Saturday 16 April 2016

IATEFL 2016- FORUM ON TECHNOLOGY - Part 1

Bringing English to Life: practical classroom activities using technology

Being born in a digital world, students will appreciate having the opportunity to use different apps, mobiles, laptops, etc. Of course, using technologies for designing classroom activities sometimes may seem a challenging task. But the truth is that interacting with technology and having well-designed activities can result in a rewarding and enriching experience.

Now, I would like to introduce Laura Laubacher and Sarah  Wakefield who talk about how to integrate technology into their classrooms activities such as pronunciation, drilling etc., that is, using apps and websites to improve students' language skills. So, in this Forum they are going to share the ones they found the most useful.

Overview
Why using technology in the classroom

-    Engaging
-    Motivating
-    Entertaining and fun
-    Relevant and useful
-    Encourages pair work and interaction
-    Memorable

Apps and Websites
1.    Recorded Speaking


Fotobabble

- Easy to use. Assigned as homework

Movenote

- For group work.
-Practice target language.
-Reporting news. Using the passive
-Useful for language acquisition process

Useful tips
-     Make a model sample. In this way you may obtain better results.
-    Guide students through the site, that is, how to use it.
-    Allow them time to write, practice and complete the task.
-    Be aware of sound issues, such as poor mic quality.

2.    For vocabulary revision and activation

 Dvolver movie maker
Useful tips:
-    Choose vocabulary students have used in class
-    Flash and internet connection

3.    Quizzes and Feedback
Socrative
-    To collect students feedback
-    For students quizzes

Useful tips
-Make a test quiz first to test the app.
- Teachers should familiarize to see how it works first.

By the end of the talk Laura and Sarah provided useful tips regarding the use of techies in the classroom, for instance: never miss the focus, which is always "communication", allow students enough time to get familiarized and solve the activities, provide a model to minimize the negative impact of having students frustrated if they do not know how to use the app properly, and last but not least: always have a Plan B!


http://iatefl.britishcouncil.org/2016/session/forum-technology-classroom




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