This document provides an overview of Web 2.0 tools for language learning. It begins with an introduction discussing how technology has changed communication and learning styles. It notes that while students are adept with technology, they do not necessarily apply it to learning. The document then discusses useful Web 2.0 tools for language learning, including Edmodo, WordChamp, StoryJumper, Voxopop, VoiceThread, websites for listening practice, text-to-speech tools, Jing, PBworks, and QuizStar. It concludes with references. The document aims to help teachers identify effective Web 2.0 tools to integrate technology into language learning in a pedagogically useful way.

1. Language Learning and Technology:
An Overview of the Web 2.0 Tools
D r. F erit K I L I Ç K A Y A
M iddle E ast T echnical U niversity
kilickay@metu.edu.tr
T he 1st Student C onference on L anguage and L iterature
K aradeniz T echnical U niversity
M arch 8 2012
,

2. INTRODUCTION

3. Introduction
Technology in all parts of our lives
Easier for people to communicate throughout the
world
• Discussion boards, Instant messaging, chat, WIKIs,
Social Networking tools, etc.
Friedman (2005) “The world is being leveled”,
and this leveling process is continuing on every
minute.

4. Introduction-2
 As for education, it is becoming more important
to study the integration of technology.
 Today, a new generation
 communication
 interaction

5. Introduction-3
 «Our students have changed radically. Today’s
students are no longer the pupils our educational
system was designed to teach.» (Prensky, 2001,
p. 1)

6. Introduction-4
 Watson (2010, p. 15):
 Teachers may face a conflict of teaching and learning
styles. Older teachers generally teach face to face and
proceed in a logical or step-by-step basis. In contrast,
younger students tend to jump around from one
idea or thought to another and expect sensory-
laden environments as a matter of course. They also
want instant results and frequent rewards,
whereas many teachers regard learning as slower
and serious and consider that students should just
keep quiet and listen.

7. Introduction-5
 Students are far more advanced in terms of
using technology compared to teachers?

8. Introduction-6
Kennedy, Judd, Dalgarnot, & Waycott (2010).
 Key findings
 Advanced technology user students are in a minority
 Only standard web-based applications and mobile
phones on a relatively frequent basis
students of our century
 better adapt technology into their daily life and
communication
 using social networking sites such as Facebook

9. Introduction-7
However, this does not mean that
 Students can infuse technology into their studies or
learning practices (Legutke, Müller-Hartmann, &
Ditfurth, 2007; Von der Heiden, Fleischer, Richert, &
Jeschke, 2011).

10. Introduction-8
Then,
Teachers should be of the fact that
 technology should be used provided that it will
 facilitate meaningful classroom activities, rather than
an alternative to classroom teaching.

11. Introduction-9
The first question to ask while using technology
in the classroom
Will the students benefit from the
technology?

12. Introduction-10
To use technology correctly as a pedagogical tool,
We have to decide
 which tools will help which skill?
 Which tool will worth using?

13. Introduction-11
First-generation Web
 READ ONLY
 One-way communication
 E-mails, discussion boards, instant
messaging

14. Introduction-12
Second-generation Web
 READ/WRITE/SHARE/COMMENT
 Two-way communication
 Blogs, Wikis, Social Networks,

15. USEFUL WEB 2.0 TOOLS

16. Web 2.0 Tools- Edmodo
Edmodo
a free social learning platform to increase
communication and collaboration among
students and even teachers as well as
schools.
provides a secure way for teachers and
learners to share and collaborate with each
other in addition to access to the
coursework such as assignments and
homework (Kılıçkaya, 2012).

17. Web-authoring tools-WordChamp
WordChamp
aims to help learners improve their
vocabulary providing definitions to the
words in any web page or text,
accompanied by pronunciations.
allows creating vocabulary lists and
provides the opportunity to download them
as MP3 and flash cards (Kılıçkaya, 2007).

18. Web-authoring tools-StoryJumper
StoryJumper
a website that allows kids to create their
own books, using photos and/or dravings.

19. Web-authoring tools-Voxopop
Voxopop
a free voice-based learning platform
aiming to improve language students’ oral
skills in the target language.
considered as a message or discussion
board where students communicate with
each other and their teacher using a
specialized interface rather than typing
their messages (Kılıçkaya, in press).

20. Web-authoring tools-VoiceThread
VoiceThread
allows teachers and students to record
materials which can be text and audio
comments on uploaded texts images,
presentations or videos. VoiceThread can be
used as an asynchronous communication
which users can plan the presentations and
contribute to these presentations with
comments as both in text and voice form
((Kılıçkaya, 2010a).

21. Web-authoring tools-Websites/Listening
Websites/Listening
English Listening Online
Randall’s ESL Cyber Listening Lab
Breakingnewsenglish

22. Web-authoring tools-Text-to-Speech
Text-to-Speech
Speech synthesis or text to speech
technology (TTS), widely known as the
speech generated by commercial software,
can be used to create digital audio
materials for listening comprehension in
classes of English as a foreign language
(Kılıçkaya, 2011a, 2011b).
AT&T
ACAPELA

23. Web-authoring tools-PBworks
Jing
A screen casting software that can be
used to provide audio-visual feedback on
students’ writing (Stannard, 2008; Hynson,
2012)

24. Web-authoring tools-PBworks
PBworks
previously known as PBwiki, provides
especially educators with the easiest way
to collaborate with their colleagues or
students through the internet. With the help
of PBworks, unlimited pages and unlimited
revisions including Google gadgets,
YouTube and Teacher tube videos,
slideshows, and files (2 GB is free) can be
easily published (Kılıçkaya, 2008)

25. Web-authoring tools-QuizStar
QuizStar
•An online web-based quiz maker used to
create online quizzes, allowing to create,
administer, disseminate, automatically
grade quizzes and view results for a
variety of topics and subjects (Kılıçkaya,
2008).

26. References
• Friedman, T. L. (2005). The world is flat: A brief history of the twenty-first Century.
New York: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux.
• Hynson, Y. T. A. (2012). An innovative alternative to providing writing feedback on
students’ essays. Teaching English with Technology, 12(1), 53-57. Retrieved from
http://www.tewtjournal.org/VOL%2012/ISSUE1/ARTICLE%204.pdf
• Kennedy, G., Judd, T., Dalgarnot, B., & Waycott, J. (2010). Beyond natives and
immigrants: Exploring types of net generation students. Journal of Computer Assisted
Learning, 26, 332-343. Retrieved from
http://late-dpedago.urv.cat/site_media/papers/j.1365-2729.2010.00371.pdf
• Kılıçkaya, F. (in press). Voxopop: Voice-based discussion for language classrooms.
AATSEEL Newsletter, 55(2).
• Kılıçkaya, F. (2012, February). Edmodo: Make your language clasroom a community.
The AATSEEL Newsletter, 55(1), 7-10. Retrieved from
http://www.aatseel.org/100111/pdf/aatseelfeb12nl.pdf
• Kılıçkaya, F. (2011a, October). Using speech synthesis in foreign language classes. The
AATSEEL Newsletter, 54(3), 6-7. Retrieved from
http://www.aatseel.org/100111/pdf/aatseeloct11nl.pdf

27. References
• Kılıçkaya, F. (2011b). Improving pronunciation via accent reduction and text-to-speech
software. In M. Levy., F. Blin, C. B. Siskin, O. Takeuchi (Eds.), WorldCALL:
International perspectives on computer-assisted language learning, (pp. 85-96). NY:
Routledge.
• Kılıçkaya, F. (2010a). Going beyond the conversation in the language classroom:
VoiceThread. Proceedings of ICONTE (International Conference on New Trends in
Education and Their Implications) (pp. 48-52). Antalya: ICONTE. Retrieved from
http://www.iconte.org/FileUpload/ks59689/File/10.pdf
• Kılıçkaya, F. (2010b, December). Creating Language Quizzes: QuizStar.The
AATSEEL Newsletter, 53(4), 5-6. Retrieved from
http://www.aatseel.org/100111/pdf/aatseeldec10nlfinal.pdf
• Kılıçkaya, F. (2008). Pbwiki: Web 2.0 tool for collaboration. Teaching English with
Technology, 8(2). Retrieved from http://tinyurl.com/4u7y7rx
• Kılıçkaya, F. (2007). Website review: WordChamp: Learn language faster. Educational
Technology & Society, 10(4), 298-299. Retrieved from
http://www.ifets.info/journals/10_4/26.pdf

28. References
• Legutke, M. K., Müller-Hartmann, A., & Ditfurth, M. S. (2007). Preparing teachers for
technology-supported ELT. In J. Cummins and C. Davison (Eds.), International
handbook of English language teaching, (pp. 1125-1138). New York: Springer.
• Prensky, M. (2001a, September/October). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the
Horizon, 9(5), 1-6. Retrieved from http://tinyurl.com/28ggmy
• Stannard, R. (2008). A new direction in feedback. Humanising language teaching, 10(6).
Retrieved from http://www.hltmag.co.uk/dec08/mart04.htm
• Watson, R. (2010). Future minds: How the digital age is changing our minds, why this
matters, and what we can do about it. Boston: Nicholas Brealey Publishing.
• Von der Heiden, B., Fleischer, S., Richert, A., & Jeschke, S. (2011). Theory of digital
natives in the light of current and future e-learning concepts. IJET, 6(2), 37-41. Retrieved
from http://online-journals.org/i-jet/article/view/1555

29. Thank you for your attention.
Q & A Session
Dr. Ferit Kılıçkaya
Middle East Technical University
Faculty of Education
Department of Foreign Language Education
Üniversiteler Mah. Dumlupınar Bul. No. 106800
Ankara, Turkey
E-mail: ferit.kilickaya@gmail.com
Phone: +903122103667
Fax: +903122107969
Webpage: http://www.metu.edu.tr/~kilickay