36. References
Graham Stanley,
Language Learning withTechnology,CUP, 2013
Kyle Mawer & Graham Stanley,
Diane Phillips, Sarah Burwood & Helen Dunford
Projects with Young Learners
OUP, 1999
Digital Play, Delta, 2011
Matt Wicks,
Imaginative Projects
CUP, 2000
Gary Motteram (Ed.)
Innovation in learning technologies for ELT
British Council, 2013 -
http://www.slideshare.net/bcgstanley/
http://tinyurl.com/nn26re5
Notas do Editor
Language learning with Webtools
What comes first: the language learning or the webtool? Rather than finding a use in the classroom for technology, the teacher should consider the language being taught first and then consider which technology/webtools can be used for which purposes inside and outside of the classroom. Based on ideas presented in the book 'Language Learning with Technology' (Stanley, 2013) and 'Innovations in Learning Technologies for English Language Teaching' (Ed. by Motteram, 2013 and available for download here: http://tinyurl.com/nn26re5), participants will hopefully have a better idea of how to approach using technology/webtools in their teaching as well as seeing examples of how others have used them in their practice.
Bio:
After 18 years working as an English teacher in Spain, Graham Stanley is now project manager for the British Council on the Plan Ceibal English project, teaching primary school children English in Uruguay via video-conferencing. His latest handbook for teachers, 'Learning Languages with Technology' (CUP, 2013) was overall winner in the English Speaking Union HRH Duke of Edinburgh Award English Language Book Awards and his previous book, 'Digital Play: Computer games and language aims' won the British Council ELT Innovation award (ELTon) for teacher resources in 2012. He has an M.Ed in ELT & Educational Technology and is currently online events organiser for the IATEFL Young Learner and Teenager Special Interest Group.
As a teacher, how do you feel about educational technology in your own classroom? Talk to your partner and tell them if you use it much and if so, how you use it.
Do you or do any of your colleagues feel uncomfortable about educational technology? Do you know anyone who refuses to use it?
One of the reasons why language learning technology has got a bad name with some teachers is when technology is used without much thought for the pedagogy or language aims of the class – to be effective, LLT needs always to be used to support the aims of the lesson and assist in helping the learners practice or learn the language better than if technology was not used. We need to make sure that technology is not being used for the sake of it – Avoid the Everest Syndrome: i.e. Why use Technology? Because it’s there!
Here are some wrong ways to approach using LLT
Reading about how others use technology in their classrooms can be inspiring – I recommend looking at this book of case studies and reflections on the use of technology in language teaching around the world and across the board, from the primary classroom to secondary, teens, university and adults.
I also recommend looking for ideas in handbooks specially written for teachers, such as this one which I wrote (Cambridge, 2013), which was overall winner in the 2014 HRH English Language Book Award presented by the English Speaking Union. Differing from other handbooks for teachers, Language Learning with Technology looks at different language skills and areas and gives ideas how the use of technology can help teachers. For the rest of this workshop, I am going to look at examples from each of these areas, using webtools to support the language areas.
Just if we have time, let's look at some cretive writing prompts, which can help learners get started with writing stories, etc.
The first involves a project which has been used in ELT for many years. It involves asking the learners to work in groups and design an island, which is then used as the setting for subsequent classroom activities.
In my classroom oif teenagers (13-14 year-olds), I asked them to work in groups and decide on the shape of their island. Then I asked them to add natural features (lakes, mountains, forests, etc) and then man-made features (cities, etc).
I then scanned their drawings and traced over them on the IWB. Doing this allowed me to manipulate the islands very easily – I can make them bigger or smaller, duplicate elements of thei island (trees, mountains, etc).
I placed the four student created islands together on a map and added an island that I created, which is the one I use for the students' adventures – some of the classroom activities take place on this mysterious islands. This way, I can add a narrative element to different activities I do in class.
One of the first activities I asked the learners to do was to write descriptions of the islands and some of the places on the islands. These became part of a growing 'Tourist Guide' to the islands.
One of the first activities I asked the learners to do was to write descriptions of the islands and some of the places on the islands. These became part of a growing 'Tourist Guide' to the islands.
There are lots of activities that you can do with the island. These are some sources of information that I know of that can be used.
Thanks for your attention – please let me know if you try out any of these activities or if you have any comments ro questions about anything in the presentation.
Here are the references to the books I mentioned in the presentation, and the image I used here too.