do this activity in class every couple of weeks as a quick prediction and reading activity.

84

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

10

ways to use blogs

A blog is an online diary or journal with regularly updated entries (called ‘posts’). A blog is an excellent tool for writing practice. There are three main types of blog that you can use with your students. A ‘teacher blog’ is set up and maintained by the teacher, who regularly adds new posts. Students can interact with each post in the ‘comments’ section, for example, to ask questions, or to make general observations. A ‘class blog’ is also set up by the teacher, but in this case, both teachers and students can add new posts. The teacher and the students can also respond to new posts in the comments section. A ‘student blog’ is set up and maintained by an individual student, who regularly adds his or her own posts. No one else can add new posts to the blog, but the teacher and students can interact with each blog post in the comments section. There are a number of advantages to using blogs for written work over pen and paper. First and most importantly, a blog involves students writing for a real audience, ie their classmates. (Note that a blog can be made accessible to the general public; however, the author can change the privacy settings so that it is only visible to invited guests, and this is a good option for teachers of students under the age of 18.) Secondly, students can respond to each other’s writing in the comments section of a blog post. Below is some advice on how to set up your own blog. This is followed by three ways to use teacher blogs, three ways to use class blogs and three ways to use student blogs.

1. Setting up a blog

Unit 24

First decide whether you want to set up a teacher blog or a class blog, or if you want your students to set up their own individual blogs. If you are new to blogging, it’s best to start with a teacher blog, so that you get the hang of blogging yourself before you ask your students to do it. Next, choose a blogging platform. There are a number of platforms to choose from; the most popular ones are Blogger (blogger.com) and WordPress (wordpress.com). Although WordPress gives you more flexibility, Blogger is arguably easier to use for beginners. Finally, look at your course syllabus and decide where and how you are going to integrate regular blog posts. A blog does not need to be a never-ending project; if you want, you can set up a blog for a specific project only. However, the effort involved in setting up a blog up means that you will probably want to try and get some mileage out of it, so keeping a blog going over at least a couple of months or a semester is a good idea.

2. CPD blog A good way to increase your confidence with blogging is to set up your own blog as part of your continual professional development (CPD). You can write about professional magazines or books that you have read, things that you have learned in workshops or webinars, and share tips and advice with other English language teachers around the world. A word of advice: never mention your students by name in your blog, and certainly don’t write any negative comments about them or about or your school. Keep in mind that a blog is a public platform that is available online to everyone, so never write anything you wouldn’t be comfortable with shouting out loud in a crowded room.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

85

3. Homework blog To start blogging with your students, one of the simplest types of teacher blogs you can set up is a homework blog. After every class, you can add a blog post with a summary of the homework that students need to do, as well as links to any interesting additional resources related to topics you have covered in class (eg videos, articles or interviews). You can also use a homework blog to provide a brief summary of what you covered in class, for students who were unable to attend. This is a good way for students who miss class to keep up with things, and it is also a useful reference and reminder of what was studied when students need to revise for an exam.

Unit 24

4. Exam tips blog If you teach exam classes, a teacher blog that helps students to prepare for an exam by sharing regular tips and advice can be extremely useful. You can include things like exam strategies, links to useful extra exam practice or past papers and links to extra resources (such as pronunciation practice for the speaking paper). Claudia Ceraso has maintained a blog for her Cambridge First Certificate Exam students for a number of years, and it is an excellent example of the type of information you can include in a teacher blog focused on supporting students preparing for high-stakes exams. See her FCE blog at: fceblog. blogspot.com.

5. Class writing blogs You can set up a class blog for your students to share regular writing assignments. For example, if your students need to write different types of letters, essays, reviews or opinion pieces, and you tend to set these writing assignments for homework, ask students to post their written work to a single class blog rather than email you their work individually. Sharing their writing via a class blog means that students are writing for a real audience. Encourage students to comment and give feedback on each other’s work. You can also set pairwork writing assignments, where two students can work together on a single writing assignment. They can do this using a shared webpage like Google Docs (docs.google. com). The students then post the final version of their written assignment to the class blog for peer and teacher feedback.

6. Story summary blog You can set up a class blog for specific projects. For example, if your students read short stories or newspaper articles as a regular homework activity, you can ask them to post short summaries of what they read as individual posts to a class blog. Students can then read their classmates’ summaries and add feedback or questions in the comments section.

7. Cultural exchange blog Contact an English teacher in another country who has a class with students of the same age and level. Set up a single class blog for both classes. With the other teacher, decide on a series of tasks to set the students. For example, they could be asked to explain things about their own country and culture, traditions and festivals. Encourage your students to read the blog posts written by students in the other class, and to leave comments. A good place to make contact with teachers in other countries is via the Webheads online group (www.webheads.info)

86

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

8. Student journals Help students set up their own individual blogs and ask them to write short regular blog posts on any topic that they are interested in. Students can find writing challenging, so don’t ask them to write too much, especially at lower levels. You could give them a suggested word limit of 75 to 100 words per blog post at very low levels. Instead of asking students to choose their own blog post topics, you could set them a weekly topic related to the work you have been doing in class. Encourage students to visit each other’s blogs, and to leave comments under their classmates’ posts.

9. Photo and video blogs Blogs don’t need to include only written text. Students can base a weekly blog post on an interesting photo. For example, ask them to choose their own photos, or to take photos with their mobile phones. Another option is to ask your students to keep a video blog (or ‘vlog’). In this case, instead of written posts, students regularly post short videos that they themselves create, on different topics.

10. ePortfolio blogs

Unit 24

A student’s individual blog can also function as his or her ePortfolio (electronic portfolio). An ePortfolio is a place for students to keep all of their work in digital format, in one place. In this case, students can keep their written assignments as individual blog posts, and they can create posts with links to any other digital work that they create, such as videos, audio files or PowerPoint slides for presentations. Students don’t necessarily have to make their ePortfolio blogs public – they can keep them private, and simply allow access for you, the teacher, so that you can comment and provide feedback on their work. Encourage students to look through their blog every now and then, comparing their early work with their current work. In this way, an ePortfolio blog can help students feel a sense of progress.

“You get a great sense of achievement once you have finished setting up your blog and see it up and running.” Natalia Valentini, Argentina. Read more about Natalia’s experience of starting her own ELT blog at www.myetpedia.com/tips-for-starting-your-ownteachers-blog

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

87

10

ways to use wikis

A wiki is a shared web space that can have multiple authors. One of the world’s largest and best-known wikis is Wikipedia (wikipedia.org), but a wiki can also consist of just one or a few pages. For example, a Google doc (docs.google.com) is a single webpage, similar to a word-processing document, that functions like a wiki. This means that it can be edited by several people (as long as they have editing rights). Like a blog, a wiki can be a good tool for writing practice. There are different ways to use a wiki with your students. A class wiki consists of a central wiki (of any number of pages) that all of your students can contribute to. Either all class members contribute to a single wiki page, or each student (or pair of students) has their own individual wiki page within the central wiki. How you decide to allocate the pages in your wiki will depend on the type of activity you want to carry out. The key to using a wiki successfully is to ensure that the task you set lends itself to students collaborating to produce something, and that several students actually contribute to the wiki. Recommended wiki tools include Google Docs, Wikispaces (wikispaces.com), and Pbworks (http://www.pbworks.com/education). The first three activities described below focus on using a single wiki page with the class, and the following activities suggest longer activities using wikis with several pages for pairs and groups of students. The final two activities describe how you and your students can use your own individual wikis.

Unit 25

1. Lengthening sentence This is a simple grammar-based activity that can be carried out on a single wiki page, so a good option is to create a ‘Google doc’ for the class. Add one short sentence to the document, for example: Jane went shopping. Tell students that for homework, they each need to add one word to some part of the sentence to make it longer, but the sentence must always be grammatically correct and complete. In the Google document, add a list of the students’ names, and ask them to contribute one word to the sentence in this order. Once they have added their word to the sentence, they should change the colour of their name to green so that the next person knows when it is his or her turn. So, for example, Student 1 might add one word as follows: Jane went shopping yesterday. Student 2 might add another word as follows: Jane went shoe shopping yesterday. Student 3 might add: Jane went shoe shopping yesterday evening. And so on. Try not have more than five or six students in a group working on one sentence; otherwise it gets too complicated. If you have a large class, you can divide the students into separate groups of five or six and give each group a different sentence in the same Google document.

2. Group lists A wiki page is especially effective for creating lists. Set up a single wiki page (eg a Google doc) before class, and give it the heading ‘Camping trip’. In class, tell students to imagine that the group is going on a camping trip together. What things would they need to take? Ask the students to discuss this in pairs, and to make a list on paper. For homework, they access the Google doc and each add two items to the camping trip list. They should add their name in brackets after their items so you can see who has contributed each one. Tell the students that they cannot repeat items that classmates have already added to the list. You can ask students to create group vocabulary lists on many different topics, for example, a shopping list or a list of favourite music, books or films.

88

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

3. Good advice Describe a scenario to students in which somebody needs advice. Many coursebooks have a unit on giving advice, so the context can be taken from your coursebook. Alternatively, you can describe a situation that you or a friend have experienced in the past in which you needed some good advice. Review language for giving advice with the class (eg If I were you, I would … You should … You shouldn’t … How about [+ -ing verb]? Why don’t you …?). In pairs, students discuss what sort of advice they could give this person. Next, give students the URL to a Google document and ask them to add one piece of advice for the person in the situation they have been discussing. Tell the students that they cannot repeat any advice that classmates have already added to the document. As a class, review the advice in the Google doc, addressing any language issues that have arisen. Back in their pairs, students choose what they think are the three most useful pieces of advice. Finally, conduct whole-class feedback.

4. City guide

Unit 25

Create a group wiki with several pages for students to create a city guide. In class, brainstorm the topics or sections that typically appear in a travel guide (where to stay, where to eat, tourist attractions, culture and festivals, etc.). Put the students into pairs or small groups of three and assign one topic to each group. Ask each group to research their topic and to prepare a text with recommendations for a visitor. Each group should work on their text in a separate wiki page within the class wiki. They can revise and review their text as a group on the wiki page itself; they can also add images as well as links to external resources. You can leave feedback as comments on each page to help your students improve their texts. When the city guide is finished, encourage students to visit the other sections of the guide, and to leave comments on their classmates’ work.

5. Famous people encyclopaedia Create a group wiki with several pages for students to contribute to an encyclopaedia of information about famous people. Put your students in pairs or small groups of three and ask them to choose one famous person they think is particularly interesting. Put the list of famous names on the board, ensuring that each group has chosen a different name. Ask the groups to search online for information about their chosen person. You can give them some guidelines as to what they need to find (eg full name, date of birth, nationality, life story, why the person is famous, etc.). Once they have all the information they need, each group prepares a short text about the famous person. Each group should work on their text in a separate wiki page within the class wiki. They can revise and review their text as a group on the wiki page itself. They can also add images to the page as well as links to external resources. You can leave feedback as comments on each page to help your students improve their texts. When the ‘famous people encyclopaedia’ is finished, encourage students to read and leave comments on their classmates’ work.

6. My story Students are sometimes required to all read the same book or short story, either as a class requirement, or in preparation for a formal exam. Here’s an activity to make the story come alive for the students. Put the students in pairs and allocate a character from the book or story

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

89

to each pair. Ask them to work together to retell the story through the eyes of this character. Tell the students that they are free to interpret the story in any way they like, as long as they write in the voice of their assigned character. Create a group wiki with a separate page for each character. Ask the students to work on their text in their wiki page. You can leave feedback as comments on each page to help your students improve their texts. When they have finished, encourage students to read and leave comments on their classmates’ work.

7. Preparing presentations A class wiki can be a useful place for students to prepare for formal presentations that they need to do, either in their professional lives or for their classmates. Create a class wiki with an individual page for each student. When students need to prepare for a presentation, they add their presentation scripts or notes to their individual wiki page. They can also upload their PowerPoint slides to certain wikis (eg Wikispaces and Pbworks). You can review their work in their wiki page, leave detailed feedback and comments, and so help your students improve their presentations before they deliver them publicly. By having access to each other’s work, students can learn from each other. See Unit 32 for more on presentations.

Unit 25

8. Resource bank A class wiki can function as a class resource bank that is built up over time during a course. Set up a wiki with a separate page for each area of language learning. For example, create a page for pronunciation with links to useful online resources, videos, etc.; create another page with grammar practice activities that students can carry out for homework; create a page with a list of vocabulary studied in class. You can also have different pages for listening, speaking, reading and writing skills, with links to useful resources. If you give your students editing rights, they can also contribute to the class resource bank during the course.

9. Digital CV Students can create their own wikis in which to showcase their learning. This kind of wiki functions as a digital CV, and allows students to describe and share their language learning achievements. Once finished, the digital CV can be shared with classmates, next year’s teachers, or even parents (in the case of learners under the age of 18). Ask each learner to set up their own wiki and to allocate pages to different areas. Typical areas that might be included in a language student’s digital CV are: past learning experiences, written assignments, multimedia produced, past tests and test results, teacher feedback or reports, and activities done outside class time to support their English language learning.

10. Teacher wiki You can create your own wiki to share with other teachers. Allocate different wiki pages for different teaching areas that you are particularly interested in, and collect useful resources and links for each page. You can also annotate each link so that it is useful to other teachers. A good example of a wiki maintained by an experienced English language teacher is Mark Pegrum’s e-language wiki (e-language.wikispaces.com), which focuses on e-learning. A teacher wiki like this is built up over time – in some cases over many years – and it can provide an invaluable resource for other teachers.

90

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

Using multimedia Many of the activities described in earlier units include the use of multimedia (text, images, audio and/or video). This section describes how to use tools that are particularly effective at integrating a range of media into students’ work. The first two units describe tools and activities that encourage students to work with images and online comic tools as a ‘springboard to language’ activity, or as a visual support for language work. This is followed by three units focusing specifically on video. Video is arguably the multimedia of choice for the language classroom, as it integrates spoken language and visual clues in a compelling format. We examine a range of video activities, and then dedicate two units to YouTube and TED talks, both popular video sites for English language teachers. In the unit on YouTube, alternative sources for videos are suggested in case you don’t have access to YouTube in your context. We then look at how to use the popular videoconferencing tool Skype, which can be used to support in-class language work, as well as for out-of-class language practice. The penultimate unit describes how you and your students can create multimedia presentations with a range of tools. Creating and giving presentations is a skill that many students need in both their academic and professional lives, usually from their adolescent years onwards, so it is worth helping your students with this key skill in the language classroom. The final unit provides tips and suggestions for using IWBs (interactive whiteboards) effectively. Although not all teachers have IWBs in their schools or classrooms, there are a significant number of teachers who do. If you are one of these, you will find some helpful IWB tips in this last unit.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

91

10

activities with images

Visually appealing images provide a welcome counterpoint to text for students; moreover, they can easily be integrated into your classroom as a support for language learning. When you are working with images from the internet, there are a couple of important things to keep in mind. Firstly, you need to ensure that the images you and your students use do not have copyright restrictions (see Unit 43). Secondly, finding and using images appropriately can help students develop useful digital skills, such as effective search techniques (see ‘Image search race’ and ‘Reverse image search’ below), as well as how to evaluate and verify the information they find online (see ‘Infographic fact check’ and ‘Create an infographic’ below). The 10 activities below describe how to use images in different ways, for example, as a way of developing your students’ search techniques, getting them to use a number of photo tools as a prompt for speaking and writing activities, and analysing and creating infographics for skills work.

Unit 26

1. Image search race Knowing how to find information online effectively through focused searching with appropriate keywords is an important digital skill for learners of all ages. An image search race can help students to develop this skill while reviewing vocabulary. Before class, prepare a list of 10–15 vocabulary items that you have recently taught your students. In class, review the basics of internet copyright and Creative Commons with your students (see Unit 43). Tell students to use their internet-connected devices to find Creative Commons photos of each word you’re going to say. Put the first vocabulary item on the board, and give them time to search for a Creative Commons licence image of that word. Remind students that they can search in a Creative Commons image bank, but that they still need to check the licence of each photo they find to ensure that it can be freely used and shared. Ask the students to show each photo they find to a partner. Continue by adding the next vocabulary item to the board. At the end of the activity, ask students if anyone found any unusual or interesting photos, and if so, to share them with the class in a group texting app or similar (see Unit 19).

2. Reverse image search A reverse image search enables students to upload an image and to see where it has already been posted online. TinEye (tineye.com) is a tool that enables students to carry out a reverse image search by uploading an actual image, or by adding the URL of an image that is already online. Image search engines such as Google Images (images. google.com) and Bing Images (bing.com/images) also allow for reverse image searching. Reverse image searching is useful in two ways. Students can check the provenance of an image that they would like to use in their own digital work in order to ensure that it does not infringe copyright. For example, if the site on which the original image appears notes that the image has a Creative Commons licence, students can check what conditions apply for reuse. If the original image does not have a Creative Commons licence, then they should not use it in their own digital work. They can also use reverse image search to find out more information about an image, for example, to identify a building or a place in a photo. Also, if they have uploaded their own images online, say, to a social network or blog, they can check that their images have not been used without their permission elsewhere. Give your students several well-known images (eg images that are currently popular on social media), and ask them, in pairs, to conduct reverse image searches

92

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

for each image. Ask them to share what they found out with the group. This is a useful awareness-raising exercise for students as it helps them understand the importance of the provenance of images on the internet.

3. Image quizzes Create online quizzes for your students that include images. For example, create multiplechoice questions for students in which they need to select an image rather than text as an answer. At very low levels, an image quiz can help with vocabulary practice. For example, your quiz might have the instruction: Choose the pineapple, followed by four or five images of different types of fruit (including a pineapple). An image quiz can also include an image as a question, for example, your quiz could have an image of a pineapple with the instruction Choose the correct word, followed by four or five words for different types of fruit (including the word pineapple). An image quiz for higher-level students might involve choosing the correct description for an image of a landscape, or of a person. Quiz tools that allow for the integration of images include most of the poll and survey tools suggested in Unit 21, as well as Google Forms (https://www.google.com/forms/about/).

4. Photo mark-up

Unit 26

There are digital tools available that enable students to mark up a photo by adding text or drawing to the image. The added text or drawing appears on top of the image. Simple activities involving photo mark-ups include adding descriptive words to photos of landscapes or people, adding speech bubbles to photos of people, and labelling images. For example, ask your lower-level students to use their devices and a photo mark-up app to label parts of the body or furniture in a room. ESP (English for Special Purposes) students can mark up images with more complex specialised vocabulary, such as parts of an engine, organs in the body, architectural drawings, etc., depending on their subject area. Photo mark-up programs include the popular PicsArt (picsart.com), which is webbased (ie suitable for PCs and Macs) and is available as an app for mobile devices.

5. Photo collage introductions At the beginning of a new course, ask your students to each create a collage of significant personal photos, and to use it to introduce themselves to the class. For example, they could include photos of important family members or friends, places, or objects that have special significance for them. Ask the students to show their photo collage to the class, and to use it to introduce themselves. Alternatively, you can ask students to use their photo collage to write a text about themselves, and to share the collage and text in a class blog or social network. Photo collage tools include photo collage (photocollage.com), Pic Collage (piccollage.com) and Pic Stitch for mobile devices (search for this one on your app store).

6. Photo manipulation Imagine your face on a billboard in a street scene, or in a painting in an art gallery, or in a newspaper article …. There are several ‘photo manipulation’ websites and apps that allow you to choose a template such as the scenes described, and then upload a headand-shoulders photo of yourself so that you appear in any number of different contexts. For example, Photofunia (photofunia.com) and Fun Photo Box (funphotobox.com) enable students to create ‘manipulated’ images of themselves. The manipulated images can

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

93

then be used by students as a prompt for creative writing. Here’s a simple activity to try out. Ask your students to visit one of the websites suggested above. They then choose a template and upload a photo of themselves into it. Ask them to imagine a back story to explain why they are in this context, and to write a short paragraph or story describing the circumstances. They can share their manipulated photos and explain their back story orally in class. As an extension, they can write a paragraph to accompany the photo and share it on a class blog or social network.

7. Storyboards In preparation for writing or speaking activities, you can encourage students to create storyboards (frames that serve as a visual step-by-step representation of a story). Storyboard That (storyboardthat.com) is a website that enables students to easily create storyboards with images and text. The stories can be original stories that the students themselves create, or they can be based on stories that students have already read, or on films that students have watched. See Unit 27 for more examples of how to use comic creation tools like Storyboard That.

Unit 26

8. Analysing infographics Infographics are images (or ‘graphics’) that present information in an engaging visual format. Infographics will often include facts and figures such as percentages or other numbers, along with short texts. You can find infographics on almost any topic, from the history of rock music to how to get a good night’s sleep. Two good sources for infographics are Daily Infographic (dailyinfographic.com) and Daily Infographics (dailyinfographics.eu). Find an infographic related to a topic you are currently working on in class. Show the infographic to your students, put them in pairs, and ask them to discuss the information presented in it. For example, if you show your students an infographic related to a health topic, ask them to discuss whether they are surprised by any of the information, how the information relates to them, or if they need to change any of their lifestyle habits based on what they have learned. As a follow-up, ask the students to write a short text summarising what they have learned from the infographic.

9. Infographic fact check Infographics often present facts and figures from a single source (these sources are usually listed in small print at the bottom of the infographic). Put your students in pairs and ask them to check the facts presented by searching for other sources that corroborate (or disprove) the information presented in the infographic. Verifying information found online by checking a number of sources is an important digital research skill for students from secondary school onwards.

94

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

10. Create an infographic There are a number of free web tools that enable students to create their own infographics. These include Easelly (www.easel.ly), Piktochart (piktochart.com) and Canva Infographic Maker (https://www.canva.com/create/infographics/). It will take students more than one class to create an infographic, so this is a short project rather than a single lesson. Put your students in pairs or small groups and ask them to choose a topic for their infographic. This could be related to a topic recently studied in class. Ask them to decide on the main areas that their infographics will address, and then to research facts and figures that they can include. Remind them to check several sources to verify the information they find, and to keep a list of source URLs. They need to include their sources in small print at the bottom of their infographics. Once students have created their infographics, ask them to share the final product with the rest of the class, for example, via a class blog or a social network. Students can present their infographics to the class, orally explaining the information.

Unit 26

“ELTPics (www.flickr.com/photos/ eltpics) is a large collection of photographs posted on Flickr, that English language teachers are free to use with their students. One of my favourite simple activities is to take three images from an ELTpics album and ask students to say which one is the odd one out and, of course, why they believe it to be so. As there is no right or wrong answer you will often get interesting opinions. This is a great activity for encouraging longer spoken responses to questions.” Victoria Boobyer, Co-founder (with Carol Goodey and Vicky Loras) of ELTpics

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

95

10

activities with online comics

Comics are a fun, creative and engaging way to get students reading, listening and writing in a foreign language. Comics (sometimes also called ‘graphic novels’) are generally well received by primary and secondary school aged learners, as well as by adults; however, some of the more ‘childish’ comic styles may not be suitable for adult classes. The extensive reading practice provided by regularly reading comics can support students’ language learning and increase their vocabulary. Students can read or listen to comics online, but they can also create their own comics. Online comics include classic text-based and image-based styles, but many online comic sites also enable students to create multimedia comics that integrate text, image, audio and video. Some well-known text- and image-based comic sites include Make Beliefs Comix (makebeliefscomix.com), StripGenerator (stripgenerator.com) and Toondoo (toondoo. com). Multimedia comic sites include Dvolver (www.dvolver.com/moviemaker/make.html), Zimmertwins (zimmertwins.com) and Creaza (web.creaza.com/en/product/cartoonist).

Unit 27

1. Graphic novel reviews Encourage your students to read online graphic novels out of class, especially if they are not keen on reading regular texts. Ask your students to choose one graphic novel on a topic that appeals to them (there is a large repository at The Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/comics). Give them a clear timeframe in which to read their chosen graphic novel (eg two to three weeks), and ask them to write a book review to share with the class when they finish. You can give them specific points to cover in their review (eg author, title, topic area, plot summary, describe two main characters, state what you most enjoyed about the graphic novel, etc.). Ask your students to read each other’s reviews, and to choose another graphic novel to read based on the review that sounds the most interesting.

2. The classics: Shakespeare Some courses require students to read classic texts such as plays by Shakespeare. Even for very high-level students, the language in original Shakespearean texts can be challenging. You can introduce your students to Shakespearean stories via short animated film versions such as Shakespeare: The Animated Tales (www.dailymotion.com/video/xiind_ shakespeare-the-animated-tales-haml_shortfilms). This award-winning series includes 12 half-hour Shakespearean plays with optional subtitles in English, and the films are created in a range of cartoon/animation styles.

3. Comic routines Students can create short text-based comic strips to practise language that you have taught in class. For example, if you have taught the use of the present simple tense for daily routines, ask your students to each create a short comic strip describing their own daily routines for homework. Ask the students to share their finished work in class or via a class blog or social network.

96

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

4. Functional language Students can also create short text-based comic strips to practise functional language taught in class (eg asking for and giving advice, asking for permission, explaining obligations). After you have taught one of these (or other) functional language areas, ask your students to work in pairs to create a text or multimedia comic strip that includes some of the new language. You can give each student a different situation (for example, a situation in which someone needs advice on a specific issue), or you can use a situation from your coursebook. Ask the students to share their work in class or via a class blog or social network.

5. Keyword comics Put a list of about 10 keywords on the board. These can be important vocabulary items from previous classes that you want your students to remember. Put the students in pairs and ask them to create a short story integrating any five of the keywords. Ask them to create their story in a text or multimedia comic tool, and to share their finished work with the class. The other class members then read/watch the comics and try to spot the five keywords.

6. Processes

Unit 27

Because of their linear nature, comic strips are well suited to describing processes and stages. After teaching the language for describing a process from the coursebook, put your students in pairs and ask them to create a text or multimedia comic strip to describe a similar process. A comic strip can also function as a simple instruction manual. For example, students could create a text or multimedia comic strip describing how to play their favourite computer game. Ask the students to share their work in class or via a class blog or social network.

7. Song lyric comics Choose a popular song that everybody knows. Alternatively, ask students to work in pairs and to choose a song themselves. The song needs to have lyrics that tell some sort of story. Ensure that students understand the story in the lyrics and ask them to create a textbased comic that tells the story as a conversation between characters. Ask your students to share their work with the class. If the students have chosen different songs, ask the class to read the comics and see if they can guess the original song from the story.

8. Comic interviews Interviews can be transcribed or summarised by creating a comic with two characters. Ask your students to interview you or to interview each other in pairs. First, ask students to create five or six interview questions in pairs. They then carry out the interview making a note of the responses you give (or their partner gives). Next, ask students to create a textbased comic with the questions and a short version of the responses. Ask the students to share their work with the class. The interviewee needs to ensure that all of the information given in the comic interview is correct!

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

97

9. Historical comics Put your students into pairs. Ask them to choose a period from history and a specific historical event from that time that involved one or two key characters. Ask the students to create a cartoon about this historical event. An easy-to-use multimedia comic creation tool that provides students with themes and characters from history is Creaza (web.creaza. com/en/product/cartoonist). This activity is a potentially valuable cross-curricular activity for primary and secondary school learners; you can liaise with your school’s history teacher about the content for the students’ cartoons. For example, each pair of students can be given a different historical event and characters, or you can ask them to work on the same historical period. The final animated films can be shared with other classes in the school and even with parents.

Unit 27

10. e-Safety comics A topic that is of particular importance for primary and secondary school students is that of online safety or ‘e-safety’, that is, how to stay safe online (see Unit 42). First, with your students, discuss important e-safety issues that are relevant to their age. These issues might include cyberbullying, protecting personal information online or the use of social networks. There is a wealth of information and educational material on e-safety available on websites like Childnet (childnet-int.org), Kidsmart (kidsmart.org.uk) and the Thinkuknow site (thinkuknow.co.uk). Put your students in pairs and ask them to create a comic about one e-safety topic. Share the students’ work with the class, with other classes in the school, and with parents.

“I use www.buildyourwildself.com with my nine- and ten-year-old students for practising vocabulary related to body parts. They create a wild version of themselves by combining different human and animal body parts and describe their creation in their notebooks. It’s great for developing vocabulary and it’s also a great age-appropriate motivational tool. A few extra links at the bottom of the page lead them to New York zoos and aquariums, which is a bonus activity for the curious animal lovers.” Marija Jović Stevanović, teacher in Serbia

98

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

10

activities with video

Video has always been popular with English language teachers, but with the advent of the internet, we now have access to an enormous range of videos in English. These can be authentic videos or videos specially created for EFL students. Technology and the internet not only enable us to watch video created by others, but we can now easily create our own videos. We can use our mobile devices and computer webcams to easily create videos and share them with others online. The first four activities below describe how you can use ready-made online videos with your students. The following six activities describe how you and your students can make your own videos to practise English.

1. Video lessons for EFL

2. e-Safety videos e-Safety (keeping safe online) is a particularly important topic for teenagers and children (see Unit 42). There are some excellent e-safety videos available online. These can be brought into class in order help raise awareness of this important issue with younger students. The issue of cyberbullying is something that can affect many children at school, and it is worth discussing overtly in class. Here is an activity you can do in class based around a video on cyberbullying. First, write the word cyberbullying on the board, and ask your students if they know what it is. Ask them to share any stories of cyberbullying they have heard, or even experienced. Ask students what they can do to stop cyberbullying. Show your students the award-winning two-minute video Let’s fight it together (youtu.be/dubA2vhIlrg). After they have watched the video, ask them how this particular situation was resolved (answer: the police were called), and point out that it’s important that victims of cyberbullying ask for help. Apart from this video, there are many other excellent videos and other resources about cyberbullying on the Childnet website (www.childnet.com).

Unit 28

There are websites that specialise in providing lesson plans for using authentic video with EFL students. Lessonstream (lessonstream.org) by Jamie Keddie has a collection of lesson plans for the classroom, based on authentic YouTube clips. You can search the site using such parameters as language level, language aim, topic and time. Film English by Kieran Donaghy has lesson plans on a range of topics based around authentic film clips (film-english.com). English Central (www.englishcentral.com/videos) also offers a wide range of short subtitled video clips of under a minute, searchable by language level, topic, type of English and skill. These can be used in the classroom, but are also suitable for students to use as self-study materials. ESLVideo (eslvideo.com) has a bank of video clips accompanied by quizzes, created by teachers for a range of levels. You can also create your own quizzes for videos on the ESLVideo site.

3. Viral videos Viral videos are an excellent topic for a lesson. Viral videos are videos that suddenly become popular and attract huge numbers of viewers – often in the millions. Many appear on YouTube. Put students into pairs and ask them to discuss what they think the elements of a successful viral video are. Share ideas with the class. Show students the TED talk (see Unit 30) by Kevin Allocca called Why videos go viral (http://www.ted.com/talks/kevin_ allocca_why_videos_go_viral), in which he proposes three essential attributes of a viral video. Ask students to note down the reasons he gives, as well as the names of the four viral video clips that Allocca shows during the talk. As a follow-up, ask students to discuss

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

99

any viral videos they have seen. As a class, students vote on which they think are the top three viral videos of all time. Show the videos in class, if possible.

4. Literal videos Literal videos are authentic video clips with subtitles that describe exactly what is happening on the screen. There are different types of literal video, and the most popular are pop music videos (eg Bonnie Tyler’s ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’), or subtitled film trailers (eg Harry Potter trailers). Choose a literal video on a topic of interest to the class and show it to them. Let them enjoy the video (when they are well made, they can be very funny) and afterwards ask students to note down 10 words they can remember from the literal subtitles. Let the students watch the video again to check. You can follow up with more language work on the subtitles (eg a gap-fill). As a follow-up activity, you can ask students to work in pairs to create their own literal subtitles for a film clip (see, for example, ‘Bombay TV’ below).

Unit 28

5. Bombay TV Bombay TV (www.grapheine.com/bombaytv) is an easy-to-use website that provides very short video clips from Hindi movies. Students choose a clip and type subtitles in a text box provided next to the clip. Alternatively, students can choose to dub the movie and record an audio voice-over for their chosen clip. Students save their final clip and email the URL to each other or to you. The original film clips are all in Hindi, which leaves non-Hindispeaking students free to interpret the scenes in the film clips in any way they like. Writing subtitles or preparing an audio voice-over is excellent language practice for students. You can ask them to use language you have recently taught in class, or allow them to subtitle or dub the film clips in any way they like.

6. Create interactive videos Thinglink (thinglink.com) is a tool that allows you to annotate videos and images to make them interactive. Thinglink creates ‘hotspots’ in a video. These are places on the screen where you can click. A hotspot is indicated by an icon that is overlaid on the video. You can create hotspots that link to other websites, to other videos or to an audio file (for example, of yourself explaining something about the video), or to a poll or quiz. You can add hotspots to ready-made videos (for example, from YouTube), or from videos that you have made yourself. Create interactive videos for your students by adding hotspots. For example, you can create polls at different points in a video to check that students have understood the dialogue in a video. Alternatively, you can create an audio voice-over for a video that has no dialogue. Once your students have tried out interactive videos that you have created for them, you can encourage them to create interactive videos for each other.

7. Video slideshows Video slideshow websites enable you to combine text, images and videos with music into a single video. For example, Animoto (animoto.com) allows you to choose a style from a range of templates, choose music, and then add text, images and/or short video clips from your computer. These are then combined into a single video that you can share with others. Students can use their own photos and short video clips to create video slideshows of their summer holidays, their hobbies, or any other area of interest. Encourage your students to share their video slideshows with their classmates, for example, via a class blog or social network.

100

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

8. Mobile videos It is very easy for students to create short videos out of class if they have mobile devices with video-recording capabilities. It is usually less intimidating for students to film objects or places rather than themselves when they start creating their own videos in English. You can ask your students to regularly produce short 60-second videos to practise vocabulary and structures related to topics that you have recently studied in class. For example, to follow up a lesson about literature or reading, ask students to film the cover of a favourite book and to say something about the book. To follow up a lesson about travel or countries, ask them to film a map of the world and to point out the places they would like to travel to and why. Students can upload their finished videos to a hosting service like YouTube (see Unit 29) as ‘unlisted’. They can then share the video URL with classmates, for example, in a class blog or social network.

9. Create a ten-second video

10. Create screencasts Screencasting software records your computer screen in real time. It is a useful tool for describing processes or for giving tutorials on how to use a specific software program. Many of the Help tutorials you find on YouTube (see Unit 29), for example, use screencasting to guide you step-by-step through a particular feature. Free screencasting software includes Jing (www.techsmith.com/jing.html) and Screencast-O-Matic (http:// screencast-o-matic.com/home). For homework, ask your students to create a screencast in which they talk through the sections in their favourite website or describe how to play their favourite computer game. Encourage students to share their completed screencast videos via a class blog or social network. Teachers can create screencasts to talk through a student’s written work and give detailed feedback.

Unit 28

Assign each student a topic that you have studied in class. For homework, ask the students to use their mobile phones to create a 10-second video that reflects their topic. You can ask students to include an audio commentary while they film (in ten seconds, this is likely to consist mainly of keywords or very short phrases). Alternatively, their videos can be silent or have background music. Share each student’s video in a subsequent class and ask the other students to try and identify the topic of each video.

“I’ve used the screencasting software Jing to give feedback to an elementary student on his written homework: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JI2fw_-3wc.” Lindsay Clandfield, teacher, trainer and author

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

101

10

ways to use YouTube effectively

YouTube is the world’s largest video-sharing website. It is owned by Google. It provides a wealth of video material for teachers, including videos that have been specially created for English language learners (eg eslbasics.com). Your students can watch YouTube videos both in and out of class; they can also upload their own videos to YouTube and share them with others. YouTube includes lots of helpful features for English language teachers and students; we explore many of these below to help you get the most out of it. If you need help with how to use some of these features, visit the YouTube Help channel (www.youtube.com/channel/UCMDQxm7cUx3yXkfeHa5zJIQ), which provides step-bystep guides in the form of short video tutorials. YouTube is prohibited in some countries, so the final item below looks at alternatives to YouTube.

Unit 29

1. Find relevant YouTube videos With a vast repository of videos, it can sometimes take time to find a video that is exactly right for your students. Searching YouTube for a general topic (eg endangered animals) will return tens of thousands of videos in your search results, and many of these videos may be years old, or too long for you to use with students. You can apply several filters at once to your search results by clicking on the small ‘filter’ button at the top of your search results. This gives you the option to refine your search by date (for example, you can choose videos uploaded this week, this month, or this year), or by length (for example, you can choose to only see short videos under four minutes, or longer videos of up to 20 minutes or more). Other useful search filters for teachers allow you to search for videos that have a Creative Commons licence (see Unit 43) and ones that have subtitles. You can also choose filters like ‘view count’ (the number of people who have viewed the video, which reflects its popularity), and ‘rating’ (the number of stars that viewers have awarded a video).

2. YouTube videos with younger learners When you play a YouTube video, a side bar is automatically displayed with related videos. There are external webpages or tools you can use to ensure that younger learners only see the video you have chosen on the screen, and are not accidentally exposed to inappropriate related videos or advertisements. Safe Share (safeshare.tv), View Pure (viewpure.com) and Quietube (quietube.com) all enable you to display only your chosen video, without any of the surrounding clutter you get when watching the video on the YouTube site.

3. Create a playlist A YouTube playlist is a list of videos that appear in a particular order, and that will play one after the other. You can create a YouTube playlist of short videos on a specific topic for a class, and encourage them to watch the playlist for homework. You can also create a YouTube playlist of videos on a specific language area for individual students, to help them improve their English. It’s a good idea to keep playlists for your students short, and with short videos that are suited to their language level. Students can also create short playlists for each other on specific topics or themes; they can then share their playlist URLs with the group. The YouTube Help channel provides tutorials on how to create a playlist.

102

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

4. Video segments You may find the perfect video for a class, but only want to use a short segment from the video during class rather than the whole thing. TubeChop (tubechop.com) is a useful tool that enables you to clip a segment from any YouTube video by selecting a start and end time for the section you want your students to see. You can then share only that video segment with your students via a new URL.

5. Videos with questions There are websites and tools that enable you to include questions with a YouTube video. Websites like PlayPosit (playposit.com) and Edpuzzle (edpuzzle.com) allow you to add the URL of a YouTube video, and then stop the video at any point. You can then create questions to display while students watch. Questions can be open (eg What you think happens next?), multiple choice or true/false, for example. When you have added questions to your chosen video, you can save the video and share the new URL with your students. When students watch the video, it will stop and display a question, and students need to answer the question to continue viewing. Students can view the videos on their computers or mobile devices. Including questions within a video is an excellent way to encourage prediction or to check comprehension. You can easily create a bank of videos with questions that your students can watch for regular homework.

Many YouTube videos already come with subtitles (referred to as ‘closed captions’); you can search for these videos by applying a closed caption filter (see ‘Find relevant YouTube videos’ above). YouTube can also add ‘automatic captions’ to a video via speech recognition software. Automatically produced captions are not always completely accurate, though. Students can produce captions for their own YouTube videos in three ways: by typing in closed captions for their video word by word; by turning on automatic captions and then typing in corrections when the captions are not correct; and by uploading the transcript that they used to create the video. (YouTube will automatically match a typed transcript to the timing of the spoken words in the video.) When you ask your students to produce videos as part of their classwork and to upload them to YouTube, you can also ask them to turn on automatic captioning. (Note that automatic captioning can take several hours to appear in a video.) In class, put your students in pairs to review the automatic captioning in their videos and to correct any inaccuracies. Encourage the students to share their finished videos with the rest of the class, for example, via a class blog or social network.

Unit 29

6. Add subtitles

7. Annotate videos YouTube includes an ‘annotation’ tool that enables students to add annotations like text labels, speech bubbles, or even hyperlinks to their own videos. See the YouTube Help channel for how to use the annotation tool. Ask your students to create a short silent video of one to two minutes on their mobile devices, related to a vocabulary area you have recently covered in class. For example, they could film a street scene with shops, rooms in their house, food in the supermarket, etc. Tell students to upload their videos to YouTube.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

103

Ask students to use the annotation tool in YouTube to add eight to 10 labels or speech bubbles to their videos, for example, with imaginary things said by people in the video, or text labels on some of the objects in the video. Encourage the students to share their finished videos with the rest of the class, for example, via a class blog or social network.

8. Anonymise videos The YouTube video editor enables you to blur faces in a video that you have created. This can be useful if you are filming young learners, and do not want them to be recognised, but would like to share the video with others. Once you have uploaded your video to YouTube, open the ‘enhancements’ option and go to the ‘quick fixes’ tab. Select ‘blur all faces’. Note that all of the faces in your video will be blurred. It is not possible to blur only some of the faces. Another way to keep a video private is to save it as ‘unlisted’ when you upload it to YouTube. Only those people with whom you share the URL of the video will be able to see it. This is also useful for sharing videos of young learners with their parents, while ensuring that the general public do not have access. However, it’s advisable to get signed parental consent before video-recording your learners, even if you only share your videos of students with their parents.

Unit 29

9. Teacher YouTube channel You can create your own ‘teaching’ videos for your students. For example, to encourage flipped learning, some teachers video-record themselves teaching or explaining new language points, and then upload the videos to their own YouTube channel. Students then watch a video of their teacher describing a new language area before coming to class, so that class time can be spent on communicative and speaking activities. When students subscribe to their teacher’s YouTube channel, they automatically get access to any new videos added by their teacher. This approach can be particularly effective for blended classes (see Unit 40), or for students taking fully online language classes. See an example of a lesson created by teacher Roberto Garcia from Peru and uploaded to his YouTube account for his language students: youtu.be/T-O6fIwrh3c.

10. Alternatives to YouTube Access to YouTube is blocked or restricted in some countries. However, there are many other websites that provide a wide range of videos that teachers can use with students in and outside the classroom. Vimeo (vimeo.com) is a video-sharing site similar to YouTube, but it is not restricted as often. Many of the videos found on YouTube can also be found on Vimeo, which allows search results to be filtered in a similar way to YouTube. School Tube (schooltube.com) is a video-sharing site where teachers and schools can create their own channels to share their students’ work. The site also includes helpful how-to videos, copyright-free material and ideas and lesson plans for how to use video with students. Teacher Tube (teachertube.com) contains videos for teachers made by other teachers. Typical videos include lesson plans being taught, example classes and descriptions of lessons that can be used by others.

104

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

10

ways to use TED talks

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and TED talks (ted.com) are presentations of between three and 18 minutes on a range of topics. TED talks are a good resource for English language teachers because the speakers and topics are engaging, so students often enjoy watching them. Students can watch them to develop and practise their listening skills in English. TED talks have extra features that make them a good resource to use both inside and outside the classroom.

1. Subtitles For homework, encourage your students to choose and watch a short TED talk with English subtitles, and then to watch the same talk again without subtitles. Alternatively, ask your students to first watch a short TED talk without subtitles, and then to watch the same talk again with subtitles. In both cases, they will understand a lot more on the second listening.

2. Transcripts Students can access ‘interactive transcripts’ of TED talks. This means that students can listen to the talk and read the transcript at the same time. The part of the transcript that the speaker is saying appears underlined in the transcript to help students read along at the same pace as the speaker.

Choose a short TED talk that your students will find interesting, possibly related to a topic they have recently studied in class. Before class, print out several copies of the transcript and cut it into sections. In class, put the title of the TED talk on the board, and ask students to discuss what they think it will be about. Give them the cut-up transcript (one copy per pair) and ask them to try and put it in order. Play the video so that they can check whether they have the transcript in the correct order. If not, they should move the pieces of the transcript into the correct order while listening.

Unit 30

3. Put a transcript in order

4. Translate TED has an open translation project called Translate (www.ted.com/participate/translate). This project calls on volunteers to translate TED talks into other languages. There are subtitles available for TED talk videos in over 100 languages other than English, from Albanian to Vietnamese to lesser-known languages such as Ingush and Hupa, and even a made-up language – Klingon – the language spoken by characters from Star Trek! Subtitles are created by volunteers, so if your students are linguistically proficient enough, get them to work in small groups on translating some of the shorter videos into their first language. They can then submit their translation to the TED Translate project.

5. Discussions One simple way to use a short TED video with students is to create a discussion around the topic. Put the title of your chosen TED talk on the board. Put the students in pairs, and ask them to discuss what they think the TED talk is about, and what the speaker might say about the topic. Watch the video together with the class. Put the students into pairs again, and ask them to discuss whether their predictions were correct. Ask them to decide on three keywords that summarise the content of the talk. Put all of the students’ keywords on the board and discuss with the group how each word relates to the talk.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

105

6. Check a translation If you teach a monolingual class, choose a TED talk that has subtitles available in your students’ first language. First, carry out the activity suggested in ‘Discussions’ above, so that students become familiar with the content in the video. Then play the video again with the subtitles in the students’ first language turned on. Ask them to check whether the subtitles are accurate, and to note down any changes they would make to the translation. Discuss any inaccuracies the students spotted in the translation and any changes they would make.

7. Summaries As a follow-up to either of the activities suggested above (‘Discussions’ or ‘Check the translation’), ask your students to write a short summary of the TED talk. You can make the activity more challenging by asking your students to write the summary in an exact number of words (eg 150 words). Tell students that you will not accept 149 words or 151 words – it needs to be exactly 150 words. This is a good language activity for students, as they need to think about how to shorten or lengthen their sentences by adding single words. Encourage your students to use some of the vocabulary or language from the transcript.

Unit 30

8. TED-Ed lesson plans The TED-Ed site (ed.ted.com) has videos with accompanying activities called ‘lesson plans’ created by educators around the world. Students can work through these lesson plans on their own without a teacher. Each lesson plan follows a similar structure. ‘Watch’ simply lets students watch the video (the student can choose to watch the video with or without subtitles). The next stage in a lesson is ‘Think’; this provides students with short exercises based on the content of the video. Exercises can include open questions (students type and save their answers on the platform itself) or multiple-choice questions. The exercise stage can be followed up with a ‘Dig Deeper’ section, which provides the student with additional resources to explore. Finally, a ‘Discuss’ section poses one or more questions related to the topic. Students can type longer responses and interact with others discussing the same questions. Choose a TED-Ed video related to a topic you have recently studied in class. As a homework activity, ask your students to work through the same TED-Ed lesson individually at home. They will need to sign up for a TED-Ed account to access the lessons. In the ‘Discuss’ section, they should read and respond to their classmates’ thoughts on the question(s) posed.

9. Presentation tips If you teach Business English, or if your students need to give regular presentations as part of their professional lives, encourage them to watch TED talks as preparation for their own presentations. Watch a few particularly good TED talks with the class and get students to note down a list of tips or points that make presentations effective. Put the students into small groups and ask them to come up with a list of ‘Top 10 tips for effective presentations’, based on what they have seen. Ask your students to keep this list in mind when they prepare their own presentations.

106

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

10. Give a TED talk Tell your students that they are going to prepare a short TED-style talk of three minutes. Assign each student (or pair of students) a different topic, or ask them to choose a subject. These can be related to topics they have recently studied in class. Ask the students to prepare their talk using a maximum of five or six slides. You will need more than one hour of class to give your students time to develop their slides and their talk notes or transcripts. Also give them plenty of time to rehearse their three-minute talks. Encourage students not to read their notes when they deliver their talk, as this tends to make their delivery sound flat.

“I teach Business English based on videos and audio from the TED Talks app. My students like the fact that the presenters are real successful people, with real stories and advice.”

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

Unit 30

Christina Bursina, teacher in Kaliningrad, Russia.

107

10

ways to use Skype

Skype is one of the best-known free videoconferencing tools; many teachers use Skype regularly in their private lives to connect with friends and family. Skype also has great potential in the language classroom for connecting students with English-speaking individuals and groups in other parts of the world. Skype can also be used by students out of class time to support their language learning. Finally, Skype can be used for regular meetings with parents of younger learners, and for meeting up with other teachers. Below are 10 ways you can use Skype with your students both in and outside the classroom for a range of purposes.

Unit 31

1. Skype in the classroom The ‘Skype in the classroom’ site (education.microsoft.com/skype-in-the-classroom/ overview) offers teachers a range of resources to help them use Skype with groups of students during class. There are Skype lessons that enable your students to connect with and interview experts on specific topics, and ‘Mystery Skype’ allows you to connect your primary or secondary school classroom with other classrooms around the world. There are comprehensive tutorials that explain how to use these and other features on the site. There are also specially created lesson resources and a Skype educators’ community that enables teachers to connect with each other. You need to create an account to use the ‘Skype in the classroom’ site. It is well worth spending some time exploring this site to see if you could use any of the lesson ideas or resources with your own students.

2. Guest interview Invite a guest into your classroom via Skype and ask your students to interview him or her in pairs. First give your students some very basic information about your guest, such as name and age, and ask them to prepare five to eight questions in pairs. Encourage them to ask open-ended questions that might elicit an interesting response (eg What’s the most interesting thing you’ve done in your life? What’s the most frightening experience you’ve had?). Help them with the language, so that their questions are accurate. Use your own Skype account to connect with your guest on the appointed day and time, and beam Skype onto your whiteboard with a projector. Ask your students individually to come up to the microphone connected to your computer (or to speak into the built-in microphone on your laptop) to ask the guest their questions. They should listen carefully to other students’ questions so that they do not repeat a question already asked by someone else. Everyone should take note of the answers. For homework, ask the students to write a short paragraph about the mystery guest, including any interesting or unusual information they found out.

3. Guest reader Children love stories. If you teach younger learners, invite a proficient English speaker guest into your classroom, via Skype, to read your students a story. If you have a copy of the same storybook, you can show your students the pictures in the book while the reader is reading on Skype. The reader can also hold up the storybook to the screen and point out things in the pictures for the students. In the next class, review the story with the students by showing them the pictures in the storybook and seeing how many words they can remember.

108

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

4. Intercultural class project Skype can connect students in different parts of the world with each other, as part of an intercultural class project. In these kinds of projects, Skype is usually one of a number of tools used to connect students. For example, two teachers with English language students of a similar age and level can connect their classes initially via a class blog or social network. This initial contact needs to be carefully structured around a number of tasks in which students share information about each other, their country and their culture. Two excellent intercultural class projects that demonstrate how this can be done effectively are Rita Zeinstejer’s Argentina/Kuwait project (https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=p3xq4tH9xPo&feature=youtu.be) and Seth Dickens’ Italy/USA project (http:// www.digitalang.com/2009/05/skype-calls-for-e-twinning-in-l2/).

5. Extra speaking practice When students live in a non-English-speaking environment, it is often a challenge for them to get enough speaking practice. Set regular speaking tasks for your students to carry out in pairs for homework; they should meet up on Skype to carry out these tasks. They can use pairwork speaking tasks from the coursebook, or to use online speaking prompt tools like those developed by the European Union-funded SpeakApps project (www.speakapps.eu).

Increasing numbers of language teachers offer live online English language classes to individual students, or to small groups of students around the world. Skype provides an effective videoconferencing platform for live online classes because it allows the teacher and students to use audio and video; it also includes a number of features that can be useful for teaching (see ‘Skype teaching tools’ below). One disadvantage of using Skype as a videoconferencing platform for live teaching is that the sessions cannot be recorded within Skype itself. To record a live class in Skype, you need to install extra software like Pamela (pamela.biz) or MP3 Skype Recorder (voipcallrecording.com). Some teachers use a digital audio recorder to record their Skype classes directly from their computer speakers; however, the sound quality of this method may not be optimal.

Unit 31

6. Live online teaching

7. Skype teaching tools Like most videoconferencing platforms, Skype includes tools and features that can be used to support live online classes. For example, there is a chat window where you and your students can type text. This is helpful for students who wish to ask questions, and for the teacher to type new vocabulary items or links to online resources. The teacher can also share her computer screen with students via Skype. This means you can prepare a series of PowerPoint slides with visuals, text, links, etc. in advance of your live class, and then show the PowerPoint slides from your own computer during the live class, using screensharing. The free version of Skype does not include a whiteboard, but you can use screensharing to show an external whiteboard webpage such as Scribblar (scribblar.com) or Web Whiteboard (webwhiteboard.com). Alternatively, you can have a small physical whiteboard on which to write things and show to students via your webcam.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

109

8. Tutoring students Provide regular individual tutoring sessions via Skype with your students. You can use the tutoring session to review a student’s progress, identify language areas or skills that he/she needs to improve on, set short-term learning goals for the student, and discuss any other issues or queries the student may have. Tutoring students virtually via Skype is especially useful for adult students who may not have time to meet face to face.

9. Teacher–parent meetings If you teach young learners and need to conduct regular meetings with individual parents, meeting up via Skype is one way to ensure that busy parents can attend these meetings. Research shows that the home–school connection is important for children’s academic success, and this is particularly important where struggling students may need extra support from the teacher and parents. Regular meetings with parents of children with special needs are a particularly important aspect of providing pastoral care for your young learners.

Unit 31

10. CPD meetings Regular small teacher meetings can be conducted via Skype, whether these are meetings about administrative issues or meetings that support teachers’ continual professional development (CPD) within a school. As part of your school’s CPD programme, create small ‘working groups’ of two or three teachers working on specific projects of general interest to teachers and learners in the school. Typical projects might be ‘Ways of using IWBs (interactive whiteboards) effectively’, or ‘How to encourage students to read more extensively out of class’. Working groups can meet up regularly (eg once a week) on Skype to discuss their project and to prepare a presentation to give to other teachers in the school in a monthly or bimonthly face-to-face CPD meeting.

“I sometimes use Skype to hold mystery interviews with classes in other countries. Once we start a Skype call, students start asking each other questions about their currency, flag colours, language, famous sights until they find out where they are. After that, we can extend the activity to asking more detailed questions about each class and the culture of their countries. As a follow on, students can write what they have learned about the other country in a chart or a poster.” Ayat Al-Tawel, teacher in Egypt

110

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

10

tools for creating multimedia presentations

Students often need to give presentations in their academic or professional lives, for example, at school, university or work. Students can be encouraged to create presentations on almost any topic that they learn about in class, and many of the activities described in this book can naturally lead to students creating presentations to share with their classmates. This unit describes 10 tools that you and your students can use to create engaging multimedia presentations. Many of the tools are free, but some are not (eg PowerPoint and Keynote). Although it’s usually easier to create multimedia presentations on a desktop or laptop computer, all of the presentation tools below have mobile apps too. Many of the tools allow students to save their presentations as narrated video files that can be shared with others. The first five tools described below can be used to create presentations. The following three tools can be used to create audio- or video-narrated presentations. The last two tools can be used to broadcast and share presentations.

1. PowerPoint

2. Keynote

Unit 32

PowerPoint is arguably one of the best known and most popular software packages for creating presentations. It’s part of the Microsoft Office suite so it’s not free. PowerPoint enables students to create presentation slides with images and text, and also to embed audio files and video into their slides. Students can record audio narration with their PowerPoint slides and then save the presentation as a video. This means that students can practise and record a presentation as a narrated slideshow video at home and then share it with you and the class, for example, via a class blog. The Microsoft Office Help pages provide instructions on how to turn a set of PowerPoint slides into a video with audio narration (https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Turn-your-presentation-into-avideo-C140551F-CB37-4818-B5D4-3E30815C3E83).

Keynote is similar to PowerPoint, but it is designed for Apple Mac computers and mobile devices. As with PowerPoint, students can create presentation slides with images and text, and also embed audio and video into their slides. Keynote enables students to record audio narration with their slides and to save the presentation as a video. Encourage students to search YouTube for video tutorials to help them create their presentation videos. They can do this using a search phrase like ‘how to make a video Keynote presentation’. Knowing how to search for help online is a fundamental skill for both teachers and students.

3. Google Slides Google Slides (google.com/slides) are part of the free Google suite of document creation tools that includes Google Docs and Google Sheets. You need a Google account to access and create Google Slides. The user interface of Google Slides is similar to that of PowerPoint and Keynote. Images can be added to slides, but there are fewer multimedia options in Google Slides. On the other hand, the options for collaborating on and sharing Google Slides are excellent. You can invite others to edit a set of Google Slides with you, which makes it an ideal tool for students creating group presentations with several contributors. A Google Slides presentation is saved online, so others can easily view it via the URL. Alternatively, it can be downloaded to a computer for off-line viewing. Students can set the privacy of a presentation so that it is only

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

111

accessible to people they invite by email. Other options include making the presentation accessible to all those who have the URL, or making it publicly available on the web. These levels of privacy can be useful for teachers and students; for example, you could make your young learners’ Google Slides presentations accessible only to invited individuals, such as parents or other teachers.

Unit 32

4. Haiku Deck

112

Haiku Deck (haikudeck.com) is an online presentation tool that emphasises the graphic elements in slides. It provides beautiful slide templates and controls the font size and quantity for maximum visual impact. Another unique feature of Haiku Deck is that a Creative Commons image and video search (see Unit 43) is integrated into the tool, so students can easily find images and videos for their slides that they are legally allowed to use. The free version of Haiku Deck is limited to three presentations; the slideshows that your students create are automatically saved online. (Note that they can only be viewed online.) Ask your students to create short presentations in Haiku Deck based on a topic you have recently worked on in class. You can limit the number of slides to five or six in total, to ensure that your students keep their presentations short. First, show your students an example slideshow in Haiku Deck. A good one is this presentation by Ken Shelton, which demonstrates how to make effective use of visuals: https://shar.es/1E0JQf. Point out to students that they will need to choose the words to accompany each of their slides carefully because of the limit on the amount of text that can be added.

5. Prezi Prezi (prezi.com) is a popular online presentation tool that allows you to embed images, audio and video in a visual ‘canvas’ format that moves viewers through various elements within the spatial dimensions of the canvas. The best way to understand the visual format of Prezi is to look at some examples on the Prezi website. Prezi allows the viewer to zoom in and out of elements, and has a less linear feel compared to more traditional presentation tools like PowerPoint, Keynote or Google Slides. However, some viewers have reported motion sickness when too much movement is included in a Prezi, so this is one element to warn your students about! A good example of a Prezi is one created by teacher Mark Thomson. It is about the Stanford Prison Experiment, and was created for an ESP class of university students. It can be found here: https://prezi.com/c9grnc8wnoom/stanford-prison-experiment/. Prezi has a ‘remote presentation’ feature, which enables you to share your Prezi URL with an online audience who may be in different locations, and then to move the slides for your audience so that everybody is looking at the same part of the Prezi at the same time on their desktop computers or mobile devices. To create a narrated video of a Prezi presentation, you need to create your video using additional software, for example, Present.me or Screencast-O-Matic (see a description of both below).

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

6. CamStudio Another popular free tool for creating narrated presentations and saving them as a video is CamStudio (https://camstudio.org/). CamStudio is a software program that you need to download and install on your computer. It allows you to record your computer screen and audio. The result can then be saved as a video file. Students can create a narrated video presentation of their slides and the finished video can then be shared via social media or email, or embedded on a class blog. Encourage your students to use CamStudio with video or audio, and then to record their presentations at home. They can then share their finished presentation videos with the class. You can also create videos for your students explaining certain language points or describing a process. This can be a useful tool for the flipped classroom (see Unit 40).

7. Jing

8. Screencast-O-Matic Screencast-O-Matic (screencast-o-matic.com) is similar to Movenote, enabling students to create a video-recording of content that they display on their computer screen (see Unit 28). As such, it is another good tool for creating narrated slideshow presentations as videos. To use the tool, open your previously prepared presentation on your computer, go to the Screencast-O-Matic website, and launch the recorder from there. ScreencastO-Matic gives you three options: to record only your screen, only your webcam, or both at the same time. Screencast is easy to use and offers several ways of easily sharing students’ completed video presentations. Presentations can be stored in various different ways: saved as a MP4 video file on a computer, saved on the Screencast-OMatic website, or uploaded directly to YouTube (assuming that students already have a YouTube account – see Unit 29).

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

Unit 32

Jing (https://www.techsmith.com/jing-tool.html) is a free screencasting software program that is similar to CamStudio (see 6, above). It also needs to be downloaded and installed on your computer. Students can record a narrated version of their slides, create a video of the results and save it to their computer. The video recording can be also shared from CamStudio via Screencast.com, a video hosting site that gives users 2GB of free storage with Jing. Sharing a Jing video via Screencast.com generates a URL for the video that can be easily shared with others. The free version of Jing only allows recordings of a maximum of five minutes, which can be useful if you would like your students to create short or timed presentations.

113

9. Presefy Presefy (presefy.com) is a tool that shows your presentation slides in real time, so that students can follow your slides on their laptops or mobile devices in the classroom. This can be useful if your classroom doesn’t have a projector or screen for you to share your slides on, but your students do have smart mobile devices or laptops, and an internet connection. As you advance your slides one by one, the slides automatically advance on the students’ devices. Students can take notes during your presentation, and they can also download the presentation onto their own devices for future reference. To use Presefy, you need to sign up for an account, which allocates you a channel and a unique URL. Then, upload a pre-prepared presentation in PowerPoint format, or as a PDF file to your Presefy account. Your presentations are stored online. When you share your Presefy channel URL with your students, they can immediately see your presentation. The free Presefy account allows you to store up to two presentations at a time, but you can delete and replace those as you like. Students can use Presefy for their own class presentations to encourage their classmates to follow along with their presentations in real time. Everybody including the presenter can use Presefy to see the slides directly on their device screens.

Unit 32

10. Slideshare Slideshare (slideshare.net) is one of the most popular slide-sharing websites currently available. You can browse the Slideshare website to find interesting presentations on a wide range of topics, and share these with your students. Slideshare users can find and follow each other, and leave comments on each other’s presentations. Create a Slideshow account for a class and share the login details with your students. This allows them to upload their presentations to a single page. Slideshare is a good tool for keeping presentations in one place online, and for sharing access.

“You can easily record a lecture and then put it online. Simply open up the PowerPoint slides onto your screen, turn on the screen capture software and start to record. Remember it will also record your voice too and you can flick from slide to slide. You could then share the recording with the students or even put the recording onto YouTube and share the link with the students. Remember if your students have screen capture technology, they could also record themselves giving a PowerPoint presentation.” Russell Stannard, www.myetpedia.com/screen-capture-technology-in-elt

114

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

10

tips for getting the most out of IWBs

An IWB (interactive whiteboard) is a digital board that is connected to a computer and a projector. The projector displays what is on the computer screen on the surface of the board. The board is tactile, meaning that you can control the content displayed on the board by touching it with a special electronic pen (or ‘e-pen’), or, in the case of some boards, with your finger. When a school installs IWBs, teachers may receive some initial training, but it often takes time to learn to use all the features of an IWB with confidence. Using an IWB is a bit like driving – the more you do it, the more confident you get. The first tip below suggests a procedure to help you and your fellow teachers set up a framework for developing your IWB skills. The following tips describe how you can use the main features of IWBs. Once you have mastered them all, you should be using IWBs very effectively with your students!

1. Get confident

2. Use the spotlight tool

Unit 33

Set up regular informal meetings with a small group of teachers in your school who would like to learn to use their IWBs more effectively. For example, meet up for half an hour once a week in a classroom that has an IWB. Choose a single IWB tool (see the tools described in the tips below) and help each other get some hands-on practice, actually using the tool during the meeting. As a group, agree that you will all try to use that particular IWB tool at least once in a lesson during the coming week. Meet up the following week, discuss how it went and examine one more IWB tool together. Repeat this procedure over a period of weeks or months until all the members of the group feel confident with a range of IWB tools. Ensuring that IWB training is ongoing, in-house, teacher led and firmly based on classroom practice is a good way to ensure that it is effective.

IWBs come with a range of tools that you can use during class with the content that you project onto the board. Some of these tools can be used effectively with images. For example, some IWBs have a ‘spotlight tool’, which enables you to show only a small round portion of an image (the rest of the image remains invisible). You can move this spotlight tool around with a special e-pen (or with your finger on some boards) to illuminate different parts of the image. Use the spotlight tool to encourage students to speculate about an image by just showing one part of it. Ask them to guess what the full picture is of using language of speculation, such as: It might be an animal; It can’t be a dog; It looks like it has four legs, etc.

3. Use the reveal tool with images Many IWBs have a ‘reveal’ tool, which enables you to cover part of an image, almost like a curtain. You draw this ‘curtain’ back with an e-pen (or with your finger on some boards) to reveal the whole image. The reveal tool can cover the top, bottom, left-hand side or righthand side of a picture. Use the reveal tool to show students half of a picture (for example, a landscape, a street scene, an image from the news, a diagram). Ask them to guess what is in the other half of the picture, then reveal it.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

115

4. Use the reveal tool for answers You can use the reveal tool to show answers you have prepared in advance. For example, create an IWB slide showing a table with two columns. Put a list of infinitive verbs in the left-hand column, and the past simple form of those verbs in the right-hand column. Use the reveal tool to cover the right-hand column before the students come into class. During class, ask the students to look at the infinitive verbs in the left-hand column (which is visible). In pairs, they write down the past simple form of the verbs. Then use the reveal tool to show them the answers on the right. You can create two-column tables for different language areas. For example, you could put incorrectly spelt words on the left and reveal the correct spelling on the right; put sentence prompts or questions on the left and reveal the full sentences or answers on the right; put vocabulary definitions on the left and reveal the vocabulary item on the right.

Unit 33

5. Save your boardwork IWBs usually have a ‘snapshot’ tool that allows you to take a picture of what you have on the board. This can be useful if you have added new vocabulary or structures to the board, and want to keep a record of this for your students. You can email the snapshot of your boardwork to students after class. You can also write homework on the IWB, take a snapshot, and email that to students.

6. Exploit multimedia transcripts Some ELT publishers provide IWB software to accompany their print coursebooks. IWB software closely mirrors the print version of the coursebook, but provides enhanced digital features, particularly for multimedia (audio and video). Transcripts for use with an IWB are interactive; this means that you can project the transcript onto the IWB, and, when you touch a sentence in the transcript (with an e-pen or your finger), the audio for that sentence automatically plays. This is extremely useful for replaying sections, sentences or even individual words in audio recordings for students. By replaying elements within an audio transcript, you can help students focus on pronunciation.

7. Use ready-made materials Two of the main IWB providers are Smart Board and Promethean. Each of these companies uses a different software program to create their IWB materials: Smart Board uses ‘Notebook’ and Promethean uses ‘ActivInspire’. Both providers offer free IWB materials on their websites. Smart Board IWB materials can be found at http://exchange.smarttech.com/search.html?subject=English+as+a+Second+Language, and Promethean materials at prometheanplanet.com. Search through the materials on your IWB provider’s website, choose something that is relevant for your students and try it out in class.

8. Create your own materials To create your own IWB slides (also referred to as ‘flipcharts’), you need to use the software created for that IWB (see ‘Use ready-made materials’ above). You can download Notebook for Smart Board and ActivInspire for Promethean from your IWB provider’s website. IWB software programs function in a similar way to PowerPoint. You can add images, text and hyperlinks, and embed video into an IWB slide or flipchart. When the

116

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

different elements are projected onto the IWB in class, you can move them around the slide. Activities like ordering words in a sentence, putting vocabulary items into groups or matching words to pictures can be easily done by dragging each element across the IWB screen with an e-pen (or your finger on some boards). You can reuse your IWB slides with different classes.

9. Get students using it The interactive nature of an IWB means that students can come up to the front of the class and move elements around the board with an e-pen (or finger with some IWBs). If you have a tablet with your IWB slides rather than a fixed desktop computer, the tablet can be passed around the classroom. Students can then type words or draw things that will appear on the IWB screen. Try to involve your students in IWB use as much as possible in your classes.

10. Save your lessons

“When you prepare materials for a lesson or activity think about how your learners can share the board and the space around it. Some IWB software allows students to send answers, text or images to the board from their own devices, and you can use it to concept check, gather and share ideas. In my experience, learners are thrilled to see their images, graphs, mind maps, drawings or words on the board.”

Unit 33

You can annotate your IWB slides by writing or drawing on them, and you can save each slide with those annotations. For example, imagine that you want to review parts of the body with your students. Create an IWB slide with a diagram of the human body. Show the slide in class and get students to come up to the board one by one to label the parts of the body, writing words like head, shoulders, elbow, ankle, etc. with the e-pen. You can then save that IWB slide (you need to save it with a new file name), and show it to students in a future class, with all of the labels that they wrote in place.

Barbara Gardner, Learning Technologies Manager, Cambridge, UK

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

117

Using smartphones and tablets Many of our students own mobile devices, particularly mobile phones. These phones might be ‘feature phones’ rather than smartphones, depending on your teaching context. However, even low-end feature phones have a range of functions that can be used to support language learning. For example, feature phone users can take photos, record audio (and possibly video), create short texts in SMS format, and even connect to the internet. Many of the activities described in earlier units can be carried out with feature phones. Nevertheless, smartphone ownership has increased significantly in recent years as smartphones become more affordable. They can connect to the internet, they can handle a range of multimedia and they usually include GPS functionality, which means that they can locate your exact geographical position. The smart mobile devices of choice are currently phones, tablets, and ‘phablets’ (a large phone, about halfway in size between a regular smartphone and a tablet). Increasing numbers of schools allow students to bring their own smartphones and tablets to school and to use them in specific ways in the classroom. Some teachers feel that rather than swimming against the tide by banning students’ devices in the classroom, they should find ways for students to use these powerful devices in appropriate ways to support learning activities. However, some teachers may feel wary about encouraging students to use their mobile devices in class, or are unsure about where or how to start. This section starts by addressing wider issues such as planning for the effective introduction of smartphones and tablets into your school or classroom. The second unit provides tips on classroom management for teachers using mobile devices with students, ensuring that students use the devices effectively and appropriately. The third unit looks at how you can use social networks with your students to support their language learning, particularly out of class. Although social networks are also accessed via desktop computers and laptops, the majority of users access their social networks from mobile devices, and this is a growing trend. The last three units describe ways to use some of the special features of smartphones and tablets. Activities like reading QR codes and using geolocation and augmented reality apps are only possible from a smartphone or tablet; this means that your students need access to these devices to be able to carry out some of the activities in the final units.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

119

10

things to know about using mobile devices in your school

This unit looks at the choices and challenges involved in using mobile devices as a tool to support students’ English language learning. It looks at some of the wider issues that you and your school should address before you start using these devices with students in the classroom, for example, issues such as whose mobile devices to use, how to plan effective tasks for mobile devices, and how to share students’ work are addressed below. Also, institutional issues such as infrastructure, mobile bans and how to create a strategic plan for mobile use across an entire school are discussed.

1. Mobile devices and learning

Unit 34

Introducing mobile phones or tablets (or indeed any technology) into a learning situation doesn’t automatically mean that students will learn better. It all depends on how the devices are used. Although it is difficult to link the use of smartphones and tablets directly to improved learning outcomes or test scores, there is ample evidence to show that if devices are used appropriately in pedagogically sound ways, students’ motivation can increase. In some specific language areas such as vocabulary, there can be significant learning gains. Given that many students are already bringing smartphones and tablets to school, we should try to make good use of them in the classroom. At the very least, they can help make our lessons more engaging and relevant to students’ lives.

2. Class sets Not all students own a smartphone or tablet. There are a number of ways to deal with this. At primary school level, where it is less likely that students will own a mobile device, some schools invest in a ‘class set’ of smart devices – usually tablets. The school-owned tablets are kept in the school library, and teachers can book the tablets out to use with a class. The students use the tablets for the duration of the class, and then they are returned to the library.

3. BYOD and hybrid approaches Some secondary schools and universities implement a BYOD (bring your own device) approach, with students bringing their own smartphones or tablets to class and using those when necessary. Other schools implement a ‘hybrid’ approach, where students are allowed to bring their own mobile devices to class if they want to, or they can choose to use one of the class set of tablets. It’s generally a good idea to have one tablet per pair of students anyway, to ensure that students work collaboratively on tasks.

4. Mobile hardware and software If your school decides to invest in class sets, a decision about what mobile devices to buy is the first step. Android tablets tend to be cheaper than iPads, and are an increasingly popular choice for schools. However, Android devices can be more prone to security breaches and malware, so installing a robust antivirus software immediately is important. The advantage of a class set of tablets is that each student’s device, as well as the software loaded onto it, is the same, and the school can be responsible for installing only the (educational) apps that students need. With a BYOD approach, teachers need to choose ‘cross-platform’ apps for their students to download, that is, apps that are available for Android, Apple and Windows devices. In this way, students can all use the same apps, whatever device they have.

120

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

5. Storing and sharing work One challenge for teachers is to establish where students will store the work they create on their mobile devices. You will also need to determine how students will share their work with you and other students, when necessary. If your students use a class set of tablets, for example, they will need to store their work online; in this way, they will be able to access it easily from any device. Popular choices for storing documents and multimedia online include Google Drive (google.com/drive) and Dropbox (dropbox.com). You can set up Google Drive folders and share them with students so that they all upload their work to one place. In addition, students can have their own Google Drive or Dropbox accounts to store their own work for their own reference. Work can also be shared via a class blog or wiki (see Unit 24 and Unit 25) where appropriate. The important thing is to choose a storage option and to set up an account for the class before you start using class sets of mobile devices with them.

6. Using smart mobile devices appropriately

Unit 34

One major concern for teachers is that students may use their devices inappropriately. This is generally less of a concern to teachers of adults. However, schools planning to use smart mobile devices with younger students (eg of primary and secondary school age) should develop a digital policy which includes an ‘acceptable use policy’ (AUP; see Unit 42). It’s also a good idea to ensure that parents understand why and how mobile devices will be used in the classroom, so that they understand that their children are not simply playing games, but using the devices to support their English language learning. Invite parents to a meeting in which the rationale behind the use of mobile devices in class is explained, and examples of past student work created with devices is shared. Details of the AUP can also be shared, so that parents understand the consequences of inappropriate use. Getting parents on board and supportive of the use of mobile devices in the classroom is particularly important if a BYOD approach is being implemented in the school.

7. Infrastructure A robust wi-fi connection in your classroom is essential if students are going to use mobile devices to connect to the internet and use apps. Students using their own devices are likely to have their own 2G, 3G or 4G data connections. However, these often have an associated cost for learners, so it is preferable to have wi-fi available. This will require some investment on the part of the school.

8. Mobile device bans Some schools – particularly primary and secondary schools – prohibit the use of mobile phones in class, so teachers can’t use mobile devices with their students even if they want to. If this is the case for you, one option is to set tasks for your students that require them to use their devices out of school, and to then use that as a springboard for classroom activities. Here is one simple example: ask your students to take photos outside class related to the topic you are currently studying. They should then share their photos via a group texting app (see Unit 19), or email them to you. Then, use those photos (collated onto PowerPoint slides, for example) as the basis for discussion in class.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

121

9. Strategic implementation plan Rather than having some teachers using mobile devices in an ad hoc manner with some classes, schools can take a more strategic and supported approach to using them. Suggest to your director that your school should develop a robust strategic implementation plan that involves all stakeholders: teachers, students, administrative and technical staff, and, in the case of students under 18, parents. On page 189 of the appendix you will find a 10-step strategic plan that can help your school implement a pedagogically sound and well-structured approach to the use of mobile devices in the classroom.

Unit 34

10. Self-study apps Encourage students to use apps on their mobile devices outside class time to support their language learning. First, help students to decide what apps might be helpful for them. Would they find it useful to receive an ‘idiom of the day’ on their mobile phones? What about having a bilingual dictionary on their mobile device? Or maybe subscribing to the BBC or CNN news in the form of video podcasts, and watching these on the way to school or work every morning? This is a particularly effective learning strategy for adult students; they often have their own smartphones or tablets and can be self-motivated enough to seek further opportunities for language learning outside the classroom. You will find some recommended apps for English language learning on page 192 in the appendix. But don’t just leave it at that. Get students to share what apps they have been using by regularly discussing them in class. Make it optional: even if you start with just a handful of students picking up on your recommendations for apps, word will soon spread. Then more and more of your students will be keen to try it out.

“Use simple mobile-based activities to connect to students and know more about their interests. One way of doing it is by asking them to show on their mobile device screens the last photo they took. From there, many activities might take place, like reporting how that photo tells much about what they like and do, or having peers asking questions about the photo.” Carla Arena, teacher trainer, speaker and co‑founder of AMPLIFICA. Carla blogs at www.carlaarena.com

122

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

10

ways to manage smartphones and tablets in the classroom

When students use smartphones and tablets in class, it can make things feel a little different from the way a more traditional classroom feels. Depending on how they are used, smartphones and tablets can help learners work collaboratively together, they can encourage sharing of work, and they can increase interest and motivation during class. They can also transform the learning space itself, as students move around with the devices. This unit offers tips on how to manage and take advantage of the changed dynamics and spaces that using smartphone or tablets can bring to your classroom.

1. Encourage pairwork Whether students bring their own smartphones or tablets to class (BYOD), or you use class sets of tablets (see Unit 34), it’s often most effective to have one device per pair of students. This encourages students to work together on activities and tasks, and ensures that they interact with each other. Most of the classroom-based activities in this book are designed for students to carry out in pairs, on smartphones and tablets connected to the internet.

2. Groupwork and screen size

Unit 35

As with pairwork, work carried out in small groups encourages students to interact with each other, and not just with content on a smartphone or tablet. If you have access to a class set of tablets, you can encourage your students to work in small groups of three students while producing digital content. Bear in mind that the screen size of the mobile device is important: if students are using smartphones, for example, and need to be able to see each other’s phone screens, then no more than two students should work together. On the other hand, up to three students can see a tablet screen if they are sitting close enough together. For a group of three students working together, you should ideally have at least two smartphones or two tablets per group.

3. Share digital work One of the main advantages of having your students produce work in digital format on smartphones or tablets is that they can easily share their work with classmates, as well as with the wider world. In the case of younger learners, digital content created on class sets of tablets can be privately shared with parents online – via cloud services like Google Drive or Dropbox (see Unit 34). When students know they will have a wider audience for their work (because it will be shared online), they are usually keen to produce work to the highest possible standard.

4. Plan for movement One of the main advantages of smartphones and tablets is that they are portable, enabling students to move not just around the classroom, but also around the school and surrounding areas. For example, activities in which learners need to read QR codes (see Unit 37), or use augmented reality apps (see Unit 39) by their very nature require students to get up and move around with their devices. However, depending on the seating arrangements in your classroom, you may need to use other, less structured, spaces within your school (such as the school library or cafeteria) to carry out some smartphone- or tablet-based activities. Dealing with movement is a logistical issue that often needs prior planning, depending on your classroom space and the size of your class.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

123

5. Design effective tasks Tasks that are personalised, short and achievable can work well when students use their own smartphones or tablets. For example, give your students a mobile photo race. Ask them to take out their mobile devices and to open their photo albums. Then say, ‘Find a photo with something red in it.’ Pause for 10 seconds while each student searches for a photo that fits that criterion. They must then silently show it to their partner. Then give another example eg ‘Find a photo of a pet’, and pause again for 10 seconds, and so on. Each pair keeps a score of how many photos they manage to find between them. After doing eight to ten examples, get feedback from the class about any unusual or fun photos that they shared. The language focus in this activity is on reviewing vocabulary; it also practises listening skills. The activity is personalised because the students share their own photos, and the use of devices is short and focused, so students simply don’t have time to be doing something else. If students are engaged in a challenging task, they are also less likely to be disruptive in class. Good task design can positively influence classroom behaviour and make a group easier to manage.

Unit 35

6. Focus attention One concern for teachers is that students may use their own smartphones or tablets in class to check their social networks or text their friends, rather than focus on learning tasks. If you give your students engaging and worthwhile tasks that they need to carry out with their devices, they are much more likely to complete the task than to do something else (see ‘Design effective tasks’ above). Another strategy to focus your students’ attention is to implement clear classroom management techniques. When a task is finished, always ask your learners to put their smartphones or tablets away in the same place. If students are using their own smartphones or tablets, some teachers ask them to put their devices into their bags or pockets until they are needed again. Another option is to ask students to put their smartphones or tablets face down on their desks where you can see them while you move on to something else.

7. Give time limits Depending on the task, you can give your students a clear time limit in which to complete a task. The example above (see ‘Design effective tasks’) shows how time limits can be used to keep students on task. For longer, more complex, tasks, such as creating presentations or using other digital tools, you will, of course, need to give your students more time.

8. Digital breaks Some teachers give their students a ‘digital break’ of five minutes or so during a class. This is a strategy that can be used especially with adults and a BYOD approach. It consists of allowing your students to use their devices for anything they want, for five minutes. They can also get up and stretch their legs. This approach can be helpful for busy working adult students, who may need to keep a close eye on work email. It can also be useful in classes that last more than an hour. However, before implementing the idea of digital breaks with the class, it’s best to discuss this with the students themselves to see if they feel it would be helpful or not.

124

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

9. Learner training Some adult students may have negative perceptions about using mobile devices for communicative language-learning activities. They may feel that smartphones or tablets are best used for completing drill-based grammar activities (for example drag-and-drop activities, gap-fills, etc.). To start off, you can encourage these students to use their mobile devices at home with self-study apps (see page 192 in the appendix). Then you can slowly start to introduce more communicative activities with smartphones or tablets into your classes, to help these students understand the benefits of communicative language activities that are supported by (as opposed to dependent on) mobile devices.

10. Apps for classroom management

Unit 35

There are a number of apps available for teachers of young learners to help them manage their classes. One of the most comprehensive apps is ClassDojo (classdojo.com), which enables you to keep a list of your students’ names and to reward them for good behaviour. The app allows you to customise the behaviours you want to track for your students; for example, you can give your students points for the behaviours you want to encourage, such as arriving on time, doing homework, being polite, being respectful to each other, etc. Children can be motivated to earn points for good behaviour in ClassDojo; it’s also a useful analysis tool for teachers to track the behaviour of individual students over time. Reports of individual students’ behaviour in class can be generated to share with the student, with parents and with other teachers. Screentime (itunes.apple.com/us/app/ screen-time/id401258730) is an app that helps students respect a time limit for an activity on a tablet. The app can be pre-installed on class sets of iPads, and the teacher can set limits to the amount of time that students can use the device for a specific activity. After the time expires, a notification appears on the screen that stops the tablet being used until the correct passcode is entered.

“With gazillions of free apps available, how can we ever know the best ones for our students? Simple as it may seem, we just asked them. Thais, a first-year student, knew it all about Goodwall (a social network for high school students to tell their stories, and get recognised by universities) – after having a look at the app’s terms and conditions, we asked her to present the app to her colleagues. They loved it and the app was an instant hit. Top apps for students by students. Result!” Ana d’Almeida, Educational Manager, Brazil

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

125

10

ways to get the best out of social networks

Social networks are web-based tools or platforms that enable individuals to connect, communicate, create and share online. The best-known current examples of social networks include Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, YouTube, Instagram, Flickr and Pinterest. (These last three are all photo-sharing social networks.) Many of your students may already use social networks regularly in their personal lives. The majority of social network users access these sites via their mobile devices, and this trend is growing. Social networks enable teachers to create a bridge for students between in-class and out-of-class work; we have already seen examples of how to do this with closed social networks like group texting apps (see Unit 19). Students’ familiarity with them and the ease with which they can access them via mobile devices make social networks a relatively easy tool to encourage students to use in support of their language learning.

Unit 36

1. Social networks and younger learners Many social networks have terms of service (ToS) with a minimum age requirement. For example, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest users need to be at least 13 years old. However, there are a number of social networks specially designed for younger learners that focus on keeping them safe. Moshi Monsters (moshimonsters.com) is an online game designed along social media principles for five- to seven-year-olds. Users adopt a monster, and then need to look after it by giving it food, playing educational games with it, washing it, and so on. They can also take their monster to visit other monsters, and the monsters can leave each other notes (the social media element). In their book, Digital Play (2011), Graham Stanley and Kyle Mawer describe a fun warmer activity for very young learners: set up an account on the Moshi Monsters website. With your class of very young learners, adopt a monster and spend 15 minutes at the beginning of each class looking after the monster online together. Continue doing this over a period of time as a class project.

2. Create a social network to foster the home–school connection Public social networks such as Facebook can help strengthen the home–school connection for teachers of younger learners. Set up a private (or ‘closed’) Facebook group for a class of your young learners, and invite the children’s parents to join the group. Take digital photos of the children’s classwork or record short video clips of them playing English games or singing English songs and share them in the private Facebook group so that the parents can see what the children are learning with you. Encourage the parents to leave comments and to ask you questions in the group. Note that it is essential to first get parents’ written permission to take digital photos or videos of their children, as well as to set up a Facebook group for your class. Take time to first explain the aim of the group to parents, and emphasise that the group is entirely private. Look through this online slideshow to see how Kent Elementary School in Canada uses Facebook to connect with the parents of their primary school students: www.slideshare.net/mrwejr/moving-beyondthe-newsletter-using-technology-to-meet-parents-where-they-are

126

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

3. Consider privacy in social networks Privacy in social network groups is important for young learners, but it can also be important to adults learning English. A social network group can be an excellent place for adult students to share their work (see ‘Share students’ work’ below); however, your students may be uncomfortable with the idea of sharing their work in English with a wider public and may prefer to have a private group that only you and their classmates can access. If you set up a social network with a group of your adult students, check first whether they would prefer to keep the group private. Also, be aware that some students may be resistant to using a social network as part of their language learning. It’s important to respect your students’ views and not foist the use of a social network upon a class, so the first thing to do is to ask your students if they would like to use one. If your students are reluctant to use a commercial platform like Facebook, you can suggest using an educational tool instead (see ‘Create an educational social network’ below).

4. Create an educational social network

5. Share students’ work

Unit 36

Edmodo (edmodo.com) is an online platform that works in a similar way to a closed social network group. It is sometimes referred to as ‘Facebook for educators’ because the main page has a similar layout to a Facebook newsfeed. It is entirely private, so suitable for young learners and for adults. Set up an Edmodo group for your students and invite them to join the group via a passcode. Encourage them to share and comment on each other’s work in the group. Edmodo also has many useful features for educators, such as a calendar to remind students of deadlines or upcoming exams, assignment submission and grading features, and the option to create quizzes and polls for your students.

There are several advantages to students sharing written work or multimedia they have created via a social network. If the group is public, they can share their work with a wider audience, but even if the group is private (see ‘Consider privacy in social networks’ above), they can still share written work or audio/video files very easily with classmates and with you. Social networks that can most effectively support students sharing their work include Facebook (in a private or public group), group texting apps (these are private by default – see Unit 19), and YouTube for videos (set to private or public – see Unit 29). Another way to encourage your students to share their written work is to set up a class blog (see Unit 24).

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

127

6. Follow public social networks If your students are already regular users of a particular social network (for example, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram) encourage them to find groups or users who post in English about topics they are interested in. For example, imagine you have a student who regularly uses Facebook and is interested in cooking. Help her to find a Facebook page (in English) related to cooking, and encourage her to ‘like’ the page so that she receives regular updates from it in her Facebook newsfeed. Similarly, you might have a student who is a fan of a particular DJ’s music, and uses Twitter regularly. Encourage him to find and follow this DJ on Twitter. Bring these students’ outside interests into the classroom by asking them for regular updates about what they have learned from following these groups or individuals on social media. Other students in the class may be encouraged to use their preferred social network to do the same.

Unit 36

7. Work with tweets Twitter allows a maximum of 140 characters per ‘tweet’, which encourages the use of creative language and shortened forms to save space (eg ‘u’ instead of ‘you’). Twitter users also use ‘hashtags’ (keywords prefaced by the hash symbol #). Even if your students are not Twitter users, you can create a class activity around original or humorous tweets. For example, the Reduced Shakespeare Company has summarised each of Shakespeare’s plays in a single tweet (www.reducedshakespeare.com/2009/11/tweeting-shakespeare). For classes that are already familiar with Shakespeare’s plays, give them a selection of these tweets and ask them to guess which plays are being summarised. Then put the students in pairs and ask each pair to choose a play. They must then write six to eight more tweets in the voices of different characters in the play. Get students to share their tweets via a class blog, a sticky-note wall (see Unit 22) or even via Twitter with the Shakespeare play names as hashtags!

8. Create Pinterest boards Pinterest (pinterest.com) enables users to upload images and to display them on an online noticeboard (known as a ‘pinboard’). Users can also save links to other content on the web, which is also displayed in the same pinboard format. Users can have multiple boards on different topics, meaning that Pinterest is an effective online content curation tool. Here is a classroom activity to get students using Pinterest. Ask your students to create individual pinboards at home, uploading eight to ten images that they have taken of a recent holiday or of an important event in their lives. During class, put the learners in small groups and ask them to show each other their pinboards on their mobile devices. Each member of the group must ask two questions about each photo on their group members’ pinboards to find out more. Ask groups to share any interesting information they have found out about their group members. For homework, students visit other class members’ pinboards and leave comments or questions on the images. Another way your learners can use Pinterest is as a place to store useful links for project work.

128

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

9. Create a personal learning network (PLN) Social networks can support your professional development by enabling you to connect with other like-minded teachers. Use a social network such as Twitter or Facebook to connect with other educators in order to discuss language teaching and to share lesson ideas and resources. There are many active EFL teachers on social networks, particularly Twitter and Facebook. To get started with building a PLN in Twitter, first join a group such as #ELTChat (http://eltchat.org/wordpress/) or #Edchat (http://edchat.pbworks. com), and then start to follow individuals within that group to build up your own network. To start building a PLN in Facebook, ‘like’ a Facebook group aimed at English language teachers (eg IATEFL’s Facebook page, or any of the British Council Facebook pages) and communicate with other teachers through those pages.

10. Explore filter bubbles

Unit 36

Social networks and search engines use algorithms to present you with information (including advertising) based on your personal interests and preferences. This means that different individuals receive different pieces of news and information via a public social network like Facebook or a search engine like Google. Eli Pariser coined the term ‘filter bubble’ to refer to the phenomenon whereby we are only exposed to information online that is congruent with our own interests and beliefs. In class, write ‘filter bubble’ on the board, and give students five minutes to find out as much as they can about this term by searching on their mobile devices. Eli Pariser gave a well-received TED talk (see Unit 30) about filter bubbles. Ask students to work in pairs with their devices and to follow the lesson steps for Pariser’s talk on TED-Ed (http://ed.ted.com/lessons/beware-onlinefilter-bubbles-eli-pariser). With the class, discuss the issues this video raises. Encourage the students to post a comment in pairs to the public discussion on filter bubbles in the ‘Discuss’ phase of the TED-Ed lesson.

“Encourage your students to use social media like Twitter, which include the option of setting up a public account. The learners will find it easy to connect with native speakers of English by entering a key word reflecting their own interests in the search window offered by the platform. Twitter will show them tweets posted by other users with the same hobbies or interests so that the learners can start following them and engage in authentic conversations.” Petra Pointner, Head of English at RWTH Aachen University Language Centre, Germany

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

129

10

ways to use QR codes

Unit 37

A QR (quick response) code contains information in a two-dimensional graphic, and is similar to a barcode. Whereas a supermarket barcode consists of vertical lines, a QR code encodes information vertically and horizontally. You scan QR codes with a QR code ‘reader’ on your internet-connected mobile device. When scanned, the code will bring up a URL on your mobile device screen, or it can bring up a short text. Some QR codes also link directly to audio files, so when you scan the code, you can immediately listen to an audio recording. For example, QR Voice (qrvoice.net) will transform a short typed text into audio. Some mobile devices come with QR code readers already installed, but if not, one highly recommended QR code reader is i-nigma, which works on all mobile devices (search for it in your app store). To create, rather than read a QR code, you need a QR code generator (eg qr-code-generator.com). Some apps allow you to both scan and create QR codes with the same app (eg QR Code Reader, available in your app store).

1. QR codes for worksheets If you usually create worksheets for your students in digital format and print them out for use in class, save a copy of the worksheet online (eg in Google Drive). Then create a QR code with a link to the worksheet URL and add it to the bottom of the worksheet before you print it. This means that students who prefer to have a digital copy of class material can access the worksheet via the QR code, and save it to their mobile devices. You can also give your students a QR code link to the answer sheet for their homework in the following class so that they can download and check their own work.

2. QR multimedia resources in worksheets Include QR codes on your printed worksheets to link to extra multimedia resources online. For example, give your students a text in a printed worksheet, and include a QR code that links to an online video with more information on the topic, at the bottom of the page. Students can use the printed worksheet to carry out work during class. They can then read the QR code on their mobile devices and watch the video for homework.

3. QR code website links When we want our students to visit a particular website, we often share the URL by writing it on the board, or by including it on a printed worksheet. However, when students need to type a long URL by hand into their mobile device, they invariably make mistakes or leave out a letter and it can take time for them to get to the right place online. You can ensure that your students quickly access the right website by creating a QR code with a direct link to that site and projecting the QR code onto the board. If you use QR code quick links regularly in class, your students will very quickly learn to scan them and to access websites in a matter of seconds. This can save valuable time in class.

130

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

4. QR introductory videos At the beginning of a new class, ask students to each prepare a short video of one to two minutes introducing themselves. They should upload their finished videos to a videosharing service like YouTube (youtube.com) or Vimeo (vimeo.com), and email you the URL. They should also send you a digital photo of themselves. Create a QR code link to each video. Put each student’s digital photo with a QR code link to his or her video on a separate page of a word-processed document and print them out. Display the printed-out pages on the classroom walls. In class, ask students to use their internet-connected mobile devices with headphones to scan each code and watch each introductory video to find out more about their new classmates.

5. Follow QR code directions

Unit 37

Before class, record a series of short audio files with directions that lead students around the school. Save each recording online, for example, in Google Drive (drive.google.com). Then, for each audio file, create a QR code with a link to the file. For example, your first audio recording might say something like: Walk out of the classroom and turn left. Continue along the corridor until you get to the stairs. Go up to the second floor. Now scan the QR code on the wall on the right. Your second audio file would continue with the directions eg Now walk along the corridor in front of you and go into the third room on the left. Open the second cupboard door on the right. You will see a QR code on the inside of the door. Now scan the QR code. Your directions continue from that point, leading students to various points around the school. The QR code at your final destination should include something for students to find or do before they come back to the classroom. Ask students to start following your QR code directions, in pairs, at two- or three-minute intervals, so that they are not all trying to access the QR codes and follow the directions at the same time. This activity provides students with useful listening practice for following spoken directions.

6. Learn about your school Record a series of short audio files with useful information about different areas in your school and what students can do in each area (eg the library, the cafeteria, the secretary’s office, etc.). Save the recordings online (eg in Google Drive) and then create QR codes with links to each audio file. Put each QR code on the wall in each place described. Give your students a worksheet to fill in with the information they need to know about the school. The students visit each area, scan the QR code, listen to the audio recording and note down the key information needed for their worksheets. This is a good way to orientate new students to the school. The QR codes can be used from one year to the next.

7. QR gallery walk Assign a famous painting to pairs of students, or ask each pair to choose a famous painting they like. Tell the students to research their painting and to find out more about the artist and the subject matter by searching online. Each pair prepares a script about the painting, rehearses it and creates an audio recording with both students giving information about the painting. Students save their audio recordings online (for example in Google Drive), and create a QR code with a link to the URL of their audio recording. They print out their QR code and a copy of their chosen painting. (If they don’t have access to a printer, ask them to email you their QR code and painting; then print them out yourself.) Display

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

131

the paintings and QR codes around the school. Students walk around with their internetconnected mobile devices and headphones, scan the QR code for each painting and listen to the audio commentary while looking at the painting. Invite other classes to take part in this ‘gallery walk’, and to listen to the painting commentaries, too.

8. QR review

Unit 37

Write three or four questions that review vocabulary or structures your students have recently learned. For example, questions for beginner students might be: What are your three favourite hobbies? What are your three favourite foods? What three things do you like doing at the weekend? Create a QR code for each question, so that when students scan the code, the question appears as a text on their mobile device screen. Put the QR codes on the walls in the classroom, and put some blank pieces of paper in the middle of the room. Students scan each QR code on their device, read the question and write their answer on a piece of paper (without giving their name) and stick their answer on the wall next to the QR code. When they have finished, ask a student to read out the answers for each question. The others students listen and try to guess who wrote each answer. You can see some beginner students carrying out this activity on Nicky Hockly’s blog: www.emoderationskills.com/?p=1137.

9. Treasure hunt Write a series of questions or short tasks that students must complete at different points around the school. For example, questions for the cafeteria might be: What’s for lunch today? and How much does it cost?, and the task could be: Take a photo of the menu. A task for the library might be: Find the elementary graded readers. Choose a book you like. Take a photo of the cover. A task for the school reception area might be: Ask the secretary her surname and write it down. Create a QR code for each question and each task; in this way, it will appear as a text on students’ mobile device screen when they scan the code. Put the QR codes on the wall in each area of the school. Students walk around the school in pairs, scan the QR codes on their mobile devices and complete the tasks. You can see some of Nicky’s beginner- and intermediate-level students carrying out this activity on her blog: http://www.emoderationskills.com/?p=1161.

10. QR learning stations Choose an interesting topic that you have recently worked on in class with students. Create four or five QR codes that take students to different online resources, all of which are related to the topic. For example, one QR code might link to an online video, another to a newspaper or magazine article, another to a blogpost, and another to an infographic. Put the QR codes on the wall or on tables in different parts of the classroom in order to create different ‘learning stations’. Create a worksheet that requires students to find out information from each of the online resources in order to complete it. Students move around the various learning stations, working individually with their mobile devices and headphones. They scan the QR code and then listen to or read the information at each station, completing the worksheets as they go. When they have finished, put the students into pairs. They compare their completed worksheets and discuss any differences in their answers. If necessary, review some of the resources with the class to clear up any discrepancies.

132

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

10

ways to use maps and geolocation

Online maps can be used in a number of ways with students of all levels. For example, they can be used with younger CLIL learners to integrate subjects like geography, science or history. Ready-made online maps can provide material for quizzes and games with students of all ages. There are also online map tools that enable students to create their own interactive multimedia maps by adding geographical points supported by texts, images and audio or video. All of the map tools and activities suggested below can be carried out on laptop or desktop computers; however, the last three activities require the use of smart mobile devices with geolocation features. A mobile device with geolocation allows your physical (geographical) location to be pinpointed on a map via GPS coordinates. In practice, it means that when you open a map on your device, a pin will show you exactly where you are located at that moment. Some of the later activities in this unit are aimed at more experienced and confident users of technology. The final geocaching activity, for example, requires a certain amount of confidence with technology on the part of both the teacher and students, as well as the use of a GPS-enabled mobile device.

1. Geography quizzes and games

Unit 38

Maps can be used to review countries with low-level students. Geoquiz (http://d2dev.io/ geoquiz/) is a map-based game, which must be played in a Chrome browser. A placemark appears on the map and students must say or type the name of country indicated. They have 60 seconds in which to name as many countries as possible. There are also several geography quizzes and games developed around Google Maps. For example, Smarty Pins (smartypins.withgoogle.com) is a game that displays a trivia question that has to be answered by placing a pin (or placemark) on the map. Correctly placed pins earn you miles, but incorrect or delayed answers will lose you miles. There are five categories of game currently available: arts & culture, science & geography, sports & games, entertainment, and history & current events.

2. Image-based geography games Two games based on Google Maps Street View are Spacehopper (spacehopper.io) and Geoguessr (geoguessr.com). Spacehopper asks you to guess what country an image taken from Street View comes from. There is a clue button to help, and after three incorrect guesses, the correct answer is shown. Geoguessr works in a similar way, and can be played in single player mode or in ‘challenge’ mode against other players (note that an email account is needed for challenge mode). Students can work in pairs to play these games. Encourage them to discuss the visual clues in the images before they guess which country they think the images are from.

3. Create interactive online maps National Geographic has a free mapmaker tool called MapMaker Interactive (mapmaker. nationalgeographic.org) that can be particularly useful for CLIL classes. Students can create their own interactive maps by adding a variety of elements. For example, they can add already-created ‘layers’ of information to a map. These new layers show such elements as food distribution, water, climate and weather and human populations. Students can add placemark icons to points on the map and then edit the placemark to include a title, a short description and image, and a link to an online video, if relevant.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

133

Other options include adding text, shapes or drawings directly onto the map. No account or login is required to use MapMaker Interactive; however, if students want to save and share the online map with others, they need to provide an email address to receive the URL. Another option is to print out the map.

4. Map treasure hunt A special feature in National Geographic’s MapMaker Interactive tool (see ‘Create interactive online maps’ above) enables students to activate ‘flags and facts’ in a map. When students double-click on a country on the map, they see a pop up with the flag of the country and some facts. Set up a treasure hunt activity for students to take advantage of this feature. Students work in pairs with one mobile device per pair – a tablet is ideal as the screen is easier for two students to read. Give your students a list of six to eight countries. Students work in pairs to find the country on MapMaker Interactive and doubleclick on it. When the ‘flags and facts’ pop-up appears, they must note down at least two facts about each country. Give them a time limit for this (eg eight to 10 minutes), and then conduct class feedback to check what they have learned about each country.

Unit 38

5. My world tour Google My Maps enables students to create personalised maps by adding information and multimedia to chosen points on their map. Students work in pairs. Tell them to imagine that they have one week and an unlimited amount of money in which to travel the world together. They are going on a one-week world tour. Ask them to decide on five cities, countries or places they would like to visit on their world tour, and to reflect on why they want to visit each one. Give them time to research their chosen places to find out more. Students should then find one Creative Commons image for each of their chosen places (see Unit 43). Finally, they should find a short video on YouTube or Vimeo for each place. When students are ready, ask them to create a Google My Map (one map per pair). Students need to add one icon/placemark to each of their chosen places, along with the additional information they found in a short description. Ask them to add their Creative Commons image and video link to each placemark as well. When each pair’s world tour is ready, they present their tour to the class. Alternatively, they can share their world tours with their classmates via a class blog or social network. Note that to use this tool, students need to have a Google account, and they need to sign in to access the My Maps feature.

6. Create a history map myHistro (myhistro.com) is a free tool that enables students to create a multimedia timeline of historical events and to pin the events to a map. To use the tool, students create individual events with dates. They can add text, images and video to the event, and then add the event to a map. In this way, they can build up a series of events that happened in different locations, and add them to a single map. Students can then export their completed maps from myHistro into Google Earth. This enables them to view the events in their timeline overlaid on specific locations in Google Earth. The maps can also be printed from myHistro in PDF format. The finished maps can also be embedded in a blog, and there is a tool for students to be able to create quizzes around their history maps. To use myHistro with students in class, put the students in pairs and assign each

134

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

pair a significant period in history (for example, the Second World War, the Great Fire of London or Captain Cook’s discovery of Australia). Choose events or periods in history that are relevant to your students and their context. Ask them to research their historical event. They should choose five or six episodes that happened in different locations, and that are connected to their event. Ask them to find Creative Commons images and/or videos (see Unit 43) that help to illustrate what happened. When the students have completed their research and collected images and videos, show them myHistro. Ask each pair to create a history map, adding in their five or six episodes with the related multimedia. Students can share their completed maps with their classmates, for example, by putting the URLs for their maps on a class blog or social network.

7. Soundscapes

Unit 38

This activity encourages students to record sounds in different parts of their town or city, and to pin those sounds on a map. ZeeMaps (zeemaps.com) is an interactive mapping tool that enables users to add placemarks with audio (as well as images, text and video) to a map, so it’s a good choice for this activity. Introduce the idea of a ‘soundscape’ in class by playing five or six soundscapes from different contexts. A good source of soundscape recordings is available on the British Library Sounds website (sounds.bl.uk/Environment/Soundscapes). While your students listen to each soundscape, ask them to note down four or five adjectives that they associate with each. When they have listened to all of your chosen soundscapes, put the students in pairs. They must write a short description (about 25 words) of each soundscape, incorporating some of their adjectives. Share the descriptions with the class and play each soundscape again. For homework, ask students to use the built-in audio recorders on their smartphones to record short soundscapes at different points around the town/city. They should collect three or four soundscapes each over a period of a week. In a future class, students work in pairs to create a ZeeMaps and to upload their soundscapes to the map. They should add a short description of about 20–25 words for each soundscape. Encourage students to share their finished soundscape maps with classmates via a class blog or social network.

8. Google Maps directions Maps are an ideal resource for getting students to practise giving and following directions. Students can use real maps on their smartphones. Put students into pairs (Student A and Student B), ensuring that each student has a smartphone with GPS capabilities. Ask the students to open Google Maps or the built-in map app on their devices. They should check that their present location appears on the map. Ask students not to show their phone screens to each other. Tell Student A to choose a location on the map that is at least two to three kilometres away, and not in a straight line from their current location. Student A then gives directions to Student B to reach this location. Student B follows the directions on the map on his or her smartphone. When Student B arrives at the location, the pairs should show their smartphone screens to each other to check whether they have, in fact, arrived at the same place on the maps! Then ask the students to swap roles, with Student B choosing a location and giving Student A directions.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

135

9. Restaurant reviews Yelp (yelp.com) is a social review app that uses your location to provide you with information about nearby amenities (eg restaurants, bars, shops and other services) via your smartphone. The information for each place includes ratings and reviews written by other users. TripAdvisor (tripadvisor.com) is a similar social review app that can also identify nearby services based on your current location. Yelp and TripAdvisor are useful apps for finding new restaurants in your vicinity, for example. As an out-of-class activity, ask your adult students to use Yelp or TripAdvisor to find restaurants and bars in their town, to read the descriptions (and reviews), and to choose the place that would be suitable for a number of different occasions eg a romantic meal, a celebration or party, a meal with children, a vegetarian meal or a light snack. Students then compare their recommendations in class and decide in small groups on the best place they found for each occasion.

Unit 38

10. Geocaching Geocaching is a game-like activity based around boxes of objects (or ‘caches’) that are hidden somewhere in the real world. Players use GPS coordinates on their smartphones to try to find these hidden caches. A typical geocache is a waterproof box that contains a logbook and small objects of low value. This activity explains how your students can plan a geocache box and where to hide it in the real world. To take part in geocaching, your students will need a geocaching app. The Geocaching app (geocaching.com) supports a large network of geocaches and is free to use. Once your students understand how geocaching works (by watching the introductory video on the Geocaching website, or this video on YouTube https://youtu.be/sj31U_z9MFA), ask them to open the app and to check whether there are any geocaches marked in the vicinity. If there are, encourage your students to search for these out of class time. Meanwhile, in class, put your students into groups of three or four to decide on the contents and proposed location of their own geocaches. Remind your students that a geocache should always contain a logbook (notebook) and a few inexpensive or second-hand items. Students can also create puzzles, poems or quizzes to include in the geocache. They then decide where, in the vicinity, they would hide their geocache. If your students are enthusiastic about the idea, let them actually create and hide real geocaches, and log them on the Geocaching website for others to find. They can also search for their classmates’ geocaches out of class time!

“Location-based activities are a fun way to collect digital media to bring back to the classroom. They are especially worthwhile when learners actively use English throughout. One way of doing this is to require them to make recordings as they proceed. For example, in my Spywalk project (see http://digitaldebris.info/ spywalk), players recorded detective reports describing their plans, actions and other people in the game.” Paul Driver, learning technologist, teacher, author and creator of Digital Debris www.digitaldebris.info

136

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

10

things to know about augmented reality

Augmented reality (AR) apps work by assessing the camera on your smartphone or tablet and overlaying the real world with virtual information. This virtual information can be in the form of text, images, audio or video. Students need smart mobile devices connected to the internet to be able to use AR apps. They can use AR apps to view publicly available AR content, but they can also view AR content created by you. Students can even create their own AR content for you and other students. This unit first helps you understand AR, and then provides you with seven AR activities to carry out with your students, both in and out of class.

1. Understanding augmented reality

2. Augmented reality and image recognition Some AR apps work through image recognition. For example, the Leafsnap app (leafsnap. com), developed by Columbia University, can help you identify plant leaves. Open Leafsnap, take a photo of a leaf and wait, while the app compares the image with its database of leaf images. The app then gives you information about your particular leaf. Google Goggles is another app that works with image recognition via your smartphone camera. It can ‘recognise’ an object such as a book cover, a famous painting or a label, by comparing it with images in its database. It then provides you with links to further information about the object.

Unit 39

Augmented reality (AR) works on mobile devices like smartphones or tablets, overlaying real objects with virtual information. In order to better understand what this means, imagine you are in Australia, standing in front of a famous building such as the Sydney Opera House. You take out your smartphone (which is connected to the internet) and open up an AR app like Wikitude (see ‘Explore landmarks’ below). The app automatically opens the smartphone camera. You hold up your phone to view the Sydney Opera House through the camera and a text bubble with a link that reads ‘Sydney Opera House’ immediately appears, superimposed over the image of the building on your screen. Clicking on this link will take you to information about the Sydney Opera house on Wikipedia. The app has used GPS data to figure out exactly where you are (that is, your ‘geolocation’). This has enabled it to display data and links, superimposed on your smartphone screen based on that location. This is AR.

3. Augmented reality markers Another form of AR uses printed pictures or geometric shapes as ‘markers’ or ‘triggers’ to overlay information in the form of text, images, sound, video or 3D animations. The AR app ‘reads’ the marker via your smartphone camera, and links to additional multimedia information that pops up in your camera. For example, a marker photo of the Earth in a science textbook can launch a 3D animation of the Earth’s structure, which appears to hover over the page when viewed via a smartphone camera.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

137

4. AR library tour Take your students to the school library. Ask them to each choose three to five books and to use an AR image recognition app like Google Goggles to read online reviews about the books. Based on the reviews, students each choose one book to take home and read.

5. Explore landmarks with AR Wikitude is an AR app that identifies well-known landmarks and overlays them with links to Wikipedia articles about that landmark (see ‘Understanding AR’ above). Before you do this activity with your adult students, try the Wikitude app yourself in your town to ensure that there are several landmarks marked in the app. Take your students on a tour around your town to visit three or four famous landmarks. In each place, ask them to use the Wikitude app to find out two or three important things about the landmark. The students take notes about what they find out, and share what they have learned about each place/landmark in a subsequent class. You could extend the activity by asking the students to write up their findings as articles for a class ‘tourist guidebook’ to your town.

Unit 39

6. Colouring-in AR for CLIL classes QuiverVision (quivervision.com), previously ColAR Mix, is an AR app suitable for younger primary-school-aged children. The app takes pictures that a child has coloured in and overlays them with animations. There is a free version of the app and a paid-for ‘education’ version. First download a colouring pack from the Quiver website (www.quivervision.com/ coloring-packs). Colouring pack topics include animals and birds, countries, the solar system, etc. Print out the black-and-white pages for the children in your class, and first do some work on vocabulary. Then ask the children to colour in a page each, and to try out the Quiver app with a smart device. Making a static coloured page come to life with an overlaid animation (and music) can help motivate the students, and make the vocabulary they have learned more memorable. The range of topics in the colouring packs is suitable for younger CLIL classes.

7. Astronomy AR for CLIL classes There are a number of AR apps for charting the sky, for example, Google SkyMap and Star Chart. These apps work during both day and night, locating stars and planets in the sky, even when these are obscured by clouds. Star Chart has a ‘time shift’ feature that shows the position of the stars 10,000 years in the past or in the future. There is also a feature that shows where your zodiac sign is located in the sky. Try this activity with a CLIL class studying the solar system. Allocate the names of different stars or planets to pairs of children. Each pair uses a smart device with the app to locate their assigned star or planet in the sky. They note down the information displayed about their star or planet. Put the students into new groups and give them a worksheet to fill with the information they have found about the various stars and planets.

8. Correcting worksheets with AR The AR app Aurasma (aurasma.com) can link to images as well as audio or video. For example, give your students a gap-fill activity on a worksheet for homework. Fill in the worksheet with the correct answers yourself, and then take a digital photo of it. On the Aurasma website, use an image of the original incomplete worksheet as a marker (or

138

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

trigger) to link to the completed worksheet. When the students open the Aurasma app, and the camera reads the incomplete worksheet, the completed correct worksheet will appear on the screen of their device. This means that students can quickly and easily check and correct their own work. Note that Aurasma requires that you create your own ‘channel’, which students then need to ‘follow’ in the Aurasma app so that they can view any content that you create.

9. Famous lives audio tour

10. Tour the world Before class, find five or six short online videos about different countries in the world. Videos produced by tourist boards are ideal as they usually include information about famous landmarks, festivals, local cuisine, flora and fauna, etc. Decide on an image that will represent each country (eg the shape of the country as it appears on a map). Use each image as an AR ‘trigger’ in an app like Aurasma (aurasma.com). Link each country’s image to the relevant online video. Before class, print out the images and display them on the walls of the classroom. In class, ask your students to download the Aurasma app and to join the ‘channel’ you have created. They then use their smartphones with headphones and walk around the classroom with the Aurasma app open on their phones. Students should stop in front of each image and watch the videos that appear, overlaid on each image. Ask them to watch each video twice. The second time, they should take notes about any famous monuments, places, festivals, local cuisine, etc. that are described in the video. To aid note-taking, give students a worksheet with a grid on it. Put the name of each country down the left-hand side and the categories along the top. At the end of the activity, students form small groups to compare the notes they took. Encourage your students to get creative with their own AR markers and content once they have seen how it works. This is what Web 2.0 has brought us: the ability not just to be passive consumers of internet content made by others, but also to be active producers of our own online content. In this case, our students are producing content in AR formats, in English.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

Unit 39

Create an audio tour for your students using an image as a marker in Aurasma. Use pictures of famous people as the trigger and pre-record audio information about each person. Before class, record an audio file with information about each famous person on your mobile device, or with an online voice recorder like Vocaroo (vocaroo.com). Link each picture of the famous person to the correct audio file in Aurasma. Print out the pictures, display them around the classroom or the school and invite students to use the Aurasma app on their smartphones with headphones to listen to the audio commentary about each famous person. To do this, students open the app and then point the phone’s camera at the picture on the wall, triggering the audio. You can give your students a worksheet to fill in with key information about each person while they listen (eg name, nationality, date of birth, what they were famous for, key dates in the person’s life). As a follow-up activity, students each choose one famous person and create their own AR audio recordings linked to an image on the Aurasma website.

139

Teaching contexts and issues We have now explored a range of technologies and tools that we can use both in and out of class to support our students’ English language learning. In this section we turn our attention to different teaching contexts you may find yourself in, and we address some wider issues that arise when we use technology with our students. The first two units take a look at blended learning and the flipped classroom: what these are and what they might mean for your own teaching. We also look at the rising trend of teaching live online classes via videoconferencing, providing some tips and advice about how to get started with this. The next three units look at general issues and trends related to using technology with students. We explore the important area of e-safety (online safety) and what this means for teachers of young learners up to the age of 18. We also review issues of copyright and plagiarism and suggest ways that teachers can deal with these important areas with students. The penultimate unit looks at the increasingly important area of digital literacies, something that is present in curricula the world over, but often neglected in the classroom. Finally, we explore ways in which digital technologies can support special educational needs (SEN) students both in and outside the classroom.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

141

10

things to know about blended learning and the flipped classroom

There are many ways of talking about blended learning in the teaching profession. You may come across terms like hybrid learning, web-enhanced learning or mixed learning. However, in the field of EFL teaching, the most popular terms are blended learning and the flipped classroom (which is a form of blended learning). This unit explains these terms and proposes tools that can support a blended or flipped approach. We look at the implications of blended learning and the flipped classroom both for institutions and for individual teachers interested in exploring these new approaches.

1. What is blended learning?

Unit 40

In its most general sense, ‘blended learning’ refers to the use of technology to support learning. The technology may be used by students in the classroom or school, or at home to access online learning materials. However, the term ‘blended learning’ in English language teaching usually refers to a combination of face-to-face learning in the classroom with online learning that takes place outside of the classroom. In some cases, the online part of a course will replace face-to-face classes. For example, imagine a 100hour face-to-face course. A blended version of this course could consist of 50 hours of face-to-face classes, and 50 hours of students working with online materials and tasks away from the school.

2. Blended learning models One way of understanding the different options or models of blended learning on offer is by way of the ‘percentage’ model described above. However, in general education, particularly in North America, a number of different blended learning models are being implemented. For example, a ‘lab rotation’ model of blended learning, currently being used in some elementary and high schools in the US, involves students spending a class period (about 50 minutes) in a computer lab working individually with learning software preloaded onto computers, followed by a class period with a teacher to work collaboratively on problem solving, and to discuss issues. Another option is the ‘flex’ model of blended learning: this involves students studying most of the curriculum online, with access to a teacher either on site or virtually for individual tutorial help.

3. Blended learning in EFL Some language schools implement blended learning with EFL students by supplementing face-to-face classes with self-study English language materials that are available online. Self-study materials may be created by the school itself, or they may constitute off-the-shelf commercial products that are bought by the school and offered to students. One well-known commercial product designed for online self-study is Macmillan’s English Campus (macmillanenglishcampus.com). Others include Pearson’s MyEnglish Lab (myenglishlab.com), and the Netlanguages suite of fully online self-study English courses (netlanguages.com).

4. Blended learning and individual teachers Some enterprising EFL teachers design blended learning materials for their own students. For example, in Turkey, teacher Nergiz Kern noticed that her taxi driver students had feature phones with internet access, so she decided to provide them with extra learning materials that they could access via their mobile devices outside class time. She produced

142

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

a series of podcasts of useful language for taxi drivers, which her students downloaded to their phones and listened to whenever they wanted. You can read more about Nergiz’s project here: http://taxienglish.nergizkern.com/for-teachers/. Nergiz’s blended learning materials capitalised on the technology her students already had in order to give them additional out-of-class support, and is an example of a tailored, teacher-led blended learning approach. Similarly, Carl Dowse, a teacher in Germany, implemented a blended approach with his busy business English students. He replaced some face-to-face classes with online work via a private class wiki. His students worked with additional online materials out of class and also prepared projects such as business presentations in pairs online, in the class wiki. The wiki enabled both teacher and classmates to provide detailed feedback on students’ draft presentations; students spent the time in class delivering corrected and redrafted presentations.

5. Institutions starting with blended learning

6. Teachers starting with blended learning Like Nergiz Kern and Carl Dowse (see ‘Blended learning and individual teachers’ above), some teachers are quick to see the potential advantages that blended learning can bring to their students. They provide tailor-made online materials for their students and use relevant tools that address those particular students’ needs and support their learning. Other teachers start offering blended learning by giving their students additional online homework to supplement face-to-face classes. It’s a good idea to start small with blended learning, offering simple online work that is useful and motivating for students to complete out of class. As you gain confidence with a blended approach and become more familiar with the tools and materials that can support your students’ out-of-class learning, you might consider replacing some of your face-to-face class hours with online work.

Unit 40

As with any technology innovation that directly affects students and teachers, if a school or university decides to move from fully face-to-face teaching to a blended model, it should develop a strategic plan to ensure that the transition is made in a principled and effective manner. Page 192 in the appendix provides an example of a strategic plan for mobile learning, the general stages of which can be adapted for blended approaches.

7. Tools for blended learning Tools for supporting your students’ out-of-class online work can vary in complexity from simple online quizzes and activities that you set for students to more demanding online tasks and materials that you create in a virtual learning environment (VLE). A VLE is an online platform that allows teachers to store multimedia materials (texts, audio and video) and also to set and grade students’ assignments. A VLE usually includes communication tools like forums, blogs and wikis, allowing students to engage in online discussions or writing and project work. VLEs vary in complexity: at the simpler end are tools such as Classmill (classmill.com), or Google Classroom (classroom.google. com), while at the more complex and comprehensive end are platforms such as Moodle (moodle.org), which is free, and Blackboard (blackboard.com), which is paid for. Another popular online platform for educators is Edmodo (edmodo.com). This works in a similar way to Facebook; indeed, some teachers offer their students an online space for extra

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

143

materials and discussions in a closed social network such as Facebook. Choosing the best platform or VLE will depend on various factors: your own confidence with technology, the language learning needs of your students, how much of your blend will consist of online work, and what you want that online work to consist of.

8. The flipped classroom The flipped classroom is a form of blended learning that encourages students to do preparation work online before they come to class. The flipped classroom aims to ‘flip’ (ie invert) the more traditional teaching model in which the teacher stands at the front of class explaining content and concepts. Instead, in a flipped approach, students learn content (such as grammar and vocabulary) at home, for example, via instructional videos or other online materials. Class time is then spent using and applying what students have learned before coming to class. In the case of the flipped English language classroom, class time is spent on communicative pairwork and groupwork, ie on activities that encourage students to practise using the language.

Unit 40

9. Tools for the flipped classroom Students can learn about grammar and vocabulary before they come to class in a number of ways. Teachers can point students to ready-made online materials such as those on the BBC Learning English website (bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/) or The University of Victoria’s Study Zone (http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/). Some teachers create their own instructional videos for their students. For example, teacher Roberto Garcia in Peru creates and shares instructional videos for his students in which he explains language points from the class coursebook. Watch an example of Roberto explaining the difference between adjectives ending in -ed and -ing here: https://youtu.be/U7jbxqfVDHg. Instructional videos can be created by filming yourself explaining a language point using your mobile phone or a digital camera, as Roberto does. Other options include creating instructional videos as multimedia presentations (see Unit 32) or using screencasting tools to create videos (see Unit 28). Other tools for creating instructional videos include Educreations (educreations.com) and Clarisketch (clarisketch.com). These tools enable you to record an on-screen whiteboard that you can write or draw on while you explain concepts for your students.

10. Challenges One concern that teachers often express about the flipped classroom approach is that students may not do the necessary pre-class work, and therefore come to class unprepared for more communicative tasks. Teachers often feel that for this reason, they have to start a class by explaining a grammar point again for students who didn’t do the work. However, this is a Catch-22 situation: if you are going to explain language at the beginning of class anyway, students no longer need to do the pre-class work. A better approach is to do a quick diagnostic speaking activity with students, and for those who have clearly not done the pre-class work, put them to work in groups of students who have done the work. They will soon realise that they are not taking full advantage of the learning opportunities by coming to class unprepared. Integrating pre-class online work into overall assessment can also encourage students to complete it. It’s also worth

144

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

considering whether your students are mature enough for a flipped approach; it may be something that you initially try out with adult classes rather than younger learners. Another challenge concerns students’ expectations of flipped and blended learning. You need to explain the rationale behind your approach very carefully, so that your students understand the benefits. Many students expect their teachers to stand at the front of the class and lecture about grammar, so it’s important that you understand and deal with their expectations sensitively. If you and your students are used to a traditional lecturing style of teaching, it may be worth experimenting with one or two flipped approach classes, and then getting feedback from your students on this approach.

Unit 40

“One day a student I had never seen before, came up to me and said, ‘Your video helped me a lot.’ He was referring to a video I’d made for another class, which was on a YouTube channel I’d set up for the lessons. A student in the class had told him about the video so he’d subscribed and now followed my ‘classes’ despite not being my student. It’s just one example of how positive the reaction has been to flipping.” Cristina Silva, teacher, International Project Coordinator and a teacher trainer, Portugal. For more comments from Cristina’s students, visit www.myetpedia.com/10-tips-and-ideas-for-usingthe-flipped-classroom-in-the-elt-classroom

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

145

10

things to know about teaching via videoconferencing

Recent years have seen an increase in teachers offering live online English language classes to students via videoconferencing platforms. Live online lessons are carried out in real time with students who are in different locations to the teacher. Some live online teaching takes place with individual students (known as ‘one-to-one’ teaching), and some live online teaching takes place with small groups of students. This unit looks at what’s involved in teaching live online lessons via videoconferencing, and helps you understand what different videoconferencing platforms can offer. Other issues explored include planning live online lessons, keeping your students engaged during these, and how to get started with live online teaching.

1. What is videoconferencing?

Unit 41

Videoconferencing is communication that takes place in real time online via audio and video. One of the best-known and most popular videoconferencing platforms is Skype (see Unit 31). Videoconferencing platforms enable users to see and hear each other, and many platforms have additional features such as a text chat box and the ability to send and share files. Essentially, videoconferencing enables users who are in different locations to connect in real time; for example, it is frequently used in the business world to hold virtual meetings. In the world of education, it is used to connect teachers with students at a distance, and to connect students with other students.

2. Sharing content in a videoconferencing platform Videoconferencing platforms have a range of built-in tools that can be useful for live online teaching. Apart from allowing users to activate their webcams and microphones, many platforms allow the presenter (or ‘host’) to upload content for everybody to view in the platform. These can be images, documents or PowerPoint slides. In some platforms, multimedia such as videos can be uploaded and shared in the platform. This is useful for teachers, who can pause a video while it is playing in the platform to ask students questions, or to prompt a discussion. Another videoconferencing tool is a shared whiteboard; participants can usually be given permissions to draw or type on the board. This can be useful for brainstorming activities. Some videoconferencing platforms feature a screen-sharing option, which allows the presenter to share the contents of their computer screen with participants. This can be useful for talking the participants through a process such as installing a program or using a specific technology tool.

3. Other videoconferencing platform features for teaching Some platforms have icons with a cross or a tick (check mark) that participants can choose to show agreement or disagreement. These icons can be useful for a quick comprehension check, and for asking short yes/no questions. Some platforms also have an icon to indicate a raised hand: participants can use this icon to indicate that they have something to say. An important videoconferencing platform feature for teaching groups of students online is a ‘breakout room’ facility. This means that individual online ‘rooms’ or spaces can be created within the platform. Students can be sent to these virtual rooms to carry out tasks in pairs or small groups. You can upload documents or slides for your participants in their breakout rooms; alternatively, they can use a whiteboard to draw or type on in their rooms. The teacher can move around these breakout rooms and hear what students are saying in each. In this way, it’s possible to monitor pairwork

146

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

and groupwork much as one would in a face-to-face classroom. Finally, some platforms include a built-in recording function. This is useful for students who can’t attend a live online class as they can view the recording afterwards online in their own time.

4. Free videoconferencing platforms There are several free videoconferencing platforms available. We have already mentioned Skype; other popular free videoconferencing options include Google Hangouts (hangouts.google.com) and appear.in (appear.in). Free platforms tend to vary in the features they offer; for example, the free version of Skype doesn’t include a whiteboard, nor does it allow live classes to be recorded directly. To record a class in the free version of Skype, third-party recording software such as Pamela (pamela.biz) or MP3 Skype Recorder (voipcallrecording.com) can be used. Google Hangouts, on the other hand, broadcasts your live class directly via YouTube, so it can be viewed by students afterwards on YouTube too. However, if you are charging students for live online classes, you will probably want to go for a professional-looking platform and a certain amount of privacy. In such a case, Google Hangouts may not be the ideal choice. One major drawback of free videoconferencing platforms for teachers of online groups is that they don’t tend to include breakout rooms.

Paid-for videoconferencing platforms offer a more complete solution with a wider range of features than free platforms. Paid-for platforms will usually allow several people to be on webcams at the same time without affecting overall functionality too much. Paid-for platforms also include features such as built-in recording functionality, and a range of tools such as the ability to share videos in the platform, a whiteboard for you and your students to draw on, breakout rooms, and quiz and poll features. Popular paid-for videoconferencing platforms include Adobe Connect, Zoom and Blackboard Collaborate. Many paid-for platforms are available for free in a limited trial version, so you can first try them out to see whether they fit your needs as well as your students’ needs.

Unit 41

5. Paid-for videoconferencing platforms

6. The aim of live lessons Live lessons are an opportunity for you to support your students’ language learning. Your live lessons may form part of a blended approach (see Unit 40), or part of a fully online language course. On the other hand, your live lessons may be the only contact your students have with you, especially if you offer one-to-one live online classes to clients around the world. Live lessons work most effectively when coupled with students doing self-study online work before meeting you in real time online. This means that they learn some of the grammar or vocabulary they need before coming to your live online class, and your class is an opportunity for the students to practise using the language, rather than for them to listen to you lecturing about grammar. This model is similar to a flipped classroom approach (see Unit 40), the difference being that the faceto-face element takes place online. The topics and language areas you cover with your students will depend on the overall aims of your course. If you are teaching one to one, you will need to do a needs analysis with your online student first (see page 186 in the appendix). This will enable you to tailor your live classes to that student’s needs.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

147

7. Planning live lessons Live lessons need to be carefully planned in advance to ensure that students feel involved and engaged even if they are in far-flung locations. A basic structure for a live online lesson might involve the following stages: 1) introductions/icebreaker activity 2) language review or diagnostic activity 3) main language activity 4) closing activity 5) summary. Many teachers will structure their lessons with the help of PowerPoint (or similar) slides, which they will use to guide their students through the various stages of the live lesson. Ideally your live online lesson will last a maximum of 60 minutes, although for very low levels, it’s best to start with short 30-minute lessons, especially if you are teaching one-to-one. The length of your live online classes is also something to discuss with your students.

Unit 41

8. Engaging your students in live classes The dynamics of teaching online via videoconferencing can feel very different to teaching face to face, and it can take a while to get used to this. There are a number of ways you can engage your students online in live classes. For example, ensure that your lessons include a range of activities, and use a variety of the features of your videoconferencing platform. If you are teaching more than one student, try to plan activities in which they need to communicate with each other in English, for example, in breakout rooms. Include visuals in your slides rather than lots of dense text. Remember to look at your webcam when you are speaking to students, so they feel that you are looking at and addressing them directly. Avoid speaking in a monotone, and more than anything else, remember that you are talking to real people and smile! You can watch a video with tips from experienced online English language teachers about how to engage your students online here: https://youtu.be/UcqoZRZOlDw

9. Dealing with technical issues Videoconferencing is a complex technology, and technical challenges can arise during a live class. There are several things you can do beforehand to ensure that things go as smoothly as possible. Before your class, familiarise yourself with the features that you plan to use (for example, screen sharing, breakout rooms, etc.). Check that your webcam and microphone are working properly. Ideally, your computer should be directly connected to your router via an Ethernet cable since wi-fi can be unreliable. Your students are likely to be relying on wi-fi, so explain to them that if audio and video become an issue during class, they should turn off their webcams and use audio only. It is essential to have proper equipment if you’re going to offer live online classes, and this includes a robust internet connection and a good quality headset with microphone. Encourage your students to use headsets, too, rather than the external speakers of their computers; the latter can cause echo for everybody else in the videoconferencing platform. You can watch a video with tips from experienced online English language teachers about how to avoid technical issues during videoconferencing here: https:// youtu.be/hebbpe6MVLw.

148

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

10. Getting started Before you start offering live online classes to your students, you will need to choose a videoconferencing platform that fits your needs, and to ensure that you have reliable equipment. You then need to become entirely confident with using the various features of your chosen videoconferencing platform. This requires plenty of practice. Finally, you need to plan well-structured lessons with clear learning aims and outcomes for your students. Then you are ready to start!

Carol Rainbow, online tutor at The Consultants-E.com

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

Unit 41

“Prepare light-hearted or fun warmer activities to get people interacting, writing, drawing or chatting to break the ice in your videoconferencing room, and to get people feeling that they are interacting with other real people! Ideally this should be related to your teaching activity in some way, but it needs to be quick and easy.”

149

10

things to know about e-safety for younger learners

E-safety (or online safety) involves helping children and teenagers understand how to stay safe online. It aims to raise awareness of issues and inappropriate situations that can arise online, and also to encourage positive and appropriate behaviour by young people online. Many e-safety issues affect both younger children and teenagers; however, teenagers tend to spend more time online, are supervised less by their parents, and potentially have an additional range of online issues to deal with (for example, see ‘Sexting’ below). This unit aims to outline some key e-safety issues affecting children and teenagers, and suggests a number of strategies and resources that can help address these issues with students in the English language classroom. It’s also a good idea to incorporate e-safety aspects into your school’s overall digital policy (see Unit 7).

Unit 42

1. Cyberbullying Cyberbullying is the deliberate act of harassing someone via communication technologies, for example by sending unpleasant comments or threats via text messages or in social networks. While bullying itself is not new, before the advent of digital technologies it was mainly limited to the school playground. However, access to technology allows bullies to harass others not just during school hours, but outside school as well. Bullying can also be anonymous on social networks, with perpetrators setting up fake accounts to hide their identities and harass others without fear of discovery. This is an important area to discuss with both children and teenagers. See Unit 28 for a video you can use with your students about cyberbullying. The BullyingUK website also has useful information and resources on cyberbullying (www.bullying.co.uk/cyberbullying).

2. The downside of social networks Social networks such as Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and so on are an important part of most teenagers’ lives. Although there are many positives to using social networks, there are also negatives. These include exposure to inappropriate content, making friends with strangers, and cyberbullying. It’s also important to remind younger teenagers that some social networks have age restrictions; for example, some require users to be at least 13 years old. Exploring the negatives as well as highlighting the positives of social networks, all based on their personal experiences, makes for an interesting discussion topic with teenagers in class.

3. Online scams Children and teenagers can be especially vulnerable to online scams. For example, they can be encouraged to download ringtones or files to their mobile devices, some of which can carry viruses or hidden charges. They can be lured into clicking on unsafe links that can install malware on the computer they are using. They can be fooled into making friends online with people who are not who they claim to be. Helping our younger students become critical and cautious users of internet-based services and content is an important part of our role as educators (see Unit 44).

150

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

4. Sexting ‘Sexting’ is the practice of sending sexually explicit or inappropriate photos of oneself to others via social media. In many countries, this constitutes a felony. Sexting is an issue that affects adolescents rather than younger learners. Although it is an issue that most educators prefer to ignore, it affects a significant number of teenagers worldwide. For example, a 2011 survey carried out in the US found that one in five teenagers had shared inappropriate images of themselves with others. Although teachers may prefer not to address this controversial issue with individual classes, it is an area that can be addressed at school level, for example via educational talks from an invited expert.

5. Sharing inappropriate online content

6. Set clear rules If your younger learners are going to use the internet in class, set rules for appropriate use at the beginning of the course. For example, review the consequences of accessing or sharing inappropriate content as set out in your school’s acceptable use policy, and remind students that they should always be considerate when writing online. Even more effective is to have students come up with their own rules for using the internet, in small groups. Involving the students themselves in formulating guidelines means that they are much more likely to respect the rules. Creating rules is also a useful language activity with do/don’t for lower levels, or modal verbs of obligation (must, have to, should, etc.) for higher levels.

Unit 42

Another challenging area for teachers (and parents) to deal with is that of children and teenagers accessing and sharing inappropriate content. This might include hate speech, violent content, pornography, and websites encouraging eating disorders or self harm. Implementing safe search strategies is one way of tackling this issue (see ‘Safe searching’ below). Another is to have a robust acceptable use policy (AUP) in place in order to deal with these issues should they arise during school time. An AUP clearly sets out what is considered to be appropriate and inappropriate use of technology for the school, and outlines clear consequences for inappropriate behaviour. Students and parents are usually required to sign an AUP at the beginning of a school year.

7. Safe searching Ensure that ‘safe search’ mode is on when you search for content online with your students in class via a class computer. Google Advanced Search (www.google.com/ advanced_search) has a setting that enables you to activate ‘SafeSearch’ mode so that no potentially inappropriate content appears during searching. You can also ensure that an advertisement-blocking program (eg Adblock Plus: adblockplus.org) is installed on the computer, and is kept up to date so as to ensure no commercial content appears during searches. In addition, if you are showing online videos, note that YouTube has a ‘safety mode’ for searching, and also allows you to show videos without any of the usual surrounding additional content (see Unit 29).

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

151

8. Activities and games in class There is a wealth of material on e-safety available online that you can use with your students in class. For example, the British Council Learn English Kids website has paperbased activities about internet safety for children (learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/ your-turn/internet-safety). The Digizen website has a social media detective activity (http:// www.digizen.org/digicentral/sn-detective.aspx) as well as a range of videos and other resources on e-safety topics (www.digizen.org/resources).

9. Share strategies and tips Once you’ve raised your students’ awareness of e-safety issues, for example, by carrying out some of the activities described above, encourage them to do something with that information. For example, put the students in small groups and ask them to create a poster entitled ‘Ways to stay safe online’, with tips, strategies and online dos and don’ts. They can produce their poster on paper or, better still, create digital products, such as a multimedia presentation (see Unit 32).

Unit 42

10. Involve parents Organise an internet safety evening with parents to ensure they understand e-safety issues and know how to help keep their children safe online. This is also an opportunity to share any of the work that your students themselves may have created, such as e-safety posters or videos (see ‘Share strategies and tips’ above).

“Gradually build up an internet behaviour code and set up rules for how to treat personal details such as your name, address, telephone number and email so that the children become aware of the dangers of disclosing personal information online. Then, make and display an online behaviour code poster for children to consult before/when going online.” Vanessa Reis Esteves, teacher and author of ETpedia Young Learners

152

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

10

things to know about copyright and plagiarism

The internet has brought us instant access to an extraordinary wealth of knowledge and content, but this has its downside. For students, it’s all too tempting to search for content for an assignment online, and then to copy and paste it and hand it in as their own work. Plagiarism has always existed, but the internet has made it a lot easier. Related to plagiarism is the issue of copyright online: students shouldn’t simply re-use images, music or videos they find online in their digital work. Below both plagiarism and copyright are explained in more detail, and tips and activities are provided to help raise your students’ (and your own) awareness of these key digital issues.

1. Plagiarism and the internet

Unit 43

Many teachers say that the problem of plagiarism has grown with access to the internet. This is because it enables students to copy and paste whole chunks of text from the internet and submit it as their own work. Plagiarism is a complex area, and understanding of what exactly constitutes plagiarism can vary depending on students’ and teachers’ educational backgrounds. Although most of us agree that verbatim copying of content is plagiarism and is unacceptable, studies have found that teachers themselves can be ambivalent about whether unattributed paraphrasing of others’ work constitutes plagiarism. The key concept for students to understand is that they should attribute sources when presenting other people’s ideas and work, rather than passing that work off as their own (which is plagiarism). Plagiarism doesn’t only mean copying content verbatim (although this is the easiest form of plagiarism to spot); it can also mean not attributing sources correctly or making others’ ideas look like your own. This may well be unintentional on the part of the student. Clearly, it’s important for students to understand the various forms plagiarism can take. Plagiarism.org (www.plagiarism.org) is a useful website that can help students understand more about plagiarism and how to avoid it.

2. Check for plagiarism One way to detect plagiarism is to copy and paste a chunk of text you think may be plagiarised into Google, or into Google Scholar (scholar.google.com) if it’s an academic essay. If that piece of text has already been published on a webpage or in an article, Google may well find it for you, so it’s a good first port of call. There are also various plagiarism detection tools available online; some are free, and others are not. Free software includes Plagiarism Checker (plagiarismchecker.com) and the similarly named University of Maryland’s Plagiarism Checker (www.dustball.com/cs/plagiarism.checker). Commercial plagiarism software includes Turnitin (turnitin.com) and PlagTracker (plagtracker.com).

3. Raise your students’ awareness of plagiarism Discuss plagiarism overtly with your students and sensitise them to the issues involved. Often students have not been taught at school that plagiarism is unacceptable. They may have been using sources such as Wikipedia from primary or secondary school, but nobody has ever explicitly told them not to copy from these sites directly, or how to quote their sources. So the first step is to raise your students’ awareness of the various forms of plagiarism, and to help them to understand why it is unacceptable. You can also point out the consequences. For example, in high-stakes contexts, where assessed work may lead to a certificate or degree, plagiarised work can lead to students being expelled from an exam class, or even from an entire university degree programme.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

153

4. 10 types of plagiarism To help your students become more aware of the issues around plagiarism, show them this infographic, which describes 10 types of plagiarism (http://goo.gl/QxFO1z), and then discuss it. First ask students to put each type of plagiarism on the infographic on a scale of 1 (not serious) to 5 (very serious) to prompt them to analyse their own attitudes to different forms of plagiarism. Then encourage the students to come up with a checklist of ways to avoid plagiarism in their own work. The website plagiarism.org has a useful list of these.

5. Plagiarism game Put your students in pairs to play an online game about plagiarism produced by Lycoming College, Pennsylvania (http://www.lycoming.edu/library/instruction/tutorials/ plagiarismGame.aspx). The game takes students through a number of plagiarism scenarios in which they need to identify the correct action to take. This is a fun and educational way to help your older teenage and university-age students understand plagiarism and how to avoid it in their written work.

Unit 43

6. Online images and copyright When students use public platforms like blogs or wikis (see Unit 24 and Unit 25), they will often want to include images with their work. Some online images can be freely used and shared, but others are copyrighted, and students need to get explicit permission from the creators (and in some cases pay) to use them. If your students go ahead and use these copyrighted images without permission, they are technically infringing the law. Copyrighted work often has a © symbol or the words ‘copyright by’ to show that you cannot simply do what you like with it.

7. Creative Commons In contrast to copyrighted works, many other works on the internet (documents and texts, images and photos, music and videos) have ‘Creative Commons’ licences. Creative Commons is a movement that enables creators to apply different kinds of licences to their work, allowing them to decide on the extent to which they would like their material to be distributed or freely shared for non-commercial purposes, adapted or remixed, or used only in their original version. Most creators like to have their work attributed to them, so this is usually a part of a Creative Commons licence. See the Creative Commons website (creativecommons.org) to explore the types of licence currently in use and the logos used to identify each.

8. Finding Creative Commons materials If your students use a popular search engine like Google Images, they will find plenty of images, some clearly marked ‘copyright’, and others not so clearly marked. Ensure that your students understand that just because an image isn’t clearly marked as copyrighted, it doesn’t mean that it isn’t. Show your students how to use Google Advanced Search (www.google.com/advanced_image_search) to search for images that only have Creative Commons licences, by selecting the corresponding usage rights in the search parameters. There is also a Creative Commons search engine (search.creativecommons.org), where students can search not just for images, but also for music or videos.

154

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

9. Fair use Suppose you want to use a text, music or video with your students, but can’t find anything suitable with a Creative Commons licence. This is where the concept of ‘fair use’ (or ‘fair dealing’) comes into play. It allows the use of a small percentage of copyrighted work without formal permission from the creator. Fair use is limited to a number of very specific uses: news reporting and commentary, criticism and parody, research, and teaching. So, imagine you want to photocopy a chapter from a copyrighted book with your students. If this chapter is a small percentage of the total book (around 5–10% is generally agreed to be the limit), then you can, in theory, photocopy this content with your students. However, one of the limits to fair use is that the content cannot be used for commercial purposes. If you teach in a private language school or university where your students are paying for classes and you use a small percentage of copyrighted work, it could be argued that this is for commercial use. Fair use is very unclear on this point. And of course it’s impossible to use a small percentage of an image. So if an image is going somewhere public, for example, on a class blog, it’s best to use a Creative Commons image and to respect its particular Creative Commons licence.

10. Raise your students’ awareness of internet copyright

Unit 43

Knowing about internet copyright and alternatives such as Creative Commons licences is a fundamental part of being a digitally literate citizen who knows how to use the internet responsibly and legally. The classroom is a good place to raise students’ awareness of this, especially if they need to find images, music or video for digital English language project work. You, too, can model responsible behaviour by using Creative Commons images yourself (with the appropriate attribution). You can create a class around Creative Commons videos with your students (http://creativecommons.org/videos/). In doing so, you are helping your students become more savvy and responsible internet users.

“We should keep in mind that cultural attitudes towards plagiarism can vary greatly. Students from collectivist cultures, for example, may struggle to understand and accept the essentially individualistic attitude towards the ownership of intellectual property prevalent in Western cultures.” Carl Dowse, Director of English, German University and Educational Technology Consultant

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

155

10

ways to develop digital literacies

‘Digital literacies’ is an umbrella term that refers to our ability to effectively make use of digital communication technologies. ‘Digital literacies’ does not refer to technical skills, but rather an understanding of the social practices that surround the appropriate use of new technologies. For example, if we apply the idea of digital literacies to a class blog, it becomes clear that what is important is not just knowing how to create a blog entry, but also knowing how to use this to connect with a wider community of readers and writers, and being aware of what sort of online persona one projects though one’s post. Similarly, being digitally literate implies not just knowing how to post a status update to your Facebook page, but also knowing that you should ask friends’ permission to tag them in an update. Below are 10 activities that focus on a number of key digital literacies.

Unit 44

1. Print literacy: online text types Print literacy traditionally refers to reading and writing on paper. With the vast amount of text available online, print literacy remains as important as it ever was, but there are many more types of text available now. For example, there are differences in the writing conventions used for an online article, a blogpost, a Facebook update, a tweet and a meme. Find an example of each of these text types related to one current issue in the news. Show them to your students in class and start a discussion on the different writing conventions that each of the text types follows. Put your students in pairs and ask each pair to choose another current news item. They write something on the topic according to the conventions of one or two of the shorter text types on the topic (for example, a Facebook update and a tweet). Each pair shares their texts with the class. Discuss the content (that is, the news item itself) as well as how closely the students’ texts adhere to the conventions for each text type. For homework, students choose one of the news items discussed in class and produce a longer text, for example, an online article or a blogpost. Encourage your students to share their work via a class blog or social network.

2. Mobile literacy: decoding messages As more of our digital lives take place via our mobile devices, mobile literacy has become one of the ‘macro’ (most important) literacies of our time. One part of this involves understanding and using texting conventions, something many of your learners will already be proficient in in their first language. In class, have your learners decode a series of text messages into standard English. Discuss in which contexts text messaging is acceptable, and in which contexts it is not (for example, an email would be better for enquiring about a job). Discuss the linguistic norms and the appropriate use of texting language in both English and in the learners’ L1. In what ways are they similar or different? Even if you do not expect your learners to produce texting language, decoding English text messages into standard English is a useful – and fun – language activity appropriate for all levels.

156

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

3. Hypertext literacy: hyperlinks Hypertext is online text that contains a number of hyperlinks (a ‘hyperlink’ is a word or phrase that links to another website; when you click on it, another webpage opens in your browser). Reading hypertext effectively is a skill because you need to know when to concentrate only on the text in front of you and when to follow links within the text. Unsurprisingly, following hyperlinks within a text can affect concentration and reduce overall comprehension of the original text. Find two online texts of a similar length on the same topic (for example, a news item), one with few or no hyperlinks and one with many hyperlinks. Ask learners to read each text online and to follow any hyperlinks. Give a oneor two-minute time limit for learners to read each text. Discuss which text was easier to read and why. Hypertext literacy includes not just knowing when to ignore hyperlinks in the text so as not to lose the thread, but also knowing how many hyperlinks to include in one’s own online texts, in the interests of readability.

4. Information literacy: the Pacific Northwest tree octopus

Unit 44

This is one of the most important literacies for any student to acquire. It is the ability to evaluate the veracity, reliability and source of information they find on websites. Ask students to visit a fake website, such as that dedicated to the Pacific Northwest tree octopus (http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus). Set a comprehension task on the website content without telling students it is not true. Ask them to choose one of the ways they could show support for this endangered species. Finally, ask the class if they noticed anything odd about the site. Analyse what makes this site look believable (layout, links to real websites, links to other research, informational style of language, maps, photos, etc.). Point out the clues (apart from the content) that show the site is a joke (for example, the URL is a personal domain rather than an organisation, and the text heading on the site is in a cartoon-like font). This activity works well as an initial awareness-raising activity, alerting students to the fact that not everything found online is reliable. You can follow this up with the two activities described below.

5. Information literacy: fake websites for adults Encourage your students to explore a number of fake websites. There is a comprehensive list of fake websites on Phil Bradley’s webpage (http://www.philb.com/fakesites.htm) that teenage and adult learners can be encouraged to explore.

6. Information literacy: fake websites for younger learners You can also help primary-school-aged students to notice that not all the information they find online is true. For example, the All About Explorers website (allaboutexplorers. com) contains biographies of real explorers like Christopher Columbus that contain false information. The site was created by a group of teachers to help younger learners understand that they need to double-check their sources. It contains a number of helpful lesson ideas for teachers to exploit the material in the website with students.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

157

7. Multimedia literacy: copyright If your students create multimedia to share online, they need to understand that they cannot simply re-use any digital images they find. For example, if you have a class blog (see Unit 24) and you would like students to contribute blogposts on a certain topic, you can ask them to include images in their posts. This is a good opportunity to explore the issue of copyright and Creative Commons licences with the students (see Unit 43). Having a clear idea about what they can and cannot re-use online is a useful digital literacy that your students can also apply to their personal and professional online lives.

Unit 44

8. Remix literacy Remix literacy is the ability to repurpose or change already-made digital content in order to create something new. Internet memes are a good example of remix. A ‘meme’ is a single text, image or video that is shared via the internet and added to or changed by users. For example, a well-known image meme is the ‘Keep Calm and Carry on’ image (see http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/keep-calm-and-carry-on). In class, show students examples of recent or famous memes and get them to discuss and describe any other memes they have seen. Assign pairs of students one meme each from the Know Your Meme website (knowyourmeme.com), and ask them to research their meme. Regroup the students and ask them to share what they found out. Ask students to vote on which meme they think is the most interesting, unusual, original, pointless, political or funny. You can follow this up with the activity described below (‘Create a meme’).

9. Create a meme Show students the ‘keep calm and carry on’ meme and tell them to find out where it comes from by looking at the information on the Know Your Meme website (http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/keep-calm-and-carry-on). Put students in pairs and tell them they are going to create their own ‘keep calm’ meme. They then use the Keep Calm-o-matic website (keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk) to create their own versions of the meme. Encourage the students to share their memes with the rest of the class by showing them on the projector or asking students to upload them to a class blog or social network. Creating a short, meaningful meme requires language skills because there is a limit to the number of words that can be used and an imaginative and creative use of language is required.

10. Develop your own digital literacies The activities described in this unit assume that you yourself are digitally literate, or at least willing to become so. You can ask your school to invest in staff development or training for this, or explore online options for self-development (see Unit 46). The Futurelab/ National Foundation for Educational Research website (https://www.nfer.ac.uk/futurelab/) has some excellent resources in the field of digital literacies. These could be integrated into a staff development plan or used as part of your own self-study plan for professional development. Search the site for ‘digital literacies’, and you will find a range of PDF resources. So, if you are a teacher who feels less confident with technology, don’t despair: instead, skill up!

158

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

10

things to know about SEN students and technology

The term ‘special educational needs’ – SEN for short – is used to refer to learners with a wide range of needs that require special support in the language classroom. There is increasing support available for both teachers and SEN students. As well as more attention being paid to effective classroom management strategies and a variety of approaches and activities, we are also seeing an increasing number of technologies that can support SEN students in the classroom. In this unit we focus on mobile devices, and particularly on tablet computers. Tablets have a range of assistive features that are particularly suited to SEN students, and we explore these below.

1. What does SEN refer to? The term SEN covers a range of needs. These can include, at one end of the spectrum, cognitive and learning challenges like mild dyslexia and mild intellectual disability, and at the other, severe learning difficulties and autism. It includes learners with behavioural challenges such as ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), or other social or emotional challenges. It includes learners with physical challenges like visual or hearing impairments, and those with mobility issues, including restricted movement and motorskills challenges. These very different needs require differing levels and types of support with learning.

One approach to dealing with SEN students in education is what we might call a ‘deficit’ model. In this model, SEN students are perceived to have a ‘problem’, which education should try to put right through special learning programmes in separate schools. This corresponds to a medical or clinical approach to SEN.

3. The inclusive approach

Unit 45

2. The clinical approach

The social or inclusive approach involves considering SEN students as unique individuals with their own strengths and weaknesses. In this model, SEN students are integrated into mainstream schools, with specialists (such as educational psychologists) helping teachers to develop strategies and materials to support these learners in the classroom. Depending on the educational views and strategies for dealing with SEN that are prevalent in your context, you may well have students with disabilities such as dyslexia, ADHD and mild-tomoderate intellectual disabilities, as well as those with physical special needs, integrated into your language classes.

4. SEN learners and technology Technologies have been used to support SEN students in general education for decades. For example, tape recorders were initially used to provide learners with audio prompts to help them understand and/or produce language. Later, MP3 players and portable DVD players could be used to deliver audio and video prompts, with the added advantage that SEN students could carry these smaller technologies around with them for support outside the classroom and in their daily lives. More recently, mobile devices such as tablet computers have been enthusiastically taken up by SEN educators because of their assistive features (see ‘Assistive technologies’ below).

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

159

5. Assistive technologies Mobile devices, especially tablet computers, include a range of built-in assistive features that can support SEN language students. These are features that can be turned on in the settings for a mobile phone or tablet. Assistive features include text to speech (which turns a typed text into audio), speech to text (which turns audio or video into written speech), as well as a range of hearing, visual and tactile features to help students with these disabilities. These assistive features are explored further in the points below.

Unit 45

6. Dyslexic students Dyslexia is a neural condition that makes it difficult for those affected to process information, typically resulting in issues with reading, writing and spelling. Dyslexic students frequently have problems linking sounds to the corresponding written words, with the process of reading (letters seem to change and move around the page for them as they read), and with short-term memory, which means they find it difficult to remember something that has just been said. Additional challenges for dyslexic students include sequencing and organisation, and numerical skills. Dyslexia is arguably the most common type of SEN that you will come across in your English language classroom, so it is encouraging to know that several of the assistive features of mobile devices can support these learners. For example, activating text to speech in a mobile device’s settings is recommended for dyslexic students. Because dyslexic students have challenges with reading, they can listen to rather than read an English text; in this way a written text is, in effect, ‘read aloud’ by the device. In addition, dyslexic students can audio-record what the teacher says on a mobile device, which can help them overcome problems with taking notes or remembering what the teacher says in class. Using graphic organisers such as mind maps (see Unit 10 and Unit 13) can also help dyslexic students with sequencing and organisation by displaying information in a more visual format.

7. Support for hearing and visual impairment Mobile devices frequently include a built-in assistive speech-to-text feature that enables the device to transcribe an audio text into written text. This means that students with hearing impairments can read, rather than listen to, content. They can also have audio content transcribed into text by activating closed captions and subtitles for video content on a tablet, for example. For students who may have better hearing in one ear, many tablets include a mono option in the sound settings; and hearing aids can be connected to some tablets via Bluetooth. Learners with visual impairments can change the font and size of the text displayed on a mobile device to make it easier to read. The background colour of a tablet or phone can also be changed, so that text appears as a white on a black or dark background; this can help some students with visual impairments.

8. Support for motor skills challenges For learners with motor skills challenges, tactile screen settings can be changed from swipe movements to tapping movements, which are easier to control. The tactile interface can also help learners with motor skills challenges to write more easily, using a finger on the screen rather than a pen on paper; this method can even improve their writing motor skills over time. Note that the screen display on mobile devices can be locked into one position so that screen movement for these learners is reduced. Finally, some tablets include an ‘assistive touch’ feature, which allows teachers to guide students around the screen as they read by highlighting the screen area to focus on.

160

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

9. Apps There is a wide range of educational apps available for SEN learners, including those learning a second or foreign language. For example, for dyslexic learners, there are writing apps that can help them learn to write letters by tracing them on a touch screen. As we saw above, SEN learners who find reading challenging can use text-to-speech apps that deliver written texts in audio format. Similarly, learners with hearing disabilities can use speech-to-text apps that provide written transcripts of audio texts. SEN learners with communication challenges can benefit from apps that support communication, including those that predict sentence completion (eg Assistive Express) and those that enable students to simply answer yes or no to questions.

10. Resources for teachers

Unit 45

With the move towards more inclusive approaches to SEN, there is now a lot more material available to help English language teachers support their SEN learners, both with and without technology. There are books, blogs and websites where you can find practical classroom tips and ideas on how to support learners with a range of SENs. For example, Special Educational Needs (Oxford University Press, 2016), by Marie Delaney, provides practical tips and strategies for English language teachers, including a section on technology and SEN. The English Language Teaching Global Blog from Oxford University Press (oupeltglobalblog.com) has several helpful posts about SEN. There are also organisations that provide descriptions of software and apps that can support SEN learners, as well as documentation and lesson plans to help teachers. Examples of these organisations are: Dyslexia Help (http://dyslexiahelp.umich.edu/tools/softwareassistive-technology), Understood (understood.org) and Languages without Limits (languageswithoutlimits.co.uk).

“Technology is excellent for supporting language learners with special educational needs. An important principle is to focus on learning needs starting from what somebody can do rather than what they can’t do. A good inclusive practice approach is through accessible tools supporting engagement with learning – the University of Kent have a really useful free resource supporting this approach.” See: https://www.kent.ac.uk/ studentsupport/accessibility/productivity Phil Dexter, British Council Teacher Development and Special Educational Needs Adviser. To find out more about using inclusive practices visit https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/teacher-development/continuingprofessional-development/using-inclusive-practices

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

161

Further development So far, we have focused on ideas and activities supported by a range of digital technologies that you can implement with your English language students. We have also looked at contexts and issues related to the use of technology, and proposed ways to get the most out of the technologies you use in your school or classroom. This final section focuses less on your students, and more on you. It provides you with ideas, resources and references to help develop your knowledge of how to use digital technologies with your students. The first unit suggests ways to develop your knowledge of technology in a general sense; the second unit provides some simple ‘tech tips’ to help you troubleshoot typical issues that can arise when you use technology. These simple tips can solve a range of technologyrelated problems, and should be among the first things you try before calling on more specialised help. Knowing these simple tips and tricks can greatly increase your confidence with technology in the classroom. The third unit describes technology-related acronyms: understanding and knowing how to use these can also increase your confidence. The penultimate unit provides a list of key resources related to technology in the form of books and blogs that you can read to develop your own knowledge of the topic. The final unit suggests ways in which you can manage your time effectively as a more confident and proficient technology user.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

163

10

ways to develop your knowledge of technology

Teachers are usually very familiar with what they need to teach (the content) and how to teach it (the pedagogy). These two areas – content and pedagogy – are covered thoroughly in most teacher training courses. However, teachers often receive little or no training in how to use technology with students. Even teachers who are technologically proficient in their private lives may feel unsure about how best to integrate learning technologies effectively into their teaching. Luckily, technology itself provides us with multiple opportunities to develop our knowledge online. Below are some online and offline suggestions for ways to get yourself up to speed with technology so that you can feel more confident integrating it into your language classes.

1. Watch videos

Unit 46

There are two main ways that videos can help you develop your knowledge of technology. One way is to watch videos of teachers actually using technology with students in the classroom, for example, a teacher demonstrating the use of an IWB (interactive whiteboard) in class. TeacherTube (teachertube.com) is a good source of classroom demonstration videos. Another way is to watch video tutorials. For example, once you have chosen a tool or technology that you would like to use with your students, you can watch a tutorial of exactly how to set up and use the tool. YouTube (youtube.com) is a good place to search for video tutorials.

2. Read books and blogs When starting out with technology, the first thing many teachers do is to reach for a methodology book to give them ideas and tips on how best to integrate new tools into their teaching. Another option is to follow blogs written by educators that offer practical advice and tips on how to use technology effectively with students. Reading books and blogs about technology in English language teaching is certainly a good place to start. Unit 49 suggests some books and blogs to look at.

3. Join a teachers’ association Many countries have English language teachers’ associations (TAs) that run annual conferences in major cities, and some TAs run smaller regional conferences or day-long workshops around the country. Many TAs are affiliated to larger teaching organisations like IATEFL (International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language) or TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). The easiest way to find a TA in your country is to explore the Associates section on the IATEFL website (www.iatefl. org/associates/list-of-associate-members) and the ‘Upcoming Regional Conferences’ section on the TESOL website (www.tesol.org/attend-and-learn/academies-conferencessymposia/upcoming-regional-conferences). Apart from offering reduced rates to attend TA conferences, many TAs produce electronic or printed newsletters that are sent regularly to members.

4. Join an online group There are several online groups run by and for English language teachers that focus specifically on learning technologies. For example, the excellent Webheads group (webheads.info) is an informal group of English language teachers from all over the world, who are interested in exploring together how best to use a range of technologies with

164

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

their classes. The Webheads group communicates via a Yahoo email group; it is a good place to ask questions or seek advice about using certain tools or programs. It is also helpful for finding teachers who are interested in carrying out intercultural projects online (for example, the Skype projects described in Unit 31). Other recommended online groups include the IATEFL Learning Technologies Special Interest Group, also known as ‘LTSIG’ (ltsig.iatefl.org), which has a Yahoo email group as well as a blog, a Facebook page and a Twitter presence. An equivalent group is the US-based TESOL CALL-IS (Computer Assisted Language Learning Interest Section: www.call-is.org/WP/about-call-is).

5. Develop a PLN In Unit 36, we saw how social networks can help teachers to develop their own PLN (personal learning network). Start to develop a PLN by connecting via social media with the educators/authors mentioned in Unit 49 and slowly grow your own network of contacts through their followers and contacts. Connecting with organisations like the IATEFL LTSIG (mentioned above) via social networks will also help you develop your own PLN. Remember that developing a PLN takes time, but as you start to connect with more teachers who are interested in working with technology in the classroom, your network will grow and your confidence will increase.

Online conferences can take place over a single day or over several days. There are increasing numbers of fully online free conferences available for English language teachers. Some publishers (for example, Macmillan) offer an annual fully online conference. Other educational organisations such as the British Council (britishcouncil.org) and IATEFL (iatefl.org) also offer fully online conferences. In addition, some face-to-face conferences record and live-stream presentations online: the annual UK IATEFL conference does this, as do smaller conferences, such as that organised by the IATEFL Business English Special Interest Group, or ‘BESIG’ (besig.org). Following these organisations via social media will keep you informed of the events they organise. Conferences for English language teachers are not always focused exclusively on learning technologies, but there are usually several talks on the topic at online conferences.

Unit 46

6. Attend an online conference

7. Join a MOOC ‘MOOC’ stands for ‘Massive Open Online Course’. MOOCs are online courses offered by universities and educational institutions the world over, with the number of participants on a single MOOC often running into the thousands. There are MOOCs on topics such as online learning, blended learning and integrating technologies into education. The best way to find a MOOC on a topic that you are interested in is to search on the main MOOC platforms, such as Coursera (coursera.org) or FutureLearn (futurelearn.com). Some MOOCs offer additional certification on payment of a fee, usually for assessed work. The US-based TESOL Electronic Village Online (EVO) also offers MOOCs for English language teachers, which focus specifically on learning technologies. They take place just before the annual TESOL convention, which is usually in February or March (see http://evosessions.pbworks.com/w/page/10708567/FrontPage). By taking an EVO MOOC on a technology-related subject, you can interact with other educators around the world and improve your knowledge of technology and your skills for free.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

165

8. Take a formal online course At the opposite end of the spectrum are small tutor-led online courses on a number of technology-related topics for EFL teachers. These courses are paid-for, and range from short two-week courses on topics such as live online teaching to full Certificate and MA TESOL online courses. For quality-assured formal online courses, see the Aqueduto website (Association for Quality Education and Training Online: aqueduto.com). The Consultants-E (theconsultants-e.com) is an award-winning online training organisation that offers online courses for English language teachers on the implementation of a range of digital technologies.

9. Create digital champions

Unit 46

Digital champions are not necessarily experts in technology, but they are experienced teachers who are interested in trying out technologies in their classes, typically experienced senior teachers or teacher trainers. If you are a director, director of studies or teacher trainer in your school, try to identify those teachers who are most interested in integrating learning technologies into their teaching, and support them to become digital champions. Digital champions can run small in-house workshops for teachers who are less comfortable with technology, and support them in trying out new tools and ideas with their classes.

10. Develop a strategic plan If you are a director of studies or a teacher trainer in your school, you can help the school to develop a more strategic approach to implementing learning technologies. For example, you could develop an in-house training programme for teachers to help them to learn how to use IWBs with confidence, or how to integrate mobile devices effectively into the classroom. This is an excellent way to support teachers on an ongoing basis, and to help them try out new tools and approaches while they gain confidence with new technologies. See page 189 in the Appendix for an example of a strategic plan for implementing the use of mobile devices in a school.

“I’ve done a number of MOOCs, and they offer an amazing opportunity to expand your knowledge in the company of an enormous and supportive learning community, all from the comfort of your own home. However, with so many people and so much activity going on, you can sometimes feel overwhelmed. That usually leads to people dropping out. To avoid this, set a clear aim for yourself about what you want to achieve from the course. Sign up just for one MOOC at a time and stick with it, making sure you have enough time set aside to participate regularly.” Graham Stanley, British Council Country Director Uruguay. Twitter: @grahamstanley

166

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

10

top tech tips

Being self-reliant and knowing where to look for help when you have technology issues is probably one of the most important digital skills you can have. The tech tips below are very simple things that you can do when you have common technology problems. Trying out some of these suggestions can frequently save the day. The first seven tips are things that you yourself can do to sort out common problems with your computer, and the last three tips suggest where you can easily find help to sort out any additional problems.

1. Keep programs updated It’s important to keep the software on your computer updated. Many programs will automatically tell you when an updated version is available, and it’s a good idea to follow these prompts to install the latest version. Hackers often exploit security flaws in common software in order to install malware or viruses on computers, or even to steal information from computers. Updates often include security fixes that can help keep your computer safe, so be sure to respond as soon as you see the prompt.

2. Reboot your computer

3. Reset the router When your computer or mobile device is having problems connecting to the wi-fi, and a reboot doesn’t sort out the problem, try resetting the router: unplug your router from the electricity supply, wait about 30 seconds, and then plug it in and turn it on again. This resets the router and can fix many wi-fi connection problems. Routers usually have a reset button too; you can press that as an alternative.

Unit 47

One of the golden rules in tech troubleshooting is to ‘reboot’. This means restarting your computer. Typical issues that are fixed by rebooting include: your computer suddenly slowing down or freezing, the appearance of a blank or blue screen (sometimes referred to as ‘the blue screen of death’), or loss of wi-fi connection. Reboots apply not only to desktop computers, but also to any other device, such as a smartphone or tablet, that is giving you problems. Not everything will be fixed by a reboot, but it’s a good place to start.

4. Close down a single program Sometimes just one of the programs you are running on your computer will freeze. Everything else will be working fine, but that one single program will not respond. On a PC, you can access the ‘Task manager’ function by holding down the following three keys at once: Ctrl+Alt+Del. This will take you to a screen with a list of basic computer functions. Click on ‘Task Manager’. This will bring up a list of the programs currently running on your computer. Select the program that has frozen and click ‘End task’. That will close the program. Try opening it again, and if it still doesn’t work properly, reboot your computer.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

167

5. Check the cables This is another very simple thing to try when things like your external webcam, speakers, headset or printer don’t seem to work. Ensure that the cables are plugged in correctly, and that plugs are inserted all the way in. For headsets that have two single jacks (usually one red or pink jack for the microphone and one green jack for the headphone speakers), a typical problem is that they have been inserted into the wrong port on your computer. Check that the red or pink microphone jack is plugged into the port that has a microphone symbol, and that the green jack is plugged into the port that has a speaker or headphone symbol. The computer ports are sometimes colour-coded as well.

Unit 47

6. Install antivirus software This is one of those essential pieces of advice that should never be ignored. When you buy a new computer, you will usually be offered an antivirus software package. These frequently need to be paid for, but are robust and well worth investing in. A reliable antivirus software option is Avast! (avast.com). You can download a free version, or you can subscribe to the paid-for version. Both versions have robust antivirus protection, but the free version is only for home use on a single computer. The paid-for version has additional features, such as keeping your computer running smoothly by clearing out unnecessary program files and cookies, and it can be used in office environments on multiple computers. Whatever antivirus software package you choose, ensure that it is installed immediately on a new computer. Run a scan with your antivirus software regularly, and never download programs from unknown sources. Don’t open unexpected email attachments or click on links unless you know exactly where they are going to take you. Keep your antivirus software updated daily; new viruses are appearing all the time.

7. Install several browsers Some browsers seem to work better than others with certain software programs. You might benefit from having a selection of browsers installed on your PC (for example, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer). If you have problems with a site or a program on one browser, simply copy and paste the URL into another browser to see if the experience is better. It’s worth trying several browsers to see which one you feel more comfortable with. It’s also important to keep your browsers up to date (see ‘Keep programs updated’ above).

8. Find help online If you need help with learning how to use a specific program or how to fix a specific tech problem, you can almost always find assistance online. Any tech problem that you have is likely to have been experienced by someone else, and there is often a help tutorial online to help you solve the problem. Search YouTube (or similar) for video tutorials to help you fix the issue. If you receive an error message on your computer, copy the message and paste it into a search engine like Google. The results page will list links to ‘help’ pages containing suggestions for how to fix it. You can find online video tutorials or text-based tutorials with screenshots for almost any technical problem. By following the step-by-step instructions, you can often fix a problem yourself without having much technical knowledge or experience.

168

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

9. Ask for help If you experience a technical issue during class, for example, the IWB is not working, the audio can’t be heard, or you can’t open your PowerPoint presentation, ask a student for help. Whatever age your students are, there is very often a student who is fairly tech-savvy in the class, and who is more than happy to help you. Rather than seeing this as a loss of face, think of it as an opportunity. As teachers, we present ourselves as the experts in the classroom, but for once, there may be a student who is able to do something better than us. This is empowering for students. And of course, if you have a tech-savvy teacher on your staff, you can ask him or her for help as well.

10. Develop digital leaders

“Sometimes, despite our good intentions and expertise, technology fails and you might need IT support. If you are in the classroom, you will need to stay calm and carry on with your lesson. To avoid stress and disappointment, make sure you are always able to answer the question ‘What will I do if the technology in my classroom fails today?’ A backup plan might involve having some handouts handy for a technology-free activity, using your (and your students’) mobile devices instead of class equipment etc. It usually saves the day and keeps everybody happy.”

Unit 47

Some primary and secondary schools encourage students to be digital leaders. Digital leaders are volunteers (for example, one at each grade level) who use their technical skills to support others. These students help teachers and other students with any technical problems that are experienced during class. Some digital leaders offer teachers and other students informal training in how to use common software or hardware, and look after a school’s ICT equipment. See this article on how to get started with digital leaders at primary school: www.digitalclassrooms.co.uk/using-primary-aged-digitalleaders. The Digital Leader Network website is also a good source of information (digitalleadernetwork.co.uk).

Sophia Mavridi, EdTech Lecturer and Consultant, IATEFL Learning Technologies SIG Joint Coordinator: www.sophiamavridi.com

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

169

10

key acronyms and abbreviations

The field of technology abounds in acronyms and abbreviations. As technology becomes increasingly present in the language classroom, so, too, are acronyms creeping in. Teachers are often simply expected to know what they mean. In this unit, we look at 10 important acronyms and abbreviations that can help you understand what is being referred to when people start talking technology.

1. CALL The term CALL stands for Computer Assisted Language Learning. It was coined in the 1980s to refer to materials and learning processes carried out via computers. CALL has a rich research history in the field of technology, and continues to be used particularly in research circles. With its emphasis on the word computer, however, the term is somewhat dated in a world that is increasingly reliant on mobile devices.

Unit 48

2. MALL and MALU The term MALL was coined to take into account the fact that much learning these days can be mediated via mobile devices like tablets and smartphones. It stands for Mobile Assisted Language Learning. A related acronym is MALU, which stands for ‘Mobile Assisted Language Use’. The term MALU places emphasis on the fact that students are not just passive consumers of learning materials via mobile devices, but that they are frequently active participants and users of language via new technologies.

3. BYOD and BYOT BYOD stands for ‘bring your own device’ and BYOT stands for ‘bring your own technology’. BYOD refers to students bringing to class mobile devices that are preapproved by the school, while BYOT can include students bringing to class any portable technologies they wish. However, the terms tend to be used interchangeably. The idea behind BYOD/BYOT is that students are able to use their personal technologies to support their learning in class. Students usually know their own devices well and enjoy using them. Having students use their own mobile devices also saves the school investing in and maintaining expensive hardware and software. Many of the activities in this book can be carried out by students using their own devices in class.

4. VLEs and LMSs The terms VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) and LMS (Learning Management System) refer to online platforms where students can carry out learning activities at a distance. A typical VLE or LMS will enable teachers to upload materials such as documents, audio and video resources, and to create activities such as automatically graded quizzes. It will also allow students to interact via discussion forums, wikis or chats. A VLE/LMS will usually include ‘student tracking’, making it possible for the teacher to see when students log in and what materials or activities they access and complete. A VLE/LMS will also usually include a ‘gradebook’, so that each individual student’s grades and scores can be kept in one place, accessible by the student and teacher. Well-known VLEs/LMSs that have been around for more than a decade and are widely used in English language teaching include Moodle (moodle.org) and Blackboard (blackboard.com).

170

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

5. IT IT stands for ‘Information Technology’. IT is often associated with technical support and a focus on hardware and software. Some educational institutions like universities, for example, have an IT department to help teachers with any technology-related problems they may have.

6. ICT ICT stands for ‘Information and Communications Technology’. It is commonly used in educational and learning contexts because it is associated with using technologies for communication and learning. Many governments see ICT as an essential part of education today. The term is fairly commonly used to refer to the use of technology in the classroom.

7. MP3 and MP4

8. SMS SMS stands for ‘Short Message Service’, and refers to text messages sent by mobile phone. Sending SMS via mobile phone became popular as an inexpensive alternative to mobile phone calls. However, they have been largely supplanted by free or low-cost apps such as WhatsApp or Telegram (see Unit 19).

Unit 48

Knowing exactly what these acronyms stand for is less important than understanding what they are. MP3 is an audio file format, and MP4 is a video file format. Both formats are compatible with a range of devices and operating systems. When your students create audio recordings or videos as part of their language learning activities, they should save their recordings in these formats so that others will easily be able to access and listen to (or view) their work. (MP3 is short for ‘MPEG Layer-3 Audio’ and MP4 stands for ‘MPEG Layer-4 Audio’.)

9. Text speak The abbreviations used in SMS messages, and increasingly in group messaging apps, are often referred to as ‘text speak’, or ‘txt spk’. For reasons of expediency, users often use shortened forms of words. For example, in English, text speak conventions include replacing words or parts of words with a letter that sounds the same (for example, u instead of you) and removing vowels to shorten words (for example pls instead of please). Another form of abbreviation involves using the first letters of the words in a well-known phrase. For example, brb means be right back, lol means laugh out loud, imho means in my humble opinion, and fyi means for your information. There are hundreds of examples of these abbreviations; less commonly known ones include rotfl (roll on the floor laughing), gal (get a life), and nntr (no need to reply). One way to keep up with text speak acronyms is to refer to a site like NetLingo (netlingo.com/acronyms.php).

10. PEBCAK PEBCAK stands for ‘Problem Exists Between Chair and Keyboard’. This acronym is used by IT support staff when a customer seeks their help with a problem and it turns out that it is the user him- or herself who is at fault (usually due to a lack of basic understanding of technology). Not the kindest of acronyms, but amusing nonetheless!

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

171

10

technology books and blogs to read

The first practical books suggesting how the internet could be used in the English language classroom appeared in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and they were pretty thin on the ground. These days, with the explosion of digital technologies, there is a lot more choice. This choice is not only limited to books: there are now also numerous blogs, websites and e-books that you can turn to if you would like to learn more about using technology with your language students. The books and blogs recommended below are mostly very practical, and will provide you with a wealth of ideas, tips and techniques for effectively using a range of digital technologies in the classroom. Some of the books, however, focus more on the theoretical, providing interesting and useful background reading. Most of them are available as e-books.

1. Language Learning with Technology by Graham Stanley (Cambridge University Press, 2013)

Unit 49

Containing a wealth of practical ideas, this book is suitable both for teachers who are just beginning to use technology with their students and for experienced technology users. The book is organised around language areas (grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation) and language skills (reading, writing, speaking, listening). It describes a range of activities you can carry out with students, including activities that get students using mobile technologies and social networks.

2. Going Mobile by Nicky Hockly and Gavin Dudeney (DELTA Publishing, 2014) This very practical book looks at how you can integrate the use of mobile devices into your language classroom. The book includes a range of activities using mobile-based text, multimedia, and project work, as well as a look at some of the issues involved in using mobile devices with students. Areas such as classroom management and pedagogical and technological considerations are explored, and a strategic plan for implementing mobile learning at institutional level is suggested.

3. Digital Literacies by Gavin Dudeney, Nicky Hockly and Mark Pegrum (Routledge, 2013) Although digital literacies are present in most school curricula around the world, they are often difficult for teachers to implement in the classroom. This practical book provides 50 activities for language teachers, integrating a focus on language skills and structures with ways of developing students’ (and teachers’) digital literacies. The book also looks at the topic of digital literacies from a more theoretical perspective, considering issues such as integrating these literacies into the language curriculum and assessing students’ digital output.

4. Language Learning with Digital Video by Ben Goldstein and Paul Driver (Cambridge University Press, 2015) For teachers interested in using video with language students, this book provides an excellent introduction and overview. The book is divided into two parts: the first part explores how teachers can use ready-made video from sources like YouTube or Vimeo;

172

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

the second part looks at video creation, and provides a range of activities and tips on how to get your students creating their own videos. The book includes a bank of video resources, as well as technical tips and help.

5. 400 Ideas for Interactive Whiteboards by Pete Sharma, Barney Barrett and Francis Jones (Macmillan, 2011) This book provides a wealth of practical activities and ideas for teachers who have access to interactive whiteboards (IWBs) in their classroom or school. The book is divided into four chapters. The first chapter looks at how to use well-known software and websites with your IWB; the second chapter shows you how to use software that is specially created for IWBs; and the third chapter explores IWB published materials. The final chapter focuses on how you can create your own IWB materials to use with your students.

6. It’s complicated: the social lives of networked teens by danah boyd (Yale University Press, 2014)

Unit 49

Social media scholar danah boyd (yes, it’s spelled with lowercase letters) has spent more than a decade working with US adolescents, examining their use of technology. Although not aimed at language teachers, this book describes case studies of teenagers from various ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. It provides a fascinating picture of how North American teens use technology to develop their sense of self and to communicate with peers. The book is written in an engaging and accessible yet scholarly style, and it explodes many of the myths around how adolescents use digital technologies. This book is highly recommended as background reading for teachers of teenagers.

7. Routledge Handbook of Language Learning and Technology edited by Fiona Farr and Liam Murray (Routledge, 2016) The 38 chapters in this volume provide a thorough overview of technology in language learning from a more theoretical perspective. It’s written by respected researchers and experts in the CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning) field, and includes chapters on the historical and conceptual background to CALL research. It also looks at the role of CALL in teacher education, materials development, digital literacies, and evaluation and testing. There are chapters on specific technologies like IWBs, mobile devices, virtual worlds and social networks. This book will give you a thorough grounding in the main research areas of CALL.

8. Nik’s Learning Technology Blog by Nik Peachey (nikpeachey. blogspot.com) This blog contains a wealth of posts exploring digital tools and websites that can help you support your students’ English language learning. The posts often describe how to use a specific tool and include ideas for use in the classroom. This is an excellent resource to keep you up to speed with the many digital tools that are available for language teachers to use with students.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

173

9. Teacher training videos by Russell Stannard (teachertrainingvideos.com) If you’ve ever wanted to learn to use a new technology tool, this website can help you. The site contains a wide range of step-by-step video tutorials developed by Russell Stannard, showing readers how to use various different technology tools and sites. The site is highly recommended if you need to develop your own technology skills and would like to learn exactly how to use a new tool with your students.

10. Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne (freetech4teachers.com)

Unit 49

This blog is aimed at teachers in general, rather than language teachers in particular. The regular short posts are an excellent way to keep up with the new digital tools and resources that are constantly appearing (and disappearing). Richard Byrne writes about new tools that can be useful for educators, and he usually briefly suggests ways in which they can be used with students. He often includes useful short videos giving tips and explanations of how to use the tools. Following this blog is a good way to keep up with new digital tools that you can try out with your students.

“I recommend ‘Differentiating Instruction with Technology in Middle School Classrooms’ by Smith and Throne (published by ISTE). The book takes any teacher from beginner to advanced level in technology and DI. It provides engaging and motivating activities, useful links and theory related to Web 2.0 tools.” Maria Bossa, teacher, Argentina. Maria blogs at www.mariabossa.blogspot.com

174

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

10

ways to manage your time effectively

Many teachers feel that using technology with students will take up too much of their time. This is a fair point. There are three main areas that we tend to spend extra time on when we use technology with our students. The first relates to the time we take to learn how to use a new tool or piece of technology. The second relates to the additional demands that are made on our time when technology takes a student’s learning outside of classroom. The third relates to the time it takes to keep up with what’s happening online and taking advantage of teacher development opportunities. Below are 10 suggestions for ways to manage your time more effectively in all three areas.

1. Accept the learning curve

2. ‘Just in time’ learning Learn what you need only when you need it (an approach that is referred to as ‘just in time’ learning). So, for example, if you decide to try out an activity with your students using virtual sticky notes (see Unit 22), choose just one sticky note tool and teach yourself how to use it a couple of days before you plan to use it with your students. If you do this every time you need to learn to use a new technology tool, you will soon build up a repertoire of tools that you feel comfortable using with your students both in and out of class.

Unit 50

If you are completely new to digital technologies, there is inevitably going to be an initial learning curve while you get to grips with a new tool. This means you will need to invest time in the beginning to learn how to use some of the tools described in this book. Learning to use technology and tools is a bit like driving. At first it seems very complicated, but the more you do it the more you learn, and the easier it gets. The time that you initially invest in learning how to use a blogging platform, for example, means that it’s going to be much quicker and easier for you to learn to use other technology tools. So think of the time spent on the inevitable initial learning curve as an investment for the future: the more you use technology, the more proficient you become, and the easier it gets.

3. Create and share Creating digital materials for your students can be time-consuming, so encourage a culture of sharing in your school. If several teachers are developing digital materials or lesson plans for integrating technology into their classrooms, hold weekly meetings in which teachers share their ideas, materials and plans. In this way, you can build up a bank of good ideas and materials for all the teachers in your school.

4. Set ground rules Some digital technologies can encourage students to communicate in English outside class time. For example, if you set up a class blog, a class social network group, or a class group in a text messaging app, students are likely to post and text between classes. Don’t feel you need to respond to everything that students contribute. Whenever you set up an ‘out of class’ group with your students, set ground rules before you start. For example, tell students that you will not respond over weekends or after a certain time in the evening. Part of using digital technologies successfully outside class is ensuring that students understand how much they can reasonably expect you to be involved.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

175

5. Encourage peer feedback If you and your students use digital technologies to communicate with each other outside class, ensure that students understand that they need to respond to each other, rather than expecting you to respond to everything. The type of activities you set can also ensure that your input is not constantly needed (see Unit 19). Ask students to give feedback to each other on blogposts, rather than expecting you to correct everything. Students can comment on each other’s posts, and you can note down common language errors for a correction slot at the beginning of a subsequent class. Student interaction via digital technologies outside class time encourages them not only to practise English and communicate with each other, but also to become more autonomous learners.

Unit 50

6. Avoid information overload There is a massive amount of information available online that we can use for our own professional development – and indeed for our own personal entertainment. Who hasn’t whiled away an entire evening watching YouTube videos or catching up on Facebook? To avoid information overload, we need to try to limit the amount of information we are exposed to daily. Use time management strategies: for example, allow yourself to log into your social networks twice a day for 15 minutes at a time, and no more, and limit the number of blogs or online articles that you read to a reasonable number per week.

7. Filter your information A good way to keep up with English language teaching developments online without having to read hundreds of blogs, webpages or social network updates is to follow one or two educators you trust via social networks. Educators who read widely, are well informed and are good at sharing news and views can keep you up to date with trends in the profession. By doing the reading that you don’t have time to do, they act as ‘information filters’. One highly recommended information filter is Stephen Downes (http://www.downes.ca/index.html), a Canadian educator working in the university sector. It’s worth subscribing to his weekly newsletters to keep up to date with what is happening in the world of educational technology in the tertiary sector. Unit 49 provides examples of English language teachers and trainers that you can find and follow on various social networks such as Facebook or Twitter.

8. Use online content curator tools When you find useful content, such as an interesting website for your learners or a lesson plan, use an online content curator tool like Scoop.it! (scoop.it) or Pinterest (pinterest. com) to save (or ‘bookmark’) these sites. You can then share your bookmarks with other teachers, and follow teachers who already have a good range of materials or websites saved. This can save you time looking for materials for a class (or trying to find materials you found months ago, but can no longer remember where they were online). Examples of useful Scoop.it! sites for English language teachers interested in technology are those maintained by Nik Peachey (www.scoop.it/t/nik-peachey) and The Consultants-E (www.scoop.it/t/learning-bytes-from-the-consultants-e).

176

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

9. Work–life balance In our hyper-connected world, many teachers feel the pressure to be constantly online and available for their students, that is, to be at work even when they are not physically at work. However, ensuring that you have a proper work–life balance is one of the best ways to avoid stress and burnout. Ensure that you spend time with family and friends, participating in activities that you enjoy. Healthy eating and regular exercise are, of course, key to a healthy lifestyle. Build regular relaxation activities into your schedule as well, such as taking a walk, having a bath, listening to music, cooking – or simply reading a good book.

10. Switch off This is probably the most important advice of all. Ensure that you regularly take time off line. This means that when you go on holiday, resist the temptation to check email, keep up with blogs, or be permanently on Facebook. Digital technologies can be a wonderful resource and benefit in our lives, but as with all things, they need to be used in moderation.

Unit 50

“Develop a routine and stick to it. Ensure you deal efficiently with online work by aiming to log in on a regular basis, and preferably at the same time each day. Devoting short blocks of time helps to keep the workflow moving and creates a pleasant and stressfree atmosphere. Try to operate a ‘zero inbox policy’ by the close of day and this means you can start afresh the next day. This definitely helps me to avoid becoming overwhelmed with work!” Janet Bianchini, teacher and trainer, Italy and UK

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

177

Appendix The classroom material in this Appendix can also be found online at https://www.myetpedia.com/appendix-materials/ as downloadable teacher’s resources. These downloadable teacher’s resources can be viewed as pdfs online where you can use the search, bookmark, zoom and clip tools. You can also save to your computer or laptop to be used exactly as they are, or adapted and developed to suit your own context, or you can print them directly from the website for use straightaway.

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

179

Unit 4, Introduction Class questionnaire 1. On a scale of 1 to 5, how confident are you as a technology user? (1 = not at all confident; 5 = very confident) 1 2 3 4 5

2. What technology tools do you use regularly? For example, do you regularly use email, social networks, watch YouTube videos, take photos on your phone, etc.? List them below.

3. Do you have a mobile phone? £ Yes

£ No

If so, is it a smartphone?

£ Yes £ No

4. Which of the following technologies do you already use to support your English learning? Tick those that you already use. Add any other tools you use to support your English language learning. £ I watch videos or films online in English. £ I read online articles in English. £ I use a bilingual dictionary on my mobile phone. £ I use language-learning apps on my mobile phone. Other: _________________________________________________________________________

5. Would you like to include the use of some technologies (eg mobile devices) in your language classes? £ Yes

£ No

Why? _______________________________________________________

What other technologies would you like to use in class? _____________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________

180

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

Appendix

Unit 4, Introduction 6. What are your favourite technologies and apps? List them below.

7. Do you have any favourite English websites or games? List them below.

8. Are there any technologies or tools that you dislike or would prefer to avoid? List them below.

9. Would you like to use technology in class or out of class, or both? £ In class only £ Out of class only £ In class and out of class Why? __________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________

10. What do you think of how we used technologies during this course? (Ask students this question after you’ve used technologies with them for a while.) _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________

Appendix

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

181

Unit 9.3 Webquest: visiting South Africa Introduction South Africa is a country with eleven official languages, and one of those is English. It’s a beautiful country with lots to see and do. You’re going to work in groups of three or four to plan a class trip to beautiful South Africa!

The Task Your group is going to research one destination to visit in South Africa. You’re going to use the internet to research what to see and do, as well as how to get there and where to stay. You will present your destination to the rest of the class. But beware: although you have an unlimited budget, the class has only enough time to visit one destination in South Africa. So you will need to convince the class that your destination is the best option! To complete this webquest, you will need to carry out the following tasks in your group: XX Research your assigned destination. XX Collate your findings into a presentation. XX Present your destination to the class. XX Vote on the best destination. XX Carry out an individual self-evaluation.

The Process 1. Research a. Your group is going to research one destination in South Africa. Your teacher will assign your group a number. XX Group 1: Cape Town XX Group 2: Johannesburg XX Group 3: The Garden Route XX Group 4: Kruger National Park XX Group 5: Addo Elephant Park XX Group 6: Stellenbosch and the Winelands

b. Use the websites on the next page to find information about each of the points below. Take notes for each point. XX five interesting things to do or see in your assigned destination XX how to get there from our city XX the best hotel to stay in and where to eat XX any other interesting information about your destination

182

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

Appendix

Unit 9.3 Suggested websites: http://www.southafrica.net/za/en/ https://www.lonelyplanet.com/south-africa https://www.roughguides.com/destinations/africa/south-africa/ https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g293740-South_Africa-Vacations.html http://www.worldtravelguide.net/south-africa

2. Presentation a. Review your notes with your group. Together, prepare one presentation (eg using PowerPoint, Keynote, Prezi or similar) about your destination. Your presentation should have a total of six slides: XX Slide 1: a title slide with the name of your destination XX Slide 2: five interesting things to do or see in your assigned destination XX Slide 3: how to get there from our city XX Slide 4: the best hotel to stay in and where to eat XX Slide 5: any other interesting information about your destination XX Slide 6: why your destination is the best choice

Note: If you use images in your presentation, make sure that you respect copyright by using images with a Creative Commons licence. b. Prepare a script to accompany your group’s slides. Decide who in your group is going to present each slide. c. Practise your presentation together. Remember: when you present to the class, don’t just read your script aloud. This sounds boring and will not engage your listeners. Use your script as a guide for when you speak to the class. d. Present your destination to the class. Remember that the class can only visit one destination in South Africa, so you need to convince the class that your destination is the best option!

3. Vote Once each group has presented their destination to the class, you are going to vote on which you think is the best. You can’t vote for your own destination, though! Which destination won the vote? Are you happy with the class’s choice?

Appendix

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

183

Unit 9.3 4. Self-evaluation Evaluate the work you have done. Circle the number that reflects your own individual work. (1 = ‘not good’ or ‘not at all’; 5 = ‘excellent’ or ‘a lot’). a. How effective was my contribution to the research part of the webquest?

1

2

3

4

5

b. How effective was my contribution to creating the slides for our presentation?

1

2

3

4

5

c. How effective was my contribution to creating the script for our presentation?

1

2

3

4

5

d. How effective was my part of the live presentation to the class?

1

2

3

4

5

e. Did my English improve doing this webquest?

1

2

3

4

5

f. Did I learn something new about using technology (eg searching on the internet, using presentation software, using images, etc.)?

1

2

3

4

5

g. Discuss your self-evaluation with your group. Then give it to your teacher.

184

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

Appendix

Unit 14.9 Predictive text messages Look at the 10 mobile phone text messages below. They were typed with predictive text, so there are some mistakes. Can you spot the mistake in each sentence? Circle the mistake and write the correct word underneath.

1. Hi James, I’ll meat you at the movies at 8.

2. Don’t forget to pick up milk on your way hone from work!

3. Stacey can’t come to the party in the end – she says she’d staying in to wash her hair.

4. What time did you say we shore leave?

5. OK, see you later – buy!

6. Where exactly are we meeting laser?

7. Sent me that photo when you get a minute.

8. Sorry – that message was mend for Luke, not you.

9. Give me the exact address so I don’t get lots on the way.

10. Give me a brake!

Key: 1 meet; 2 home; 3 she’s; 4 should; 5 bye; 6 later; 7 Send; 8 meant; 9 lost; 10 break

Appendix

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

185

Unit 21.6 Needs analysis Name: _____________________________________________________________________________ How many years have you been learning English?_______________________________________ What do you need your English for (eg school/university; work; social life, etc.)?

_______________________________________________________________________________



_______________________________________________________________________________

Write down three reasons you have for learning English.

_______________________________________________________________________________



_______________________________________________________________________________



_______________________________________________________________________________



_______________________________________________________________________________

Do you need to use English in any of these situations? Tick all that apply. £ social situations £ essay writing £ note taking £ face-to-face meetings £ virtual meetings £ negotiations £ telephone calls £ report writing £ emails £ letter writing £ other: ______________________________________________________________________

186

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

Appendix

Unit 21.6 How difficult are the following for you when learning English? (1 = not difficult; 5 = very difficult) speaking 1 2 3 4 5 writing 1 2 3 4 5 reading 1 2 3 4 5 listening 1 2 3 4 5

Write down three things you would like to learn in your English lessons. 1. _____________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

2. _____________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

3. _____________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

Do you have any other comments or suggestions about what you want from your English lessons?

_______________________________________________________________________________



_______________________________________________________________________________



_______________________________________________________________________________



_______________________________________________________________________________

Appendix

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

187

Unit 21.7 Course expectations Name: _____________________________________________________________________________ Why are you learning English?

_______________________________________________________________________________



_______________________________________________________________________________

Write down three things you expect to learn from this English course.

_______________________________________________________________________________



_______________________________________________________________________________



_______________________________________________________________________________

Write down three things you don’t want to do in this English course.

_______________________________________________________________________________



_______________________________________________________________________________



_______________________________________________________________________________

Do you have any other comments or suggestions about what you want from your English lessons?

_______________________________________________________________________________



_______________________________________________________________________________



_______________________________________________________________________________

Is there anything worrying you about this course, or that you would like to tell your teacher about before you start?

188



_______________________________________________________________________________



_______________________________________________________________________________



_______________________________________________________________________________

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

Appendix

Unit 34.9 Strategic implementation plan for using mobile devices in your school This 10-step plan can help your school implement the use of mobile devices in a principled and pedagogically sound manner.

1. The rationale Identify the reasons why your school would like students and teachers to use their own mobile devices as part of their English language learning. Typical reasons include: XX increasing learners’ motivation in class, supporting their language learning, and

providing them with opportunities for additional out-of-class language practice

XX promoting your school’s image as a cutting-edge institution to gain a competitive

advantage against other schools

XX cutting the costs associated with investing in or maintaining school computers for

students

However, the most important reason for deciding to use mobile devices as part of learning in your school needs to be pedagogical (the first point above). Although the use of mobile devices in your school may have very real promotional and economic benefits, unless your teachers know how to use mobile devices to support students’ learning, the benefits will be short-lived.

2. The context Consider whether your school has the necessary infrastructure (such as reliable wi-fi) to support large numbers of students and teachers using mobile devices at the same time. Consider also the physical space in your classrooms and in other school areas. If students are using mobile devices, they may need to move around for some tasks, so you need to ensure that the physical space is available for this. Consider also whether your students have access to devices, and/or whether there is a gap between the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ within classes. It may be worth your school investing in some devices to share with students and teachers, and this has cost implications. Finally, consider what attitudes your students (and the parents of younger learners) and teachers have towards using mobile devices for learning activities. For example, some teachers or parents might think that mobile devices can only be used for fun and games, rather than for supporting serious learning activities. Also keep in mind the fact that the age of your learners will affect what you can do with mobile devices. For example, if you are working with learners under the age of 18, think about how issues such as e-safety, classroom management, and the appropriate use of devices will be dealt with. (These are all issues that are dealt with in this book.)

3. The stakeholders Involve as many of the people affected by the plan as possible. This includes teachers, students, the parents of students under 18, school directors or managers, and additional staff such as IT support or librarians (who may be responsible for storing mobile devices bought by the school). It’s important to make sure all of these stakeholders are happy with your plan before implementation. They also need to be aware of their various roles and responsibilities. For example, if part of your acceptable use policy (see page 151) involves

Appendix

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

189

Unit 34.9 confiscating devices from younger learners for misuse, parents need to be aware of – and in agreement with – this policy. Involving stakeholders in the development of your plan will ensure greater buy-in from everyone in your school, and it will have a greater chance of success.

4. The case for your plan If you feel that any of the stakeholders you identified in step 3 above may be resistant to the strategic plan, it’s important to take time to present your case. In other words, you may need to ‘sell’ the idea to reluctant teachers, or to concerned parents, or to a recalcitrant school director. Hold a formal meeting with your stakeholders, in which you explain the benefits of learners having access to mobile devices for in-class and out-of-class work. Overtly address any worries or concerns that are raised, such as e-safety or inappropriate behaviour by younger learners. In the case of parents, you could hold a special parents’ evening in order to explain the rationale and benefits of the plan. It’s important to spend time on this step if necessary, to ensure that all of your stakeholders are on board and keen to support the implementation plan. To do this, they will first need to see the value of students using mobile devices to support the learning.

5. The learning The main reason for implementing your plan for using mobile devices is so that students’ learning can be more effectively supported and enhanced. Work closely with teachers to identify example activities (such as many of those described in this book) that can motivate students and support their learning. Suggest that teachers work in groups to decide how mobile devices can regularly support activities across the syllabus, rather than as occasional one-off activities. It’s important that the use of devices during activities has a clear pedagogical aim, fits the syllabus, and is related to assessment, if necessary. For example, if students need to produce mobile-based videos as part of a project, these digital products should ideally form part of the course assessment, so that they become a meaningful part of the students’ coursework.

6. The teachers Some teachers may be resistant to the idea of using mobile devices in class with their students. Identify one or two teachers to be your mobile learning plan ‘champions’. These are teachers who are interested in using mobile devices with their own learners, and who are keen to be involved in the pilot phase (see step 7 below). Involving teachers who want to take part in the plan is more conducive to success than forcing resistant or uninterested teachers to take part. Motivated and interested ‘champion’ teachers are more likely to make the plan work, and their success and enthusiasm can be contagious, so that more teachers in the school become interested in taking part, even if they were initially resistant.

7. The pilot phase It’s a good idea to ‘start small’ with your strategic plan. In other words, rather than implementing the plan with all the teachers and classes in your school, carry out a pilot phase. The pilot phase is a short trial period in which a small group of teachers and learners take part. By implementing mobile devices with just a few (interested) teachers and classes, context-specific challenges that you did not anticipate may emerge. For

190

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

Appendix

Unit 34.9 example, you might find that some students are resistant to using mobile devices in communicative activities because they believe that drill-based grammar activities are the best way to learn. In this case, it may be best to start students using their mobile devices out of class, for example with self-study grammar apps, and then slowly introducing more communicative mobile-based activities during class time (such as many of those described in this book).

8. Evaluate the pilot phase Involve teachers and learners in evaluating the pilot phase, by soliciting feedback. For example, ask the teachers involved to reflect on the pilot phase, and on whether they think it has been beneficial for their teaching. Ask the learners whether they think integrating mobile devices has been beneficial for their learning. Ask for suggestions from all stakeholders (parents, librarians, etc., as well as teachers and learners) on how the implementation plan could be improved. Based on the evaluation and feedback, make changes to your implementation plans in preparation for step 9 (below).

9. Extend the plan Extend your implementation plan to a larger group of teachers and learners in the school. Depending on the overall size of your school, and how keen everyone is, you may want to involve almost all the teachers and students at this stage, or you may want to simply carry out a second slightly larger pilot phase. Even when the use of mobile devices has been implemented throughout your school, with all teachers and students, it is still important to evaluate the plan regularly, and to act on teacher and student feedback. It’s important to keep your plan flexible so that it responds to the needs of all your stakeholders. The plan also needs to respond to pedagogical and technological developments in the field over time (such as to new apps and ways of learning with them, or to new devices). In other words, review your strategic plan periodically, and make changes or adjustments as necessary.

10. Teacher development Hold regular teacher development sessions with your teachers so that they can discuss how they are using mobile devices with their students, and share best practice and activities. Providing ongoing in-house teacher development opportunities for your teachers also enables them to explore any challenges that may arise, and to find ways to overcome them. The key is to keep your mobile learning plan flexible and updated, to review it regularly, and to support teachers so that they can implement it to the best of their abilities. Regular teacher development sessions, in which teachers share and discuss their practice with mobile devices, is an important part of a successful strategic plan.

Appendix

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

191

Unit 34.10 and Unit 35.9 Self-study apps Here is a list of English language-learning apps that students can download and use on their smartphones and tablets. The apps are primarily for self-study, which means that students can use these apps to support and improve their English on their mobile devices outside class. For each of the categories below, there is a wide range of language-learning apps available. Reliable and well-designed apps are often produced by well-known English language publishers, as well as the British Council, and many of the apps recommended here are from these organisations. However, apps come and go. The apps mentioned below are ones that are particularly recommended, and are likely to be around for a while, but it’s worth periodically checking ELT publishers’ websites (and the British Council’s website) to see whether new apps have been produced. The apps are available for a range of operating systems (eg iOS, Android or Windows phones). Students will need to search their app stores or check the links below to see whether an app is available for their particular device. Some apps are free at the time of writing, and some are paid for. Some follow a ‘freemium’ model. This means that some app content is free, but you need to pay to access additional content. Apps that are currently free may become paid-for or freemium in the future. All of these apps were current at the time of writing.

1. Dictionary apps Monolingual English dictionaries can help students understand unknown words, as well as help them develop their vocabulary. Publishers like Cambridge University Press offer several paid-for monolingual dictionary apps for English language learners (see www.cambridgemobileapps.com/dictionaries.html), as does Pearson (www.pearsonlongman.com/dictionaries/iphone_dictionaries.html). Macmillan offers the bilingual Macmillan Pocket Dictionary (see www.macmillandictionary.com/apps/). Oxford University Press also offers a range of monolingual and bilingual dictionaries for learners (see www.oxforddictionaries.com/oxford-dictionaries-apps and elt.oup.com/ feature/global/ebooks_and_apps). Free apps include WordReference (wordreference. com), a bilingual resource available in various different languages, and Dictionary.com (dictionary.com) for American English.

2. Language-learning apps There are apps that aim to help English language learners develop their overall language skills. Currently, two of the best-known free general language-learning apps are Duolingo (duolingo.com) and busuu (busuu.com). Duolingo is free, and contains eight or nine ‘lessons’ with self-study exercises per language level. These exercises include translation work, listening and transcribing what you hear, matching vocabulary to pictures and reading aloud sentences. There are no grammatical explanations or feedback included in the exercises. Students earn points for correct answers as they complete the exercises, moving progressively through lessons, and up from one level to the next. Busuu works on a freemium model. Language lessons include grammar, vocabulary, and practice with the four skills (including being able to record your voice), as well as the option to connect and practise with a community of learners around the world. However, the free version

192

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

Appendix

Unit 34.10 and Unit 35.9 of busuu is fairly limited: students need to subscribe to the premium version to access all of the features. The language-learning content in both of these apps is often based on unnatural-sounding, decontextualised sentences. Nevertheless, language-learning apps like Duolingo and busuu can help supplement some students’ language learning, and many enjoy the gamified element of earning points for correct answers and progressing through lessons and levels. For this reason, it can be worth letting your students know about these apps and inviting them to try them outside class.

3. Vocabulary apps The British Council offers several vocabulary and word games apps created specifically for English language learners. For example, Johnny Grammar’s Word Challenge (www. britishcouncil.org/english/academics/apps/60-second-word-challenge) is a game that tests students’ spelling, vocabulary and grammar in common topics, and at three different levels of difficulty. IELTS word power (www.britishcouncil.org/english/academics/apps/ieltsword-power) is a vocabulary app for students studying for the IELTS exam. MyWordbook2 (www.britishcouncil.org/english/business/apps/mywordbook-2) is an interactive notebook app jointly produced by the British Council and Cambridge University Press. It includes flashcards with images and sounds to help students learn new words, and allows students to categorise words within the app for further review and practice.

4. Grammar apps Search for ‘grammar’ in any app store, and dozens of apps will appear. The majority of these apps test individual grammar items through activity types that include gap-fills, multiple-choice questions and matching exercises. The British Council has a LearnEnglish Grammar app, available in a UK English version (learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/ apps/learnenglish-grammar-uk-edition), and an American English version (learnenglish. britishcouncil.org/en/apps/learnenglish-grammar-us-edition). Oxford University Press offers two grammar reference apps (see elt.oup.com/feature/global/ebooks_and_apps): Practical English Usage, useful for advanced students or for English language teachers wishing to brush up on their grammar knowledge, and the Oxford Learner’s Quick Reference Grammar App, with simple explanations and examples of grammar aimed at students. These two apps are for reference purposes only, so neither includes activities.

5. Pronunciation apps Two particularly recommended pronunciation apps for English language students are the British Council’s Sounds Right (www.britishcouncil.org/english/academics/apps/soundsright) and Macmillan’s Sounds (www.macmillandictionary.com/apps). Both include the symbols of the phonemic chart with recordings of each sound, as well as example words with the sounds in context. In addition, the Macmillan Sounds app allows students to toggle between British and American pronunciation of sounds, and to take quizzes to practise and test their pronunciation. These apps can be helpful for students wanting to improve their pronunciation of certain sounds. It can also help students when they are unsure of how to pronounce words they find transcribed in phonemic script (for example, in a print dictionary). The apps are also useful for English language teachers wishing to learn the phonemic chart.

Appendix

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

193

Unit 34.10 and Unit 35.9 6. Podcasts Podcasts are an excellent way for students to listen to English outside class. The BBC Learning English website (www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/) has a number of short weekly audio podcasts for adult students. Particularly recommended are 6 Minute English (www. bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02pc9tn/episodes/downloads), The English We Speak (www.bbc. co.uk/programmes/p02pc9zn/episodes/downloads) and English at Work (www.bbc.co.uk/ programmes/p02pcb0c/episodes/downloads). To subscribe to any of these podcasts, students should click on the links for each podcast from their mobile device, and then click on the ‘Subscribe’ button. The British Council also offers audio podcasts on topics such as British food and culture, everyday life, soap operas and famous stories and poems (see learnenglish.britishcouncil. org/en/apps). The podcasts include scripts and pitch control to help with listening and understanding. Particularly recommended are: LearnEnglish Elementary Podcast (aimed at lower levels), Big City Small World (a soap opera over 36 episodes), and How to … (for learning functional language). The Learn English Audio and Video app combines a range of British Council audio and video podcasts into a single app, including those described above (learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/apps/learnenglish-audio-and-video).

7. Apps for young learners The British Council offers a good range of apps specially designed for younger students who are learning English (see learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/apps). For example, Learning Time with Timmy is an app at three different levels for children to learn basic English vocabulary around colours, numbers, shapes and food, and it includes games and videos, with stickers to show achievement. Two British Council apps for children aged 6–11 are LearnEnglish Kids: Playtime, which includes animated songs and stories, as well as games to help students improve their spelling and understanding, and LearnEnglish Kids: Videos, which has animated stories. Finally, LearnEnglish Kids: Phonics Stories is a storybook app based on phonics, with audio narration and games for children. The School Edition of this app includes a guide for teachers. Studycat offers apps for younger language learners in American English (see studycat.net). Current apps include games that focus on simple vocabulary for colours, numbers, food, animals, etc. called Fun English, and games with the alphabet and words called ABC Galaxy.

194

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

Appendix

Write your own 10 tips Do you have 10 more ideas for English language teachers? Then why not write them down and share them with your colleagues or share them on the MyETpedia blog at www.myetpedia.com?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Appendix

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

195

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

196

ETpedia: Technology © Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd and its licensors 2017.

Appendix