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ESL forum >
Techniques and methods in Language Teaching > Using different media in the classroom
Using different media in the classroom
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Victoria-Ladybug
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Using different media in the classroom
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Hi dear collegues!
You all know the Chinese proverb:"
I hear, and I forget. I see, and I remember. I do, and I understand".
This is the digital generation and technology in the classroom is an effective way to reach today �s students.The net is of course an invaluable tool for research.
Over the last two years, I �ve been making greater and greater use of computers .
I �ve been using the computer about once /twice a week.
I wonder how often did you actually take advantage of the technology for teaching English last year?
-once or twice
-approximately once every two or three months
-approximately once or twice a month
-approximately once or twice a week
-more than once a day
Can you share your examples of using computers in your classrooms?
After Succot/ October holidays I �m going to start using online exercises with my students.
Have you started the ESL online Notebook- with your classes?
It �d nice to hear about your experience!
Do your students like working on online exercises?
Victoria |
26 Sep 2009
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class centre
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Interesting question! I run my school using computer programs also. I work in class ( see my avatar), following an original and very effective system of SCHOOL OF TOMORROW where each st is sitting in his her own office, doing personally for him her assigned pages of our manuals. During our group sessions we all face each other, singing, speaking, laughing etc.
Once a week they have a computer lesson with my husband. It �s an individual lesson, where he gives them only what they need to reinforce, drill or introduce material. We use good discs ( gathered from all over the world) and on-line exercises. Children are delighted and learn much deeper and firmer. They can hear different voices there, not only mine, both American and British pronounciation, cartoons charatcters etc. That helps them understand better when they are spoken to by somebody in real life.
Of course, it �s not a class work, but it reaches each student and is extremely efficient.
Good luck!
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26 Sep 2009
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serene
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Hello Victoria,
In my school there �s one IT lab which is only used by the IT teachers for their classes. Unfortunately, there isn �t a computer in each classroom. The teachers of all the other subjects have to share two trolleys on which a computer and an OHP are mounted and which we carry from one classroom to another during breaks. Of course I can use my laptop but I should have to carry along my own OHP as well as teachers in Greek schools don �t have their own classroom. Our head teacher is trying hard to set up a second computer lab but she still can �t raise all the money needed for that. This means that I can �t use a computer for my classes as often as I �d like.
As for online exercises that could be set for homework, my 18-year-old students are finishing school this year and they are preparing for their university entrance exams. So they only study the subjects in which they �re going to be tested and they are not interested in English. I �m having a hard time to keep their attention during the lesson, let alone assigning them homework. However, sometimes I use an online exercise like this: whenever I can use a computer and an OHP, I show my students the video, which I have downloaded and saved beforehand as we don �t have an internet connection in the classrooms either, and then I give them a worksheet I have made in Word based on the activities in the online exercise.
Have a nice weekend
serene
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26 Sep 2009
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douglas
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I make a lot of use of the computer whenever I do listening or reading comprehension exercises. Most often I discuss the lyrics of a song and then provide a number of research questions about the band, the theme, etc. that students need to answer for the next lesson.
I always tell them to research in English. If you go to www.google.com you usually get the page in your local language, but there is then an option next to the search window that brings you to the "US" or English version of Google. Normally, if you choose his option once google.com will always come up in English after that.
This week I actually had students ask for more of this kind of assignment, because they enjoy it and learn alot from it.
I also use alot of you tube videos in the classroom.
Douglas |
26 Sep 2009
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urpillay
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Hello Victoria,
I don �t know what age are your students but I have a blog mainly about technology in the ESL classroom where I write ideas to use it in the classroom. Some post with ideas to use free software, the digital camera for students projects, moodle, are the following:
You shouldn �t miss either the interesting Nik Peachey blog about technology in the ESL/EFL classroom where you will find really interesting ideas to carry out in the classroom http://nikpeachey.blogspot.com/
I hope this information is useful for you!
Have a nice weekend!
INMA ALC�ZAR
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26 Sep 2009
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baiba
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Hi Victoria,
We have posted messages on the same topic, and I am extremely interested in what people are writing in reply to your post.
As you can see from my post below, at this time I am very much into using Moodle with my students in their learning process. However, it is mostly used for their independent at home, not in the classroom.
In class I use very simple technologies. I have access to a computer room in my school. When I conduct a lesson there, it is mainly online exercises or quizzes that I ask the students to do. I have been using this method for about 3 years on a regular basis.
Very often students prepare PPT presentations on different topics and use OHP and a computer (I have one in my English room). Sometimes I ask them to do webquest tasks at home. Sometimes we watch and discuss videos. Sometimes they make glogsters (digital posters) and we watch them at the lesson or they present some tool which they have discovered and show the others what can be done with it.
The use of technologies very much depends on the level and skills of students. There are groups which are keen on doing something with a computer and there are the opposite.
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26 Sep 2009
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GIOVANNI
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I use the computer in my class almost once a day in one way or another.
I use the computer when teaching a new subject to reinforce what has been explained. I use some of the powerpoint presentations from this site. Sometimes I modify the powerpoint presentation to suit the needs of the class.
I also use it for gap fill exercises and games.
I often show a short video from youtube and then we have a discussion. I have used Wolfy �s worksheets with link to a video which have been very useful and interesting.
We use the computer for for song lyrics. This is lots of fun because we chose a song that applies to the tense or subject we are learning and apply it to reinforce once again.
We are very fortunate at our school because we have a computer lab and from time to time I take the students into the lab to do on line exercises.
Also, for my more advanced classes many of the students will use the computer to do a powerpoint presentation on an oral they are giving.
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26 Sep 2009
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Olindalima ( F )
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Hi Vic
I use computer almost every lessons - listening exercises, texts, dialogues, either material that I have downloaded beforehand, or available in the internet ( all classrooms have wireless ); presentations with power points - grammar topics, main guidelines of project works, extensive reading and mainly to provide corrections, when we don �t have much time. U tube films that go on with the subject/vocabulary/grammar of the lesson.
We also have Moodle in my school. We have a page - E-lessons, where we gather everything that can be useful. This school year we all have a computer and a projector in each classroom, so I don �t need to carry my laptop and my own projector. Also this year we have two labs, instead of only one, so it is easier to take students to the lab where they can do research for their project works, though most of the times it is difficult to get a free room, because we have about a thousand students.
i don �t use on line exercises very often - I have to get the lab available and as our classes are 45minutes or ninety, it is a very long time to the kids to do so many exercises of the same kind and, it is a waste of space to get the lab just for 10 or 15 minutes, because there are always many teachers who need the lab.
We also have some five interactive boards, but I don �t use them much, as I still don �t know how to make my own materials and the ones available are not, most of the times, what I really need.
As what concerns to Moodle, we ( English teachers )have an open page,- E-lessons, for the whole school and for the rest of the world  , but some teachers also have their private folders. This is, in my opinion, very interesting. These private folders need a password, which is given to the students, by each teacher, so that only my students can access my folder. There I can upload lots of material which is used by the students, by their parents, by their tutors, by those who give a hand at home. Whenever they have doubts, they bring them to the class and we discuss them. I don �t use the blog, because I have had lots of problems with parents as far as it comes to upload the students � photos. Parents are afraid of kids in the internet; may be this year we can start. I haven �t so far used the chat, because, in fact, I don �t have much time.
Well, I think this is also, hope I helped a little
Linda
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26 Sep 2009
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cgato
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Hi!
I read the answers posted before and I can say that I started using the computer in every class this year! I use it in the same activities Olindalima has refered!
We also have now computers and projectors in each class but the computers are not working yet, so I carry my laptop around! We are hoping that they are ready at the end of school year  ... not joking! The computers are there but there �s no one to program them! This type of things happens a lot here, at least at my school!
And the wireless wasn �t working either... but that is going to be solved next week... I hope!
Anyway, I think computers are a great tool! Students love presentations, videos and exercises are corrected in a much faster way!
For example, to teach environment I used "Earth Song" and "Hey You". They watched them and then I asked stds some questions about what they had seen! They really like this type of classes!
I �m going to use www.englishexercises.org that I started using with some students (as an experience) last year. Most of my students have net at home. Before I used www.agendaweb.org ! But I �m waiting for wireless to show them how it works!
Have a great weekend!!
Hugs
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26 Sep 2009
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teacher_julia
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My Ukrainian teacher seminars are usually very low tech. Most of the time I �m lucky if I can get the blackboard to work :)
I saw a huge difference when using Power Point, the few occasions I had the technology available, and it was really great. I wish I could use Power Point in *all* my teacher training seminars.
The tech I usually use, however, is my mp3 player + speakers. I have portable speakers that are amazing and I can �t live without! My students love music, and we do a lot of song activities. We also went through all the songs from Dr Horrible �s Sing-Along-Blog and then watched the video. They loved that.
My students and I created a "group" on vkontakte.ru, a Facebook clone popular among Russians and Ukrainians. It has let us upload the music from our classes, play vocab games together, discuss some things, etc.
With my Power Points, one thing I found is: go line by line. For example, I have a list of webpages on my resource page. Instead of just having all of them show at once, I show the first one, let them write it, then ctrl+tab and open up my web browser and show them the actual page, because I agree that if they can actually see the webpage they �ll be more likely to go to it and use it, then I ctrl+tab back to Power Point, reveal the next web page, let them write it, then show them the page, etc. Ctrl+tab is really great when you �re doing PPT presentations!
Sorry if I went off on a tangent!
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2 Oct 2009
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