Computers and the internet schools
Computers are increasingly a part of
everyday life and the internet has, since the
middle of the 1990s, revolutionised
communication. This revolution has found
its way into the classroom. Many schools
have computers and many students have
access to computers at home.
There is an ever growing range of software available for the student of English. There are programmes that teach and test
grammar, vocabulary, writing skills and even pronunciation. Many programmes are available on CD-ROMs and increasingly
directly on the internet.
Many computer programmes which are not specifically designed for the language classroom are useful as well. A wordprocessing
package is a good example of this. If the students are doing a piece of written work the teacher can monitor
them while they are working. Corrections and alterations can be made immediately without the crossings out needed on
paper.
Reference CD-ROMs and encyclopaedias can be used as sources of material for project-based activities in class or for selfstudy
and homework.
Students can create class newsletters or even mini-newspapers with word-processing or desktop publishing software.
The advantage of using software in this way is that the students are focussed on the task and using the technology rather
than thinking about English. They need to use English to complete the task, but as they are not consciously thinking about
it, their use is more natural and communicative. Computers are another source of variety and interest in the classroom.
It is important to remember that however you use computers in your class, they are not a substitute for teaching. They are
an extra tool for the teacher and their use needs to be planned and prepared as with any other activity.
The computer is also an excellent tool for the teacher for the preparation of work sheets and exercises as well as a source
of material. Well-prepared and presented materials make a good impression in the class and in the staff room!
Internet
I’m not very computer literate myself but the students are and we encourage them to use the internet - which they can
access quite easily - and they use it to get up-to-date information on all sorts of things ... because sometimes in the
library the books aren’t as up to date as the information they can get off the internet. The internet is a revolution really
and I think that we need to make sure that learning keeps up with that revolution and it’s actually part of it and it’s in
the forefront of it.
From Teaching With Technology, Programme 7
The internet is an enormous resource of information which is getting easier to access. It is a resource that can be exploited
in many ways. Here are a few examples:
I’ve used it for project work and research work. I’ve got students to research and design, for example, a plan for a
group of tourists, so they then look up for particular museums their opening times and how to get there and find
information for them and then produce some kind of advertising material to go along with it. That kind of research they
enjoy.
From Teaching With Technology, Programme 7
I had a group of students once who were interested in Austria in museums. And we did the usual thing, we looked up
museums on the internet. And then somebody suggested creating their own museum. So the plan was that they would
visit different sites and when they visited each one they would decide as a group on one piece of art and then they
would ‘steal’ that piece of art by copying it and then they would post it back to their own website to create their own
virtual museum.
David Eastment, internet and CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning) expert - Teaching With Technology, Programme 7
These examples show the internet being used as a source of material for research projects. The nature of the internet also
means that students can create their own pages which can be seen by anyone in the world with internet access. As English
is the dominant language on the internet, it means they will be exposed to English and using it for a variety of motivating
and interesting tasks.
Some sites on the internet offer interactive grammar exercises - this means that when the students complete an exercise
their answers are chec ked and corrected automatically. One site that does offer this is the BBC World Service Learning
English website. You can find exercises at: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/
It is also possible to interact not only with the computer but with other learners around the world. This can be done
through finding ‘e-pals’, the email version of pen-pals.
It means that a classroom in Africa could be sharing information with a classroom in Asia or a classroom in America
and so on. The classroom walls are falling down.
Stephen Bax, internet and distance learning expert - Teaching With Technology, Programme 7
The advantage of e-pals over pen-pals is that communication is much speedier! You can send your correspondent
information about yourself including photos and you don’t have to wait weeks to receive a reply from the other side of the
world! It also gives students an incenti ve to find out more about other cultures. For information on finding e-pals for
yourself or students try: http://www.Iecc.org/
Computer technology is becoming cheaper and more available around the world. However, because it is a relatively new and
rapidly changing technology the teacher needs to be familiar with the equipment and the possibilities. We have outlined just
a few possible uses of computers and the internet here. If your school does have access to these facilities, why not give
them a go, or even better, use your imagination to create interesting tasks and activities suitable for your own students and
their interests.
Here are a few more practical ideas for the following areas:
• Warmers
• Presentation techniques
Warmers
Warmers are short activities for the beginning of lessons. They engage the students and get them using English from the
start.
There are many different kinds of warmers. Here are a few ideas:
Spot the difference
This is an activity where the students are divided into two groups, A and B. All the ‘A’ students are given one picture and all
the ‘B’ students are given the same picture but with a certain number of differences. These kinds of pictures can be found
in many resource books and often as quizzes in newspapers and magazines. If none of these is available you can always
make simple drawings yourself.
Students are then put into A/B pairs. Tell them that they must not show their picture to their partner, but that they must
describe their pictures to each other to find a certain number of differences. Give a time limit of about five minutes.
This activity is very student-centred and can be used to practise and revise the use of prepositions of place, the grammar
of description as well as any vocabulary topic you choose, if you have a suitable picture.
Describe and draw
Put the students into A/B pairs. Give student ‘A’ a picture. That student now describes his picture to student ‘B’ who tries to
draw what his or her partner describes. ‘A’ should not show his picture, but ‘B’ can ask questions to help. The pictures
should not be too difficult to describe and should contain objects and shapes that the students have the vocabulary for.
After a few minutes, let the pairs compare the original picture with ‘B’s drawing. Then change over and give student ‘B’ a
picture to describe for ‘A’. Again, after a few minutes let them compare.
This is a challenging but enjoyable exercise which can provide practice for a wide range of vocabulary and structure.
Hot seat
Hot seat is a vocabulary quiz for teams. First the teacher needs to prepare a list of words and expressions. These should be
vocabulary items that the students have studied.
Computers are increasingly a part of
everyday life and the internet has, since the
middle of the 1990s, revolutionised
communication. This revolution has found
its way into the classroom. Many schools
have computers and many students have
access to computers at home.
There is an ever growing range of software available for the student of English. There are programmes that teach and test
grammar, vocabulary, writing skills and even pronunciation. Many programmes are available on CD-ROMs and increasingly
directly on the internet.
Many computer programmes which are not specifically designed for the language classroom are useful as well. A wordprocessing
package is a good example of this. If the students are doing a piece of written work the teacher can monitor
them while they are working. Corrections and alterations can be made immediately without the crossings out needed on
paper.
Reference CD-ROMs and encyclopaedias can be used as sources of material for project-based activities in class or for selfstudy
and homework.
Students can create class newsletters or even mini-newspapers with word-processing or desktop publishing software.
The advantage of using software in this way is that the students are focussed on the task and using the technology rather
than thinking about English. They need to use English to complete the task, but as they are not consciously thinking about
it, their use is more natural and communicative. Computers are another source of variety and interest in the classroom.
It is important to remember that however you use computers in your class, they are not a substitute for teaching. They are
an extra tool for the teacher and their use needs to be planned and prepared as with any other activity.
The computer is also an excellent tool for the teacher for the preparation of work sheets and exercises as well as a source
of material. Well-prepared and presented materials make a good impression in the class and in the staff room!
Internet
I’m not very computer literate myself but the students are and we encourage them to use the internet - which they can
access quite easily - and they use it to get up-to-date information on all sorts of things ... because sometimes in the
library the books aren’t as up to date as the information they can get off the internet. The internet is a revolution really
and I think that we need to make sure that learning keeps up with that revolution and it’s actually part of it and it’s in
the forefront of it.
From Teaching With Technology, Programme 7
The internet is an enormous resource of information which is getting easier to access. It is a resource that can be exploited
in many ways. Here are a few examples:
I’ve used it for project work and research work. I’ve got students to research and design, for example, a plan for a
group of tourists, so they then look up for particular museums their opening times and how to get there and find
information for them and then produce some kind of advertising material to go along with it. That kind of research they
enjoy.
From Teaching With Technology, Programme 7
I had a group of students once who were interested in Austria in museums. And we did the usual thing, we looked up
museums on the internet. And then somebody suggested creating their own museum. So the plan was that they would
visit different sites and when they visited each one they would decide as a group on one piece of art and then they
would ‘steal’ that piece of art by copying it and then they would post it back to their own website to create their own
virtual museum.
David Eastment, internet and CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning) expert - Teaching With Technology, Programme 7
These examples show the internet being used as a source of material for research projects. The nature of the internet also
means that students can create their own pages which can be seen by anyone in the world with internet access. As English
is the dominant language on the internet, it means they will be exposed to English and using it for a variety of motivating
and interesting tasks.
Some sites on the internet offer interactive grammar exercises - this means that when the students complete an exercise
their answers are chec ked and corrected automatically. One site that does offer this is the BBC World Service Learning
English website. You can find exercises at: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/
It is also possible to interact not only with the computer but with other learners around the world. This can be done
through finding ‘e-pals’, the email version of pen-pals.
It means that a classroom in Africa could be sharing information with a classroom in Asia or a classroom in America
and so on. The classroom walls are falling down.
Stephen Bax, internet and distance learning expert - Teaching With Technology, Programme 7
The advantage of e-pals over pen-pals is that communication is much speedier! You can send your correspondent
information about yourself including photos and you don’t have to wait weeks to receive a reply from the other side of the
world! It also gives students an incenti ve to find out more about other cultures. For information on finding e-pals for
yourself or students try: http://www.Iecc.org/
Computer technology is becoming cheaper and more available around the world. However, because it is a relatively new and
rapidly changing technology the teacher needs to be familiar with the equipment and the possibilities. We have outlined just
a few possible uses of computers and the internet here. If your school does have access to these facilities, why not give
them a go, or even better, use your imagination to create interesting tasks and activities suitable for your own students and
their interests.
Here are a few more practical ideas for the following areas:
• Warmers
• Presentation techniques
Warmers
Warmers are short activities for the beginning of lessons. They engage the students and get them using English from the
start.
There are many different kinds of warmers. Here are a few ideas:
Spot the difference
This is an activity where the students are divided into two groups, A and B. All the ‘A’ students are given one picture and all
the ‘B’ students are given the same picture but with a certain number of differences. These kinds of pictures can be found
in many resource books and often as quizzes in newspapers and magazines. If none of these is available you can always
make simple drawings yourself.
Students are then put into A/B pairs. Tell them that they must not show their picture to their partner, but that they must
describe their pictures to each other to find a certain number of differences. Give a time limit of about five minutes.
This activity is very student-centred and can be used to practise and revise the use of prepositions of place, the grammar
of description as well as any vocabulary topic you choose, if you have a suitable picture.
Describe and draw
Put the students into A/B pairs. Give student ‘A’ a picture. That student now describes his picture to student ‘B’ who tries to
draw what his or her partner describes. ‘A’ should not show his picture, but ‘B’ can ask questions to help. The pictures
should not be too difficult to describe and should contain objects and shapes that the students have the vocabulary for.
After a few minutes, let the pairs compare the original picture with ‘B’s drawing. Then change over and give student ‘B’ a
picture to describe for ‘A’. Again, after a few minutes let them compare.
This is a challenging but enjoyable exercise which can provide practice for a wide range of vocabulary and structure.
Hot seat
Hot seat is a vocabulary quiz for teams. First the teacher needs to prepare a list of words and expressions. These should be
vocabulary items that the students have studied.
Post a Comment