IT for Teaching and Learning English

As you know numerous articles have been written about the role of technology in education in the 21st century. Although the potential of the Internet for educational use has not been fully explored yet and the average school still makes limited use of computers, it is obvious that we have entered a new information age in which the links between technology and Teaching ESL have already been established.

I tried to classified somehow  Internet tool that can be used in ESL class. 

1.Home pages (e.gWiki is a piece of server software that allows users to freely create and edit Web page content using any Web browser.)

2. Chatting (e.g ICQ, different sites such as www.englishbaby.com)

3.Newsgroups/discussion groups (forums and blogs)

4. Online audio/video conferences (Skype, MSN, ooVoo)

5. Dictionaries and other language aids (Wikipedia, ABBYY onlie,YouTube)

6. Social Networks (Facebook, Schoolmates, Myspace)

But I want to tell about Skype which I succesfuly use both for my private and educational needs.

Skype has some advanced features that make it useful for teaching English and very important for teachers is Skype’s simplicity and completely free Skype-to-Skype usage. 

 

Audio calls

It is possible to talk to anyone in the world by taking Skype-to-Skype calls or conference calls with more people on one call to practice speaking. Skype also has a fee-based service for computer-to-land-line service both for local and international calls.

 

Video calls

It has a video possibility with web camera, while users can see each other throughout the call and group videos to get three or more students on the same video call for the feedback you need right there and then, or to share, celebrate and collaborate from anywhere in the world by seeing and talking. For the best quality, it is recommended calls with up to five people, but it can be between ten people maximum. If the connection is slow or if users do not have a web cameras, it is still possible to make voice calls.

 

Instant messaging and file sharing

By instant messaging it is easy to chat by writing messages, send photos, documents and presentations of any size for free. Teachers can use this feature to share activities or resources with students during a lesson.

 

Screen sharing

Screen share is a great way for users to share some of their screen or entire screen, share files, photos or anything else in one user’s computer without having to send it or it is even possible to teach how to use some program by showing the moves on one user’s screen. Screen sharing requires practice, and it is a powerful feature for learning.

 

Ten ideas how to use Skype in the classroom

 

1. Interview authors, astronauts and other amazing individuals from around the world. 

2. Collaborate with classrooms, businesses and more in multi-disciplinary projects. 

3. Explore a volcano, rainforest, or history museum in virtual field trips with experts in

the field or even share your field trip experiences with others. 

4. Practice conversational foreign languages with native speakers. 

5. Provide additional support for students needing extra attention or unable to come to

class. 

6. Invite a guest lecturer from leading educators and experts from anywhere in the

world. 

7. Explore foreign cultures first hand with classroom to classroom video conferencing. 

8. Broadcast a performance or project to parents and families unable to make it to

school. 

9. Access and share professional development opportunities with educators on the go. 

10. Collaboratewithinnovativeeducatorstoplanunits,lessons,andmore.